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Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is located in the
southwest corner of Tennessee and is the biggest city in the state,
sitting above the 4th Chickasaw Bluff just below the Wolfe River,
and above the Mississippi. It is the newest of the four main cities
in the state, behind, Nashville, Knoxville and Chattanooga. The
city's site was originally occupied by the early Mississippian
natives, then the Chickasaw Indians, before the explorers of France
and Spain arrived. It stayed a mostly unsettled area until the 1796
period when the territory became the state of Tennessee; with this
area being the western most point. It was started in 1819, by
Andrew Jackson, John Overton and James Winchester. Named after the
ancient capital along the Nile River in Egypt, it soon grew into a
transportation hub, thanks to its location above the Mississippi.
Since so much cotton industry depended on the slave business, the
city became a major slave market. In 1857, the Charleston and
Memphis Railroad was done and the east-west railroad was the only
one in the south before the civil war. The state seceded in 1861
with its other southern states, but it was soon captured and held as
a union stronghold until the end of the war.
In the 1950s, it was the biggest mule market in the
world; the biggest hardwood lumber market and the biggest cotton sport
market. The 1910s to the 1950s put Memphis in the political spotlight with
Boss Crump running the city and its labor force. It was during this time
that many parks and public works projects were completed to help the city.
In the 60s, it was also in the center of the civil rights movement and in
1968, Martin Luther King was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel.
The city was also home to many great music artists like
Elvis Presley, Al Green, Muddy Waters, Booker T. Jones, Carl Perkins, Isaac
Hayes, Johnny Cash, B.B. King, Robert Johnson, Howlin Wolfe and W.C. Handy.
One of the biggest celebrations in the city each year is the Memphis in May,
with a month long event that tells of the heritage and cultural outreach of
its people. The four main events in the festival include; World
Championship Barbeque Cooking Contest, Sunset Symphony, International Week
and the Beale Street Music Festival. In September, the Cooper-Young Arts
festival is held in the Cooper-Young district of the city. It is considered
the home of blues, rock n' roll, gospel, buck, crunk and sharecropper
country music; with Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley and B.B. King all getting
their beginnings here. Many well known writers have come from the area,
including; Shelby Foote, Tennessee Williams, John Grisham grew up nearby.
And a great number of stories taken in place in the great city, as well as a
number of songs.
It is home to many religious communities and churches.
Included in these is; Jewish, Christian, Methodist, Presbyterian,
Congregationalist, Episcopal, Catholic, Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus. Its
economy is up because of its central location and the river, with a few
railroad terminals and interstate highways. River barges are unloaded onto
trucks and trains. Also a big plus is the Memphis International Airport,
which helps it be the world's busiest cargo airports and the main hub for
FedEX. It is the home for FedEx Corporation, Schering-Plough,
pharmaceutical and healthcare business; Thomas & Betts; International Paper
and AutoZone Incorporated. Over the last twenty years, many movies have
been filmed here and is among the top ten of best metro areas to start and
grow a business.
The city is home to a lot of great museums, including;
Mud Island River Park, National Civil Rights Museum, Memphis Walk of Fame,
Graceland, Pink Palace, Brooks Museum of Art, Cotton Museum and the
Victorian Village. The parks here are among the best anywhere, with; Shelby
Farms, one of the biggest urban parks in the nation; Tom Lee Park; Overton
Park including the Old Forest Arboretum of Overton Park, W.C. Handy Park,
Memphis Botanic Garden and the Licterman Nature Center. The Sun Studio is
located here that first recorded such great singers as Elvis, Roy Orbison,
Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Howlin Wolfe, Charlie Rich and Carl Perkins.
The Memphis Zoo is famous for its births, and the many Mississippi riverboat
cruises that leave from the city.
When
renting a car in Memphis,
visitors save some of their traveling expenses to put towards other
costs. Renting a car also adds flexibility to their vacation. Most
people pick up their rental cars at or near the Memphis
International Airport because they have more of a selection to
choose from. We can also pick you up at or near the Memphis
International Airport from all the major rental car companies.
Whether you need a luxury car, compact car, mid-size, full-size, SUV
or even a minivan. Let us help you rent your next car in Memphis.
Dollar Rental Car Specials
Dollar Rental Car - Memphis International
Airport
The museum that best personifies
Elvis Presley is his former home known as Graceland and contains many of his
prized possessions. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 2006,
and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. His
mother and father are buried there with him in the Meditation Gardens. This
13.8 acre estate is about 4 miles from the Mississippi border and 12 miles
from downtown Memphis. It holds 23 rooms with 8 bedrooms and bathrooms and
was bought in 1957 at a cost of $100,000. A fieldstone walls surrounds the
property to help with its privacy, and a wrought iron music styled gate,
swimming pool, racquetball court and the jungle room featuring a waterfall
were some of the changes that Elvis made after moving in.
Thrifty Rental
Car Specials
Thrifty Rental Car - Memphis Airport
The Memphis Zoo is home to over 3500 animals from 500
different species, created in 1906, owned by the city and located on 76
acres of land in the Overton Park. Tripadvisor.com said the zoo was the top
one in the country. Some of the habitats included are; China, with the two
pandas Ya Ya and Le Le; Once upon a farm; Aquarium; African Veldt; Northwest
Passage; Tropical Bird House; Herpetarium; Animals of the Night; Cat
Country; Primate Canyon and Dragon's Lair. Split into three regions, with
19 various exhibits. It is an exciting zoo, with all the animals that you
can think of and many you never knew about. A great place to visit and
bring your entire family. |