Sad, because when I was a teenager growing up in the Mid-South, Memphis was the city we went to for concerts and to have fun. These days, you can still go to Beale Street, AutoZone Park or the FedEx Forum, but if you wander 4-5 blocks away, you’re taking your life in your own hands.
A few years ago, I was part of a military education conference (sponsored by the Navy) in Memphis. I stayed with my son and daughter-in-law in northern Mississippi, but most of my colleagues were billeted at the Marriott downtown, about a mile from Beale and the entertainment district. As part of the “safety” brief, they were instructed to travel to Beale only in POVs—avoid the bus or trolley—and go in groups. No walking anywhere at night outside the hotel perimeter. And this was about eight years ago; it has only gotten worse since then.
Most people who could afford to get out of Memphis left a long time ago. There’s been a big building boom in northern Mississippi; DeSoto County was one of the fastest growing counties in America over the last decade, and now the migration has spread from Southhaven to Hernando and Olive Branch, and it will reach Senatobia very soon (as I recall, Senatobia is about 45 miles from Memphis). Same thing is happening east of Memphis, in places like Fayette County.
The next “step” in the evolution of Memphis will be the long-predicted giant earthquake along the New Madrid fault that will level the city, and have the same effect that Katrina had on New Orleans. The threat of a massive quake has been there for centuries, but to my knowledge, Memphis and surrounding environs have never adopted building codes that would allow many houses and smaller structures to survive the shaking.
Some of the nicest, most polite and genteel people I’ve ever met came from Memphis, Tennessee. Sorry to hear that it’s reached such a state.