Memphis is known worldwide as the home of Elvis Presley and tourists visit his personal home from around the world. But decades before Memphis became home to the ‘king of rock ‘n roll’ Beale Street was known as ‘the home of the blues’. Historically, Memphis has been an agricultural center, including the cotton, rice and soy beans. Today, Memphis is a city of great diversity. Federal Express and AutoZone were both founded here. Memphis is also the home of companies including International Paper and ServiceMaster. Because of its central location in the United States, Memphis is a distribution center for manufacturers and retailers. Memphis International Airport has the highest volume of air freight of any airport in the world; and, both rail lines and highways help provide distribution services.

Education is a highly visible part of Memphis with a number of institutions including The University of Memphis, Rhodes College, Christian Brothers University, The University of Tennessee Medical, Dental, and Pharmacy Schools, The Southern College of Optometry, and others. Memphis is also a regional healthcare center for the eight-county metro area and the rural areas in western Tennessee, northern Mississippi, eastern Arkansas and southeastern Missouri. Memphis is the home of St. Jude, the world-renowned research hospital founded by Danny Thomas to find cures for life-threatening childhood diseases. Both researchers and patients come from around the world because of the St. Jude mission.

The diversity noted above is reflected in the array of housing types and neighborhoods: high rise condominiums in the residentially-friendly downtown area, historic homes in the midtown area, and abundant suburban neighborhoods. From around the world, new residents converge to find a very affordable array of options. Memphis has many recreational options including an abundance of golf courses and tennis courts. Shelby Farms, reportedly the largest public park in any city in the US, is located here. For spectators, a number of options exist here also, including baseball, football and basketball. The cohesive fabric of the diverse Memphis culture, however, is based on the concept of ‘southern hospitality’ so that visitors and new residents alike find Memphis to be very welcoming.