Memphis, Tennessee

Memphis, Tennessee

People and culture

Demographics

As of the census{{GR|2}} 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.

Related Topics:
Census - 2000 - Population density - White - African American - Native American - Asian - Pacific Islander - Other races - Hispanic - Latino

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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.

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The average household size is 2.52 and the average family size is 3.18.

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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.

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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 population, 30.1% of those under the age of 18 and 15.4% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Related Topics:
Per capita income - Poverty line

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Annual cultural events and fairs

The Mid-South Fair comes to the city every fall, and every May there is 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 Beale Street Music Festival. Also part of Memphis in May is the FedEx St. Jude Classic, a PGA Tour golf tournament. Carnival Memphis (formerly known as the Memphis Cotton Carnival), is a series of parties and festivities staged every year by the Carnival Memphis Association and its member krewes (similar to that of Mardi Gras) during the early summer. Carnival salutes various aspects of Memphis and its industries, and is reigned over by the current year's secretly selected King & Queen of Carnival.

Related Topics:
Mid-South Fair - Memphis in May - World Championship Barbeque Cooking Contest - FedEx St. Jude Classic - PGA Tour - Carnival Memphis

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Media

The major daily newspaper in Memphis is The Commercial Appeal. The Daily News and the Memphis Business Journal also serve the area as daily newspapers. Several alternative and weekly papers are also published in Memphis, including the Memphis Flyer (alternative newsweekly), the Shelby Sun-Times (East Memphis and eastern Shelby County), the Tri-State Defender (an African-American-oriented newspaper), and La Prensa Latina (a Hispanic newspaper).

Related Topics:
Newspaper - The Commercial Appeal - The Daily News - Memphis Business Journal - Memphis Flyer - Shelby Sun-Times - Tri-State Defender

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The Memphis metropolitan area is served by a wide variety of local television stations, and is the forty-fourth largest designated market area (DMA) in the U.S. with 657,670 homes (0.597% of the total U.S.). The major network television affiliates are WMC 5 (NBC), WPTY 24 (ABC), WREG 3 (CBS), WHBQ 13 (FOX), WLMT 30 (UPN), and WPTY 24 (WB). The area is also served by two PBS stations: WKNO 10 and WLJT 11.

Related Topics:
WMC - NBC - WPTY - ABC - WREG - CBS - WHBQ - FOX - WLMT - UPN - WB - PBS - WKNO - WLJT

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Museums and art collections

Several museums of interest are located in Memphis, including the National Civil Rights Museum, located in the former Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. The Brooks Museum of Art in Overton Park, founded in 1916, serves as the region's major art museum. A smaller art museum, the Dixon Gallery and Gardens focuses on impressionism and has several works by Monet, Degas and Renoir. The Children's Museum of Memphis features many interactive exhibits, including a simulated grocery store, a wood skyscraper maze, and full-scale models of a fire truck and an airplane fuselage.

Related Topics:
National Civil Rights Museum - Lorraine Motel - Martin Luther King, Jr. - Monet - Degas - Renoir

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Owing to the city's musical heritage, the Stax Museum of American Soul Music is home to a broad collection of artifacts, photographs, exhibits, commentary, and music. Along with the legendary Stax Sound, the museum also spotlights the music of Muscle Shoals, Motown, Hi and Atlantic.

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The is the only museum in North America dedicated to the preservation and exhibition of fine metalwork. The site is situated on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River and includes historic buildings, a working blacksmith shop and foundry, and a sculpture garden. Every October, the Museum hosts an annual Repair Days Weekend, during which the public can get broken metal items fixed and observe skilled metalsmiths at work.

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Other museums in the area include the Fire Museum, the Memphis Museum Hall of Fame, Memphis Rock 'n' Soul Museum, and the Pink Palace Museum and Planetarium.

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Performing arts

The Memphis area is home to many of West Tennessee's larger performing arts organizations, such as the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, which performs at the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts downtown. Ballet Memphis is the region's only major ballet company and performs at the Orpheum Theatre. Opera Memphis, the region's opera company, performs at the Clark Opera Memphis Center in East Memphis. Other major theatres in the city include Playhouse on the Square, Circuit Playhouse, Theatre Memphis, and Theatre Works.

Related Topics:
Orpheum Theatre - Playhouse on the Square - Circuit Playhouse - Theatre Memphis - Theatre Works

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A month long festival, Memphis in May, is held each year to host the city's largest events like the Beale Street Music Festival, the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest and the Sunset Symphony.

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Points of interest

Tourists come from all over the world to see Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley. Sun studios was where Elvis first recorded "My Happiness" and "That's When Your Heartaches Begin". 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.

Related Topics:
Graceland - Elvis Presley - Sun studios - Johnny Cash - Rufus Thomas - Charlie Rich - Howlin' Wolf - Roy Orbison - Carl Perkins - Jerry Lee Lewis

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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, which is partly owned by him.

Related Topics:
Blues - Beale Street

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There is Libertyland Amusement Park and the adjacent Liberty Bowl and Memphis Children's Museum, Mud Island, Detour Memphis - an art and performing space, Lichterman Nature Center, the Pink Palace Museum, The Pyramid, The Memphis Zoo, the Memphis Queen riverboat.

Related Topics:
The Pyramid - Riverboat

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NASCAR's Memphis Motorsports Park is nearby.

Related Topics:
NASCAR - Memphis Motorsports Park

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Sports

Memphis is home to several professional sports teams. The Memphis Grizzlies are the only major league, professional sports team in the city. They are a basketball team in the NBA, and play at FedEx Forum downtown. Several minor league teams also call Memphis home, including the Memphis Redbirds of the Pacific Coast League, a minor league baseball farm team for the St. Louis Cardinals. The Redbirds play at AutoZone Park.

Related Topics:
Memphis Grizzlies - Basketball - NBA - FedEx Forum - Memphis Redbirds - Pacific Coast League - Baseball - St. Louis Cardinals - AutoZone Park

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The Memphis RiverKings are a professional hockey team of the Central Hockey League. The Memphis Xplorers are an arena football team that play in the Af2 league. Both the RiverKings and Xplorers play at DeSoto Civic Center in nearby DeSoto County, Mississippi. Memphis is also home to the Memphis Blues, a professional Rugby team.

Related Topics:
Memphis RiverKings - Hockey - Central Hockey League - Memphis Xplorers - Arena football - Af2 - DeSoto Civic Center - DeSoto County, Mississippi - Rugby

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