Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Murfreesboro, Tennessee
From top left, cannon at Stones River National Battlefield, Rutherford County Courthouse, City Center, MTSU's Paul W. Martin Sr. Honors Building, Battle of Stones River.
Nickname: 
"The 'Boro"
Motto: 
Creating a better quality of life.
Location of Murfreesboro in Rutherford County, Tennessee.
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Coordinates: 35°50′46″N 86°23′31″W / 35.84611°N 86.39194°W / 35.84611; -86.39194
Country United States
State Tennessee
CountyRutherford
Settled1811
Incorporated1817
Named afterHardy Murfree
Government
 • TypeCouncil–Manager[1]
 • MayorShane McFarland (R)[2]
 • Vice mayorBill Shacklett
 • City ManagerDarren Gore
Area
 • City
64.13 sq mi (166.08 km2)
 • Land63.99 sq mi (165.73 km2)
 • Water0.14 sq mi (0.35 km2)  0.25%
Elevation
610 ft (186 m)
Population
 (2023)[4]
 • City
165,430
 • RankUS: 157th
TN: 6th
 • Density2,387.43/sq mi (921.79/km2)
 • Urban
350,000 (US: 241st)
Time zoneUTC−6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP Codes
37127-37133
Area codes615, 629
FIPS code47-51560
GNIS feature ID1295105[5]
WebsiteCity of Murfreesboro

Murfreesboro is a city in Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat.[6] Its population was 165,430 according to the 2023 census estimate, up from 108,755 residents certified in 2010.[7] Murfreesboro is located in the Nashville metropolitan area of Middle Tennessee, 34 miles (55 km) southeast of downtown Nashville.

It served as the state capital from 1818 to 1826. Today, it is the largest suburb of Nashville and the sixth-most populous city in Tennessee. The city is both the center of population[8] and the geographic center of Tennessee.

Since the 1990s, Murfreesboro has been Tennessee's fastest-growing major city and one of the fastest-growing cities in the country.[9] Murfreesboro is home to Middle Tennessee State University, one of the largest undergraduate universities in the state of Tennessee, with 20,540 total students as of fall 2024.[10]

  1. ^ "City Manager". City of Murfreesboro. March 20, 2018. Archived from the original on March 1, 2019. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
  2. ^ Broden, Scott (April 30, 2014). "Mayor McFarland to take oath of office Thursday". The Daily News Journal. Archived from the original on May 8, 2014. Retrieved May 2, 2014.
  3. ^ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference USCensusDecennial2020CenPopScriptOnly was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Archived from the original on February 12, 2012. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  6. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  7. ^ "QuickFacts: Murfreesboro city, Tennessee". United States Census Bureau. 2018. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  8. ^ "State the centers of population 1880-2010: Tennessee". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on April 11, 2019. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  9. ^ Solomon, Christopher (2010). "America's Fastest-Growing Cities". MSN Real Estate. Archived from the original on May 12, 2012. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
  10. ^ "MTSU Mondays: Fall enrollment up despite FAFSA challenges; Jazz series opens Sept. 17". The Tennessean. Retrieved November 8, 2024.