Memphis, TN is the epicenter of the Midsouth area and the Bluff City by the Mississippi River. As of 2005, Memphis, TN had a population of 680,768 within the city limits, making it the largest city in the state of Tennessee and the 17th largest in the United States. The greater Memphis metropolitan area had a population of 1,230,303. This makes Memphis the second largest metropolitan area in Tennessee, surpassed only by metropolitan Nashville.

The City of Memphis has six major districts including Downtown, Midtown, East Memphis, North Memphis (Raleigh), South Memphis and Cordova. The incorporated suburban cities around Memphis are Bartlett, Arlington, Lakeland, Somerville to the northeast, Germantown and Collierville to the east, Millington to the north, Horn Lake, Southaven and Olive Branch in Desoto County Mississippi to the south and West Memphis and Marion, Arkansas to the west. The Memphis Metropolitan Area (MSA), the 41st largest in the United States, had a 2003 population of 1,239,337, and includes the Tennessee counties of Shelby, Tipton, and Fayette, as well as the DeSoto, Marshall, Tate, and Tunica counties in Mississippi, and Crittenden county in Arkansas.

As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the median income for a household in Memphis was $32,285, and the median income for a family was $37,767. Per capital income for the city was $17,838.

Arts and Culture

One of the largest celebrations in Memphis is Memphis in May. The month-long series of events promotes Memphis' heritage and outreach of its people far beyond the city's borders. Since its founding, the economic and educational impact of Memphis in May has given a significant boost to the city each spring. The celebration includes a diverse mix, beginning during the first weekend of the month at Tom Lee Park, the site of the Beale Street Music Festival. During International Week, the city honors a foreign country, part of a larger program in coordination with area schools to broaden cultural awareness among students. Other signature events of Memphis in May include the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, the FedEx St. Jude Classic (a PGA Tour golf tournament), and the closing event of the Sunset Symphony featuring the Memphis Symphony.

In the Midtown Cooper-Young district of Memphis, the Cooper-Young Festival is an art festival held annually in September on the intersection of Cooper Street/Young Street. The Cooper-Young Festival draws in artists from across the country and includes a wide selection of local art sales, contests, clothing, jewelry and highlights local live music. Memphis is the home of the Blues, and birthplace of Rock n' Roll. Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and B. B. King got their starts in Memphis in the 1950s. Other famous musicians who either grew up or got their starts in the Memphis area include Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Aretha Franklin, John Lee Hooker, Justin Timberlake (much later), Howlin’ Wolf, Al Green, W.C. Handy (Father of the Blues), Isaac Hayes, Otis Redding, Booker T. and the MGs, Muddy Waters, Tina Turner, Roy Orbison, Willie Mae Ford Smith, Sam Cooke, The Blackwood Brothers, Rufus Thomas, Three 6 Mafia (won an Oscar), Eightball & MJG, The Box Tops and The Gentrys.