Geography of Memphis, Tennessee

The City of Memphis is located on the eastern bank of the Mississippi River in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee.

Interstate 269 is Memphis' Outer Beltway, traveling from Millington to Hernando via Arlington, Collierville, Piperton, and Byhalia.

The west end of U.S. Highway 78 begins in Memphis on Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue at the intersection of 2nd Street.

As it leaves Memphis, US 78 follows Lamar Avenue, historically known as Pidgeon Roost Road for the nestings of passenger pigeons formerly in the vicinity.

Memphis has expanded its city limits several times within the past half-century due to annexation.

The current boundaries (as of December 2012) are roughly as follows: An area within those boundaries that has not been annexed by the city of Memphis is a neighborhood known as the Bridgewater area, roughly bounded by I-40 to the north, Germantown Parkway to the east, Shelby Farms to the south and Whitten Road to the west.

In recent decades, the city has expanded further by annexing adjacent territories, so these names can be somewhat misleading to those who are unfamiliar to the area.

Sections and neighborhoods: Memphis is located within the Mississippi Embayment, an area composed of unconsolidated sand, silt, clay and gravel.

The highest point of this bluff is located south of downtown, slightly losing elevation towards the north approaching Mud Island and the Wolf River.

Areas in the eastern portion of the city start to see more sand and gravel, which underlies this loess.

Being in West Tennessee and the Mississippi Embayment, for which limestone bedrock is thousands of feet below the surface, topographic relief is not as great as in the rest of Tennessee, but due to the windblown loess and erosion though the layer, some areas of relatively steep but low hills can be found within the city.

[4] Furthermore, in the time since the tapping of the well in 1887, the aquifer has only descended 125 ft (38 m), suggesting a reliable water source in Memphis for years to come.

Memphis water is notably soft, low in mineral content, and free of toxic substances.

Memphis is sunny approximately 65% of the time, with monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 50% in December to 74% in June thru August.

Average rainfall is slightly higher during each of the spring months exceeds 5 in (127 mm), making it the wettest season, but relative humidity is at its lowest.

Early Autumn sees a slight reduction in relative humidity levels, but daytime temperatures remain warm into late October.