ZIP Code 37130

Murfreesboro is a city in and county seat of Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 152,769 according to the 2020 census, up from 108,755 residents certified in 2010. It is home to Middle Tennessee State University, the largest undergraduate university in the state of Tennessee, with 22,729 total students as of fall 2014. The city is both the center of population and the geographic center of Tennessee. It served as the state capital from 1818 to 1826, but was superseded by Nashville. The Battle of Stones River was fought near the city between the Union Army of the Cumberland and the Confederate Army of Tennessee in 1863. It was the bloodiest battle of the war by percentage of casualties. The Stones River National Battlefield is now a national historical site. In 1911, the state legislature created the state Normal School, a two-year institute of higher education. The school is located in the city's historic Post-Civil War Post Office building, which was built in 1853. The town was first developed as a mainly agricultural community, but by 1853 it was home to several colleges and academies, gaining the nickname "Athens of Tennessee" It was named Cannonsburgh in honor of Newton Cannon, representative to the Assembly for the local area. In 1811, it was renamed Murfreesborough, after Revolutionary War hero Colonel Hardy Murfree, and it was formally chartered in 1812 when the town was chartered.

History

Murfreesboro was named Cannonsburgh in honor of Newton Cannon, representative to the Assembly for the local area. It was renamed Murfreesborough on November 29, 1811, after Revolutionary War hero Colonel Hardy Murfree. The Battle of Stones River was a major engagement of the American Civil War between the Union Army of the Cumberland and the Confederate Army of Tennessee. The Stones River National Battlefield is now a national historical site. The city has been a destination for many refugee immigrants who have left areas affected by warfare; since 1990, the city's population has increased from 44,922 to 108,755. It is home to Middle Tennessee State University, which was founded in 1965 and now has the largest undergraduate enrollment in the state. It also is the home of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where students can earn a doctorate in medicine or other fields. The town is located on the banks of the West Fork of the Stones River, which is a tributary of the Tennessee River. The Tennessee River runs through the center of the city, and the city is located near the junction of the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad and the Tennessee and Kentucky state lines. The state capital of Knoxville is located to the west, but the city was designated as the capital of Tennessee in 1818. In 1818, it was superseded by Nashville, and it was named the county seat for Rutherford County in 1812. The name was shortened to Murfreeboro in January 1812 when the town was formally chartered.

Geography

Murfreesboro is located at 35°5046N 86°2331W. The city has a total area of 39.2 square miles (102 km²) It is home to a number of natural and man-made lakes plus several small wetlands including Todd's Lake and the Murfree Spring wetland area. On April 10, 2009, a low-end EF4 tornado with estimated windspeeds up to 170 miles per hour struck the fringes of the city. Two people were killed and 41 others injured, and 117 homes were totally destroyed. The tornado is estimated to have caused over $40 million in damage. It is located in the Sun Belt and is humid subtropical (Cfa) under the Köppen system, with mild winters and hot, humid summers. Temperatures range from a record low of -19 °F (-28 °C) on January 26, 1940 to a record high of 109 °F (43 °F) on August 16, 1954. The wet season runs from February through July, reaching its zenith in June with 144 mm of rain. The dry season running from August through January with a September nadir of 88 mm and secondary December peak of 141 mm. As of 2013 the city reports its total area as 55.94 sq miles (144.9 km²). It is the geographic center of the state of Tennessee. A stone monument marks the official site on Old Lascassas Pike, about 0.5 miles (0.8 km) north of MTSU.

Demographics

As of the 2020 U.S. census, there were 152,769 people, 52,530 households, and 31,732 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 75.62% White, 15.18% Black / African American, 0.35% Native American, 3.36% Asian, 2.79% from other races, and 2.65% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.93% of the population. In October 2017, the City of Murfreesboro started another special census. Given the continuous growth in the general area, the population is expected to exceed the 2016 estimate of 131,947. According to Money.com in 2018, 136,000 people called Murfreeboro home and it would see a nearly 10% expansion of jobs in the coming years. In the 2000 Census, There were 26,511 households, out of which 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.8% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.6% were non-families. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.02. The median income for a household in theCity was $39,705, and the medianincome for a family was $52,654. The per capita income for the city is $20,219.

Economy

According to Murfreesboro's 2018 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in Rutherford County are: McDonald's, KFC, Kwik Trip and Waffle House. The county's unemployment rate is at 4.7 percent. The unemployment rate for the county is at 3.8 percent, according to the report. The economy is expected to grow at a rate of 3.6 percent in the next three years. The U.S. economy is projected to grow by 3.7 per cent in the coming years. In the next year, the economy is predicted to grow 3.9 per cent. The United States is forecast to grow 2.8 per cent over the next five years, the report says. The region's unemployment rates are currently at 5.1 per cent and are expected to rise to 5.0 per cent by the end of the year. The top employers are: K-FC, McDonald's and K-Pop. The number of jobs created in the county in the past three years is at a record-high. It is estimated that the county's economy will grow by 4.5 percent by the year's end. The state's economy is estimated to grow 1.6 per cent from 2018 to 2019. The growth rate is currently 3.4 per cent, the county report says, with the majority of the growth coming in the form of new jobs in construction, manufacturing and other business services. The city's population has grown by 1.9 percent over the past year.

Arts and culture

Murfreesboro hosts several music-oriented events annually, such as the Main Street Jazzfest. The Discovery Center at Murfree Spring is a nature center and interactive museum focusing on children and families. The Stones River National Battlefield is a national park which memorializes the Battle of Stones River, which took place during the American Civil War during December 31, 1862, to January 3, 1863. The City Center building (also known as the Swanson Building) is the tallest building in Murfreesborough. It has 15 floors, including a large penthouse, and stands 211 feet (64 m) tall. There are two main malls located within the city limits: Stones River Mall and Avenue Murfreeboro. The city is the home of a Consolidated Mail Outpatient Pharmacy (CMOP). It is part of an initiative by the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide mail order prescriptions to veterans using computerization at strategic locations throughout the U.S. It is located on the campus of the Alvin C. York Veterans Hospital. It was built by Joseph Swanson in 1989 and is the headquarters for the National Healthcare Corporation (NHC). The city also hosts an annual DIY not-for-profit music festival called Boro Fondo, which is also a bike tour and local artist feature. For over 30 years, Uncle Dave Macon Days has celebrated the musical tradition of Uncle DaveMacon. This annual July event includes national competitions for old-time music and dancing. The International FolkFest began in 1982 and is held annually during the second week in June.

Parks and recreation

Cannonsburgh Village is a reproduction of what a working pioneer village would have looked like from the period of the 1830s to the 1930s. Barfield Crescent Park is a 430-acre facility with eight baseball fields, 7 miles (11 km) of biking/running trails, an 18-hole championship disc golf course, and ten picnic shelters. Murfreesboro Greenway System is a system of greenways with 12 miles (19km) of paved paths and 11 trail heads. In 2013, the city council approved a controversial 25-year "master plan" to extend the system by adding 173 miles worth of new greenways, bikeways and blueways at an estimated cost of $104.8 million. It is also home to the World's Largest Cedar Bucket, which has been described as the world's largest bucket of Cedar. The city is home to more than 1,000 public parks, including Old Fort Park, which is a 50-acre (200,000 m2) park which includes baseball fields and tennis courts. It also has a number of trails, including a bike trail and a trail that runs through the center of the city. It has a population of more than 100,000, making it one of the largest U.S. cities in terms of square miles. It was the site of the first World War II air base, which was built in World War I. The town is also the home of the National Museum of American History, which dates back to 18th century.

Government

The city council has six members, all elected at-large for four-year terms. The mayor is also elected at large. City council members have responsibilities for various city departments. The city council is elected on staggered schedules with elections every two years. The council is made up of members from the city's African-American community, as well as members of the white, Asian and Hispanic communities. The president of the council is a member of the African- American community, and the mayor is a resident of the black community. The City Council is made of members who are elected on a staggered schedule with electionsEvery two years, the city council members are elected at Large for four year terms, with elections for the mayor every four years.

Education

Murfreesboro City Schools has 12 schools serving 8,800 students between grades pre-K through 6th. Rutherford County Schools has 50 schools and a student population of over 49,000. The Japanese Supplementary School in Middle Tennessee (JSMT, Chbu Tenesh Nihongo Hoshk), a weekend Japanese education program, holds its classes in Peck Hall at Middle Tennessee State University, while its school offices are in Jefferson Square. MCS focuses on prekindergarten through sixth grade learning, while JSMT focuses on the seventh through 12th grades. The city has a population of 1.2 million. The population of Rutherford County, Tennessee, is 1.3 million. It is the state's second largest city, after Knoxville, Tennessee. Murfreesborough is home to the U.S. Air Force Academy, which was founded in 1969. It has been the home of the Air Force Band since 1966. The U.N. Peace Corps has been based in the city since 1972. The United States Army Corps of Engineers has been stationed in Murfreeboro since 1973. It was the first military base in the state, and is the largest in the Southeast. The US Air Force Museum is located in the town's Jefferson Square area, and has been there since the 1950s. The town has a history of being involved in World War II and the Korean War. It also has been involved in the Civil Rights Movement, which began in the 1960s and 1970s.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Murfreesboro, Rutherford County, Tennessee = 57. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 80. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 100. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Murfreesboro = 4.5 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 152,769 individuals with a median age of 31.4 age the population grows by 46.34% in Murfreesboro, Rutherford County, Tennessee population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 2,387.43 residents per square mile of area (921.79/km²). There are average 2.41 people per household in the 39,846 households with an average household income of $43,929 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 9.60% of the available work force and has dropped -6.04% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 18.32%. The number of physicians in Murfreesboro per 100,000 population = 141.2.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Murfreesboro = 52.9 inches and the annual snowfall = 4.3 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 117. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 210. 90 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 27.4 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 34, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Murfreesboro, Rutherford County, Tennessee which are owned by the occupant = 48.29%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 12 years with median home cost = $145,130 and home appreciation of -6.37%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $7.59 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,584 per student. There are 16.4 students for each teacher in the school, 417 students for each Librarian and 492 students for each Counselor. 4.87% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 21.34% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 10.07% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).