Quality of Life »

An exceptional lifestyle and a cost of living well below the national average have combined to make Memphis one of the hottest relocation destinations in the country. Over the past two year's companies like International Paper and Servicemaster have relocated their corporate headquarters from places like Chicago and Stamford, CT. The mild climate, big city amenities and central location make it an ideal place to live, work and play.

Did you know:

• The cost of living in Memphis is 10% below the national average.
• The cost of housing in Memphis is 18% below the national average.
• Memphis offers pro sports, symphony, opera, great museums, world-class zoo, Beale Street, the Mississippi River, Graceland, and we haven't scratched the surface.
• Memphis offers quality public and private educational opportunities across the community.
• Memphis offers exceptional opportunities at institutions like the University of Memphis, the University of Tennessee Medical, Dental, and Optometry schools, Rhodes College, Christian Brothers and many more.

Mild Climate

Memphis has a mild climate and is in the middle of the Sun Belt. In fact, the city has sunshine about 64% of its daylight hours, and more sunny days each year than Miami, Florida. By general consensus, May and October are the city’s most beautiful months in terms of both weather and natural scenery. The climate year-round, however, is comfortable. It’s best characterized by mild temperatures and blue-sky days.

Climate comparison
city	Avg. Annual Temp (F)	Avg. summer Temp (f)	Avg. Winter Temp (f)	annual precipitation (inches) (overall / snow)	dAYS WITH CLEAR SKIES
Memphis	62	81	43	54.7 / 5.1	118
Austin	69	83	52	33.7 / 0.9	115
Charlotte	61	79	44	43.5 / 5.8	109
Chicago	49	71	25	36.3 / 38.2	84
Denver	50	71	31	15.8 / 60.3	115
Houston	69	83	54	47.8 / 0.4	90
Indianapolis	53	74	30	41.0 / 24.1	88
Miami	77	83	69	58.5 / 0	74
Phoenix	74	93	57	8.3 / 0	211
Raleigh/Durham	60	77	42	43.1 / 7.6	111
SOURCE: NOAA Comparative Climatic Data

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Low Cost of Living

One of the most attractive features of life in Memphis is the area’s remarkably low cost of living. From the price of a steak to the cost energy for a home, daily life in Memphis simply takes a smaller bite out of one’s disposable income. Add to this the fact that Tennessee is one of the lowest-taxed states per capita in the nation.

Memphis has, in other words, all the amenities that come with being the 17th-largest city in the U.S. but at a cost of living roughly 10% below the national metro average. For the majority of newcomers, that means more money for travel, leisure and hobbies, or putting away for a rainy day.

Did you know:

• Memphis is one of the 10 most TAX FRIENDLY cities in the US according Kiplinger's (May 2007). After all, lifestyle is not about what you earn but what you keep.
• Tennessee has the nation's 5th-lowest total tax burden (SOURCE: Tax Foundation, 2006 | www.taxfoundation.org)
• According to Forbes, Memphis is one of the best places to LIVE RICH in the US - a "Bohemian Bargain" with a lively inner city.

Cost of living comparison
city	index (100%)	grocery (13%)	housing (28%)	Utilities (10%)	trans. (10%)	health (4%)	misc. (35%)
Memphis	89.7.	93.7	75.8	83.9	91.0	96.7	99.7
Indianapolis	94.5	92.5	98.2	95.5	98.2	91.5	91.4
Louisville	98.8	90.0	90.6	110.5	115.1	98.0	100.6
Phoenix	100.3	99.1	100.9	92.4	104.2	101.6	101.3
Denver	103.7	105.1	110.9	95.7	98.9	108.5	100.5
Chicago	110.1	108.3	126.4	107.8	112.5	101.9	98.6
Miami	116.3	103.9	138.6	106.5	104.3	103.2	110.7
San Francisco	169.2	143.6	275.8	87.9	125.4	124.2	134.2
SOURCE: ACCRA Cost of Living Index, 2nd Quarter 2007

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Education

The Memphis metro area has 6 public school districts, 130 private schools, and 378,933 students. Memphis area schools annually attract national recognition and honors for the innovative programs and academic excellence provided to students of all ages.
Did you know:

• Shelby County's 48 schools are some of the most highly regarded in the state, receiving SchoolMatch's "What Parents Want Award" for 9 years straight. SchoolMatch is a service that matches corporate employees with school systems.
• Memphis is one of America's "100 Best Communities for Young People" according to America's Promise - The Alliance for Youth.
• Dr. Carol Johnson, superintendent of Memphis City Schools has been cited as “one of the top five urban educators in the country.”
• There are more than 35 SACS-accredited private and parochial schools in the Memphis area.

Memphis City Schools

, with about 118,000 students, is the largest public school district in the state and the 18th largest school district in the United States. They offer 30 optional high schools, 4 junior high schools, 26 middle schools, 114 elementary schools, and 10 charter schools for the education of your child. There are 7,500 teachers and student/ teacher ratio of 16.1:1.

Memphis City Schools offers a variety of optional schools serving highly motivated students and offering concentrations in subjects ranging from the performing arts to engineering. Other courses of study available at these tuition-free schools include international studies, engineering, health sciences, creative and performing arts, college preparatory and advanced placement courses.

White Station High School, one of the six high school level college preparatory programs, demonstrates the quality of Memphis optional schools. With SAT composite scores 210 points above the national average (1236 compared to 1026 nationally), White Station High School has averaged 20 National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists per year for five years and 58 National Merit Finalists in the last three years.

Shelby County Schools

is the 4th largest school system in Tennessee with 45,000 students. The district has been recognized in Money Magazine as one of the top 100 school districts in the nation. Currently, 7 high schools, 13 middle schools, and 28 elementary schools serve Shelby County students. The district employs more than 2,300 teachers and the student/teacher ratio is 17.3:1. Shelby County Schools incorporates college and career prep courses into each school’s curriculum.

SCHOOL District DaTA
district	enrollment	student teacher ratio	Per pupil expenditure
Memphis City Schools	125,553	17.5 : 1	$7,403
Shelby County, TN Schools	49,144	18.4 : 1	6,011
Fayette County, TN Schools	3,865	14.7 : 1	7,064
Tipton County, TN Schools	12,101	17.9 : 1	5,677
DeSoto County, MS Schools	27,166	18.3 : 1	5,805
Tate County, MS Schools	2,847	15.5 : 1	6,380
Marshall County, MS Schools	3,473	19.4 : 1	6,177
Tunica County, MS Schools	2,323	14.6 : 1	9,211
West Memphis, AR Schools	5,997	16 : 1	4,535
Marion, AR Schools	3,418	16 : 1	4,388

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Culture & Recreation

From opera and ballet to pro-sports and gaming, Memphis has a world class array of cultural and recreational amenities.

Did you know:

• American Style named Memphis one of America’s Top 25 Arts Destinations based on the richness and variety of Memphis' visual arts sites, activities and events.
• The Cannon Center, home to the Memphis Symphony, is one of the most acoustically-perfect venues in the United States.
• The National Ornamental Metal Museum is the only museum in the U.S. dedicated exclusively to the exhibition and preservation of fine metalwork.
• Cranium included Memphis in its TOP 50 FUN CITIES in America.

The Arts

Memphians are avid supporters of the arts. On any given night Memphians can:

• Catch a musical or opera at The Orpheum Theatre, a cultural landmark and one of the most heavily ticketed off-Broadway venues in America.
• See the Memphis Symphony Orchestra at the new, acoustically designed 2,100-seat Cannon Center for the Performing Arts at the Memphis Cook Convention Center.
• Or, visit one of the city's many art galleries and museums.

Performing Arts

Ballet Memphis presents a regular season of performances each year including classics like Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker during the holiday season as well as groundbreaking new works such as Momentum 6.

Memphis Symphony Orchestra provides exciting experiences through music. During the concert season that runs from September to May, the orchestra presents a full concert season of family, chamber, classical and pops music, featuring world-renowned soloists such as pianist Peter Serkin, singer Jennifer Holliday, and Grammy-award winner Amy Grant. The Cannon Center for the Performing Arts in Memphis, one of the nation’s best acoustical facilities for live orchestral music, is the symphony’s home, but performances are held in various venues including Tom Lee Park along the river. The symphony is committed to community engagement programs that tie orchestra and citizens together – an effort that recently won one of four Mellon Foundation grants. Contact the MSO at www.memphissymphony.org.

Opera Memphis, a Memphis mainstay for more than 40 years, features the world’s greatest voices and the best of Verdi, Puccini, and Mozart.

The Orpheum Broadway Series brings the glitz and glamour of Broadway to Memphis, with 8 to 10 touring performances of shows such as Les Miserables, Cats and Death of a Salesman. Playhouse on the Square/Circuit Playhouse is a resident professional theater group featuring paid, full-time actors. The 260-seat Playhouse on the Square offers eight productions a year. Circuit Playhouse, a 140-seat auditorium, specializes in new and off-Broadway dramatic productions.

Theatre Memphis is one of the nation’s best-known community theaters, having received numerous national and international honors. The 435-seat theater and the 100-seat Little Theater feature major productions, seasonal attractions, children’s programs and acting classes. Memphis is also home to a number of community theaters, a contemporary dance troupe and the century-old Beethoven Club.

Museums

Exploring Memphis’ museums always turns up a surprise. From mummies and the Lorraine Motel to Post-Impressionist paintings and a half-mile scale model of the Mississippi River, Memphis has a multitude of museums celebrating the historic, the cosmopolitan, and the mind-blowing.

Memphis museums
museum	amenities
Children’s Museum	A discovery museum for children and their families. Features: Interactive exhibits and programs such as a child-sized grocery store and “Time Square” that uses a giant mechanical clock and a wall of gears to teach time and measurements.
Dixon Gallery and Gardens	Features: (1) 17 acres of formal and informal gardens, (2) French Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings, (3) British portraits and landscapes, (4) the Stout Collection of 18th-century German porcelain, and (5) an annual series of traveling exhibits.
Brooks Museum of Art	Tennessee’s oldest and largest museum of fine and decorative arts. Features: (1) paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, and photographs from antiquity to the present; (2) major changing exhibits; (3) family workshops; (4) film, performance and lecture series.
Pink Palace Museum & Planetarium	A cultural and natural history of the Mid-South region. Features: (1) 165-seat planetarium with laser light shows, (2)an Imax Theater, (3) a full-scale replica of America’s first full-service grocery store, and (4) a roaring, stomping Triceratops dinosaur
Mud Island & Mississippi River Museum	Features: (1) exhibits on the history and exploration of the Mississippi river as well as river life, legends, models, and folklore; (2) the River Walk, a half-mile scale model of the Mississippi's lower 900 miles; (3) and a 5,000-seat amphitheater
National Civil Rights Museum	A comprehensive overview of the American Civil Rights Movement. Features: (1) 15 exhibits & interactive displays tracing the movement's history and leaders; (2) housed at the Lorraine Motel
National Ornamental Metal Museum	Dedicated to the exhibition and preservation of fine metalwork. Features: (1) changing exhibitions range from jewelry and hollowware in precious metals to architectural wrought iron; (2) a blacksmith shop; (3) classes and lectures; and (4) a sculpture garden
Art Museum of the University of Memphis	Features: (1) 44-piece collection of Egyptian antiquities and West African art, (2) changing exhibits, and (3) the artwork of students, faculty and regional artists
Chucalissa Archaeological Museum	A reconstruction of a prehistoric Native American village dating to the 15th century A.D. Features: (1) a museum, (2) earthworks, (3) a village area with several reconstructed huts, and (4) an enclosed archaeological excavation
Other Museums include: the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, Rock’n’ Soul Museum, Peabody Place Museum of Chinese Art, The Fire Museum, Memphis College of Art Exhibits, South Main Historical Art District (various art galleries and exhibits), Center for Southern Folklore, The Blues Foundation, Voices of the South, and The Cotton Museum

Memphis Sports

The Sporting News ranked Memphis #26 out of 388 North American cities on their list of Best Sport Cities.

Professional Sports Teams

NBA | The Memphis Grizzlies relocated their NBA franchise to Memphis in 2001 from Vancouver, marking the first time in 18 years that an NBA franchise relocated. The new $250 million FedEx Forum downtown arena opened in 2004 with the Grizzlies second in the NBA in home attendance at 16,871 per game and 19 home sellouts.

Baseball | Class AAA Memphis Redbirds play a 70-game home schedule April through September at AutoZone Park, a new $80 million 12,000 seat downtown stadium. AutoZone Park drew 800,000 fans per season in each of its first two years.

Hockey | The Memphis RiverKings play 32 games from October to March at the DeSoto Center and rank near the top of the Central Hockey League in home attendance.

Semi-professional sports teams include the Memphis Royals, a semipro baseball team, and the Memphis Express a Premier Developmental League Soccer Franchise.

College Athletics

The University of Memphis is perennially a top contender in Conference USA and NCAA basketball. Coached by John Calipari, the Tigers have had 14 NIT appearances and 16 NCAA appearances, including 7 sweet sixteen’s, 3 elite eight showings, 2 final four’s, 1 NCAA championship appearance, as well as the 2002 NIT championship.

Memphis is also a favorite host city for college sporting events such as the Conference USA, Southeastern Conference and NCAA Regional basketball tournaments.

Sports Events

FedEx/St. Jude Golf Classic is a regular stop on the PGA Tour and one of the city’s most popular annual sporting events. It is held at Tournament Players Club at Southwind and has raised $7 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Kroger/St. Jude Indoor Tennis Tournament is held each February, bringing in top tennis talent. It is held at The Racquet Club of Memphis and raises funds for St. Jude. The U.S. Open Racquetball Championship is also held at the Racquet Club in November of each year.

Memphis Motor Sports Park hosts several racing events each summer, including the National Hot Rod Association’s Mid-South Nationals’ drag race and NASCAR’s Craftsman Truck Series race.

Southern Heritage Classic Football is a week-long event ending with the annual football game between Jackson State and Tennessee State, two of the regions most prestigious historically black universities. The annual September event also features a golf tournament, concerts and other activities.

AutoZone Bowl, one of the longest-running bowls is played for the benefit of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and attracts two top college football teams each year to face off in a nationally televised post season competition.

Memphis in May Triathlon, 1,500 pro and amateur athletes from around the nation and the world to compete in the 1.5K swim, 40K bike and the 10K run event at Edmund Orgill Park in Millington, TN. The race is in a park setting within a mostly rural area of Millington.

The St. Jude Marathon & Half Marathon is a Boston-qualifying marathon sponsored by the Memphis Runners Track Club and benefiting the life-saving work of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

The Mike Rose Soccer Complex, is the U.S.’s premier soccer facility. Sitting on 136.7 acres and with 16 FIFA dimension fields and a 2,500-seat stadium, the Mike Rose Soccer Complex was designed to accommodate exhibition games, tournaments, league games, special events, as well as academies, camps and clinics, and coaches’ symposiums. Soccer sporting events include the Blues City Blowout and the Marriott College Classic.

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