Downtown Living and Crime

My husband and I have seriously considered a downtown condo now that our children are grown. We really don't need a big house and yard anymore. However, the crime issue, and the fact that downtown Phoenix really hasn't much going for it unless you work there or go to the cultural and sports venues a lot has been a deciding factor for us. The crime seems to be a problem in most large cities.

Case in point: my hometown of Memphis, Tennessee. The downtown there is geographically awesome. It's right on the bluffs overlooking the widest part of the Mississippi with riverboats, barges, and wonderful green parks running through on Riverside Drive. Cybill Shepherd and other Memphis celebrities and leaders have "Old South" style mansions down there.

Several of the large old cotton warehouses overlooking the river were converted into condos with restaurants on the ground floor back in the eighties. Of course, Memphis being dubbed the "Birthplace of Rock&Roll and Home of the Blues", by the chamber of commerce, there is also, Beale St., the Smithsonian Rock&Soul Museum, and the Gibson Guitar Factory. The Civil Rights Museum near the Lorraine motel where Martin Luther King Jr. was killed is downtown also. Having the World's best BBQ restaurant, the Rendevous, and the famous Peabody Hotel (with the celebrity ducks) adds to the overall charm.

Downtown is still my favorite part of Memphis, but the rampant crime there keeps most Memphians away. The Graceland area is also in a crime ridden part of the city, but there is also a lot of security, especially during "Elvis Week" in August. For the most part, only the unsuspecting tourists go downtown. It is sad to see the lost potential.

My husband and I always liked the idea of living in a vibrant downtown someday, either in Memphis or Phoenix, but given the crime and the absence of any geographical distinction of downtown Phoenix, we are no longer considering it.