Memphis

Memphis is a city in southwestern Tennessee, and the second largest in the state, named for the ancient city in Egypt. Its population as of 2005 was approximately 672,000. [1]

Memphis has a stagnant population, in contrast to the growing population of Nashville.

Memphis is the location of Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley and one of the most-visited tourist attractions in the United States. In 2017, a new $45 million entertainment center featuring the work of Elvis opened across the street from his residence.

Memphis is more a southern city than a Midwestern one, as Tennessee was enthusiastically part of the Confederacy during the Civil War and Memphis lacks the farming and manufacturing characteristic of the Midwest.

The largest employer in Memphis is FedEx (formerly Federal Express), which has its headquarters there. FedEx is one of two major companies (along with UPS) in the package shipping industry. Memphis is also the location of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, the world-renowned children's hospital known for caring for children regardless of parents' ability to pay.

The LDS Church operates the Memphis Tennessee Temple in the city. However, as is common among American Southern cities, Protestantism is the dominant religion. The Church of God in Christ, a Pentecostal denomination with predominantly African-American membership, is based in Memphis. It was also the home of Bellevue Baptist Church, a large Southern Baptist megachurch (best known for its renowned pastor Adrian Rogers), before the congregation relocated to the suburb of Cordova.

Memphis was the site of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968.

The city has one major professional sports team (the Memphis Grizzlies of the NBA) and one minor league team (the Memphis Redbirds, AAA affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals).

See also[edit]

• Kirk Fordice, Republican former two-term governor of Mississippi, was born in Memphis in 1934.