Memphis is a city in the southwest corner of Tennessee and is the county seat of Shelby County. It is the largest city in the state of Tennessee, the second largest in the southeastern region and the 17 th largest city in the United States. Memphis is the youngest of Tennessee's four major cities.
Memphis was originally inhabited by the Mississippian Culture and then by the Chickasaw Indian tribe. European settlers came much later led by the French explorers in the 1680's. Memphis was founded in the year 1819 by John Overton, James Winchester and Andrew Jackson. It was incorporated as a city in 1826. The city was named after the ancient capital of Egypt on the Nile River.
Memphis lies near the northern end of the humid subtropical climate with four different seasons. The summers are very hot and humid due to moisture coming from the Gulf of Mexico. Thunderstorms in the afternoon are quite common during summers. The winter season begins abruptly and is characterized by periods of subfreezing weather, combined with mild spells.
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Snowfall is not abundant but is not uncommon in winters. Average rainfall is greater during the spring season than in the other months of the year.
The city of Memphis is served by Memphis City Schools while the surrounding suburban areas are served by the Shelby County Schools. There are many colleges and universities which are located in Memphis.
Memphis is served by the Interstate highways I-40 and its spur highway I-240 and I-55 are the principal freeways in the area. Memphis has two major rail passenger trains and public transportation is provided by the Memphis Area Transit Authority. Memphis is served also by the Memphis International Airport which handles a great deal of cargo.
There are many museums in Memphis and the place is also the home to many performing arts center. Memphis also has many parks and gardens which are popular tourist attraction spots.
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