South Memphis, one of the oldest portions of

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...

, is a community stretching from Riverside Drive and E. H. Crump Blvd just south of

Downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English 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 district ( ...

south and east to Pendleton St. & Ketchum Rd. , south of Orange Mound. In its early days, it was primarily an agrarian community. It was an independent city from 1846 to 1849, when it was annexed to Memphis. Neighborhoods include Lauderdale Sub, Longview, Riverside, Lakeview Gardens, Prospect Park, Dukestown, Gaslight Square, Wilbert Heights, Mallory Heights, Dixie Heights, Barton Heights, Elliston Heights, Handy Holiday, Chickasaw Village, Pine Hill, Indian Hills, Bunker Hill, Boxtown, West Junction, Walker Homes, Nehemiah, and French Fort. Many locations in South Memphis are considered a hotbed for crime and violence due to the high amount of gang influence and the overall poverty level of the area. South Memphis is notable for its plentiful houses of worship.

History

South Memphis was incorporated January 6, 1846, and an election for mayor and eight aldermen was held on the third Saturday of the same month, resulting in the election of Sylvester Bailey, mayor, and A. B. Shaw, H. H. Menus, George W. Davis, W. Howard, J. E. Merriman, John Brown, J. P. Keiser and James Kennedy, aldermen. The boundaries of South Memphis were defined as follows: On the east, south and west the boundaries are the same as the South Memphis tract, and on the north the boundary line commences in the center of the Mississippi River, opposite the rise of Union Street; thence east with the center of Union Street, as at present laid off until the same intersects with the Pigeon Roost road; thence with the south side of Pigeon Roost road to the east line of the South Memphis tract of land. On September 4, South Memphis was divided into four wards. The treasurer for the first corporate year made a report showing that the revenue amounted to $6,266.17, and licenses, etc., to $3,750.50. John T. Trezevant was mayor in 1847-48 and A. B. Taylor in 1849. Unification of South Memphis and Memphis was a contentious subject in the 1840s, but by 1849, it became clear that the success of the

Memphis and Charleston Railroad The Memphis and Charleston Railroad, completed in 1857, was the first railroad in the United States to link the Atlantic Ocean with the Mississippi River. Chartered in 1846, the gauge railroad ran from Memphis, Tennessee, to Stevenson, Alabama ...

depended on union, and on November 15, 1849, Memphis annexed South Memphis. The last meeting of the mayor and aldermen of South Memphis took place on December 31, 1849.

Notable sites

Notable sites in South Memphis include the firehouse known as The Black Arts Alliance,

Stax Museum The Stax Museum of American Soul Music is a museum located in Memphis, Tennessee, at 926 East McLemore Avenue, the original location of Stax Records. Stax launched and supported the careers of artists such as Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, the The Sta ...

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

Graceland Graceland is a mansion on a estate in Memphis, Tennessee, United States, once owned by American singer Elvis Presley. Presley is buried there, as are his parents Vernon and Gladys, paternal grandmother Minnie Mae, grandson Benjamin, and daugh ...

mansion, LeMoyne-Owen College, T. O. Fuller State Park, Southland Mall and the historic cemeteries Zion, Rose Hill, Mt Carmel, New Park, and Elmwood.

Highways and ZIP codes

Several important highways run through South Memphis, including

I-55 Interstate 55 (I-55) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, connecting the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes. The ...

U.S. Route 51 U.S. Route 51 or U.S. Highway 51 (US 51) is a major south–north United States highway that extends from the western suburbs of New Orleans, Louisiana, to within of the Wisconsin–Michigan state line. As most of the United States Numbered Hi ...

(Elvis Presley Blvd), 61 (South Third) and 64. The ZIP codes of South Memphis are 38106, 38109, 38126 and 38116.

List of people from South Memphis

* D'Army Bailey- Civil Rights activist, judge and actor * Maxine Smith - Civil Rights activist and Memphis City School Board member from 1971 to 1995 *

Maurice White Maurice White (December 19, 1941 – February 4, 2016) was an American musician, best known as the founder, leader, main songwriter and chief producer of the band Earth, Wind & Fire, also serving as the band's co-lead singer with Philip Bailey. ...

- Leader of

Earth, Wind And Fire Earth, Wind & Fire (abbreviated as EW&F or EWF) is an American band formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1969. Their music spans multiple genres, including jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, Latin and Afro-pop. They are among the best-selling ba ...

Harold Ford Jr. Harold Eugene Ford Jr. (born May 11, 1970) is an American financial managing director, pundit, author, and former U.S. Congressman who served from 1997 to 2007 in the United States House of Representatives as a member of the Democratic Party fro ...

- United States Congressman from 1997 to 2007 *

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Honored as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Soul", she was twice named by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine as the Roll ...

- Queen Of Soul *

Carla Thomas Carla Venita Thomas (born December 21, 1942) is an American singer, who is often referred to as the Queen of Memphis Soul. She is best known for her 1960s recordings for Atlantic and Stax including the hits " Gee Whiz (Look at His Eyes)" (1960) ...

- singer * Frank Hayden - artist *

Marion Barry Marion Shepilov Barry (born Marion Barry Jr.; March 6, 1936 – November 23, 2014) was an American politician who served as mayor of the District of Columbia from 1979 to 1991 and 1995 to 1999. A Democratic Party (United States), Democrat, Barr ...

- mayor of

Washington D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

from 1979 to 1990 and from 1995 to 1999 * Marquita Bradshaw, activist & Democratic candidate in the 2020 United States Senate election in Tennessee * Willie Herenton- mayor of Memphis from 1992 to 2009 * Glenda Glover- first woman president of

Tennessee State University Tennessee State University (Tennessee State, Tenn State, or TSU) is a public historically black land-grant university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1912, it is the only state-funded historically black university in Tennes ...

Rosco Gordon Rosco N. Gordon III (April 10, 1928 – July 11, 2002), sometimes billed as Roscoe Gordon, was an American blues singer, pianist, and songwriter. He is best known for his hit songs "Booted," (1952), " No More Doggin'" (1952), and " Just a Littl ...

- singer and musician *

Booker T. Jones Booker Taliaferro Jones Jr. (born November 12, 1944) is an American musician, songwriter, record producer and arranger, best known as the frontman of the band Booker T. & the M.G.'s. He has also worked in the studios with many well-known artis ...

- musician * Frank Stokes- blues singer and musician *

Anita Ward Anita Ward (born December 20, 1956) (sources differ) is an American singer and musician from Memphis, Tennessee. Beginning her professional music career in the late 1970s, Ward is best known for her 1979 million-selling chart-topper R&B/Disco hi ...

- singer * David Porter- songwriter *

Benjamin Hooks Benjamin Lawson Hooks (January 31, 1925 – April 15, 2010) was an American civil rights leader and government official. A Baptist minister and practicing attorney, he served as executive director of the National Association for the Advancement ...

- Civil Rights lawyer and judge who was head of the

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is an American civil rights organization formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. B. Du&nbs ...

from 1977 to 1993 * Gilbert E. Patterson- Presiding Bishop of COGIC from 2000 until his death in 2007 *

Johnny Ace John Marshall Alexander Jr. (June 9, 1929 – December 25, 1954), known by the stage name Johnny Ace, was an American rhythm-and-blues singer. He had a string of hit singles in the mid-1950s. He emerged as a prominent figure in postwar R&B an ...

- 1950s R&B star *

Pooh Shiesty Lontrell Donell Williams Jr. (born November 8, 1999), better known by his stage name Pooh Shiesty, is an American rapper from Memphis, Tennessee. He signed with Gucci Mane's 1017 Records, an imprint of Atlantic Records in 2020, he rose to promi ...

- rapper * Big30 - rapper and childhood friend of fellow rapper

Key Glock Markeyvius LaShun Cathey (born August 3, 1997), known professionally as Key Glock, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. The cousin of late Memphis rapper Young Dolph, Cathey signed with his record label, Paper Route Empire, t ...

- rapper *

Elise Neal Elise Demetria Neal (born March 14, 1966) is an American actress known for her work in television and film. She rose to prominence in 1997 with roles in ''Rosewood'', '' Money Talks'', and ''Scream 2''. She later starred as Yvonne Hughley in th ...

- actress * J. Blackfoot- singer * Andrea Miller- first woman president of LeMoyne-Owen College *

DJ Paul Paul Duane Beauregard (born January 12, 1977), known professionally as DJ Paul, is an American rapper and record producer. He is a founding member of hip hop group Three 6 Mafia and the brother of rapper Lord Infamous. DJ Paul is also the half ...

- Academy Award-winning rapper and producer *

Tay Keith Brytavious Lakeith Chambers, known professionally as Tay Keith, is an American record producer. He is best known for co-producing Travis Scott's 2018 single "Sicko Mode", which peaked atop the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, as well as Drake's " Nonsto ...

- producer * Tommy Wright III-rapper and producer *

Tela Tela is a town, with a population of 39,920 (2023 calculation), and a municipality in Honduras on the northern Caribbean coast. It is located in the Atlántida department, department of Atlantida. History Colonial era Tela was founded by th ...

- rapper *

Qyntel Woods Qyntel Deon Woods (born February 16, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player. He played mainly at the small forward position, but he also played at the shooting guard position, on occasion. Early life and college career Woods ...

- former NBA player, now plays for Lagun Aro GBC in Spain * Playa Fly- rapper * W. Herbert Brewster- gospel songwriter notably

Mahalia Jackson Mahalia Jackson ( ; born Mahala Jackson; October 26, 1911 – January 27, 1972) was an American gospel music, gospel singer, widely considered one of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century. With a career spanning 40 years, Jackson was ...

's Move On Up A Little Higher *

Andre Turner Andre Devalle Turner (born March 13, 1964) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is currently on the basketball staff at Memphis after three seasons as head coach at La ...

- former NBA player known as 'The Little General' *

Thaddeus Young Thaddeus Charles Young Sr. (born June 21, 1988) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, be ...

- NBA player *

Young Dolph Adolph Robert Thornton Jr. (July 27, 1985 – November 17, 2021), better known by his stage name Young Dolph, was an American rapper and record executive. He first garnered mainstream attention for his guest appearance on O.T. Genasis' 2015 sin ...

- rapper (1985-2021) *

Blac Youngsta Sammie Marquez Benson (born April 8, 1990), known professionally as Blac Youngsta, is an American rapper from Memphis, Tennessee. He signed a recording contract with fellow Memphis-based rapper Yo Gotti's record label, Collective Music Group (CMG ...

- rapper * Rufus Jones- a member of the

Tennessee House of Representatives The Tennessee House of Representatives is the lower house of the Tennessee General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee. Constitutional requirements According to the state constitution of 1870, this body is to consis ...

from 1981 to 1996 * Lois DeBerry- first woman Speaker Pro Tempore in the

* Ben Cauley- musician and original member of the Barkays, who was the lone survivor of the 1967 plane crash that claimed the lives of his bandmates and

Otis Redding Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. ...

. *

Moneybagg Yo DeMario DeWayne White Jr. (born September 22, 1991), known professionally as Moneybagg Yo, is an American rapper known for his melodic trap and Southern hip hop music style. White signed with fellow Memphis rapper Yo Gotti's record label, ...

- rapper *

Big Scarr Alexander Woods (April 7, 2000 – December 22, 2022), better known by his stage name Big Scarr, was an American rapper from Memphis, Tennessee. He signed with Gucci Mane's 1017 Records in 2020, and released his single "SoIcyBoyz" (featuring ...

- rapper *

Eric Jerome Dickey Eric Jerome Dickey (July 7, 1961January 3, 2021) was an American author. He wrote several crime novels involving grifters, ex cons, and assassins, the latter novels having more diverse settings, moving from Los Angeles to the United Kingdom to t ...

-author

References

{{coord, 35.073, -89.971, display=title Neighborhoods in Memphis, Tennessee