All people seek to live in an environment that offers a comfortable living. Today's world is more transient, with more options, than at any time in our history. Middle-class Americans can, with relative ease, decide when and where they want to live, work and raise a family. This freedom of movement has created new challenges and opportunities for American cities. Today's laborers, whether they be highly paid professionals or hourly workers, are attracted to cities based upon the availability of jobs and their perception of the community - not necessarily in that order.
Perception is a key motivator of why people move to a particular community.
Perception, of course, differs with each individual. What may be of primary importance to one may be secondary to another. Yet, we know that there are common things that all people seek, such as good neighborhoods and schools, low crime, a friendly environment, career opportunities, outdoor recreation, good health facilities, diverse entertainment, civic pride and minimal traffic congestion. Each year numerous publications attempt to quantify a community's ranking with other cities. Memphis has shown marked improvements in recent years in many of the rankings, especially as they relate to business.