Every city has its scary stories.
Some are true. Some are exaggerated. And some died years ago and just haven’t gotten the memo.
You’ve heard them at dinner parties. At work. From your cousin in Atlanta who visited once in 2009.
So this Halloween, we’re grabbing a flashlight and checking under the bed. Not to pretend Memphis doesn’t have real challenges. We do.
But oversimplified stories do their own kind of damage. They shape who moves here, who invests here, and who decides to stay.
Let’s bust some myths.
(My lovely wife gave me permission to share this photo. HA!)
Myth #1: “There’s nothing to do in Memphis.”
According to Memphis Tourism, over 10 million visitors came each year to Shelby County in 2024 and 2025. They didn’t come to sit in a hotel room.
They came for the music. The barbecue. The Grizzlies. The river. They came for a live show on a random Tuesday that people back home won’t believe happened.
If you live here and feel like there’s nothing to do, that might not be a Memphis problem. It might be a calendar problem. Choose901 can fix that showing you hundreds of things, BIG & small, FREE & unique, on our event page.
You can even add your events to the calendar, free of charge.
Myth #2: “Nobody wants to move here.”
As someone who chose to move to Memphis at 27, I can guarantee this isn't true. I thought I’d stay a year or two. That was more than two decades ago. I could have lived anywhere between then and now.
I chose Memphis, and I keep choosing it.
I’m not the only one. Many of you on this email intentionally moved to the 901 and continue to choose this amazing place.
In 2016, Ava Conley and her husband Joshua brought a group of Alabama high school students to Memphis on a Serve901 trip. The next summer, they moved here. Today they lead two organizations serving foster families in our city.
People don’t move to a city because of a myth.
They move because someone tells them the truth.
Tell your friends the truth about Memphis, but be careful, they might just decide to move here too!
Myth #3: “There aren’t good jobs in Memphis.”
The numbers say otherwise.
In 2024, Memphis saw $14.2 billion in capital investment and more than 3,800 new jobs. Then 2025 topped it: a record $23.7 billion in capital investment across the region, 10 major company projects, and 111 ribbon cuttings.
As Greater Memphis Chamber puts it this way: “We used to chase companies. Now companies are chasing Memphis.”
If you don't believe that “no good jobs” is just a ghost story, go see for yourself. The Choose901 Job Board is full of real openings at real Memphis companies, across every industry.
And if you’re a great teacher looking for work that matters, Teach901 would love to meet you. Our classrooms are still hiring right now.
Myth #4: “Young people always leave and never come back.”
Some leave. That’s true.
But here’s a stat that may surprise you: Millennials and Gen Z make up 48% of the people living downtown.
Young people are here. They’re building businesses, teaching in our schools, and running for office.
And leaving isn’t always the end of the story. Sometimes it’s the plot twist.
That’s why Choose901 Alumni walks with our graduates for 10 years after high school. College, careers, mentors, the whole road. We want Memphis to be the place they choose, not the place they escape.
Want our city to have more young leaders? Help us recruit and retain them by telling them how much they mean to our city's future and inviting them to your leadership tables.
Myth #5: “Nothing good is happening downtown.”
This one needs a full exorcism.
From FedExForum to South Main, downtown is filled with places you know and some you’re gonna want to get to know. Restaurants, boutique shops, the BVO, escape rooms, and more.
The new Memphis Art Museum is set to open on the bluff overlooking the river this December. The Peabody finished renovating all 464 guest rooms last fall.
And that’s just the big stuff.
Don’t take our word for it. Check out the Choose901 Local Guide to Downtown Memphis and go see for yourself.
Are there a few empty buildings downtown? Yes.
Are there amazing places active and vibrant and worth coming to check out? Yes.
Both things can be true. But “nothing good” isn’t true at all.
Why Stories Matter
At City Leadership, we pay attention to the stories Memphis tells about itself. Because stories become decisions.
A myth tells a young teacher not to take the job. A myth tells a graduate not to come home. A myth tells a business to look somewhere else.
The TRUTH is sometimes more nuanced and complex, but it’s also a lot more hopeful.
Don’t Be Scared of the Truth
The scariest thing isn’t a hard headline. It’s believing nothing can change.
Memphis has never been a city that runs from hard things. We name them, we roll up our sleeves, and we get to work.
So this Halloween, don’t let the myths haunt you. Ghost them.
Happy Halloween, Memphis. Keep choosing the 901.
