This report is about Memphis, Tennessee. Memphis
is located in the southwest corner of Tennessee. The
Mississippi River runs through the city. Memphis has
a population of 676,640 as of 2009. That makes it the
largest city in Tennessee and the 3rd largest city in the
Southeastern U.S.A. Memphis is in a county called Shelby
county. Memphis is the youngest of the four major cities
in Tennessee which are Knoxville, Nashville, Chattanooga
and Memphis.
A Mississippian era priest
Memphis has an intriguing history. Memphis was
first settled by some mound-building Native American.
Later, Memphis was settled by the Chickasaw Native
American tribe. They lived in the bluffs near the
Mississippi river for 10,000 years. The first explorers to
explore Tennessee were Hernando de Soto and Renѐ
Robert Cavelier with Sieur de La Salle. The land that is
now present day Memphis was an unorganized through
the 18th century. In 1796, it became the westernmost
point of the new state of Tennessee.
In 1819 Memphis was founded by John Overton,
James Winchester, and Andrew Jackson. Memphis was
named after the ancient capital of Egypt near the Nile
River. Tennessee used many African American slaves
for their cotton farms. Tennessee pulled away from the
Union on June 1861 and Memphis was a Confederate
stronghold for a short time. Then, on June 6th, 1862,
the Union got it back in the naval Battle of Memphis.
Memphis remained under the Union’s power for the rest
of the war. Memphis was a Union supply base. Then,
in the 1870s, disaster struck. There was a yellow fever
outbreak in Memphis. The worst outbreak was in 1878.
The population was reduced by 75%. This was because
many people died because of the fever and the rest left
the city permanently. Since many people were not there
to pay the taxes, the city could not pay its municipal
debt. Then Memphis lost its city charter temporarily and
was a taxing district from 1878-1893. It was rechartered
in 1893.Memphis became the world’s biggest spot cotton
market. It also grew to be the world’s hardwood lumber
market. In the late 1940s into the early 1950s it was the
world’s largest mule market! There are many famous
singers from the Memphis area such as Elvis Presley,
Jonny Cash, and many others.
A COTTON MERCHANT OF 1937
DOWNTOWN MEMPHIS
The city of Memphis’ area is 313.8 sq mi. Memphis
even goes into northern Mississippi and eastern
Arkansas! Memphis is home to many religions and is
a diverse place. Memphis is intersected by two major
interstates, I40 and I55, which are above the Mississippi
River. Memphis also has seven major U.S highways
and an abundant amount of freight railroads. Those
traveling advantages make Memphis a good location
for manufacturing and distribution services. An example
of this is that Memphis International Airport, which
serves as the main hub for FedEx shipping. Memphis
International Airport is the world’s busiest in cargo
tonnage. Memphis is also home to nine Fortune 1000
company. I think Memphis is a very interesting city.
I hope you found Memphis interesting too.
THE AIRPORT IN MEMPHIS