Memphis, Tennessee

**Memphis** is the second-most populous city in the state of Tennessee, after Nashville. The city has a large port on the Mississippi River. It is also well known for blues music and barbecue. The city is also home to FedEx, a leading company that ships packages around the world. Memphis is also known for being the home of rock and roll legend Elvis Presley.

Memphis is named for Memphis, Egypt, an ancient capital city of Egypt.

## History

The future area of Memphis was first settled by the Mississippian culture before it was discovered by French and Spanish explorers.

The United States took the land from Spain in 1797, and Andrew Jackson  implemented the Indian Removal Act that facilitated the expulsion of the Cherokee from the area, making it available to white settlers. The city was established in 1819. Until the American Civil War, Memphis was a hub of cotton and slave trade. Brutal riots of angry whites against black people took place in 1866, in which 46 African Americans were killed. Yellow fever struck the city in the 1870s, killing a lot of people. The city recovered, and its population more than doubled.

The Memphis sanitation strikes was one of the key movements in the Civil Rights Movement. Musicians such as Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and B.B. King influenced the city's identity as the birthplace of rock and roll.

## Geography

Memphis is located east of the Mississippi River. The Wolf River, a tributary of the Mississippi River, crosses the city.

Its metropolitan area extends into Arkansas and Mississippi.

## Government

, Paul Young is the mayor of Memphis.

## Sports

A few professional sports teams are located in Memphis. The Memphis Grizzlies are a basketball team of the National Basketball Association (NBA). They play their home games at the FedExForum. The Memphis Redbirds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League that plays at AutoZone Park.

## Infobox (settlement)

- **name**: Memphis
- **settlement type**: City
- **image caption**: From top to bottom and left to right: Downtown Memphis skyline, Beale Street, FedEx Forum, Graceland, and Memphis Pyramid
- **image flag**: Flag of Memphis, Tennessee.svg
- **nickname**: Bluff City, Home of the Blues, Grind City
- **map caption**: Interactive map of Memphis
- **pushpin map**: Tennessee#USA
- **pushpin map caption**: Location in Tennessee##Location in the United States
- **pushpin relief**: 1
- **subdivision type**: List of sovereign states, Country
- **subdivision name**: United States
- **subdivision type1**: U.S. state, State
- **subdivision type2**: List of counties in Tennessee, County
- **subdivision name1**: Tennessee
- **subdivision name2**: Shelby County, Tennessee, Shelby
- **established title**: Founded
- **established title2**: Municipal incorporation, Incorporated
- **named for**: Memphis, Egypt
- **leader title**: List of mayors of Memphis, Tennessee, Mayor
- **leader name**: Paul Young (American politician), Paul Young (Democratic Party (United States), D)
- **area total km2**: 783.60
- **area total sq mi**: 302.55
- **area land km2**: 763.83
- **area land sq mi**: 294.92
- **area water km2**: 19.77
- **area water sq mi**: 7.63
- **elevation m**: 103
- **elevation ft**: 337
- **population total**: 633104
- **population as of**: 2020 United States census, 2020
- **population rank**: List of United States cities by population, 28th in the United States
List of municipalities in Tennessee, 2nd in Tennessee
- **population density sq mi**: 2146.71
- **population density km2**: 828.85
- **population urban**: 1,056,190 (List of United States urban areas, US: 45th)
- **population density urban km2**: 830.1
- **population density urban sq mi**: 2,149.9
- **population metro**: 1345425 (List of metropolitan statistical areas, US: 44th)
- **population demonym**: Memphian
- **postal code type**: ZIP Codes
- **area code**: Area code 901, 901
- **area code type**: North American Numbering Plan, Area code
- **timezone**: Central Time Zone (North America), CST
- **utc offset**: −6
- **timezone dst**: Central Time Zone (North America), CDT
- **utc offset dst**: −5
- **blank name**: Federal Information Processing Standards, FIPS code
- **blank info**: 47-48000
- **unit pref**: Imperial