Memphis, Tennessee
Mission Trips

Located in the southwestern corner of Tennessee near the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers, Memphis is home to a population of 1.3 million people. It is the largest city in Tennessee (2nd largest metro area), the largest city on the Mississippi River, and the 18th largest city in the United States.

Founded in 1819 as a planned city by a group of wealthy Americans including judge John Overton and future president Andrew Jackson, Memphis has been a historically important city. Home to some of the greatest rock and blues artists including B.B. King and Elvis Presley, tourists flock to the famous Beale Street to take in the sights and sounds. In the 1960s, Memphis was at the epicenter of the Civil Rights movement, something that still shapes the city to this day.

Memphis has been working hard in recent years to build its economy, fueled by several fortune 500 companies including FedEx. Due to a rich history and picturesque landscape, Memphis has remained a hot spot for entertainment and has been featured in a variety of major motion pictures in the last couple of decades.

Climate

Memphis experiences all four seasons and is marked by its distinctive sub-tropical weather. Summer weather is generally hot and humid. Spring and summer thunderstorms are common, but usually brief. Fall and winter weather can be brisk with temperatures anywhere from below freezing into the 70's depending on the week.

Language

The majority of Memphis residents speak English as their primary language.

Safety

Memphis is considered a safe city for your team to travel to. Your PPM trip staff will be with you throughout the entirety of your trip and maintain safety and security as a top priority.

At the center of a major distribution network, Memphis is home to major distribution and manufacturing companies such as FedEx and Gibson Guitars. With so much focus on distribution and manufacturing, the workforce is generally lower income. Nearly 40% of the population earns less than $30,000/year. In the coming years, the city has plans to diversify its industry, working to develop into a leader in the medical field.

Memphis is filled with museums, the arts, and has several sports teams. Most famously, Beale Street is the epicenter of arts and entertainment in Memphis. There are countless places to eat, shop, and tour with music pouring out onto a street often filled with parades and eclectic performers sure to blow your mind. In the summer, those who are in the mood for a little sports can check out a Memphis Redbirds game, the Triple-A affiliate to the St. Louis Cardinals. During the fall and spring, be sure to grab tickets to watch their NBA basketball team, the Memphis Grizzlies. For a truly Memphis experience, teams can visit any number of historical sites, such as Graceland, Sun Records, the Lorraine Motel, The Civil Rights Museum, the Mason Temple, and many more.

When it comes to food, you needn't look further than Memphis-style barbecue. Defined by the pit-smoking style, Memphis has some of the best barbecue anywhere in the world. Order your ribs dry (dry rub, no sauce) or wet (Memphis also has unique and delicious barbecue sauce). Add in some southern sides and you Memphis barbecue is tough to beat!

Memphis was founded on May 22, 1819 and quickly developed as a trade and transportation center in the 19th century because of its flood-free location high above the Mississippi River. Early on, Memphis became a hub for the slave trade in large part to accommodate the cotton industry from the southern states. This "forced migration" brought a large number of African American people to the Memphis area.

By the mid-1900s, Memphis had developed into the largest cotton and hardwood lumber provider in the world. However, tensions were still high as a largely black population struggled under the authority of a largely white government. Memphis became the center of the Civil Rights movement, the site of Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech, and unfortunately the location of his assassination on April 4th, 1968.

Throughout the years, Memphis has enjoyed a reputation as the "Birthplace of Rock and Roll" and the "Home of the Blues." Memphis is well known for its cultural contributions to the identity of the American South. Many renowned musicians grew up in and around Memphis and moved to Chicago and other areas from the Mississippi Delta, carrying their music with them to influence other cities and listeners over radio airwaves. These included such musical greats as Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Muddy Waters, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Robert Johnson, B.B. King, Howlin' Wolf, Justin Timberlake, Three 6 Mafia, and many others. The great Aretha Franklin was also born in Memphis.

Like much of the American southeast, Christianity is the predominant religion in Memphis. However, not everyone in the city has had a pleasant experience with religion, and the local Church is working hard to mend wounds and repair bridges. Your mission team can be part of that process on your mission trip to Memphis.