Memphis, Tennessee

A visitor to downtown Memphis might be puzzled by the sight of little ......... perched on top of metal poles.
average
aviaries
avestan
awestruck

The clever birdhouses represent a chalet, pagoda, schoolhouse, fire station and other ......... creations.
whinny
winery
whimsical
windfall

The reason behind the erection of the miniature ......... makes sense when considering the massive mosquito population near the Mississippi River.
abodes
about
abohm
abhor

The ......... behind construction of the birdhouses was a real estate developer who thought purple martins would eat the insects.
brainstem
barnstorm
brainstorm
brainlessness

People soon discovered it was simply a ......... that the birds would decimate the insect population. Purple martins did not kill the mosquitoes.
myrrh
myrtle
mysore
myth

In retrospect, the insects were a minor problem in comparison to what Memphis has endured. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated here in 1968 ......... racial riots.
preparing
precipitating
precluding
precipice

The ......... that occurred after his death made homeowners gravitate toward other cities.
disbar
disharmony
disown
dismay

Slowly developers have built or renovated houses in the most ......... part of the city, which encouraged home buyers to return to the city.
deformed
degraded
delighted
delicacy

Tourists also returned to the city to tour Elvis Presley's home, Graceland and pay ......... to the huge variety of musical sounds.
homage
homestead
hilarious
hijinks

Today Memphis is an amazing ......... of blues, jazz, pop, cotton, and tourists.
hodgepodge
hiveld
hiveless
hocktide