Midtown is a collection of neighborhoods in Memphis, Tennessee, to the east of Downtown. Midtown is home to many cultural attractions, institutions of higher education, and noteworthy pieces of architecture. The district is an anchor in Memphis' arts scene, including the Playhouse on the Square, the Brooks Museum of Art, the Memphis College of Art, and the Levitt Shell. The annual Cooper-Young Arts Festival draws over 120,000 visitors to the district. Midtown also plays host to multiple universities and colleges, including Memphis College of Art, Rhodes College, and Christian Brothers University. Midtown is characterized by vintage residential housing, a blend of independent and chain retailers, and high-rise buildings. Multiple historic districts are located in Midtown, and commercial corridors such as Overton Square and Cooper Street developed before World War II in an urban style. Mixed use areas with housing, religious, commercial and office spaces are common in Midtown. Population and geography Midtown has an evenly distributed black and white population, as well as a notable Asian population. Cleveland Street in Crosstown is the heart of the Vietnamese population in Memphis, with multiple Vietnamese-owned businesses and a Buddhist temple. The exact boundaries of Midtown are often disputed. Generally, it is the area between the Medical District to the west and East Memphis to the east. The eastern boundary is variously defined as East Parkway, the CN railroad east of East Parkway. The northern boundary is Vollintine Avenue. VECA is generally considered the northernmost neighborhood in Midtown. Cooper-Young and Rozelle are generally regarded as the southernmost neighborhoods in Midtown. Interstate 240 provides the western border for the neighborhood, separating Midtown from Downtown and the Medical District. Transportation Due to the historic eastward expansion of the city, automobile traffic in Midtown is primarily served by east–west arteries. Major traffic corridors in the district include: Union Avenue, which since World War II has served as the area's main commercial artery; Poplar Avenue, which is largely fronted by 1920s apartment buildings and the commercial district for the Evergreen neighborhood; Madison Avenue, which served as pre-World War II Memphis' main east–west corridor, and now feeds the Overton Square district; McLean Boulevard, which is a primary north–south connector of residential neighborhoods; Cooper Street, which connects Overton Park to the Overton Square, Idlewild, Lenox and Cooper-Young neighborhoods; Cleveland Street, which runs through the Crosstown neighborhood. Midtown Memphis is connected to the Medical District and downtown via the Madison