Harbor Town is one of the premiere neighborhoods in the Memphis area. Some have described it as a "new urbanist" neighborhood, which is a way of designing a neighborhood that promotes walking and has a wide array of different kinds of job opportunities. The neighborhood sits northwest of downtown Memphis and sits on top of a sandbar called Mud Island.
Harbor Town is about 1.3 square miles situated on Mud Island. It has a population of 1880 people, making it a fairly small neighborhood, considering the city of Memphis has a population of 650,000. The residents of this neighborhood are relatively young, with the average age of males being 29.6 and the average age of females being 33.2. Both of these averages are lower than the city average by a couple of years. Only 30.7 percent of the population are married couples, making this a pretty popular place for young, single people. It is also a great place for professionals; a quarter of the residents have attained a four year degree and another 17.5 percent have attained a masters. This is significantly higher than the rest of Memphis. It also means the neighborhood is decidedly white collar or no-collar. The value of houses on the island are around $220,000 which is a fairly high value compared to the rest of Memphis, with home values of $148,000. The majority of the residents are fairly new to the neighborhood, with an average move in year of 2002.
The culture of Harbor Town is very unique for the area, due to its isolation from the rest of Memphis since it sits on an island. Many of the conveniences that a person living in the southern United States would usually have to travel by car can be found pretty easily by walking in the neighborhood. The urban planners did an amazing job of making the area a self contained township that echoes the pioneer town spirit of early America. The neighborhood gives off a vibe that the rest of Memphis does not have. It has an elegance and upper class atmosphere, but it is still extremely affordable for even young professionals that are just starting out in their career. Youth is the name of the game in Harbor Town. The majority of the residents are under 40 and single, making the neighborhood feel like a young, vibrant place full of endless possibilities. There are charming boutiques for clothing and other types of shopping. The restaurants range from suburban diners to some of the finest dining Memphis has to offer. Harbor Town has become the blueprint that the rest of Memphis is looking to emulate and achieve. New urbanism has changed this neighborhood over the past 30 years from an afterthought to one of the premiere places to live in Memphis.
Everything you need is just around the corner when you live in Harbor Town. Walk down the street to find groceries, a quick snack, or to go out for the evening. The neighborhood is a major city in miniature, with all the shopping and dining anyone would ever need. The only time anyone would need to drive is to leave the island and go to the city proper for work or if they wanted to see what other parts of Memphis have to offer, such as Beale Street and the world famous BBQ restaurants. Memphis has a bit of a crime problem, but this neighborhood seems to be immune from the issues that come up with the rest of the city. This is probably due to its somewhat remote location and its higher education and income levels. It is one of the few parts of Memphis that is relatively safe to walk at night in, which is great because the entire area encourages walking so much. The weather in Memphis is your average southern fair. The fall and spring are both very mild, with the occasional rains. The summer can get hot, sometimes in the mid 90s, and the winter can drop down below freezing. The only big concern for the area is flooding due to the neighborhood being right in the middle of the Mississippi River. However, there hasn't been a major flooding incident since 2011, and even then the neighborhood reacted quickly and had a flood wall built within hours.
Harbor Town is most famous for its design sensibilities. The neighborhood has truly become a blueprint for other cities that are trying to make self contained, suburban neighborhoods that combat the issues of high traffic congestion, urban sprawl, and high housing costs. Harbor Town is affordable, but it still has enough businesses and entertainment to make it a desirable place to live.
