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Cordova is a
community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, tow ...
in
Shelby County, Tennessee Shelby County is the westernmost county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 929,744. It is the largest of the state's List of counties in Tennessee, 95 counties, both in terms of p ...
, United States. Cordova lies east of
Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...
, north of
Germantown Germantown or German Town may refer to: Places Australia * Germantown, Queensland, a locality in the Cassowary Coast Region United States * Germantown, California, the former name of Artois, a census-designated place in Glenn County * Ge ...
, south of Bartlett, and northwest of Collierville at an elevation of 361 feet (110 meters). The majority of Cordova has been
annexed Annexation (Latin ''ad'', to, and ''nexus'', joining), in international law, is the forcible acquisition of one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. It is generally held to be an illegal act ...
by the City of Memphis. The remainder of Cordova is in unincorporated Shelby County, within the Memphis Annexation Reserve area. The boundaries of the Cordova community are inexact, but are generally regarded as the Wolf River on the south, Whitten Road on the west,
Interstate 40 Interstate 40 (I-40) is a major east–west Interstate Highway running through the south-central portion of the United States. At a length of , it is the third-longest Interstate Highway in the country, after I-90 and I-80. From west to ea ...
on the north, and Pisgah Road on the east. Parts of
Shelby Farms Shelby Farms is a public park located in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, just east of the city of Memphis. It is one of the largest urban parks in the US and the world, at a size of and covers more than five times the area of Central P ...
are considered part of Cordova. The ''Old Cordova Area'' is centered on Macon and Sanga Roads, 3 miles east of Germantown Road. It consists of the former town of Cordova, with some of the original structures still present. The '' Wolfchase Area'' is not actually a part of Cordova, but is often referred to as part of the Cordova area by association. It contains major shopping centers, businesses and apartments.


Early history

Cordova was a farming village east of Memphis with fewer than a dozen farms when it was founded in 1835. Cordova was renowned for the freshly cut flowers that were shipped to Memphis, Tennessee, thus the town's motto was "Farms, Flowers and Fellowship". Cordova has changed its name several times. Originally, it was known as Allentown, then Marysville, then Dexter. In 1888 the Dexter post office was opened. In 1900, the name was changed to Cordova. The town most likely changed its name to "Cordova" so not to be confused with another town named Dexter that was located on the same NC&St.L railroad line that ran through town.


Railroad heritage

Cordova was one of the many small railroad stops along the
Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway The Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway was a railway company that operated in the U.S. states of Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia. It began as the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad, chartered in Nashville on December 11, 1845, ...
route to Memphis, Tennessee. The original station which was built in 1889 is still standing. It is located on the corner of Macon Rd. and B St. in downtown. A train named the City of Memphis from Nashville to Memphis stopped at the former Cordova Railroad station (this station is still standing and has been sold to an individual who is renovating it so it can be utilized as a retail business). An important ammunition plant was near Cordova and was served by the railroad during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. Cordova has a railroad line running parallel to the main street (now Macon Road) that was served by P&M (Paducah & Memphis) division of the N. C. & St. L. Railroad (Nashville, Chattanooga & St Louis) that was chartered in Tennessee on December 11, 1845. In March 1957 NC&StL was taken over by the L & N Railroad (Louisville and Nashville). Because of this, the rail line was considered redundant and the mileage between Cordova and
Jackson, Tennessee Jackson is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Tennessee, United States. Located east of Memphis, Tennessee, Memphis, it is a regional center of trade for West Tennessee. Its total population was 68,205 as of the 2020 United States ...
was abandoned and later scrapped in 1968. The remaining section was therefore made a spur line for the L&N, and later the
CSX CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...
until 2002, when it was taken out of service. In 2008, this section of railroad was removed. An extension of the Shelby Farms Greenline was completed to the old railroad station in 2016 with future plans to extend it to Houston Levee Road.


Annexation

After a seven-year court challenge to the right of Memphis to annex, portions of Cordova were annexed into the Memphis City Council Second District. These included the subdivisions and land developments of Countrywood (1995), Berryhill (1997), and South Cordova (2001). After several court and legislative challenges, Memphis completed its annexation of the Cordova region with the subdivision of Rockcreek, along
U.S. 64 U.S. Route 64 (US 64) is an east–west United States highway that runs for 2,326 miles (3,743 km) from Nags Head in eastern North Carolina to just southwest of the Four Corners in northeast Arizona. The western terminus is at U.S. Route 1 ...
to the Fayette County line.


South Cordova and Rocky Point de-annexation

In 2012, the South Cordova area was annexed by Memphis, and de-annexed in early 2021. To respond to the de-annexation of South Cordova, Memphis had plans to annex the area in 2001, but decided to put it on hold for unknown reasons. The Rocky Point area, which is part of Cordova, is centered north of Walnut Grove Road between the alignment of Forest Hill and Rocky Point Road. On January 1, 2021, the area was de-annexed by Memphis, and the area returned to unincorporated status.


Today

Cordova grew from a quiet country farm hamlet with a population of 150 people in 1912 to one of the fastest growing neighborhoods of Memphis. Retail growth exploded in the late 1990s thanks to the
Wolfchase Galleria Wolfchase Galleria is a regional shopping mall in northeast Memphis, Tennessee, United States. The mall is managed by Simon Property Group. It is located across the street from the Bartlett city limits at the intersection of Germantown Parkway a ...
shopping mall, which at the time was the largest retail center in unincorporated Shelby County outside of the Memphis city limits. Today the majority of the growth is along Houston Levee Road and Macon Road as well as major retail and commercial centers on Germantown Parkway. There are now over 1,226 businesses with over 19,400 employees working in Cordova. As of 2020, Cordova has a population of 68,779. Cordova continues to preserve its past with a historic downtown which each year celebrates with an annual crafts fair and having its own Fourth of July parade. The community is home of the Hope Presbyterian Church, a
megachurch A megachurch is a church with an unusually large membership that also offers a variety of educational and social activities, usually Protestant or Evangelical. The Hartford Institute for Religion Research defines a megachurch as any Protestant C ...
with average weekly attendance of over 7,500. In 2005 the church scaled down plans for a $50 million auditorium with a bell tower that would reach to 180 feet after protests from local homeowners, but opened a smaller facility with 5,000 seats in December 2007. In 2010, the area's Heartsong Church gained national attention for opening its doors and welcoming the local Muslim population. The worshipers used this space during the month of Ramadan while the Memphis Islamic Center was being built. There were no protests, contrasting with other areas at the time including the proposed Islamic center in
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
, and mosque in
Murfreesboro, Tennessee Murfreesboro is a city in and county seat of Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 152,769 according to the 2020 census, up from 108,755 residents certified in 2010. Murfreesboro is located in the Nashville metropol ...
. Cordova is home to a branch of the Memphis Public Library system. The Cordova Branch Library started in one room at the old train depot on Macon Road before moving to the 1913 community center on Sanga Road. In 2004, the branch moved to its own building on Trinity Road. Bert Ferguson Community Center, located on Trinity Road, is the current site of community athletic fields and rooms, walking trail, banquet hall, and educational development.


Notable people

*Actress and singer, Lucy Kate Hale was born in
Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...
but grew up in Cordova. *Golfer John Daly lived here for many years. *
Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
running back Jordan Wilkins was born in Cordova


Historic places

*Cordova Community Center
(also known as "Cordova School" or "Cordova Elementary School"

is a former school, Shelby county library with meeting rooms, and church. Constructed in 1913 and opening during World War I, it is listed in the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
. Through fundraising and donations, local citizens purchased the building from the Shelby County Board of Education in October 1985 for $150,000. The building is primarily used to host community events and classes and currently houses the Cordova Museum in a replicate of an old school room. Sports facilities include a gymnasium and ball fields for community athletics. The annual Cordova Festival is held on grounds having last celebrated its 24th anniversary in September 2011. *Cordova Station
A one room train station for the Nashville Chattanooga and St. Louis railroad in downtown Cordova on Macon Road. Later it served as the Cordova Branch Library of the Memphis-Shelby County Library for more than 50 years until the library was moved to its current modern facilities. *Sangie Cemetery
Near the corner of Walnut Grove Road (formerly Raleigh-LaGrange Road) and Sanga Road, the cemetery is very old, dating back to the early 19th century. Privately Owned Cemetery. *Walter Granville Allen House
The Walter Granville Allen House is an early 20th-century Colonial Revival private residence listed in the National Register of Historic Places.


Education

Cordova is zoned to Shelby County Schools. Until the 2013 merger of
Memphis City Schools Memphis City Schools (MCS) was the school district operating public schools in the city of Memphis, Tennessee, United States. It was headquartered in the Frances E. Coe Administration Building. On March 8, 2011, residents voted to disband the cit ...
and Shelby County schools, Cordova was divided between the two districts.Dries, Bill.
Cordova Parents Question Attendance Zone Changes
." ''
Memphis Daily News ''The Daily News'' is a newspaper covering business, government and legal news in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, the largest county by population in the state of Tennessee, including the largest city in the county, Memphis, Tennessee. ' ...
''. March 10, 2014. Retrieved on March 11, 2014.
Cordova Schools: * Cordova Elementary Schoo

* Cordova Middle Schoo

* Cordova High School (Memphis, Tennessee), Cordova High School * Chimneyrock Elementary Schoo

* Dexter Elementary Schoo

* Macon-Hall Elementary Schoo

* Dexter Middle Schoo

* Mount Pisgah Middle Schoo

Portions are zoned to Germantown Middle School and Germantown High School (Tennessee), Germantown High School, which are not part of the municipal school system of
Germantown Germantown or German Town may refer to: Places Australia * Germantown, Queensland, a locality in the Cassowary Coast Region United States * Germantown, California, the former name of Artois, a census-designated place in Glenn County * Ge ...
.


Private schools

*
Briarcrest Christian School Briarcrest Christian School is a private, coeducational, Christian school in Eads, an unincorporated area of Shelby County, Tennessee. The school was founded as a segregation academy during the racial integration of public schools in Memphis, Tenne ...
, K-12 *
Evangelical Christian School Evangelical Christian School, also known as ECS, is a private, non-denominational, evangelical Christian school in Memphis and Germantown, Tennessee. It was founded in 1965 and joined Association of Christian Schools International in 1984. It ho ...
, K-12 * First Assembly Christian School, K-12 * Harding Academy, elementary * Heritage Baptist Academ

* Bright Stars Christian Academy, Pre-K, K-1

* Lamplighter Montessori School, K-

* St. Benedict at Auburndale High School, 9-1

* St. Francis Catholic School, elementar

* Shady Oaks School, elementar

* Huthchison School of Memphi


Higher education

* Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary (MABTS), in Cordova, is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is an educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. This agency accredits over 13,000 public and priv ...
for associates, bachelors, masters and doctors degrees in Divinity, Christian Education, Missiology, Christian Studies, Pastoral Ministries and Philosophy.


Demographics

As of the 2010 Census, there were 78,138 people, 31,403 households, and 20,760 families living in the 38018 and 38016 zip codes which comprise Cordova. The area includes 33,515 housing units. The racial makeup of the area was 61.5% White, 29.2% African American, 0.29% Native American, 4.99% Asian, 0.065% Pacific Islander, and 2.48% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.47% of the population. Of households in the area, 32.66% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.18% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.89% were non-family households. 27.41% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.95% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.5 years. The median household income in zip code 38018 was $67,437 and the median income for a family was $82,319. In zip code 38016, the median household income was $64,190 and the median family income was $80,736. The per capita income was $34,806 in 38018 and $32,590 in 38016. About 5% of families and about 6.9% of the total population were below the poverty line, including about 10% of those under age 18 and about 6% of those age 65 and over.


Recreation

* Colonial Country Club in Cordova is a private
golf club A golf club is a club used to hit a golf ball in a game of golf. Each club is composed of a shaft with a grip and a club head. Wood (golf), Woods are mainly used for long-distance fairway or tee shots; iron (golf), irons, the most versatile class ...
which formerly hosted the Memphis Open golf tournament (now known as the Stanford St. Jude Championship). It received national attention for two occurrences during the 1977 event. First, President
Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. ( ; born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was an American politician who served as the 38th president of the United States from 1974 to 1977. He was the only president never to have been elected ...
hit a
hole in one In golf, a hole in one or hole-in-one (also known as an ace, mostly in American English) occurs when a ball hit from a tee to start a hole finishes in the cup. A ball hit from a tee following a lost ball, out-of-bounds, or water hazard is not a ho ...
during the event's Pro-Am. Later, professional golfer
Al Geiberger Allen Lee Geiberger Sr. (born September 1, 1937) is an American former professional golfer. Professional career Geiberger turned pro in 1959 and joined the PGA Tour in 1960. Geiberger won 11 tournaments on the PGA Tour, the first being the 1962 ...
shot a record 59.


References


South-East Memphis / Cordova Community Centers
at City of Memphis Information from the Tennessee State Library & Archives "Tennessee Place Names and Post Offices" http://www.wdbj.net/shelby/locale/postoffice.htm#G {{authority control Neighborhoods in Memphis, Tennessee Unincorporated communities in Tennessee Populated places established in 1835 1835 establishments in Tennessee Unincorporated communities in Shelby County, Tennessee