Potentially moving closer to DW - Questions about Memphis, TN

[kelbri]

Hi,
My husband is interviewing in Memphis, TN and we could potentially be moving to Memphis from the Minneapolis, Mn area. I am looking for information regarding which areas would be nice for schools, living areas, etc.?

We have 4 children ranging in ages from 10-17 with all in high math, reading, science. Also, my oldest is taking college courses this next upcoming year and gaining dual credit (high school and college) and my next is taking college algebra as a sophmore and was looking to do the same as first only in her junior year. Does Tn have similar programs? My understanding is that the schools are not great so we would need to be careful when selecting an area to live.

In addition, I just received a Master's of Education licensure and would need to look for employment myself and am interested in school's from that angle. Any assistance or information would be greatly appreciated.

 

[southern_redhead]

I live close to Memphis. I don't know a BUNCH about the schools but, what has held true for years, I can tell you that Shelby County schools tend to be much preferred to Memphis City Schools. In fact, I just got an update yesterday on my News Channel 3 app that Memphis City is laying off 92 teachers.

As far as areas, when we go to Memphis and stay overnight we like the Bartlett area. Germantown is also nice. I'm sure there are other areas that are just as nice, and I'm sure some nice DISer lives in or closer to Memphis and can give you an in depth view of it.

Best of luck, Memphis is a tad closer than Minneapolis

ETA - yes, TN does have dual credit HS courses. I don't know if all schools offer them but our Title 1, rural school does offer several of them so I would think you could find them in the much bigger city of Memphis.

Another ETA lol - I was talking to my mom about a wedding she is attending tomorrow and it is in Collierville. Another nice area to live. I have known people who lived in Collierville and Cordova and both loved those areas. I never go to Memphis unless it's to shop at Wolfchase or take my mom to her Dr in Germantown so I don't make it to those areas and I'd kind of forgotten about them.

 

[Cin]

I went to school in Horn Lake MS which is just over the state line and minutes from Memphis. Southaven MS is a nice area too, or used to be, just over the state line as well in Mississippi. I don't know about Memphis schools, but Horn Lake HS was a great school.

 

[goofyisinphilly]

I grew up in Southaven/Olive Branch, MS which is right over the line from Memphis. The Olive Branch area is pretty nice.

I went to SBEC- Southern Baptist Educational Center and got a great education. The public schools are pretty good. Southaven and Olive Branch both have fairly new buildings.

Whitten Place and Summerwood are two subdivisions off of Getwell Rd that I would recommend.

Good luck. You couldn't pay me enough to move back but there are alot of people who like it there.

 

[Candace]

Hi,
My husband is interviewing in Memphis, TN and we could potentially be moving to Memphis from the Minneapolis, Mn area. I am looking for information regarding which areas would be nice for schools, living areas, etc.?

We have 4 children ranging in ages from 10-17 with all in high math, reading, science. Also, my oldest is taking college courses this next upcoming year and gaining dual credit (high school and college) and my next is taking college algebra as a sophmore and was looking to do the same as first only in her junior year. Does Tn have similar programs? My understanding is that the schools are not great so we would need to be careful when selecting an area to live.

In addition, I just received a Master's of Education licensure and would need to look for employment myself and am interested in school's from that angle. Any assistance or information would be greatly appreciated.[/QUOT

You are right in your understanding about being careful with your choice of neighborhoods/schools. I attended high school and got my master's degree in education in Memphis. They have had a terrible time this spring with the schools - in fact the city schools have been in terrible shape for years! They voted to consolidate with the county schools, which many people are against. It still has not been worked out. Collierville still has good schools, and Germantown - really anything out to the east is better. There are also many good private schools which are well established and have been there for years. The city itself is tough - neighborhood wise and schools too. I know this sounds negative about Memphis; it's just the truth. We still go down there (live 50 miles north) to use the airport and see my husband's cardiologist, but I don't really shop there anymore or go to lunch, etc. I would love to see Memphis (as it used to be) return, but they have had many many problems for years now. As for your MEd., just don't plan working inside the city itself.

 

[spacemountainmom]

Hi! I am from the Twin Cities as well, but I had family who lived in the Memphis area.

My sil and bil lived in Collierville for most of their kids' school years. Both my niece and nephew graduated from the school system there and they were pretty happy with the education. The same sil and bil pulled the kids out of the public school system in St. Louis Park when they still lived here. Collierville is a very charming town as well. The downtown town square area is so neat. I agree that Germantown is a good area as well.

MIL and FIL lived in Shelby County for a few years and did like it there. However they were beyond the schooling years at the time. They moved to the Olive Branch, MS area and really liked it there as well. It sounded like the schools there were pretty decent.

It's funny, dh and I were just discussing that we would like to go and visit the area again. We haven't been since the in-laws all moved to Atlanta about 4 years ago.

A suggestion would be to contact a realtor in the area to get information on schools and neighboroods. When the in-laws lived there, Crye-Leike was one of the big realty firms, kind of like Edina or CB-Burnet up here.

Good luck in your decision. Can I guess that your dh is going to work for Fed Ex???

 

[horseshowmom]

I went to school in Horn Lake MS which is just over the state line and minutes from Memphis. Southaven MS is a nice area too, or used to be, just over the state line as well in Mississippi. I don't know about Memphis schools, but Horn Lake HS was a great school.

I grew up in Southaven/Olive Branch, MS which is right over the line from Memphis. The Olive Branch area is pretty nice.

I went to SBEC- Southern Baptist Educational Center and got a great education. The public schools are pretty good. Southaven and Olive Branch both have fairly new buildings.

What area would your husband be working in? That would factor in as far as commuting distance.

The Desoto County, Mississippi area (Southaven, Olive Branch, Hernando, etc. - just across the TN/MS state line) is pretty popular, and a lot of Memphis people have moved there over the years (initially Southaven, then OB). The last few years have seen quite a bit of movement down to Hernando.

The Desoto County schools are rated very well for the most part (you can go to www.mde.k12.ms.us to check on Desoto County and individual schools in the county). My daughter was friends with quite a few kids in Desoto schools and SBEC. Pretty much all of them have gone on and done very well (vet school, pharmacy school, medical school, etc.). Apparently, the education provided has served them well.

 

[DisneyLover83]

I grew up in Germantown, TN and went to Shelby County Schools for elem, middle and high school but that was back in 90-00's. I do not live in the area anymore but have family that does including a BIL that is a Memphis Police Officer. The school consolidation is something that I would follow closely if you end up moving. Living in Shelby County might not end up being the best option for you if the two systems end up merged. Also, there are good safe places to live in Memphis but you will never be more than 1 or 2 miles from unsafe areas. My DH and I lived in High Point Terrace when we were first married, its a great location to downtown and lots of familys out walking and playing but less than 2 miles away is a different world. Just do your research, a lot of people are quick to label Memphis as a terrible place to live but don't let them scare you off I would move back in a heartbeat and we only moved away due to Dh's job.

 

[scrdofbugs]

I live outside of Memphis. My daughter is in a shelby county school and we love it. She was a freshman and taking all honor classes. THey do offer dual courses in her school so I imagine all the shelby county schools offer them. She is taking an AP class next year. As others have stated there are some very nice areas of Memphis to live in and some no so nice areas. For schools and safety, I would recommend the following areas (not in any order):
1. Collierville
2. Germantown
3. Lakeland
4. Arlington
5. some areas of Bartlett
6. Millington
7. Desoto County in Mississippi
I am sure there are some other nice areas but these should get you started. I hope this helps.

 

[baloo's girl]

I live on the east end of Bartlett. We used to live in Olive Branch, MS but the commute was just too far for my husband, who works for a law firm in downtown Memphis.

Depending on where your husband is going to work might make a big difference in where to live. From downtown Memphis, Collierville is about 45 minutes. Its about the same from Olive Branch, MS. From Bartlett (east end) its about 25 minutes.

Collierville is the number one place to live. Its the most expensive and furthest away from the downtown. I have many friends in Cville. My daughter's dance company is in Collierville.

I love Bartlett too, its much closer to everything and we like the vibe of the area. We are in a new construction home, very close to the mall. (As a girl from New Jersey, proximity to the mall is essential to me )

Olive Branch, MS and Germantown are also very nice. You'll find cheaper homes in MS. Germantown is mostly homes built in the 80s, but the schools are pretty good.

I wouldn't move within the city limits of Memphis and don't move to Cordova because of the school situation and the terrible resale on houses in this area.

I'd be happy to answer any other questions you have about Memphis. We've been here for almost 7 years.

 

[kelbri]

To be more clear, the location of the business would be very close to the Memphis airport. We are also trying to find out if Tennessee offers the option for good high school students to actually take classes at a University or Community college and get dual credit (High school + college). In MN, we call it post secondary education option and the state actually pays for the classes and can be taken their Junior and Senior years (as long as they have good GPAs). MN also offers Advanced Placement classes and some college courses where the college teaches the class in the high school.

Hope this helps clarify things and all your responses are greatly appreciated.

 

[NookOfTheNorth]

Nowhere near the area, but found some information about dual credit and dual enrollment.
http://www.tn.gov/education/cte/ad/clupos/cludulcrd.shtml

But the real reason I'm posting is to say you may want to look into your teacher certification immediately. Each state has their own requirements and you may find yourself with only emergency or temporary certification which will make you less than marketable in an already tough education job market.

Let me give you an example, when I moved from Baltimore to Wisconsin; I already had my teaching degree (M.A.T.) but WI still made me jump through many hoops. For example in MD, I had to pass several PRAXIS tests to become certified; in WI, DPI required me to take the PPST (the test given prior to entering the School of Education).

Just something to think about.

 

[DisneyLover83]

To be more clear, the location of the business would be very close to the Memphis airport. We are also trying to find out if Tennessee offers the option for good high school students to actually take classes at a University or Community college and get dual credit (High school + college). In MN, we call it post secondary education option and the state actually pays for the classes and can be taken their Junior and Senior years (as long as they have good GPAs). MN also offers Advanced Placement classes and some college courses where the college teaches the class in the high school.

Hope this helps clarify things and all your responses are greatly appreciated.

I know Houston High (Shelby County School) in Germantown offers this. I knew a few kids who did that about 10 years ago. They went to HS in the morning and then University of Memphis or Rhodes in the afternoons, Houston also offers several AP classes, at least they used to and I don't see why that would have changed.

 

[TnTWalter]

No help...but I would love to move to Tenn....better climate and NO income tax.

Good luck!

Trish

 

[horseshowmom]

To be more clear, the location of the business would be very close to the Memphis airport. We are also trying to find out if Tennessee offers the option for good high school students to actually take classes at a University or Community college and get dual credit (High school + college). In MN, we call it post secondary education option and the state actually pays for the classes and can be taken their Junior and Senior years (as long as they have good GPAs). MN also offers Advanced Placement classes and some college courses where the college teaches the class in the high school.

Hope this helps clarify things and all your responses are greatly appreciated.

Let me add to what I said earlier about Desoto County (in Mississippi). They actually have a very nice community college (a branch of Northwest Community College that is in Senatobia, but it's a large branch with a very nice campus). The University of Mississippi also has a branch there. You can do dual enrollment. The state also has Mississippi Virtual School that has online courses (including AP courses).

Desoto County is also very convenient to the airport. DD horseshowed with a girl who lived in Desoto County whose dad was a pilot for one of the airlines.

ETA: Taken from the Desoto County site:

Dual Enrollment

Dual Enrollment allows a Desoto County high school student to enroll in a college or university to earn college credits while continuing their high school education. The credits count toward their college graduation requirements only. They do not meet any high school requirements.

The following items are required:

Print out and complete the following Dual Enrollment form.
Completed 14 high school credits
3.0 Grade Point Average
Must have taken the ACT
Recommendation from counselor or principal
Application to college or university attending for dual enrollment
Fee for class

 

[Disneyliscious]

No help...but I would love to move to Tenn....better climate and NO income tax.

Good luck!

Trish

Someone help this child! lol just teasing.

I would love to move OUT of TN. Winters with below zero temps and summers with temps of 100-110. Spring is rain, rain and more rain. And then we are set in the lines of tornado alley. Summer is dry, dusty dry, normally hitting drought status. Our weather is miserable here. It really is.

No income tax, but many areas have 'permits' which make you wish we just had an income tax. For new home builders, the county next to me has a $7 per square foot building permit. So for a 3000sqft home you're out $2100 before you can even get started. There are 9 thousand other permits you need as well it seems.....for anything and everything, not just home building.

In most areas the schools are plum poor. My son passed from 3rd grade to 4th this year and his HIGHEST final average was a 67. I begged the school for help all year long, and did what I could otherwise but he just isn't 'getting it' and they pass him anyway.

Not all in TN is bad. We have some beautiful country side, Nashville is a GREAT city with GREAT music and we are rich on culture, history, and Southern hospitality. My only true complaint here is the weather I guess. Everything else, I can somehow try to fix.

But give me Florida any day!!

(didnt mean to hijack your thread op, was jut giving my take on TN as a whole)

 

[MScott1851]

If you MUST move to Memphis...don't move within the city limits. I live in Cordova and the only way for me to get out of my house would be to burn it down and get away with it.

If DH will be working near the airport, live in Mississippi. I'd say Olive Branch or Hernando. After that, I'd look in Collierville or Arlington.