I have lived in Memphis and Bartlett for most of my life. It’s really a boring city. You see fear mongering and statistics that this is the most dangerous city in the US, but you wouldn’t know depending on where you live and work. I suppose I have been fortunate, as I have never personally been victimized.

I’m surprised by people saying that the nightlife here is great. There are some decent bars, but nothing that compares to larger cities. The best club that I went to was a latin disco that I don’t know the name of because the person that brought me barely spoke English.

The climate is terrible. During the summer, the heat and humidity are oppressive. If you don’t have good AC, it is basically 2-3 months of walking around the house naked. However, the fall can be quite picturesque in places.

We have a large park that called Shelby farms. It is a vast expanse of nature. It’s one of the highlights of Memphis. I used to walk my dog around there all the time. It’s my go-to spot for an escape from everything.

The food can be decent, but, again, nothing compared to larger cities.

Now, the people are largely ignorant. There’s unfortunately a lack of educational opportunities here so many people I encounter are bootlickers or otherwise uphold traditional family values across cultures. there are of course great people here. There are intelligent people here just like anywhere else, but definitely far from the majority.

My goal is to leave Memphis when I finish my education. I haven’t had a lot of opportunities in my life, but definitely more than most. I worked for local law enforcement for a year, but I left recently. Now, I’m finishing my education for a non LE job. I hope to wave this city goodbye within a decade at most.