Most of the above is great info. IMHO, anywhere in Shelby county that has not been incorporated in an existing city (Bartlett, Collierville, etc) will eventually become part of Memphis city, as Cordova did. Then you get city and county taxes. I recently moved from Cordova to the south side of Olive Branch. My kid is going to a brand new school (so much for the no infrastructure arguement.) The only downside is MS income tax. Once you get a left seat and start making the big bucks, it's a sizeable hit. MS just got $385 from my midmonth check. The property taxes and housing prices are quite a bit lower than the better parts of Shelby county.