Not that many years ago, people were moving from Nashville to Murfreesboro to get away from the city and live at a slower pace. No more.
“According to a study conducted by SmartAsset, a financial technology company, which analyzed the most recent U.S. population data across 344 of the largest cities, Murfreesboro stands out as the 16th fastest-growing city in the country, with a population increase of over 19 percent from 2017 to 2022,” according to a recent report by WTVF Channel 5.
Murfreesboro is becoming a metropolitan area, and a shopping and medical center for counties to its south and east, so people from these counties no longer need to go into the even more congested Nashville.
Known for its beautiful scenery, strong economy, excellent quality of life, economical housing, great schools, and business friendly culture that has brought many new jobs to the area, the city has been “on the map” since the early 2000s. More and more people are getting the message that Murfreesboro is a great place to live, and moving here.
All of the growth has led to expanding road networks, more schools being built, and more housing development. One of the newest announcements is the authorization by the Murfreesboro City Council of a professional services contract for $267,000 with Energy, Land and Infrastructure, Inc. (ELI) to design the pedestrian bridge over Broad Street. According to a press release, the pedestrian bridge concept was one of the “big ideas” from the Historic Bottoms Planning Study that took place about ten years ago. The purpose of the bridge is to connect “The Bottoms,” where Mayday Brewery is located, with downtown. The idea is to turn The Bottoms into an area dedicated to arts and entertainment.
According to a review by city government, “Murfreesboro has seen its population grow at a rapid rate throughout its history. By 1950, more than 13,000 residents were living here. This number had doubled by 1970. Since 1910, growth rate percentages have been in the double digits and show no sign slowing down.”
Census figures for Murfreesboro’s 2010 population was 108,755. By the 2020 census, that figure had grown to 152,769. That is a 40.5% growth rate in 10 years. By 2022, that figure grew by almost 10,000 more people.
The Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research at UT recently oversaw a study that estimated that Rutherford County could grow to 529,113 residents by year 2045 and then to 568,392 residents by year 2050. By that time, Murfreesboro will be well over 300,000 people.
Just 30 years ago Rutherford County was the eighth largest county in Tennessee, now it is the fifth largest. The Boyd Center for Population Research believes that Rutherford County will likely be named as the third largest county in the state by the year 2050.
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