Categories
City size

How big is Memphis, Tennessee?

Size is not all that matters. But still, we would love to know how big Memphis in Tennessee is. Here is the answer:

Memphis, Tennessee covers an area of 845.18 square kilometers (326.33 square miles).

With 646,889 people living in Memphis that comes to a population density of 765.39 inhabitants per square kilometer (1982.32 / sq mi)

As a reference: The 8,398,748 people living in New York City are crammed onto 1214 sq km (468.73 sq mi), which results into a population density of 6918 inhabitants per square kilometer (17918 / sq mi).

The population density of Memphis in Tennessee is 845.18 square kilometers (326.33 square miles)

Memphis is a city along the Mississippi River in southwestern Shelby County, Tennessee, United States. The 2019 population was 651,073, making Memphis the largest city on the Mississippi River, the second most populous in Tennessee, as well as the 26th largest city in the United States. Greater Memphis is the 42nd largest metropolitan area in the United States, with a population of 1,348,260 in 2017. The city is the anchor of West Tennessee and the greater Mid-South region, which includes portions of neighboring Arkansas, Mississippi, and the Missouri Bootheel. Memphis is the seat of Shelby County, Tennessee’s most populous county. One of the more historic and culturally significant cities of the southern United States, Memphis has a wide variety of landscapes and distinct neighborhoods.The first European explorer to visit the area of present-day Memphis was Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto in 1541 with his expedition into the New World. The high Chickasaw Bluffs protecting the location from the waters of the Mississippi was then contested by the Spanish, French, and the English as Memphis took shape. Modern Memphis was founded in 1819 by three prominent Americans: John Overton, James Winchester, and future president Andrew Jackson.Memphis grew into one of the largest cities of the Antebellum South as a market for agricultural goods, natural resources like lumber, and the American slave trade. After the American Civil War and the end of slavery, the city experienced even faster growth into the 20th century as it became among the largest world markets for cotton and lumber.Home to Tennessee’s largest African-American population, Memphis played a prominent role in the American civil rights movement and was the site of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s 1968 assassination. The city now hosts the National Civil Rights Museum—a Smithsonian affiliate institution. Since the civil rights era, Memphis has become one of the nation’s leading commercial centers in transportation and logistics. Its largest employer is the multinational courier corporation FedEx, which maintains its global air hub at Memphis International Airport, making it the second-busiest cargo airport in the world. In addition to being a global air cargo leader, the International Port of Memphis also hosts the 5th busiest inland water port in the U.S., with access to the Mississippi River allowing shipments to arrive from around the world for conversion to train and trucking transport throughout the United States, making Memphis a multi-modal hub for trading goods for imports and exports despite its inland location.Memphis is a regional center for commerce, education, media, art, and entertainment. It has long had a prominent music scene, with historic blues clubs on Beale Street originating the unique Memphis blues sound in the early 20th century. The city’s music has continued to be shaped by a multicultural mix of influences: the blues, country, rock n’ roll, soul, and hip-hop. Memphis barbecue has achieved international prominence, and the city hosts the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, which attracts over 100,000 visitors to the city annually.

Cities with a similar size as Memphis

If you want to check which cities have a similar size as Memphis, Tennessee, here you go:

  • Fort Worth, Texas with a size of 909.61 square kilometers (909.61 sq mi), population: 812,238
  • Austin, Texas with a size of 827.51 square kilometers (827.51 sq mi), population: 912,791
  • Lexington, Kentucky with a size of 739.56 square kilometers (739.56 sq mi), population: 295,803
  • Buckeye, Arizona with a size of 1,016.30 square kilometers (1,016.30 sq mi), population: 50,876
  • Augusta, Georgia with a size of 794.24 square kilometers (794.24 sq mi), population: 197,166
  • Kansas City, Missouri with a size of 826.15 square kilometers (826.15 sq mi), population: 459,787
  • Chesapeake, Virginia with a size of 908.90 square kilometers (908.90 sq mi), population: 230,571
  • Dallas, Texas with a size of 996.58 square kilometers (996.58 sq mi), population: 1,197,816
  • New Orleans, Louisiana with a size of 906.10 square kilometers (906.10 sq mi), population: 378,715
  • San Diego, California with a size of 964.50 square kilometers (964.50 sq mi), population: 1,394,928

Cities with a similar population density as Memphis

Other cities that have a similar population density as Memphis, Tennessee are:

  • Greencastle, Indiana with a population density of 754 people per sq km (1,952 / sq mi).
  • Menasha, Wisconsin with a population density of 884 people per sq km (2,289 / sq mi).
  • Acworth, Georgia with a population density of 892 people per sq km (2,311 / sq mi).
  • Baytown, Texas with a population density of 699 people per sq km (1,811 / sq mi).
  • Sidney, Ohio with a population density of 647 people per sq km (1,676 / sq mi).
  • Horizon City, Texas with a population density of 852 people per sq km (2,206 / sq mi).
  • Fremont, California with a population density of 943 people per sq km (2,443 / sq mi).
  • St. Helens, Oregon with a population density of 843 people per sq km (2,184 / sq mi).
  • Carmel, Indiana with a population density of 683 people per sq km (1,770 / sq mi).
  • Pasco, Washington with a population density of 644 people per sq km (1,668 / sq mi).

Cities with a similar population size as Memphis

Here a list of cities that have a similar number of inhabitants like Memphis, Tennessee: