I’ve been in Memphis since 2005, when I accepted a position at the University of Memphis (formerly known, and still known by some locals, as “Memphis State”).
Memphis gets a bad rap for its crime rate, but in my experience most of it is limited to things like property crime (EVERYONE has a story about their car getting broken into and the like). There are occasional stories of violent crime, particularly of an isolated individual getting held up at gunpoint–this happens with some frequency around the university area–but if you exercise common sense (e.g., avoid unlighted and depopulated areas at night if you’re walking alone), you’ll probably be OK.
The one annoying thing that you can’t avoid in Memphis is panhandlers. They’re particularly relentless downtown, although you’ll encounter them hanging outside gas stations or drugstores in most neighborhoods, always ready with a story about how they need a couple of bucks since their car just ran out of gas or they need to catch a bus or something else. Typical for most big towns, of course, and something you’re probably familiar with already, but it can be a surprise for someone coming from a smaller town in the South (and since Memphis is only a big town in relationship to its much smaller neighbors, the ratio of panhandler : city size seems a bit disproportionate here). Anyway, it’s a nuisance you learn to live with and/or avoid, if you haven’t already.
For nightlife, I rarely venture downtown (which is mainly populated by tourists and the aforementioned panhandlers), but there are a few decent bars there (the Flying Saucer is particularly good for draft beer, while Earnestine & Hazel’s farther down on Main Street probably has the best atmosphere).
There’s a blighted urban wasteland between downtown and Midtown, a legacy of the I-240 construction.
And then there’s Midtown, which (I agree with posters above) is the preferred hang-out for locals. The Cooper-Young and Overton Square areas are particularly popular, and the residential neighborhoods are quite nice–a lot of quaint 1920s bungalows along tree-lined avenues, with the notable exception of Union Avenue (the only really ugly spot in Midtown, primarily lined by strip malls and fast-food joints). Midtown is personally my favorite part of the city, and it definitely features the highest concentration of liberals (and a few hipsters here and there, but not too many).
East Memphis isn’t as cozy or intimate as Midtown, but it features several good restaurants and a lot of shopping complexes. Past East Memphis, you’re into Germantown and other suburbs, with which I’m not as familiar (although from what I have seen, the suburbs are much whiter, blander, and more conservative than Memphis proper–BUT Germantown does feature the Commissary, one of the best places for BBQ in this area).
I technically live in East Memphis, just a few blocks away from the University of Memphis–although to be honest, this is kind of a liminal area, too far east to be Midtown (particularly if you consider East Parkway as the easternmost perimeter of Midtown) but too far west of the big shopping centers of East Memphis.
I like Memphis in general. It’s got its issues–the city government is generally incompetent, and a lot of visions for positive redevelopment vanish as pipe dreams–but it’s got a lot of character. Quirky, dysfunctional character, but attractive nonetheless. This reflects a lot of the population, which has its share of quirky characters. They’re good people, and I like living amongst them (and like to think I’m transforming into one of their kind).
So, welcome! And if anyone really does hold a Mem-Dope fest, I’d love to attend–never been to such a gathering before.