Whitehaven, Memphis

Infobox City


official_name = Whitehaven, Memphis, Tennessee
motto =
subdivision_type = Country
State
County
subdivision_name = United States Tennessee Shelby
leader_title = Mayor
leader_name = W.W. Herenton
established_title = City
established_date = 1950s
area_magnitude =
area_total_sq_mi = 18.0
area_total_km2 =
area_land_sq_mi =
area_land_km2 =
area_water_sq_mi =
area_water_km2 =
population_as_of = 2000
population_note = approx.
population_total = 50000
population_urban =
population_density_km2 =
population_density_sq_mi = 857.9
timezone = CST
utc_offset = −6
timezone_DST = CDT
utc_offset_DST = −5
latd= |latm= |lats= |latNS=
longd= |longm=11 |longs= |longEW=
elevation_m =
elevation_ft =
website = http://www.memphismemphis.com/whitehav.htm
footnotes =

Whitehaven is a predominantly African-American community in Memphis, first organized in the late 19th century. Its current population is about 50,000.

Geography

Whitehaven is located on the southern part of Memphis, Tennessee. It is located in Shelby County and is roughly bounded by Winchester Road on the north and the Mississippi state line on the south, with the Canadian National railroad on the west and Airways Boulevard on the east.

The major traffic artery of the community is Highway 51, later knownas Elvis Presley Boulevard. This roadway began as a toll "Plank Road" built between Memphis and Hernando, Mississippi, in 1852.

History

The community takes its name from a Colonel Francis White who was an early settler and major property owner. White was influential in getting a rail line to come through what was first called White's Station, later White Haven and then Whitehaven. (In East Memphis, there is another community historically called "White's Station", along the Memphis & Charleston -- now Norfolk Southern -- Railroad. Currently, it is called "White Station".) This "Tennessee and Mississippi Railroad" was chartered in 1853, and the first trains ran in 1856. The first "White Haven" post office was opened in 1871. The roads and train tracks connected the cotton farms of the delta toMemphis markets, establishing strong commercial links.

Some of the other founding family names are Raines, Hale, McCorkle, and Harbin. E. W. Hale moved to the area in the 1880s and opened a store near what is now Whitehaven High School on Highway 51. Hale's Store was a landmark for many decades.

In 1926, WREC radio began operations there, and in 1928 Whitehaven's Hoyt B. Wooten was one of the first six television licensees in America.

Much of the later residential and commercial development was done by Carrington Jones and Lacy Mosby in the mid 20th century to provide housing for "baby boom" families who moved from Memphis to a pleasant environment in the old community. This gradually transformed plantation tracts to neighborhoods in the late 40s and 50s.

Originally a farm community, Whitehaven was developed as a whites-only residential suburb of Memphis in the 1950s and early 1960s and annexed by the city of Memphis in 1969. Whitehaven was integrated in the late 1960s and white flight happened over next couple of decades.

Education

Four high schools are in the area: Whitehaven High School, Fairley High, Hillcrest High School and Bishop Byrne High School. Whitehaven High School was opened by 1911 and was the only highschool in the community until Fairley and Hillcrest opened during the 1950s and 1960s. Bishop Byrne, a private co-educational Catholic high school adjacent to St. Paul Church on Shelby Dr., opened in 1966.Fairley High School lies in the western boundary.

Public Secondary Schools

* Whitehaven High School
* Hillcrest High School
* Fairley High School

Private Schools

* Bishop Byrne
* St. Paul

Places of interest

Graceland

Whitehaven's major tourist attractions are still Graceland mansion and the annual Elvis Week, attracting many thousands there annually to remember "The King" on the anniversary of his death on August 16, 1977.

During the two decades he lived in Whitehaven, Elvis spent as much time as possible at his home and was a beloved "neighbor" to residents there.

Elvis Presley bought his famous home, Graceland, in 1957; soon afterward the farmland surrounding the estate was subdivided into homesites.

outhland Mall

For the next decade there was rapid development, with Whitehaven Plaza shopping center becoming the area's commercial center.

One of the first enclosed shopping malls in the country opened near Shelby Drive and Elvis Presley Blvd in 1966. Southland Mall was a destination for shoppers from all over the region, and the area prospered.

Other facts

* The Memphis suburb Southaven, Mississippi was originally named "South Whitehaven" after this neighborhood, but the name was later changed, as the city was not part of Tennessee but Southaven is considered South Memphis extended though.
*DJ Paul of Three 6 Mafia and Gangsta Boo hail from this neighborhood. They refer to the neighborhood as BHZ (Blackhaven Zone).
*Eco-chef and author Bryant Terry is from this neighborhood. He graduated from Bishop Byrne High School.

References