TN · Shelby County · 633,104 (2020) · 28th-largest US city · Central time
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis stands on the Chickasaw Bluffs above the Mississippi River in the far southwest corner of Tennessee, where Arkansas and Mississippi meet the state. It is the second-largest city in Tennessee and the twenty-eighth in the United States.
- State
- Tennessee
- County
- Shelby County
- Population (2020)
- 633,104
- Rank
- 28th in the US
- Coordinates
- 35.15°N, 90.05°W
- Time zone
- Central
- Metro area
- about 1.3 million
- State capital
- No – Nashville
Where Memphis is
Memphis is at 35.15°N, 90.05°W in Shelby County, of which it is the county seat. The city covers about 300 square miles on the fourth Chickasaw Bluff, roughly 340 feet above sea level and 60 feet above the river — one of the few high, flood-safe sites on the lower Mississippi, which is why it was chosen in 1819. The river forms the western city limit and the state line with Arkansas; West Memphis is on the far bank. The Mississippi state line runs along the southern edge of the city. Nashville, the state capital, is 210 miles northeast, and New Orleans 395 miles south.
Population and rank
The 2020 Census counted 633,104 residents, ranking Memphis 28th in the US and second in Tennessee, having been passed by Nashville in this count for the first time. Memphis lost about 14,000 people between 2010 and 2020. The Memphis metropolitan area covers nine counties in three states — Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas — and has about 1.3 million people, the second-largest metro in Tennessee. Memphis is the largest city on the Mississippi River proper, ahead of New Orleans, Minneapolis and St. Louis.
Geography
- Mississippi River — a mile wide at Memphis, crossed by the Hernando de Soto and Memphis–Arkansas bridges; the port is one of the largest inland ports in the country. See the Mississippi River map.
- Wolf River — enters the Mississippi north of downtown behind Mud Island; the Loosahatchie River joins further north.
- Chickasaw Bluffs — the line of loess bluffs on the east bank; Memphis stands on the southernmost.
- Delta edge — the flat Mississippi Alluvial Plain (the Delta) begins immediately south of the city in Mississippi and west of it in Arkansas.
Nearest large cities
Little Rock, St. Louis and Birmingham, none on this list, are all within five hours. Distances are approximate road miles from downtown.
| City | State | Road distance (mi) | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nashville | TN | 210 | NE |
| New Orleans | LA | 395 | S |
| Louisville | KY | 385 | NE |
| Atlanta | GA | 385 | SE |
| Oklahoma City | OK | 465 | W |
Is Memphis the state capital?
No. Tennessee's capital is Nashville, 210 miles northeast in Middle Tennessee; Memphis has never held the role. It is the seat of Shelby County, the most populous county in Tennessee. Memphis was the largest city in the state from 1900 until the 2020 count, when Nashville overtook it. Both cities are on Central time; the eastern third of the state is on Eastern.
Related maps
- Tennessee map — the state with its 95 counties.
- Nashville — the state capital.
- US cities map.
- Mississippi River map.
- Nearby: Nashville, Arkansas, Mississippi.
- East South Central division · Central Time Zone.