Best Places to Live in Memphis

Every city has communities that set the benchmark for the best and worst that it has to offer. From Atlanta's Buckhead region to Houston's tony First Colony, communities can make or break a city. In Memphis there is no Buckhead or First Colony. Areas like that have been reserved for its suburbs Bartlett and Olive Branch, which is why Money Magazine has listed them in its Top 100 best places to live in 2007. But what does Memphis itself have to offer outside political chaos, rising crime and a migrating economic base? Are there communities worth living in?

In the Money survey they looked at measurables like the financial vitality, housing economics, education, quality of life, leisure and culture, and other variables of the city. If you were to do the same for the communities in the city you would find some interesting nuggets about the various communities in Memphis. Using the same measuring sticks that Money Magazine used and only pooling the communities inside the city limits the obvious leaders for best places to live in Memphis would be Mud Island, Cordova and Cooper-Young.

Mud Island has been the premiere address in the city since its development began in the 90s by real estate developer Henry Turley. With its distinctive houses and suburban feel, Mud Island feels a thousand miles away from the hustle and bustle of the city even though it is walking distance from downtown and Beale Street. With housing prices averaging over $200,000 and its own market grocery opening up in the fall of 2007, Mud Island and its most recognized community, Harbor Town offers the best living that Memphis has to offer.