In reference to the legacy of Elvis Presley, Neil Young once sang "The King is dead, but not forgotten."
Perhaps nowhere is the King's spirit more alive than in his hometown of Memphis, Tenn. His presence there is as ubiquitous as glass beads during Mardi Gras in New Orleans: A boulevard, statue, bar and grill, hotel, automobile museum and scholarship bear his name, the anniversary of his birth and death are celebrated religiously; a motel with a guitar-shaped swimming pool broadcasts his movies on TV 24 hours a day; and graffitti adorning a street lamp near Beale Street admonish people to "Trust Jesus and Elvis."
Graceland, Elvis' home-turned-tourist-attraction, is the most visited home in the United States after the White House, and Elvis-related tourism pumps an estimated $150 million into the local economy each year. Indeed, Elvis put sleepy Memphis on the map, and keeps it there.
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