Memphis, Tennessee

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Memphis is the most populous city in Tennessee, and the twentieth most populous in the United States. It is the the county seat of Shelby County.
On the banks of the Mississippi River, the area has been populated for thousands of years by Native Americans. In the 16th century it was visited by many explorers of the Mississippi.
Memphis was founded in 1819 by a group of men, including the seventh president of the United States, Andrew Jackson. It was named after Memphis, Egypt, ancient capital of Aneb-Hetch, the first nome of Lower Egypt located on the Nile River. Tennessee seceded in 1861 during the Civil War and Memphis was an important stronghold for the Confederacy. In June, 1862, the city surrendered to Union forces after a brief naval battle and remained under Union control until the end of the war. Emerging relatively unscathed from the Civil War, Memphis was poised to enjoy a period of unprecedented growth. However, the city was devastated by a series of yellow fever epidemics in the 1870's which resulted in departure of 75% of the existing population by 1878. Beginning in 1900, economic and population growth once again began to accelerate with the number of new residents at times exceeding 55% over the course of a decade. The strategic location of the city along the Mississippi River and as a gateway to the then rapidly growing southwestern United States lent support to the city's role as a major center for logistics. In the first half of the 20th century, Memphis became a major cotton, and mule market. It also became an important location in the Civil Rights Movement. Sadly though, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis.
Memphis is a musical town, home to many musicians. W.C. Handy, the "Father of the Blues", wrote the "Memphis Blues" in 1909 (published in 1912) which helped popularize this genre of music. His legacy continues to be felt in Memphis via its claim as "Home of the Blues", the headquarters of the Blues Foundation, the Blues Hall of Fame and the International Blues Awards. During the 1950's and 1960's, many artists including Aretha Franklin, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, Booker T. & the M.G.'s, Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, Shawn Lane, Sam & Dave and B.B. King began their careers in the city's clubs, bars, restaurants and recording studios such as Stax Records and Sun Studios. The later half of the 20th century saw the city's role as a principal logistics center continue as the city became one of the nation's largest distribution centers. The city's emergence as a center for medical device manufacturing as well as biomedical research and development has also played a major role in economic growth. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital was founded in Memphis in 1962 and has since become a world leader in finding cures and saving children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases. St. Jude's policy of never charging a child's family for costs associated with treatment, travel, housing or food so the family can focus on their child has resulted in the hospital finding a special place in the heart of many in the community. Numerous events are held throughout the year focus on raising funds to support St Jude's mission.
As of the 2010 census the city's population was 646,889 with a metropolitan area population of 1,316,100.