Midtown

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

is a collection of neighborhoods to the east of

Downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business distric ...

. Midtown is home to many cultural attractions, institutions of higher education, and noteworthy pieces of architecture. The district is an anchor in Memphis' arts scene, including the

Playhouse on the Square Playhouse on the Square is a regional theatre company located in Memphis, Tennessee. It is owned by Circuit Playhouse, Inc., which operates two other Memphis theaters. While it has its own resident company of professional actors, auditions are ...

, the Hattiloo Theater, the

Brooks Museum of Art Memphis Brooks Museum of Art is an art museum in Memphis, Tennessee. The Brooks Museum, which was founded in 1916, is the oldest and largest art museum in the state of Tennessee. The museum is a privately funded nonprofit institution located in O ...

, the

Memphis College of Art Memphis College of Art (MCA) was a private art college in Memphis, Tennessee. It was in Overton Park, adjacent to the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. It offered Bachelor of Fine Arts, Master of Fine Arts, Master of Arts in Art Education and Ma ...

, and the

Levitt Shell The Overton Park Shell (formerly ''Levitt Shell,'' ''Shell Theater, and Memphis Open Air Theater'') is an open-air amphitheater located in Overton Park, Memphis, Tennessee. Elvis Presley gave his first paid concert there on July 30, 1954. The Ove ...

. The annual Cooper-Young Arts Festival draws over 120,000 visitors to the district. Midtown also plays host to multiple universities and colleges, including

Rhodes College Rhodes College is a private liberal arts college in Memphis, Tennessee. Historically affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA), it is a member of the Associated Colleges of the South and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges a ...

, and

Christian Brothers University Christian Brothers University is a private Roman Catholic higher education institution in Memphis, Tennessee. It was founded in 1871 by the De La Salle Christian Brothers, a Catholic teaching order. History Christian Brothers University was ...

. Midtown is characterized by vintage residential housing, a blend of independent and chain retailers, and high-rise buildings. Multiple historic districts are located in Midtown, and commercial corridors such a
Overton Square
and Cooper Street developed before World War II in an urban style. Mixed use areas with housing, religious, commercial and office spaces are common in Midtown. The most popular of these being Crosstown Concourse. Midtown is known in the Memphis region for its bumper stickers displaying "Midtown is Memphis" and "38104," referencing the zip code that covers a large portion of the area.

Population and geography

Midtown has an evenly distributed black and white population, as well as a notable Asian population. Cleveland Street in Crosstown is the heart of the Vietnamese population in Memphis, with multiple Vietnamese-owned businesses and a Buddhist temple. The exact boundaries of Midtown are often disputed. Generally, it is the area between the Medical District to the west and

East Memphis East Memphis is a region of Memphis, Tennessee with several defined and informal subdivisions and neighborhoods such as Colonial Acres, White Station- Yates, Sherwood Forest, Normal Station, High Point Terrace, Belle Meade, Normandy Meadows, St ...

to the east. The eastern boundary is variously defined as East Parkway, the CN railroad east of East Parkway. The northern boundary is Vollintine Avenue. VECA is generally considered the northernmost neighborhood in Midtown. Cooper-Young and Rozelle are generally regarded as the southernmost neighborhoods in Midtown. Interstate 240 provides the western border for the neighborhood, separating Midtown from

and the Medical District.

Transportation

Due to the historic eastward expansion of the city, automobile traffic in Midtown is primarily served by east–west arteries. Major traffic corridors in the district include: # Union Avenue, which since World War II has served as the area's main commercial artery; # Poplar Avenue, which is largely fronted by 1920s apartment buildings and the commercial district for the

Evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, which ...

neighborhood; # Madison Avenue, which served as pre-World War II Memphis' main east–west corridor, and now feeds the Overton Square district; # McLean Boulevard, which is a primary north–south connector of residential neighborhoods; # Cooper Street, which connects Overton Park to the Overton Square, Idlewild, Lenox and Cooper-Young neighborhoods; # Cleveland Street, which runs through the Crosstown neighborhood. Midtown Memphis is connected to the Medical District and downtown via the Madison Avenue trolley line, with a park and ride station at Cleveland Street. Historically, Madison Avenue was the location of the "Dummy Line", the main east–west streetcar line that went from downtown to the Mid-South Fairgrounds (east along Madison, south down Cooper, and east along Young), and many commercial and residential structures along the avenue date to the beginning of the twentieth century. Most of this stretch of Madison contains its original granite curbs, and in a few locations the original brick pavers can be seen in the gutters. Bicycle infrastructure is growing in Midtown, with bike lanes now installed on McLean Boulevard, Madison Avenue, Southern Avenue, and Cooper Street. Protected bike lanes have been installed on portions of Overton Park Avenue. Additionally, the Hampline is a two-way bicycle track that will connect Overton Park to Shelby Farms in suburban Memphis via the Shelby Farms Greenline.

List of neighborhoods

* Annesdale Park (Historic District) * Central Gardens (Historic District) *

Chickasaw Gardens Chickasaw Gardens is an established upscale neighborhood in midtown Memphis, Tennessee. Geography Chickasaw Gardens is located between Central and Poplar Avenues, near the center of the Interstate 240 loop. The Memphis Pink Palace Museum and Pla ...

* Cooper-Young (Historic District) * Crosstown *

(Historic District) * Hein Park (Historic District) * Idlewild (Historic District) * Lea's Woods (Historic District) * Lenox * Overton Square * Rozelle * Speedway Terrace (Historic District) * Tucker-Jefferson * Vollintine-Evergreen (Historic District) * Vollintine Hills (Historic District)

Education

Primary and secondary education

Midtown public schools include Snowden School (elementary and middle), Idlewild Elementary, Rozelle Elementary, Peabody Elementary, Bellevue Middle, Fairview Middle, and Central High School, some of which offer optional programs. Several private and

parochial schools A parochial school is a private primary or secondary school affiliated with a religious organization, and whose curriculum includes general religious education in addition to secular subjects, such as science, mathematics and language arts. The wo ...

are also found throughout Midtown, including Grace-St. Luke's Episcopal School, Immaculate Conception Cathedral School and

Memphis Catholic High School Memphis Catholic Middle and High School was a private, Catholic middle and high school in Memphis, Tennessee located in the Diocese of Memphis. It was in St. Peter Village in Midtown Memphis.A LEARNING ENVIRONMENT" Memphis Catholic Middle and High ...

. The 1st Class Montessori School has operated for over twenty years on Peabody Avenue in Midtown.

Higher education

Midtown is home to two private undergraduate universities.

is a classical liberal arts college housing roughly two thousand students in the Vollintine-Evergreen neighborhood.

is located adjacent to the Lenox neighborhood on East Parkway. Several specialized colleges and schools are also located in Midtown. The

Memphis Theological Seminary Memphis Theological Seminary is an ecumenical seminary of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Memphis, Tennessee. Although it is affiliated with the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, it accepts and trains ministerial candidates from other denomi ...

is located on East Parkway, in the East End neighborhood. Overton Park is home to the

, which moved to its current location from Victorian Village in the 1960s. The

Southern College of Optometry The Southern College of Optometry is a privately owned educational institution located in Memphis, Tennessee. It specializes in optometry and offers a comprehensive program in this field. History The Southern College of Optometry (SCO) is a pri ...

an
Moore Tech
a small vocational college, are located in the Crosstown area. Several other institutions of learning are located nearby. The historically-black LeMoyne-Owen College operates in Soulsville, a neighborhood to the south of Midtown. The Memphis Medical District to the west includes University of Tennessee Health Science Center's Medical, Pharmacy, Nursing and Dentistry schools; Methodist Hospital Schools of Radiologic Sciences and Nursing; and the Baptist College of Health Sciences.

Points of interest

Midtown contains

Overton Park :''Overton Park may also refer to the U.S. Supreme Court case, Citizens to Preserve Overton Park v. Volpe'' Overton Park is a large, public park in Midtown Memphis, Tennessee. The park grounds contain the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Memphis Z ...

which includes the

Memphis Brooks Museum of Art Memphis Brooks Museum of Art is an art museum in Memphis, Tennessee. The Brooks Museum, which was founded in 1916, is the oldest and largest art museum in the state of Tennessee. The museum is a privately funded nonprofit institution located in ...

, the

Memphis Zoo The Memphis Zoo, located in Midtown, Memphis, Tennessee, United States, is home to more than 3,500 animals representing over 500 different species. Created in April 1906, the zoo has been a major tenant of Overton Park for more than 100 years. T ...

, and the

. It is also known for its bars and restaurants, many of them featuring live music at night. Located in the Cooper-Young neighborhood are coffeehouses, restaurants, and bars. Located in Midtown Memphis is also a movie theatre, ''Studio On The Square'', and the city's only professional theatre troupe, ''Playhouse on the Square'', which currently runs three separate theatres. Grace-St. Luke's Tiffany windows are thought to be the largest collection of Tiffany windows in a parish church in the South. Central Gardens is a historic neighborhood in Midtown.

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the thre ...

wrote his first publicly performed play, ''Cairo, Shanghai, Bombay!'' while staying in the Midtown home of his grandparents: 1917 Snowden Ave. It was first performed in 1935 at 1780 Glenview, also in Midtown. The Cooper-Young Festival is also held annually at the intersection of Cooper and Young, in Midtown. Another area, Overton Square, holds a St. Patrick's Day celebration. Midtown was also home to the

Mid-South Fair The Mid-South Fair is a fair that was held for many years in Memphis, Tennessee, every year in late September and early October. It is now held in neighboring northwest Mississippi. It hosts many shows and attractions, as well as different type ...

for 152 years. However, the year 2008 was the last year that the Mid-South Fair was held in Memphis. Starting in 2009, the Mid-South Fair was held on newly acquired land at

Tunica, Mississippi Tunica is a town in and the county seat of Tunica County, Mississippi, United States, near the Mississippi River. Until the early 1990s when casino gambling was introduced in the area, Tunica had been one of the most impoverished places in the Uni ...

Gallery of Landmarks in Midtown

File:Memphis Zoo Entrance.jpg,

entrance gate File:Snowden School Memphis.jpg, Snowden School File:Memphis College of Art.jpg,

File:Southern College Optometry.jpg,

File:MemphisTheologicalSeminary.jpg,

of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church File:RhodesCollege01.jpg,

File:Gracestlukeschurchmemphis.JPG, Grace-St. Luke's Episcopal Church File:Pink Palace Museum and Planetarium Memphis TN cropped.jpg,

Pink Palace Museum and Planetarium The Museum of Science & History - Pink Palace in Memphis, Tennessee, serves as the Mid-South's major science and historical museum and features exhibits ranging from archeology to chemistry. Over 240,000 people visit the museum each year.

(2008) File:MemphisStadiumentrance.jpg,

Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium (originally named Memphis Memorial Stadium, and later Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium) is a football stadium located at the former Mid-South Fairgrounds in the Midtown area of Memphis, Tennessee, United States. The st ...

Entrance File:LindenwoodinMemphis.jpg, Lindenwood Church File:Centralhighmemphisfront.jpg, Central High School File:UnionAveMethodist.jpg, Union Avenue Methodist Church (demolished 2011) File:First Baptist Church Poplar Ave at E Parkway Memphis TN 06.jpg, The First Baptist Church of Memphis

References

{{coord, 35.145, -89.99, display=title Neighborhoods in Memphis, Tennessee