Over the last few decades, Memphis has seen its share of annexation. Annexation is the incorporation of some territory into another territory. Annexation is Memphis is mainly done to increase the population of Memphis in order to receive more federal funds and also to increase the tax base. Areas such as Cordova, Whitehaven, and other suburbs have seen its share of being annexed by Memphis, but none have suffered the backlash that Hickory hill has experienced.
Hickory Hill was once a thriving middle class neighborhood that had retail, dining, upscale residential pockets and more. This was considered one of the affluent communities in Memphis in which real estate prices were steadily rising.
In 1998, the area was annexed after a long battle with local citizens who protested against it. HARTS (Hickory area Residents of Tomorrow) was the leading group who tried to prevent the annexation. In retrospect, it was obviously with good reason. The area now suffers from disinvestment and poverty and is no longer the prime community it once was. There are many contributing factors that have led to the decline of Hickory Hill.
-The White flight- Once the annexation was finalized, many of the affluent white citizens quickly moved from the area to avoid being a part of Memphis. This led to many homeowners selling their homes for bottom prices leading to a decline in real estate values.
- High renter/ low owner ratio- The people who couldn’t find buyers for their homes, rented their homes or allowed them to go into foreclosure. A lack of home ownership led to less maintenance of properties which in turn led to a decline in the community overall condition.
-Thirdly you have the implementation of Hope VI which dispersed the poverty stricken communities into areas such as Hickory Hill. This was a transition which led to higher crime rates, more drug usage, and less stability in homes sales and prices.
And to think, this was all done because of the annexation of Hickory Hill. An idea that was supposedly implemented to make Memphis greater and better as a whole ultimately destroyed one of the core communities in the area.
So is annexation always necessary? At what cost does annexation prove itself to be an unnecessary evil. I simply pose this question because we are living in a time were consolidation and annexation is a huge topic for Memphis. Mayor Wharton stated that he is ultimately pushing for consolidation of the city and county to form the greater Memphis area.
Can anything great truly come out of this. Will the Hickory Hill example prove to be the template for other areas that Memphis attempt to take over? We have too long suffered from neighborhoods going into decline because efforts to annex them have shown to be disastrous.
Why would Memphis want to consolidate and make Memphis larger when it is already struggling to provide services to the already existing population? Our crime rate obviously indicates that our police force isn’t sufficient to protect Memphis. Services for a larger population will be even less efficient.
Many Memphis residents have a bad taste about consolidation due to the image that Memphis already has. Memphis is a leader in crime and also suffers from a school system that is second rate when compared to county schools. The thought of consolidation only make residents on the outskirts of Memphis feel that their level of services will diminish.
By consolidating governments, you are ultimately creating a larger tax base. But what good is a larger tax base, when the economic condition of an area declines due to people leaving abruptly to avoid being a part of Memphis.
As we saw in Hickory hill, attempting to make suburbs on the outskirts of Memphis become a part of Memphis is not always the most profitable idea. Like annexation, the overall consolidation of Memphis and county governments will have a similar affect. We will see home prices decline, a migration of the white middle class to areas even farther from Memphis, and city services that aren't capable of efficiently providing services to Memphis residents.
Before we look to consolidate our governments, Memphis residents should evaluate their city as a whole and ask themselves, “Who would really want to be a part of Memphis”.
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4 comments:
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First, I would submit that the future of Hickory Hill was laid when local governments allowed developers free rein. There was no effort made to create a functioning community, and to top it off, county government (which was in charge of services in the area) didn't provide parks or libraries.
Second, consolidation doesn't increase the population of Memphis. It creates a NEW government that can correct the flawed government business models that are so much of the problem today.
The question is not just how will consolidation improve the future, but also how can we expect different results from our governments if nothing changes.
I agree with Smart City. If you look at the high crime areas in Hickory Hill, they are mostly in the "zero-lot neighborhoods". These areas are congested and very undesirable. They should never have been allowed to be built.
Also, white flight has to take alot of responsibility for the declines in values in Hickory Hill. This created a self-fulfilling prophecy of increased vacancies and decreased property values.
As a former Hickory Hill resident and current investor in the area, I would like to point out that Hickory Hill is still a very nice neighborhood with some great housing stock and a solid middle class. I hate to break the news but Hickory Hill did not fall off the map when white people moved out.
Nope.
Just got 'colored' differently on the maps bwhhhhhaaaaaaa!!!!!!
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