Schools first, everything else second.
Germantown runs its own municipal school district, separate from Shelby County Schools, and it's consistently one of the strongest in the Memphis metro. That's the reason most people move here — not the commute, not the nightlife, the schools.
The trade-off is pace and price. Germantown is quiet, established, and largely built out — you're buying into mature neighborhoods with big trees and settled streets, not new construction. Home values here have historically held up well, which matters if you're thinking long-term rather than just for the next few years.
It's a 20 to 30 minute drive to most of Memphis proper depending on traffic, so it suits people prioritizing school zone and stability over a short commute to downtown or the medical district.