Why do people from Memphis, TN think they are better than people from Jackson, MS?

[vetteking]

I have had this question for years as I have encountered people who held their nose up high in disgust as I tell them I'm from Jackson, MS. I know Mississippi has its history but that doesn't give someone the right to think they are better than someone. There was racial tensions all over the south not just in Mississippi. Also, Memphis, TN has its struggles just like Jackson. It has crime, poverty, food deserts and other challenges. So this leads me to wonder why do people from Memphis think they are so much better than folks from Jackson, MS? What in the past has lead them to believe they are. Elvis was proud to say he was born in Mississippi but raised in Memphis. This level of disrespect people from Memphis show to Jackson is not warranted as people from Jackson has no ill-will towards Memphis. Has Tennessee and Mississippi always had a friendly competition dated back decades? Please someone help me understand this because they way this person looked at me stuck with me and I have always wondered if other Mississippians dealt with this too.

[Centropolis]

I've never heard of this, myself. My mom lived in Memphis for some time, and I still have family there and in north Mississippi. I doubt you will get many responses for this - not too many people familiar with the mid-south outside of Nashville.