By Charles Gray

The University District was birthed a little over a century ago, but in the short time since, it has grown and flourished to be a unique and defining part for the city. When visiting the Highland Strip or University of Memphis campus, it's important to realize that the amount of culture and progress is able to be defined.

Enter historian Jimmy Ogle. 

The native Memphian and historian of the Bluff City recently gave a walking tour of the University District. He began his tour on the Normal Station Depot plot, walked to Highland Street, walked up the commercial street, then traced Midland Avenue back to the campus where he ended the tour at the Administration Building. 

For those who were not able to attend his walking tour, here's a list of the 10 fun facts about the area as gathered from Jimmy Ogle's tour.

By Dee Reneé

The UDistrict has many great eating places from wings and pizza to Mediterranean food. Restaurants such as Brother Juniper's and CK's coffee shop are great places to eat breakfast and to start the day off right. Many restaurants like RP Tracks are trying to find a way to satisfy all types of customers. That's why recently they have added barbecue tofu to their menu to attract vegan and vegetarian customers. 

If map not visible click here

By: Dee Reneé

Juicy Jim’s Pizzeria on South Highland Street is the go-to place for open mic on Tuesday nights.

Jim Matson, owner of Juicy Jim’s Pizzeria, is originally from New Jersey, but moved to Memphis in 1992 and opened Juicy Jim’s in 2003.

Matson got the name Juicy Jim when he was 16 and working at a place called Greasy Tony’s, where he impressed two young ladies with his “juicy” burgers.

Toke Up Tuesday is the formal name for the open mic event hosted every Tuesday night, which started two years ago.

It started when University of Memphis student Kenneth Hall asked Matson for the opportunity to make some money and get the restaurant exposure though the open mic night.

Every Tuesday, Jim expects anywhere from 100 to 150 people to crowd his vintage bar for performances. 

“I love coming to Juicy Jim’s on Tuesdays. I love to hear the good and bad performers. Some of the bad ones come back every Tuesday to try and redeem themselves,” Jamon Harvell said a junior engineering major at the university

Throughout the night there are countless acts--some good, some bad. 

Some participants perform spoken word and others perform stand-up comedy.

“I’m here every Tuesday getting on stage showing off  my comedic talents,"said Darius Wilder, a junior at the U of M. "The first couple of times I was pretty nervous but now I’m something like a pro,”

By Jamesa Y. Alston

For candle maker Jessica Whitfield, the influences of her grandmother shaped her passion for crafting.

“My grandmother told me I needed to start doing something constructive because I had too much time on my hands," Whitfield said. "She was exactly right, so she took it upon herself to show me.

Whitfield, owner of Jessie’s Scented Candles and Gifts, marked her ninth year anniversary of her business this month. She has been making scented candles for events such as the Cooper-Young Festival and also began selling them on various online websites such as eBay and Etsy.

Whitfield began making candles at the age of 16 as a hobby.  Her grandmother, who was taught by her mother, taught her how to make them.

After her grandmother’s death, Whitfield started making candles all the time just to keep busy. 

“It was not until people started offering money did I begin to sell them,” she explained, adding that the candles cost $5 each.

By Charles Gray

A little more than 100 years ago, a budding city in west Tennessee won a state-legislated bid within the region to bring a teacher's college to the outskirts of the city.

Memphis, Tenn., known as the River City, was given the opportunity to house The West Tennessee Normal School in 1909. The school was a portion of a state-wide grant that also developed universities in Johnson City and Murfreesboro, respectively.

The West Tennessee Normal School was initially constructed on land that was previously used as a sweet potato farm, but its opportunistic location and proximity to the country's largest railway made it the ideal choice for the upcoming school.

'The railroad was hugely important and had a major influence on the decision on where to build the college," said Memphis historian Jimmy Ogle. "During its hayday, the railroad had three different stops in the district and was used to both carry goods and people alike... easily helping Memphis get the school."    

Initially, the school was limited to a teaching degree and was contained within a few buildings. It was built on an 80 acre tract of land and serviced a total of 200 students. Though the current campus has far outgrown its initial state and demolished much of the original architecture, Minders Hall and the Administration Building both stand as monuments to the initial 1912 construction, Ogle said.

According to Memphis Heritage, the land became annexed into the city of Memphis in 1929 as the school developed an identity and integrated with the Bluff City. Only 30 years after the University broke ground, it had expanded in size with an enrollment of 1100 students in 11 buildings. In 1941, the school changed its name to Memphis State College.  

As the school expanded, so did the area. Farming land turned into residential neighborhoods, commercial space was built and occupied and students, veterans and families gave life to the blossoming University District.

By Cormac Parker       

“On every corner of this city, you can find two things: a liquor store and a church,” said James Smith, a senior at the University of Memphis. “I have never lived in a city with this many churches. I guess I am in the middle of the Bible Belt.” 

With close to 2,000 churches in the city of Memphis, it is not unreasonable to ask the question— what is the role of the “church” and are they fulfilling the role? With all of the crime, poverty, and homelessness, what is the church doing to help combat these needs? The University of Memphis stands tall in the district with over 22,000 students. How is the church connecting with this major university that sits in its back yard?

The search for a church within walking distance of the campus was not long. Exactly one block from the U of M sits St. Luke’s United Methodist Church where Michael Pence serves as pastor.

Pence said the role of the church universally and even locally is to be the light of the world and that, in order to evaluate any community for its strengths and its weaknesses, first start by examining what those churches are doing.

“I believe that the church is supposed to be that place that sets the example,” he said.

By Kylcye Bolden

Next month, a decision will be made about the fate of the building on the corner of Southern and Highland.  Each of the remaining businesses in the building have made plans to change locations or close shop to pursue other endeavors. 

Looking back, owners of Whatever Novelty Shop, Southern Meat Market and Sharri’s Discount Art Supply are questioning why there was so little communication from the landlord once the decision was made to sell the property.  

The lack of communication has become a bigger issue since nothing has been finalized with McDonald's.  The two other businesses that used to occupy the property, Super Submarine Sandwich Shop and Safeway Wholesale & Supply, have moved to a new locations. 

The sandwich shop, passionately called the Chinese Sub Shop by Memphians, is now at  3316 Summer Ave.  Safeway Wholesale & Supply relocated less than a block away. 

Pending the decisions made at the city council meeting on Dec. 17, both moves could be proven to have been made vainly.

By Melissa Wray

In this 4:42 interview, James Sexton, manager of the smoke shop Whatever, elaborates on how it got started, what he loves about running a "questionable" business and the perks of operating his business in an area full of people from differing backgrounds.

By Matthew Schwartz

Hot dogs have been a staple in American diets for nearly 150 years.

People typically associate the hot dog with a sporting event, street vendor or somewhere on Coney Island. But Memphis, and in particular the University District, now has its own great venue.

Blues City Hot Dogs, located on 669 Highland St. in the heart of the Highland Strip, is a relatively new restaurant in the area, opening its in June 2013.

Iman Rasoul and his family run the day-to-day operations of the restaurant.

By Kylcye Bolden

University District community citizens walked out of the council chambers on Oct. 15 after city leaders granted McDonalds' representatives a delay to reevaluate plans for their new location.

The community was led out by their attorney, David Wade, who called the delay “fruitless” and a “waste of time.”  Wade and many members of the UD community object to having a drive-thru loop on Highland and Southern Avenue, which completely neglecting the University District Overlay.

Since its adoption, every project has “required some type of variance to meet the overlay,”
said Brian Bacchus from the Office of Planing and Development.

Planners for the new restaurant remain steadfast about having a drive-thru despite it conflicting with the plan meant to maintain the aesthetic of the UD. 

SR Consulting LLC representative, Cindy Reaves, assured the council members that the civil engineering firm would use the extra time to adopt a better plan that will meet “more of the intent of the overlay” but still include a drive-thru.