City of Memphis

The City of Memphis is the 28th largest urban area in the United States and the second largest in the state of Tennessee, after the state capital Nashville. A vibrant city of more than 630,000 people, it is world-renowned for its music culture. Out of the city’s thriving music scene of the 1950s and 1960s emerged some of America’s most celebrated recording artists – including Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin, Johnny Cash, Al Green, B. B. King, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Otis Redding.

The name Memphis also brings to mind the hard-fought battles of America’s civil rights movement. The vibe of the city, which today is more than 60% African-American, has long been shaped by black culture. It is where, in 1968, black workers from the city’s Department of Public Works striked in hope of better pay and conditions; and where, later that year, the iconic civil rights leader Martin Luther King was assassinated, after visiting the city to lend the strikers his support.

Under the tagline ‘Memphis has Momentum’, the city today is bringing about a cultural and technological transformation that it hopes will be remembered alongside its music culture and civil rights heritage in the decades to come. The city is preparing to welcome car maker Ford when it opens a US$5bn electric vehicle plant in the suburb of Stanton in 2025; and Memphis International Airport handles the second