Memphis

[Zaphod]

Hi guys-I am considering moving to Memphis and wanted to know how the job climate is. Will be relocationg in the U of tenessee area. I have 1 1/2 year ICU and some CV experience. Are jobs very difficult to find and how is the cost of living? I would be moving from Florida. Thank you.

[Chisca, RN]

:)

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/oct/16/fasten-ating/?partner=yahoo_feeds

[Murse901, MSN, RN]

Paperclips? Really?

http://www.angelfire.com/bc/translink/images/blunt.wav

[Chisca, RN]

"Art is a great way to transform the ordinary into the interesting."

The metal museum is another jewel this city has.

http://www.metalmuseum.org/

[Murse901, MSN, RN]

The 10 Worst Cities to Find a Job - September 2010 | CareerCast.com

Memphis is #2 on the top 10 worst cities to attempt to find a job. We could go at this all year. The bottom line is that tamales and paperclips don't outweigh bullets and unemployment checks.

[Chisca, RN]

Pure hyperbole. What nurse has been unable to find a job in this city? How many times have you been shot? The facts are unless you associate with criminals or engage in drug usage your chances of being shot are extremely low. Just like everywhere else in the western world the leading cause of death in Memphis is heart disease. Quit living your life based on fear.

http://hitonememphis.com/

[Murse901, MSN, RN]

When considering a move to this city from another location, it's doubtful that everyone in the moving family is a nurse. Therefore, it's important to consider whether or not your husband/wife and other relatives/kids coming with you will be able to be gainfully employed. Or will they spend a year working at McDonald's waiting for a decent job opportunity?

Memphis' unemployment rate is slightly better than the national average, but is still a fairly hefty 8.6%.

As for crime, I've never been shot. But a couple of years ago a friend of mine was leaving class on the U of M campus in the early evening and was stabbed in the rear end and had her purse taken - no warning or threat, just attacked. Several of my friends and relatives have had their cars broken into at AutoZone Park and FedEx Forum. Another friend was mugged at gunpoint in the Cooper/Young district. None of these friends were engaging in criminal activity and none of these incidents were in "dangerous" neighborhoods.

The numbers don't lie. Memphis is a dangerous, crime-ridden city with a failing school system and no job market (not talking about RN's here).

It's not about living in fear. It's not about paperclips and tamales and crappy little venues full of drunk college kids. In the context of the original post, it's about whether or not it's a good idea to move to Memphis. The answer is a resounding NO.

Now, if you could live and work in one of the better municipalities like Collierville, that's a different story.

[TenJen]

WOW...there are alot of opinions here....and here is mine..I have lived in Phoenix, NYC

[Murse901, MSN, RN]

Nashville has all of those things, with better schools, less crime, more job opportunities, and VUMC. If I were dead-set on moving to this region from elsewhere in the US, I'd go to Nashville.

As for the racial tension - if you have not experienced the racial tension that defines Memphis, then you have not lived in Memphis. Period. Growing up in Germantown or Collierville is not the same as growing up in Memphis. Aside from being raised here, I have also lived in Florida and New Jersey. Nowhere have I seen more racism on both sides of the fence than Memphis. It's ridiculous.

Compare downtown Nashville to downtown Memphis. Do you see aggressive bums walking the streets accosting everyone in downtown Nashville? How many times have you been approached by a vagrant in Memphis asking for a dollar so he can "get a bed at the shelter"? You give him a buck, he asks for more. You say no, and he gets verbally abusive. Even the vagrants here are a different breed. You don't see it in the touristy area of downtown because there are police everywhere. But go to the gas station at Danny Thomas and Poplar and see what happens.

Downtown Memphis is just a filthy, rundown area. We do have AutoZone Park and FedEx Forum. Herenton's administration did work to get those venues put in place. But he also neglected the Pyramid, which is just a worn-out husk now. Walking around downtown, it's amazing to see the number of abandoned buildings. How many businesses have fled this city because of the devolving quality of life here? Unfortunately, those businesses leaving has caused a cyclical effect with the loss of jobs and weakening of economy causing an increase in crime.

I do have high hopes for the new city and county administration that just came into office. I think that Wharton will be able to turn this city around, and Luttrell's previous work as Sheriff under Wharton will allow them to cooperate more on city/county issues, whereas Herenton thought that other area politicians were beneath him. If Wharton and Luttrell can turn things around, Memphis will be a great place to live 5 or 10 years from now. But today, there are many more promising cities out there to move to.

As for telling me that I have no valid opinion because I have not personally been shot or stabbed, that's about as reasonable as me telling you that you have no valid opinion because you haven't snuggled and sang Kumbaya with a Vice Lord.

[Murse901, MSN, RN]

Also, I'm not going to say that there is NOTHING positive in Memphis. There are definitely many things going on in Memphis that make life here tolerable. The new Green Line, the Memphis Zoo, the Orpheum. Every city has its good and bad. Every city has its own unique cultural attractions. Every city has crime. There is no Utopia. You're not going to find a perfect city anywhere. The question is, is it actually a good idea to move here versus another city that may have more good things going for it than bad?