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Memphis
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Memphis
is a city located in Shelby County, Tennessee of which it is the county
seat. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 650,100
within the city limits making it the largest city in the state of Tennessee,
United States. It is located on Lower Chickasaw Bluff above the Mississippi
River, at the mouth of the Wolf River. Interstate highways I40 and I55
(along with rail lines) cross the Mississippi at Memphis into the state
of Arkansas.
History
Memphis was settled by the Chickasaw tribe. The Spanish explorer, Hernando
de Soto, is believed to have visited the area. The French built Fort Prudhomme
in the vicinity. The city was founded in 1819 and incorporated as a city
in 1826. At the conclusion of the Battle of Memphis on June 6, 1862 during
the American Civil War, Union forces captured Memphis from Confederate
control. A yellow fever epidemic in 1870 greatly reduced the population
for many years thereafter. In 1897, Memphis' pyramid-shaped pavilion was
a conspicuous part of the Tennessee Centennial exposition. From the 1910s
to the 1950s, Memphis was a hotbed of machine politics under the direction
of E. H. "Boss" Crump
Geography
Memphis is located at 35°7'3" North, 89°58'16" West
(35.117365, -89.971068)1. According to the United States Census Bureau,
the city has a total area of 763.4 km² (294.8 mi²). 723.4 km²
(279.3 mi²) of it is land and 40.0 km² (15.4 mi²) of it
is water. The total area is 5.24% water.
Major
Parks
Major Memphis parks include Tom Lee Park, Audubon Park, Overton Park and
the Memphis Botanic Garden.
Law
& Government
Since 1966, Memphis has been governed by the "weak mayor" form
of mayor-council government. The new city charter provided for the election
of a mayor and thirteen council members, six elected at large from throughout
the city and seven elected from geographic districts. In 1995, the council
adopted a new district plan which changed council positions to all districts.
This plan provides for nine districts, seven with one representative each
and two districts with three representatives each. The current mayor of
Memphis is Dr. Willie W. Herenton. Dr. Herenton is currently serving his
fourth consecutive term as Mayor. He was elected for the first time in
1991, when he became Memphis's first black mayor. Prior to his election,
Dr. Herenton served for 12 years as the superintendent of Memphis City
Schools.
Economy
Memphis is a center of manufacture of textiles, heating equipment, pianos,
and automobile and truck parts. It is also the headquarters of FedEx shipping.
Because of its status as the primary hub for FedEx, Memphis International
Airport is currently the world's busiest cargo airport in terms of tonnage.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 650,100 people, 250,721 households,
and 158,455 families residing in the city. The population density is 898.6/km²
(2,327.4/mi²). There are 271,552 housing units at an average density
of 375.4/km² (972.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 34.41%
White, 61.41% African American, 0.19% Native American, 1.46% Asian, 0.04%
Pacific Islander, 1.45% from other races, and 1.04% from two or more races.
2.97% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are
250,721 households out of which 31.3% have children under the age of 18
living with them, 34.1% are married couples living together, 23.8% have
a female householder with no husband present, and 36.8% are non-families.
30.5% of all households are made up of individuals and 8.9% have someone
living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size
is 2.52 and the average family size is 3.18. In the city the population
is spread out with 27.9% under the age of 18, 10.8% from 18 to 24, 30.7%
from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who are 65 years of age
or older. The median age is 32 years. For every 100 females there are
89.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 84.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $32,285, and the median
income for a family is $37,767. Males have a median income of $31,236
versus $25,183 for females. The per capita income for the city is $17,838.
20.6% of the population and 17.2% of families are below the poverty line.
Out of the total people living in poverty, 30.1% are under the age of
18 and 15.4% are 65 or older.
Sites
of Interest
Tourists come from all over the world to see Graceland, the home of Elvis
Presley. Sun studios, where Elvis first recorded "My Happiness"
and "That's When Your Heartaches Begin", rock n roll,is located
in the city also. Other famous musicians who got their start at Sun include
Johnny Cash, Rufus Thomas, Charlie Rich, Howlin' Wolf, Roy Orbison, Carl
Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis. Blues fans can head down to Beale Street,
where a young B.B. King used to play his guitar, and occasionally still
appears at a club bearing his name and partly owned by him. The National
Civil Rights Museum is in the former Lorraine Motel, where the Reverend
Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. There is Libertyland Amusement
Park and the adjacent Liberty Bowl and Memphis Children's Museum, Mud
Island, Lichterman Nature Center, the Pink Palace Museum, The Pyramid,
The Memphis Zoo, the Memphis Queen riverboat and the Memphis Belle, a
heavy bomber which saw action in World War II. The Mid-South Fair comes
to the city every fall, and every May there is the Memphis in May. Each
year, the city honors a foreign country, and each weekend hosts a special
event, including the World Championship Barbeque Cooking Contest and the
Music Festival.
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