African-Americans in Memphis are under siege.
That can only mean one thing: Memphis is also under siege.
Come to think of it, it also means that the region is under siege, despite the tone and content of suburban rhetoric to the contrary.
We’ve been writing in recent weeks about the economic realities that face Memphis in a post-recession, jobless recovery world. To recap, the region is one of the 20 weakest-performing metros when it comes to recovery after the last recession, bouncing back much more slowly than after the 1981, 1990, and 2001 recessions, and the region will not return to pre-recession, or 2007, employment levels until the first quarter of 2016 (unfortunately we lost more than 20,000 jobs in the seven years before 2007.
We had hoped that things had bottomed out, but it seems we were wrong. In the couple of weeks since our first post, Memphis got yet another one-two punch with news that the city’s unemployment rate continues to climb and the average wealth for African-Americans has dropped precipitously.
Devilish Problems
Even devil’s advocates are unable to summon up an alternative argument to the obvious: the Memphis regional economy is sputtering and nothing short of an engine overhaul is going to improve things.
We’ve deluded ourselves for decades into thinking that somehow we could ignore the link between race and poverty, that somehow we could succeed economically with 165,000 of us in intractable poverty, that somehow our commodities approach to economic development could win in the long-run, that somehow our lip service about minority business was enough, and that somehow the lack of population growth from in-migration didn’t matter.
This benign neglect and lack of strategic focus bring us to where we are today, and if the current situation is not the ultimate wake-up call, we can’t imagine what one looks like.
Today, about 47% of Memphis workers older than 16 years old are unemployed or not looking for work. That’s a 12% unemployment rate plus 35% who are not in the labor force anymore.
Ouch
It’s the 35% that’s the structural problem that is essentially unchanged in the past 25 years. The unemployment rate may go up or down but the percentage of people who aren’t looking for jobs remains about the same. In other words, about 220,000 Memphians are not working, and to compound things, a significant percentage of Memphis workers are underemployed and say that they would like training for better jobs.
The preponderance of these workers are African-Americans, but that’s not the only trend whipsawing these Memphians. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the media wealth of African-Americans shrunk by 53% between 2005-2009. We don’t know what happened in the years between 2009 and now, but there’s no way we’d bet that things got better.
Meanwhile, African-American median household income declined between 2000-2008 by 7.8% and it was already the lowest of all major U.S. ethnic and racial groups. In 2000, African-Americans households earned 65% of the amount earned by Caucasian households. In 2008, it had fallen to 61.6%, and we’re sure it’s even less now.
They are victims of a cruel economy, foreclosures, and predatory lending that result in 28% of the residential mortgages in Memphis being more than the value of the houses. They are living at the edges of our economy and our city in neighborhoods that are deteriorating and where children’s boldest ambitions – 40% of these children live in poverty – are to get jobs in a warehouse.
Heading the Wrong Way
Worst of all, the chances for these people of knowing somebody who owns a business or has jobs to fill are nearly nonexistent. Indexed Memphis business growth shows that from 1998 to 2008, the inner city index dropped from 100 to 80, and the rest of the region increased from 100 to 108. In fact, in the U.S., between the inner city, the rest of central cities, and the rest of the region, only the inner city lost jobs.
As we have said for some time, regional growth has minimal impact on the predictive power of inner city growth. In a typical region, inner city residents hold 22% of jobs in the inner city, 11% of the jobs in the rest of the central city, and only 7% of the jobs in the rest of the region.
So let us say it again, as we have since we started this blog, inner cities in growing regions are just as likely to decline as grow. You don’t have to be a university economist to predict the depths to which our inner city is sinking.
When we talk about Memphis’ inner city, we are talking about 295,000 people. They are categorized this way because the poverty rate is one and a half times greater than the MSA, the median income is one-half or less than the MSA, and the unemployment rate is one and a half times greater than the MSA. Of these 295,000 people, 88% are minority (only 3% are immigrant).
Time to Get Damn Serious
None of this is likely to be a revelation to African-Americans here, but these trends converge to push Memphis even further down the rungs of U.S. metros in terms of economic vitality. After all, as the first region of more than one million people with an African-American majority, there’s little excuse for all of us not to be damn serious about improving opportunity for good-paying jobs, entrepreneurship, and neighborhoods with jobs and with dependable public transit to job centers.
We need to quit acting like hitting a 25% minority participation rate is something to celebrate. We need for government officials to be what they are: crucial players in demanding that economic development officials put together serious incentive programs and plans of action that emphasize African-American start-ups and employment.
We need for churches and mosques to quit worrying about who’s getting credit and join hands to improve neighborhoods and support Community LIFT’s strategies for neighborhood-based economic growth. We need for everyone to get out of their comfort zones and learn as much about north-south Memphis as they know about east-west Memphis. We need Memphis corporations to quit treating minority business development as social work rather than real economic partnerships.
It’s not as if everyone in our entire community needs to necessarily act out of high moral principles or deep religious faith. It’s enough if they act out of their own enlightened self-interest.
Becoming What We Can Be
Today, Memphis is half-done, and as long as only half of our population doesn’t have the income to participate fully in all that the community has to offer, we are only cheating ourselves in the long run. For example, we are the smallest NBA market in the country since Memphis has only 300,000 potential customers. We have only half as much money as we should in the cash registers of our businesses.
We can continue to call each other names. We can continue to leave hate-filled, race-baiting comments on news stories and blogs. We can continue to divide Memphis into us and them. We can continue to slide even deeper into our economic ditch.
We can’t call it progress for Memphis when younger African-Americans are earning less than their parents did. It’s been said that when the economy sneezes, poor people catch pneumonia. The same goes with a city with a lot of poor people. The rest of the country may be coping with the recession, but here, we are in a depression rivaling the Bermuda Triangle.
There is much to be proud of in Memphis, particularly the new momentum and signs that we can create and recruit new jobs, but now it’s time to leverage this same energy and enthusiasm to do what needs to be done: creating a city that is fully developed. We’ll be talking a lot about this in the coming months and hope you’ll be doing the same.
The socio-economic problems of African American Memphians in poverty is indemic and embedded in their culture. The root cause of much of this is the pervasive idea that the family unit is women and children, without husbands and fathers. I was riding thru midtown the other day and saw this African American woman with 4 kids in tow and an infant in her arms, walking in the heat. A block down I noticed a white couple, man and wife with one infant in a stroller. I thought this to be a microcosm of the the problem. Fix this and most of the other problems go away.
Slavery, Jim Crowe, and the welfare state over a hundred and fifty years in the making cannot be changed easily or quickly, but the family unit must be reconstituted if there is to be a permanent positive change.
hey Wolfgang, your German Heritage is showing pal..
but that’s what white Memphians think…just like you.
Concerning the Black woman with four kids (and an infant)
1) Did you converse with her ?
2) Did you ask her her marital status ? You don’t know anything about whether she was married, single, divorced or even WIDOWED by an American soldier in Iraq, right ?
In short, you don’t know shit about the woman, right ?
Ah, but you THINK you do, in a typical white racist Memphian fashion…you have all the answers, you, alone know the truth about Black people, and every Black Woman with Children who you happen to come upon
Did you ASK her if perhaps her childrens’ father was at WORK ? perhaps on a second job ? working SHIFT WORK ?? Minding other family obligations ? No you didn’t I will bet huge money ! why ? you don’t care about truth, you care about validating your own narrow views about Black and other nonwhites…you care about pointing fingers to say “see” THAT’s THE PROBLEM with YOU PEOPLE.
That’s typical Memphian clownish bullshit, friend
3) Did you converse with the “white couple” with the child in the stroller ?? Probably not, right ? You don’t know whether the male was her husband, brother, neighbor, or boyfriend, right ? Did you inquire about their own MARTIAL status ?? Nope, you’re too much of a closet sneaky, typical Memphis white racist (an I would say the same thing about a black commenter who made such an idiotic conclusion)
Let me suggest what is “EMBEDDED” in your “cultrue” Mr. Wolfgang…..it’s an attitude of white supremacy, pal, and stupidity, and arrogance, which is so commonly expressed here on this blog…on the streets of Memphis, in HR departments, in schools, and even in Memphis churches.
YOU, my dear white buffoon are the true “microcosm” of the problem in Memphis TN. You are no better than the people you enjoy and need to criticize. YOU are the one in NEED of “reconstruction”. May God Almighty help your typically stupid and racist Memphis butt.
YOU ought to be ashamed of yourself…but you can’t. You’re doomed and you’re the main reason why Memphis shall be left in the shadows for decades to come.
I am not black, but any decent resident of Memphis should be outraged by such parochial, sneaky, Memphis-brand of prejudice and racism you have just articulated.
You are so blinded by your own racism, you can not fathom how primitve, uninformed, arrogant but typically Memphis you actually sound….but again, I’m not really surprised…..this is exactly how Memphis really is.
Wolfgang- that was applying a rather broad stereotype to a very specific scenario, was it not?
Anon- your common posts at SCM share much in common with wolfgang even though I doubt you have the skills to recognize as much. Your dishonesty makes any statement of yours worth very little by association. You critique others for not being black and yet speaking of the direction and future of the city, but you yourself are not black but assume to speak for the minorities throughout the city. You criticize an individual for making a broad based judgment of a situation yet you are guilty of the same act in your claim of a “Memphis-brand of prejudice”. Nothing like assigning a certain trait to a group of people based on background, location or appearance. You are so convoluted you do cannot even recognize such obvious yet simple contradictions. You must be proud of excelling in the realm of hypocrisy. The fact that you rthink thsi data and trend is unique to memphis simply further proves your total lack of experience beyond your own living room. Does that make it ok? Certainly not. However, the issue is not simply a local one but is present at the state and national level as well. As usual, knowledge per the topic and a little research would do you well.
“That’s typical Memphian clownish bullshit, friend”
You know Shekel, I agree with you. However, IT’s also typical clownish white people bullshit all over America, not just Memphis. NO different than the vast majority of other American cities.
“Ah, but you THINK you do, in a typical white racist Memphian fashion…you have all the answers, you, alone know the truth about Black people,”
Again, agree with your ‘analysis’ BUT…as Urbanut accurately pointed out, YOU, sir, are just as guilty as Wolfgang of this transgression. You SEEM to LACK the ABILITY to see yourself in the MIRROR in every criticism you make of others here. You might improve by starting with the LOG in your own bigoted EYE before moving on to the SPECK in someone else’s. Shalom, and Semper Fi, faux Marine.
Wolfgang: We operate by a rule: don’t try to be logical with illogical people, but your notions are Pollyannish and simplistic and totally devoid of any reality about the problems facing a broad sector of our community.
Just for the rest of you: the first anonymous and Wolfgang are the same person. Talking to himself as he often does.
That is absurd! Their behavior hints at serious psychological issues.
Back to the topic at hand-
I personally am stumped. This issue is much larger and runs much deeper than any one person can possibly manage.
Once again though, it appears that encouraging local start-ups offers the best alternative to kick-starting the local and regional economies. As I read recently, the mayors should be commended for their successful efforts in recruiting the most recent additions to the employment market. Similarly, why not go forward and put similar efforts into either recruiting or tilling the soil for 10 companies that currently employ 30 employees. Perhaps put a unified effort into attracting or helping to launch 30 businesses that will employ 10 people. Of course that reminds me of an earlier discussion that involved the topic of an entrepreneur district. Is it too much to ask to divide our focus?
What kind of an obsessed idiot does this? Shekel, seriously, seek help. You have too much time on your hands, pal.
bullshit you paranoid Memphians…Wolfgang is not me..and I am not Wolfgang
Wolfgang is obviously just a typical Memphis peckerwood.
Also what moron would suggest that if someone is not “white” they ‘must’ be BLACK ?? I hate to break it to some of you Memphis fine residents, the world is mostly populated with true “non-whties”…lol….all kinds….lol….some of you clearly have a cultural prism that only divides in two “colors”…one black, and one white…but there again, I am not surprised at all because that’s how most idiots in Memphis live, think, and conclude.
unbelievable….but expected
Yikes. Now denial. Anon- It is easy enough for the purveyor of a blog to identify the IP address of an author. You have been discovered and as packrat suggested it is seems that seeking help would be of great benefit.
you moron, IP addresses don’t mean much..lol…lots of places/people can share an IP address, if the purveyor is that smart, he/she already knows that
I have nothing to gain denying a false assertion, pal
foolish…how narrow can you get in thinking every blog entry that may share IP addresses “must” be the same “person”.
you people are really typical Memphis…lol …”half-smart”
for example, my IP addy “right now” is
64.134.186.205
er, that would be in ATLANTA, GA , pal
later, it might be somewhere else…lol
bottom line, who cares about a poster’s IP addy anyway on a public access blog ? crazy
Still desperately grasping at straws. The more anon flails the more inept they become.
btw, I’m not in Atlanta, either…lol…but again, why does it IRK you ? LOL
inept ? lol…sticks and stones
Anon- and to reply to your last post “Who cares about a poster’s IP addy anyway on a public access blog”. It is interesting, especially when the author (you) are so desperately trying to invent situations that you would go so far to post an ethnically biased and repulsive remark and then to immediately reply to yourself in a critical manner. No one takes the opinion of a mentally unbalanced person seriously and it essentially allows for all readers to understand what little weight your opinion deserves. There are people that can help you address your problem.
Not to be a buzzkill or anything,,but what was the original post about, again?
oh now I see you are not only an architect and planner on the brink, and all over the web, you’re now a practicing clinician !!
are you still working or did you get laid off ??
you are a piece of “cad work” …lol
you really DO think I was Wolfgang don’t you ! now that is funny stuff, who the hell is telling you that nonsense pal ?….the website owners ?? ha ha
that’s just donwright a lie…but it’s odd what you “choose” to believe..
You shouldn’t let me get your architect butt so upset, pal ! it’s the WEB !!
Bottom line, it really really doesn’t matter what you think of me, now does it ?? come’on fella ! surely you’re brighter than that ?
geeezusfreekinchris….
ROFLMFAO
IO,
I know and I definitely played a role in facilitating this tangent and I apologize.
“I have nothing to gain denying a false assertion, pal”
Then ANSWER this question: why have you asserted in the past that you were a United States Marine? And a rabbi?
You’re a very disturbed person, goofball. With a stupid obsession.
Hey, in the long term it’s all irrevelant, anyway.
It’s a safer timewaster than porn.
some of you architects are in a bit too deep dontcha think ?
it’s the freeking web ! get over it some of you think that it’s a freekin community ‘think tank’ ..LOL
good grief
when some of you “pop off” constantly on the blog and ALL over the goddam web (like urbanutty) it’s a “contribution” worthy of deep thought and praise…lol
when another poster expressess an opinion that you simply don’t like, then that person is “OBSEESSED”
oh, i get it now
some of you are on more freekin blogs every goddam day….commercial Appeal, Memphis Flyer, Architectural sites, Design sites, smart City etc etc etc….so WHO is obsessed ??
Ubanuuty, you’ve been posting all freekin over the web for over 4 goddam years, pal….you find time to waste on the blogs because you like to try to be a well of information for just about everything….lol
and yes, interested observer, you’re RIGHT ! in the long term it IS ALL irrelevant on the web ! That’s the point ! who cares if you don’t like someone else’s OPINION ??
again, the only posters that arre constantly irked, upset, and just plain irritated should just relax and ignore crap that don’t like on the goddam web….how bout them apples, eh ??
some of you in Memphis are sooooo screwed….LOL…and easily perturbed and angered…ha ha ha
how stupid can this get ?
Marine Corp service record? Found it yet?
How stupid can you get, sitting in your broom closet, pining for your red stapler……
how stupid can this get ?
I dunno, how much space is left on the Internet?
Just because the web CAN be a site for anonymous hateful ramblings, doesn’t mean it HAS to be. Instead of just spouting off the first thing which pops in your mind to make yourself feel better, why doesn’t everyone just TRY to have a meaningful exchange of well thought out ideas?
perhaps a few people should be less involved in making personal assaults, and just ignore comments that anger you ? taking people to task just because they express their own opinions is crazy in itself ! just leave people alone and cease the name calling and personal attacks ! it serves no purpose to name-call or to attempt to label or overly analyze opinions that may be different than your own – no one is required to justify their own opinions – about Memphis or any other city – but especially about Memphis – it’s shows a strange brand of craziness to personally attack a poster over and over again – it doesn’t silence them, nor should it -despite being in Memphis, it’s still The United States of America, where no one must agree with conventional wisdom, or narrow wisdom just because someone else thinks in his/her own head they have all the answers and wisdom – that itself is indicative of an intolerance which has typified Memphis year after year. decade after decade – just leave posters alone – let people speak freely – we certainly aren’t required to like what people say on a publicly available website/blog – if you’re that prissy or thin-skinned, maybe you should push yourself back from the computer and go get a cold drink or a cup of coffee – better yet, find another medium that you, alone, can control or command – you certainly can’t control what other posters think or wish to express – so it seems odd to be preoccupied with whose IP addresses belong to whom, where they might live, how long they’ve been in an area (including Memphis), what might be their health issues, or really anything else – reacting or overreacting to every darn post in a visceral and personal way just because you just absolutely hate what someone’s expressed opinion is about Memphis or any other city is just flatout silly – also, demanding that a poster defend or prove her/his opinion is equally unnecessary – I mean, you’re not changing opinion on the web ! moreover, all it does is to aggravate when there should be no such reaction to opinions expressed – everybody has their own opinions and there is nothing evil about that – no one should get brow beat about proving their own opinion as a requisite to make another poster feel better – moderators should not take sides either – but the innuendo and name-calling is completely out of line – what’s amazing is that some of the name-callers claim to be educated and professionals, but yet they fall into some outrageous name-calling and labeling – so much for their professional credentials
Anon- despite you thinly veiled efforts, it’s obvious that it is still you in that last post. Are you ready to take some of your own advise?
wow ! there is something terribly wrong in Memphis ! what it looks like is the city is acting like a small southern town
There appears to be something terribly wrong with this anon fellow…and this from a guy not in Memphis! Why do you guys even put up with this? Its not like this is some sort of public domain. They apparently think they have some right to post here, but unless they make a financial contribution to Smart City, then the host isn’t obligated to keep their posts active. Its not like anon is contributing to your conversations anyway- just a troll looking for a purpose in life.
I don’t live anywhere near Memphis either, but where does it say only residents of Memphis can comment ? I do business with Pinnacle in Memphis and fedex, am I not allowed by the locals to make a comment on here either ??
wow,just sayin’
lots of people make comments or criticisms about New York, but don’t live in New York , who cares
Yeah, I know. I live in charlotte. Like I said “this from a guy that doesn’ t live in Memphis”. The other posts were right- you are a bit crazy. If you do business with fedex and pinnacle (assuming its more than mailing packages and buying a plane ticket- lol) I think I know 2 companies that need to screen who they work with better!
The only thing I think is obvious is that anyone that would take your advice about where and whereare not to live or that memphis is bad is as nutty as you appear to be. Nice how you talk about the whole web- but its not true just based on a quick google search. Even if it were the only thing it would prove is you have way too much time and personal hostility towards other people at this site to be taken seriously. Your personal grudge just makes you look silly. What do I know, i’ m in the backwater of charlotte.
Memphis seems almost hostile to itself and its own plight and future. Most anybody can research the web about Memphis, NYC, Little Rock, Miami or any other city. You can use Yahoo search, Bing, Google or others and the majority of comments about Memphis, Memphis crime, Memphis education, Memphis politics is very negative. That seems easy enough to find out for any reader or a person curious about life in Memphis. And that’s not including sites such as Sperling’s, Forbes or numerous blogs about RELOCATION matters and questions, or even travel sites such as fodor’s or even lousy Travel Advisor. There is posted, yes, on the web a large amount of information about best places to live, best small towns, best places for commuting, etc etc., like findyourspot.com, bestplaces.net, and sites which talk about the best places for families to relocate…such as relocateamerica.com.
Reclocateamerica.com ‘s 2011 TOP 100 PLACES TO LIVE IN AMERICA uses a lot of different measures, like a lot of examinations I guess, but you can see for yourself that Memphis, doesn’t even rank in the top ten or top 100. In fact they rank in TN only Franklin and Knoxville.
What’s interesting is that they rank Austin #1, Raleigh #4, greenville SC #6, Dallas #5, and OKC #10. These southern/sw cities are all in their top 10.
Many people, like me, have rarely seen Memphis highly ranked in the best listing of anything on the web especially, or in traditional print media. Maybe a lot of us just missed it, but we don’t think so, and many of us have searched extensively.
What’s also informative is that Memphis didn’t appear on the list for 2011 Best cities For Job Growth listing 90 other mid-sized cities
http://www.newgeography.com/content/002213-midsized-cities-rankings-2011-best-cities-job-growth
Memphis also didn’t place at all in the nation’s most secure top 20 cities (Sperling), but cities like Raleigh placed fairly high.
As I said, maybe we’re missing reading something on the web ?
Geez, this guy just can’t help themself. Its funny you keep saying the same thing but have to rely on questionable websites and dubious ranks to justify your ideas. Just proof any fool can use the net.
Then again this smart city person never claimed to be the best. As far as I can tell no one else on this site has written anything like that. But they do seem proud of their city and the progress that is being made and for some reason you really have a bug up your bum about it. Enough to invent different names that just keep saying the same thing. Crazy.
I don’t think most people would call Money Magazine, Forbes, CNN, Zillow, T&L, or Kiplinger very QUESTIONABLE in terms of how they go about rankings !
Wait a minute..maybe they all just have a “bug up their bums” about Memphis ?
Yeah, it’s a conspiracy of all crazy people saying the same thing ??
All rankings are suspect. Methodologies aren’t scientific, measurements are not complete, etc. They are eye candy for people who like rankings but have little to do with serious analysis.
Some of you people really hate valid rankings for some unknown reason, when it comes to Memphis ! If MEMPHIS were ranking HIGH on anything, you would begin CROWING about how tremendous the city is…the facts are that certain rankings do in fact provide important insights to ANY city….duh
HERE’s another ranking you will try to discredit…in Today’s Wall Street Journal, done by Concur Technoligies
The 24 MOST-VISITED US CITIES (top business destinations)
(1) New York
Las Vegas
Chicago 5
Orlando, Fla.
San Francisco
Houston
Atlanta
Charlotte, N.C.
San Diego
Boston
Dallas
Washington
Denver
Phoenix
Austin, Texas
San Antonio
Philadelphia
Los Angeles
Minneapolis
Seattle
(21). Nashville, Tenn.
New Orleans
Tampa, Fla.
Miami
(25) San Jose, Calif.
Source: Concur Technologies Inc.
I’m sure some of you don’t find these ranking valid either, because MEMPHIS is no where in sight on this either…
Nashville certainly is, right ?? it’s not great but it did make the top 25, at number 21 on this valid survey.
Memphis is not some big-league, cutting edge business destination. Give me a break.
Stop fooling yoruselves.
“Memphis is not some big-league, cutting edge business destination. Give me a break.”
No one said it was, moron. Why do you keep making sh!t up? Like your Marine Corp service record.
Anonymous: Thanks for the list, but we’re hard-pressed to see what it has to do with the post.
Who is concur tech? Did you do the study there anon- oh wait, of course you didn’t. You can’ t understand what is written let alone do something as complex as a study. Lol! The fact that you kept calling the rankings valid actually makes it really questionable. Sorry, but you just can’t help but proving what everyone else has posted at this site. Makes me think even more of Memphis and its citizens if someone like you is so crazy as rigorous out of their way and post some of the stuff you have. Lol! It really is funny! Crazy but funny there guy!
The results of their study was indeed written about in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal, and what was posted here was exactly what was posted in the Journal.
Memphis was no where listed in the top 25 most visited cities for business according to that assessment. It is what it is, if people are irritated with what the Wall Street Journal wrote about, then why on earth attempt to discredit or complain about a poster who mentioned the WSJ article ? Maybe posters should not become so visceral about a poster’s mention of some research not done by the poster – then attempt to malign the poster who merely quotes the research/publication by the WSJ. That seems odd and a bit way too defensive Memphians. Just deal with it, or call the WSJ to express your petty outrage at what they discovered and published.
The original post dealt with African Americans being economic casualities, etc. Lots of factors to consider such as was posted in the Memphis Business Journal in another important and revealing ranking which might needlessly anger other posters (which it shouldn’t).
The ranking is clear :
“Memphis ranks No. 194 out of the nation’s 200 largest metro areas for its percentage of adults who are married.
MBJ affiliate publication On Numbers analyzed 2009 American Community Survey data to come up with the rankings, which showed 42.7 percent of Memphis-area eligible adults (age 15 or older) are now married. Ranking below Memphis was Jackson, Miss., with a rate 42.68 percent of adults married, and several known college towns including Tuscaloosa, Ala., Gainesville, Fla., and College Station-Bryan, Texas.
Memphis’ rate is by far the lowest in the state. NASHVILLE’s married population includes 50.1 percent of adults while Knoxville’s is even higher at 51.96 percent.
Nationally, Holland, Mich., had the highest rate with more than 60 percent of adults married.”
Memphis Business Journal very recently reported :
“Memphis is the seventh-most dangerous city in the U.S. for pedestrians, according to a recent report by Transportation for America.
The Bluff City’s pedestrian danger index of 132.6 ranks it seventh among the nation’s 52 largest metro areas. Memphis had a total of 266 pedestrian deaths from 2000 to 2009 and an average annual pedestrian fatality rate of 2.1 per 100,000 people.”
This is a new report too, so they are probably lying on Memphis as well. I wonder where Memphis vehicle drivers rank .
Yeah, rankings are just skewed against Memphis. The Memphis Business Journal reported last week :
“Thirty-two of the 100 biggest metropolitan areas carry jobless rates of 10 percent or higher, and MEMPHIS IS AMONG THEM, according to the latest figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
On Numbers, an online service of American City Business Journals Inc. , ranked Memphis 94th out of 100 major markets in its June employment rankings. The city’s June unemployment rate was 10.9 percent
The Commercial Appeal last week also fed the public another ranking that must show some sort of ‘failed’ reasoning or discovery techniques. They reported :
“The Memphis region has low resilience capacity, or little ability to deal with future challenges, according to a national index.
Among 361 metro regions in the United States, the Memphis area ranks 266 in resilience capacity. That places our region squarely in the “low” resiliency category.
The index puts cities in one of five categories: very high, high, medium, low or very low.
NASHVILLE ranks in the high resilience capacity category — 124 out of the 361 metro regions. Knoxville ranks 160.
The Commercial Appeal further described :
The resiliency capacity index is based on 12 measures in three broad categories: economic capacity, socio-demographic capacity and community connectivity capacity. Memphis fares best in the last category, where it ranks 220 among the 361 regions. This rank is buoyed by the region’s stability, for which it received a ranking of 23. The region also did relatively well with voter participation, ranking 159.
Memphis’ SINGLE-WORST RANKING IS A MEASURE OF THE POPULATION THAT IS NOT IN POVERTYf It ranks 312 in this category. It also ranks poorly on civic infrastructure, at 307.
Among the 147 metro areas in the South, MEMPHIS RANKS 81. Metros are also grouped by size; among the 52 regions with populations of 1 million or more, Memphis ranks 45.
Yeah, those ‘rankings’ must be flawed for sure.
Why did you lie about being a United States Marine? Ever going to answer that question, shekel?
This guy is hilarious! I can’ t believe one author would be so obsessed as to post 5 times. Anon- you are so repetitive that even though I don’t live there, even i’ m not reading your pointless shtick, lol! You are so obsessed with rankings but its pretty obvious you don’ t understand them let alone bother to read the original reports. You are one of those funny little people that get all your news from the article summary online and that’s pretty obvious to everyone, LOL! So funny to see someone that is so obsessed with something. Its like their entire life revolves around posting this stuff that anyone with half a brain knows is bad science. I bet if the wsj reported a ranking came out that said vanilla definetly tasted better than strawberry you would preach that too- lol!
Buddy- your the only one still preaching that stuff hear. Heck even the moderator and others have said they know Memphis has areas that need serious work. Read it myself. Your the only one dumb enough to just repeat a story you heard, saw or read somewhere, LOL! Sorry pal, but it just makes you look pretty sad to everyone else reading this. By the way, if you want to fool people into thinking there are more of “you” then you might want to get a friend to proof read your stuff. It’s so easy to tell you are the same person posting- quite silly actually!
In other words…to the casual reader its like you don’ t have a thought between your ears… unless the wsj reports a ranking that tells you what to think- LOL!
also, any smart fella like you, Mr. Memphis can read for yourself that these reports and rankings did not come from one quoted source
one was the Journal
another was the Commercial Appeal (our dumbazz local rag)
still another was the Memphis Business Journal
tons of other rankings have been published by a vast array of periodical, websites, Universities, think-tanks, Urban planning agencies, professors, governmental agencies, television networks, etc etc etc
yeah, they all just must be WRONG about Memphis….yeah, Memphis is just misunderstood…by just about everybody outside of Memphis….yeah, they’re just not liked and misunderstood by Nashville, Knoxville, etc…sure, you bet..
don’t be THAT blind friend….geeeeezus…you just don’t want to read the truth, it bothers you, it irks your soul, it offends you, it makes you want to bark and foam at the mouth, and start your typical Memphis name-calling…..
hey, you don’t bother me, I’m used to such reaction in Memphis….nothing new here, pal.
btw, it’s the “same poster”…..LOL