Shelby Farms

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Shelby Farms
Entrance sign at Shelby Farms Park.
Type	Public park
Location	Memphis, Tennessee
Coordinates	35°08′20″N 89°49′57″W / 35.1388°N 89.8325°W / 35.1388; -89.8325
Area	4,500 acres (1,800 ha)
Created	1970s
Operated by	Shelby Farms Park Conservancy
Status	Open all year from dawn to dusk
Public transit access	MATA: 53

Shelby Farms is a public park located in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, in East Memphis. It is one of the largest urban parks in the US and the world, at a size of 4,500 acres (1,800 ha) and covers more than five times the area of Central Park in New York City with 843 acres (341 ha).

Lakes, natural forests, and wetlands provide natural habitats for many smaller species close to an urban metropolitan area. Wildlife can be observed in their natural environment from the many trails in the park. Shelby Farms park is home to a bison herd.

The land Shelby Farm sits atop today was privately-owned property in the 19th century. In 1825, humanist reformer Frances Wright founded the Nashoba Commune on 670 acres north of Wolf River, now part of Shelby Farms Park and Agricenter International. Throughout the 1800s, the commune provided practical and cultural education to emancipated slaves after they worked off the costs of their indentured servitude. Remains of a settlement from the late 19th century are still present in the modern-day park.

From 1929 until 1964, Shelby Farms was used as a penal farm operated by the Shelby County Government.

Shelby Farms was opened for recreational purposes in the 1970s. In 2007, a public and private non-profit partnership was established to provide for the daily operation of the park and to plan for its future use.

In 2008, a masterplan was put in place for the redesign of the park. The re-design provided additional hiking and biking trails as well as more opportunities for boating in a much enlarged (and renamed) Hyde Lake, formerly known as Patriot Lake.