Editing Murfreesboro, Tennessee

{{redirect|Murfreesboro}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Murfreesboro, Tennessee
| settlement_type    = [[City]]
| image_skyline      = Murfreesboro, Tennessee montage.jpg
| image_caption      = From top left, cannon at [[Stones River National Battlefield]], [[Rutherford County Courthouse (Tennessee)|Rutherford County Courthouse]], City Center, [[Middle Tennessee State University|MTSU]]'s Paul W. Martin Sr. Honors Building, [[Battle of Stones River]].
| image_flag         = Flag of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.png
| image_blank_emblem = Logo of Murfreesboro TN.png
| blank_emblem_type  = Logo
| nickname           = "The 'Boro"
| motto              = ''Creating a better quality of life.''
| image_map          = File:Rutherford County Tennessee Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Murfreesboro Highlighted 4751560.svg
| mapsize            = 220px
| map_caption        = Location of Murfreesboro in Rutherford County, Tennessee.
| image_map1         = 
| mapsize1           = 
| map_caption1       = 
| pushpin_map        = USA Tennessee
| coordinates        = {{coord|35|50|46|N|86|23|31|W|region:US-TN|display=inline;title}}
| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name   = {{Flag|United States}}
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of counties in Tennessee|County]]
| subdivision_name1  = {{Flag|Tennessee}}
| subdivision_name2  = [[Rutherford County, Tennessee|Rutherford]]
| established_title  = Settled
| established_date   = 1811
| established_title2 = [[Municipal corporation|Incorporated]]
| established_date2  = 1817
| government_type    = [[Council–manager government|Council–Manager]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.murfreesborotn.gov/DocumentCenter/View/7963/Murfreesboro-City-Manager-3202018 |title=City Manager |publisher=City of Murfreesboro |date=March 20, 2018 |access-date=March 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190301060646/https://www.murfreesborotn.gov/DocumentCenter/View/7963/Murfreesboro-City-Manager-3202018 |archive-date=March 1, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| leader_title       = [[List of mayors of Murfreesboro, Tennessee|Mayor]]
| leader_name        = [[Shane McFarland]] ([[Republican Party (United States)|R]])<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2014304300055 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140508193108/http://www.dnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2014304300055 |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 8, 2014 |title=Mayor McFarland to take oath of office Thursday |work=[[The Daily News Journal]] |first=Scott |last=Broden |date=April 30, 2014 |access-date=May 2, 2014}}</ref>
| leader_title1      = [[Deputy mayor|Vice mayor]]
| leader_name1       = Bill Shacklett
| leader_title2        =[[City Manager]]
| leader_name2    = Darren Gore 
| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="TigerWebMapServer">{{cite web|title=ArcGIS REST Services Directory|url=https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/5/query?where=STATE='47'&outFields=NAME,STATE,PLACE,AREALAND,AREAWATER,LSADC,CENTLAT,CENTLON&orderByFields=PLACE&returnGeometry=false&returnTrueCurves=false&f=json|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=October 15, 2022}}</ref>
| area_total_km2     = 166.08
| area_total_sq_mi   = 64.13
| area_land_km2      = 165.73
| area_land_sq_mi    = 63.99
| area_water_km2     = 0.35
| area_water_sq_mi   = 0.14
| area_water_percent = 0.25
| elevation_m        = 186
| elevation_ft       = 610
| population_total   = 165430
| population_as_of   = 2023
| population_footnotes = <ref name="USCensusDecennial2020CenPopScriptOnly"/>
| population_density_sq_mi = 2387.43
| population_est     = 
| pop_est_as_of      = 
| population_urban   = 350,000 (US: [[List of United States urban areas|241st]])
| population_rank    = US: [[List of United States cities by population|157th]]<br />TN: [[List of municipalities in Tennessee|6th]]
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP Code]]s
| postal_code        = 37127-37133
| area_code          = [[Area codes 615 and 629|615, 629]]
| website            = [http://www.murfreesborotn.gov City of Murfreesboro]
| timezone           = [[North American Central Time Zone|CST]]
| utc_offset         = &minus;6
| timezone_DST       = CDT
| utc_offset_DST     = &minus;5
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 47-51560
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 1295105<ref name="GR3">{{cite web |url=http://geonames.usgs.gov |access-date=January 31, 2008 |title=US Board on Geographic Names |publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]] |date=October 25, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120212191832/http://geonames.usgs.gov/ |archive-date=February 12, 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| population_density_km2 = 921.79
| named_for          = [[Hardy Murfree]]
}}

'''Murfreesboro''' is a city in [[Rutherford County, Tennessee]], United States, and its [[county seat]].<ref name="GR6">{{cite web |url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |title=Find a County |publisher=National Association of Counties |access-date=June 7, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531210815/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |archive-date=May 31, 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> Its population was 165,430 according to the 2023 census estimate, up from 108,755 residents certified in [[2010 United States census|2010]].<ref name="QuickFacts.Murf">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/PST045215/4751560 |title=QuickFacts: Murfreesboro city, Tennessee |publisher=United States Census Bureau |date=2018 |access-date=September 14, 2020}}</ref>  Murfreesboro is located in the [[Nashville metropolitan area]] of [[Middle Tennessee]], {{convert|34|mi|km}} southeast of downtown [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]].

It served as the state capital from 1818 to 1826. Today, it is the largest [[suburb]] of Nashville and the [[List of municipalities in Tennessee|sixth-most populous city in Tennessee]]. The city is both the [[center of population]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/centers-population/historical-by-state/centers-of-pop-tennessee.html |title=State the centers of population 1880-2010: Tennessee |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=April 11, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190411003416/https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/centers-population/historical-by-state/centers-of-pop-tennessee.html |archive-date=April 11, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> 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.<ref name="msnrealestate2010">{{cite news |url=http://realestate.msn.com/slideshow.aspx?cp-documentid=25918118#13 |title=America's Fastest-Growing Cities |work=MSN Real Estate |first=Christopher |last=Solomon |year=2010 |access-date=July 14, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120512113619/http://realestate.msn.com/slideshow.aspx?cp-documentid=25918118#13 |archive-date=May 12, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> 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. <ref>{{Cite web |title=MTSU Mondays: Fall enrollment up despite FAFSA challenges; Jazz series opens Sept. 17 |url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/schools/mtsu/2024/09/16/fall-enrollment-up-despite-challenges-jazz-series-opens-sept-17/75182347007/ |access-date=2024-11-08 |website=The Tennessean |language=en-US}}</ref>

==History==
{{For timeline}}
On October 27, 1811, the [[Tennessee General Assembly]] designated the location for a new county seat for Rutherford County, giving it the name Cannonsburgh in honor of [[Newton Cannon]], representative to the assembly for the local area. At the suggestion of William Lytle, it was renamed Murfreesborough on November 29, 1811, after Revolutionary War hero Colonel [[Hardy Murfree]], great-grandfather of author [[Mary Noailles Murfree]].<ref name="history">{{cite web |url=http://rutherfordtnhistory.org/a-history-of-rutherford-county/ |title=A History of Rutherford County |publisher=Rutherford County Tennessee Historical Society |access-date=March 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190404122717/http://rutherfordtnhistory.org/a-history-of-rutherford-county/ |archive-date=April 4, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> The name was shortened to Murfreesboro in January 1812, when the town was formally chartered.<ref name="wgns20170711">{{cite news |url=https://www.wgnsradio.com/murfreesboros-200th-birthday-celebration-cms-2349 |title=Murfreesboro's 200th Birthday Celebration |publisher=WGNS |date=July 11, 2011 |access-date=March 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190325024029/https://www.wgnsradio.com/murfreesboros-200th-birthday-celebration-cms-2349 |archive-date=March 25, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Gannett1905">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ |title=The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States |publisher=Government Printing Office |location=Washington, D.C. |series=Geological Survey Bulletin, no. 258 |edition=2nd |first=Henry |last=Gannett |page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ/page/n217 218] |year=1905 |oclc=1156805 |access-date=October 16, 2016 }}</ref>

As Tennessee settlement expanded to the west, the location of the state capital in [[Knoxville, Tennessee|Knoxville]] became inconvenient for much of the population. In 1818, Murfreesboro was designated as the capital of Tennessee and its population boomed. Eight years later, however, it was superseded by Nashville.<ref name="murfhistory">{{cite web |url=http://www.murfreesborotn.gov/visiting/history.htm |title=History of Murfreesboro, TN |work=MurfreesboroTN.gov |access-date=May 22, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070429175608/http://www.murfreesborotn.gov/visiting/history.htm <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date=April 29, 2007}}</ref>

===Civil War===
On December 31, 1862, the [[Battle of Stones River]], also called the Battle of Murfreesboro, was fought near the city between the Union [[Army of the Cumberland]] and the Confederate [[Army of Tennessee]]. This was a major engagement of the [[American Civil War]], and between December 31 and January 2, 1863, the rival armies suffered a combined total of 23,515 casualties.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/hps/abpp/battles/tn010.htm |title=Battle Summary: Stones River |publisher=US National Park Service |access-date=December 11, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110821061749/http://www.nps.gov/hps/abpp/battles/tn010.htm |archive-date=August 21, 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> It was the bloodiest battle of the war by percentage of casualties.

Following the Confederate retreat after the drawn [[Battle of Perryville]] in central Kentucky, the Confederate army moved through East Tennessee and turned northwest to defend Murfreesboro. General [[Braxton Bragg]]'s veteran cavalry successfully harassed Union General [[William Rosecrans]]{{'}} troop movements, capturing and destroying many of his supply trains, but they could not completely prevent supplies and reinforcements from reaching Rosecrans. Despite the large number of casualties, the battle was inconclusive. It is usually considered a Union victory, since afterward, General Bragg retreated {{convert|36|mi}} south to [[Tullahoma, Tennessee|Tullahoma]]. Even so, the Union army did not [[Tullahoma Campaign|move against Bragg]] until six months later, in June 1863. The battle was significant, since the Union gained a base from which it could push its eventual drive further south, which enabled its later advances against [[Battle of Chickamauga|Chattanooga]] and [[Battle of Atlanta|Atlanta]]. The Union eventually divided the territory into the [[Eastern Theater of the American Civil War|Eastern]] and [[Western Theater of the American Civil War|Western]] theaters, followed by [[Sherman's March to the Sea]] through the South. The [[Stones River National Battlefield]] is now a national historical site.

General Rosecrans' move to the south depended on a secure source of provisions, and Murfreesboro was chosen for his supply depot. Soon after the battle, Brigadier General [[James St. Clair Morton]], chief engineer of the Army of the Cumberland, was ordered to build [[Old Fort Park and Golf Course|Fortress Rosecrans]], some {{convert|2|mi}} northwest of the town. The fortifications covered about {{convert|225|acre|km2}} and were the largest built during the war. Fortress Rosecrans consisted of eight [[Lunette (fortification)|lunettes]], four [[redoubt]]s, and connecting fortifications. The fortress was built around the [[Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad]] and the West Fork of the [[Stones River]]; two roads provided additional access and transportation.

The fort's interior was a huge logistical resource center, including sawmills, warehouses, quartermaster maintenance depots, ammunition magazines, and living quarters for the 2,000 men who handled the operations and defended the post. After the fortress was completed in June 1863, Rosecrans ventured to the south.<ref name="urlTN Encyclopedia: FORTRESS ROSECRANS">{{cite web |url=https://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entries/fortress-rosecrans/ |title=TN Encyclopedia: FORTRESS ROSECRANS |access-date=February 23, 2025}}</ref> The fortress was never attacked, in part because the Union troops held the town of Murfreesboro hostage by training their artillery on the courthouse. Major portions of the earthworks still exist and have been incorporated into the battlefield historic site.

===Post-Civil War===
Murfreesboro was first developed as a mainly agricultural community, but by 1853, the area was home to several colleges and academies. Despite the wartime trauma, the town's growth had begun to recover by the early 1900s, in contrast to other areas of the devastated South.

In 1911, the state legislature created Middle Tennessee State Normal School, a two-year institute to train teachers. It soon merged with the Tennessee College for Women. In 1925, the normal school was expanded to a full, four-year curriculum and college. With additional expansion of programs and addition of graduate departments in 1965, it became [[Middle Tennessee State University]].<ref name="urlFacts-MTSU">{{cite web |url=http://www.mtsu.edu/about_facts.shtml |title=Facts |publisher=Middle Tennessee State University |access-date=November 19, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101119053321/http://mtsu.edu/about_facts.shtml |archive-date=November 19, 2010}}</ref> MTSU now has the largest undergraduate enrollment in the state, including many international students.

[[World War II]] was an impetus for industrial development, and Murfreesboro diversified into industry, manufacturing, and education. Growth has been steady since that time, creating a stable economy.

Since the last decade of the 20th century, Murfreesboro has enjoyed substantial residential and commercial growth, with its population increasing 123.9% between 1990 and 2010, from 44,922 to 108,755.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.murfreesborotn.gov/default.aspx?ekmenu=160&id=3140 |title=Murfreesboro History |publisher=City of Murfreesboro |date=2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100929041016/http://www.murfreesborotn.gov/default.aspx?ekmenu=160&id=3140 |archive-date=September 29, 2010}}</ref> The city has been a destination for many refugee immigrants who have left areas affected by warfare; since 1990, numerous people from [[Somalia]] and [[Kurds]] from [[Iraq]] have settled there.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}} The city has also attracted numerous international students to the university.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|title=MTSU services nation's largest Kurdish community
|url=https://www.murfreesboropost.com/news/mtsu-services-nation-s-largest-kurdish-community/article_5492ca10-e902-58f9-a075-c743fcbd03ae.html|work=The Murfreesboro Post|date=August 18, 2010|access-date=June 2, 2020}}</ref>

====Mosque controversy====
{{Main|Islamic Center of Murfreesboro}}
Beginning in 2010, the [[Islamic Center of Murfreesboro]] faced protests related to its plan to build a new {{convert|12000|ft2|adj=on}} mosque. The county planning council had approved the project, but opposition grew in the aftermath, affected by this being a year of elections. Signs on the building site were vandalized, with the first saying "not welcome" sprayed across it and the second being cut in two.<ref name="time20100919">{{cite news |url=http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2011847,00.html |title=In Murfreesboro, Tenn.: Church 'Yes,' Mosque 'No' |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |first=Elizabeth |last=Kauffman |date=August 19, 2010 |access-date=July 18, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811192437/http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2011847,00.html |archive-date=August 11, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Construction equipment was also torched by arsonists.<ref name="cbs20100930">{{cite news |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fire-at-tenn-mosque-building-site-ruled-arson/ |title=Fire at Tenn. Mosque Building Site Ruled Arson |work=Associated Press via CBS News |date=August 30, 2010 |access-date=July 18, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110813125849/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/08/28/national/main6814690.shtml |archive-date=August 13, 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In August 2011, a Rutherford County judge upheld his previous decision allowing the mosque to be built, noting the US constitutional right to religious freedom and the ICM's observance of needed process.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110831/NEWS01/308310117/Judge-upholds-ruling-Murfreesboro-mosque |title=Judge upholds ruling for Murfreesboro mosque |author=Broden, Scott |date=August 31, 2011 |work=The Tennessean |publisher=Gannett Tennessee |access-date=September 4, 2011}}{{Dead link|date=August 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The center has a permanent membership of around 250 families and a few hundred students from the university.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://abcnews.go.com/WN/murfreesboro-tennessee-mosque-plan-draws-criticism-residents/story?id=10956381 |title=Plan for Mosque in Tennessee Town Draws Criticism from Residents |author=Blackburn, Bradley |date=June 18, 2010 |work=ABC News |access-date=September 7, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111218194158/http://abcnews.go.com/WN/murfreesboro-tennessee-mosque-plan-draws-criticism-residents/story?id=10956381 |archive-date=December 18, 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> The case ultimately attracted national media attention as an issue of religious freedom.

====2023 ordinance on homosexuality====
In June 2023, the city passed an ordinance banning public homosexuality as indecent.<ref>{{cite web |last=Hansford |first=Amelia |date=November 11, 2023 |title=Officials are gunning for LGBTQ+ library books with sinister ordinance banning 'public homosexuality' |url=https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/11/11/tennessee-book-ban-public-ordinance-banning-homosexuality/ |access-date=November 13, 2023 |website=PinkNews }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Reed |first=Erin |title=City Ordinance Banning Public Homosexuality Reaches Rutherford County Libraries |url=https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/city-ordinance-banning-public-homosexuality |access-date=November 13, 2023 |website=www.erininthemorning.com |language=en}}</ref>  In October 2023, the [[American Civil Liberties Union]] <!-- (ACLU) --> filed suit against the city, in response to the ban<ref>{{cite news |title=City of Murfreesboro amends ordinance banning public homosexuality |author=Brianna Hamblin |date=November 18, 2023 |work= WTVF |url=https://www.newschannel5.com/news/city-of-murfreesboro-amends-ordinance-banning-public-homosexuality#:~:text=MURFREESBORO%2C%20Tenn.,against%20the%20city%20in%20response. |accessdate=November 18, 2023}}</ref> and, in December 2023, the ordinance was repealed.<ref>{{Cite tweet | author=Murfreesboro Holler| user=TheBoroHoller |number=1738385882225295378 |title=INBOX: We're told MURFREESBORO @cityofmborotn just quietly repealed their controversial "decency ordinance", which was being used as cover for anti-LGBTQ censorship. }}</ref>

==Geography==
[[File:Swanson building 9743.JPG|thumb|upright|City Center was built by Joe Swanson, a major developer in the area.]]

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|39.2|sqmi|km2}}, of which {{convert|0.2|sqmi|km2|abbr=on}} of it (0.54%) is covered by water. As of 2013, though, the city reported its total area as {{convert|55.94|sqmi|km2}}.<ref name="FY2014Budget">{{cite web |url=http://www.murfreesborotn.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/215 |title=Fiscal Year 2013-2014 Annual Budget |publisher=City of Murfreesboro |year=2013 |access-date=February 27, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170108171023/http://murfreesborotn.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/215 |archive-date=January 8, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>{{rp|24}}

Murfreesboro is the [[Geographic centers of the United States|geographic center]] of the state of Tennessee. A stone monument marks the official site on Old Lascassas Pike, about {{convert|0.5|mi|km|1}} north of [[Middle Tennessee State University|MTSU]].

The West Fork of the Stones River flows through Murfreesboro. A walking trail, the Greenway, parallels the river for several miles. A smaller waterway, Lytle Creek, flows through downtown, including historic Cannonsburgh Village. Parts of the {{convert|19|mi|km|adj=on}} long creek suffer from pollution due to the urban environment and its use as a storm-water runoff.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.murfreesborotn.gov/default.aspx?ekmenu=42&id=4770 |title=Lytle Creek |work=MurfreesboroTN.gov |date=November 3, 2009 |access-date=September 8, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927120826/http://www.murfreesborotn.gov/default.aspx?ekmenu=42&id=4770 |archive-date=September 27, 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Murfreesboro is home to a number of natural and man-made lakes, plus several small wetlands, including [[Andrew L. Todd Sr.#Legacy|Todd's Lake]] and the [[Discovery Center at Murfree Spring|Murfree Spring]] wetland area.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.murfreesborotn.gov/default.aspx?ekmenu=42&id=8190 |title=Understanding Town Creek |work=MurfreesboroTN.gov |year=2008 |access-date=November 9, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121015230152/http://murfreesborotn.gov/default.aspx?ekmenu=42&id=8190 |archive-date=October 15, 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://wiki.epa.gov/watershed2/index.php/Town_Creek,_Murfreesboro_Tennessee |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140713205101/https://wiki.epa.gov/watershed2/index.php/Town_Creek,_Murfreesboro_Tennessee |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 13, 2014 |title=Town Creek, Murfreesboro Tennessee |work=EPA.gov |access-date=November 9, 2012}}</ref>

Murfreesboro has been in the path of [[April 2009 tornado outbreak|destructive tornados]] several times. On April 10, 2009, a low-end [[April 2009 tornado outbreak|EF4 tornado]] with estimated windspeeds up to 170 miles per hour struck the fringes of Murfreesboro. As a result, two people were killed and 41 others injured; 117 homes were totally destroyed, and 292 had major damage. The tornado is estimated to have caused over $40 million in damage.<ref name="dnj090417">{{cite news |url=http://www.dnj.com/article/20090417/NEWS01/904170331 |title=Damage estimates hit $41.8M |work=The Daily News Journal |first=Doug |last=Davis |date=April 17, 2009 |access-date=April 17, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090421144408/http://dnj.com/article/20090417/NEWS01/904170331 |archive-date=April 21, 2009}}</ref>

===Climate===
Being in the [[Sun Belt]], Murfreesboro's climate is humid subtropical (''Cfa'') under the [[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] system, with mild winters and hot, humid summers. Under the [[Trewartha climate classification|Trewartha]] system, it is an oceanic (''Do'') climate due to five months of winter chill (monthly means below {{Convert|50|F|C}}); however, Murfreesboro is close to being humid subtropical (''Cf'') even under Trewartha (March falls {{Convert|0.9|F|C}} short of the threshold), supported by the fact that subtropical plants like [[Magnolia grandiflora|Southern magnolia]] trees and the occasional [[Sabal minor|dwarf palmetto]] and [[Rhapidophyllum|needle palm]] shrubs can thrive long-term there but struggle much further north. The [[hardiness zone]] is 7. Temperatures range from a record low of {{Convert|-19|F|C}} on January 26, 1940, to a record high of {{Convert|109|F|C}} on August 16, 1954.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.weather.gov/ohx/calendar|title=Calendar of Significant Weather Events in Middle Tennessee}}</ref> Precipitation is abundant year-round without any major difference, but there is still slight variation. The wet season runs from February through July, reaching its peak in June with {{Convert|144|mm}} of rain. The dry season runs from August through January with a September low of {{Convert|88|mm}} and a secondary December peak of {{Convert|141|mm}}.

{{Weather box
|location = Murfreesboro, Tennessee (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1890–present)
|single line = Y
|Jan record high F = 78
|Feb record high F = 83
|Mar record high F = 89
|Apr record high F = 91
|May record high F = 97
|Jun record high F = 108
|Jul record high F = 108
|Aug record high F = 109
|Sep record high F = 107
|Oct record high F = 97
|Nov record high F = 87
|Dec record high F = 77
|year record high F = 109
| Jan avg record high F = 68
| Feb avg record high F = 72
| Mar avg record high F = 79
| Apr avg record high F = 84
| May avg record high F = 89
| Jun avg record high F = 94
| Jul avg record high F = 96
| Aug avg record high F = 96
| Sep avg record high F = 94
| Oct avg record high F = 86
| Nov avg record high F = 78
| Dec avg record high F = 69
| year avg record high F = 98
|Jan high F = 47.9
|Feb high F = 52.5
|Mar high F = 61.1
|Apr high F = 70.9
|May high F = 79.0
|Jun high F = 86.2
|Jul high F = 89.2
|Aug high F = 89.0
|Sep high F = 83.8
|Oct high F = 73.1
|Nov high F = 60.9
|Dec high F = 51.3
|year high F = 70.4
|Jan mean F = 37.7
|Feb mean F = 41.4
|Mar mean F = 49.1
|Apr mean F = 58.3
|May mean F = 67.2
|Jun mean F = 75.3
|Jul mean F = 78.8
|Aug mean F = 77.8
|Sep mean F = 71.6
|Oct mean F = 59.9
|Nov mean F = 48.9
|Dec mean F = 41.2
|year mean F = 58.9
|Jan low F = 27.5
|Feb low F = 30.4
|Mar low F = 37.2
|Apr low F = 45.7
|May low F = 55.3
|Jun low F = 64.4
|Jul low F = 68.4
|Aug low F = 66.6
|Sep low F = 59.3
|Oct low F = 46.7
|Nov low F = 36.8
|Dec low F = 31.0
|year low F = 47.4
| Jan avg record low F = 9
| Feb avg record low F = 13
| Mar avg record low F = 20
| Apr avg record low F = 29
| May avg record low F = 39
| Jun avg record low F = 52
| Jul avg record low F = 59
| Aug avg record low F = 56
| Sep avg record low F = 43
| Oct avg record low F = 30
| Nov avg record low F = 20
| Dec avg record low F = 15
| year avg record low F = 7
|Jan record low F = −19
|Feb record low F = −16
|Mar record low F = 2
|Apr record low F = 19
|May record low F = 32
|Jun record low F = 38
|Jul record low F = 47
|Aug record low F = 41
|Sep record low F = 33
|Oct record low F = 21
|Nov record low F = -3
|Dec record low F = −9
|year record low F = -19
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 4.66
|Feb precipitation inch = 4.87
|Mar precipitation inch = 5.29
|Apr precipitation inch = 4.83
|May precipitation inch = 4.93
|Jun precipitation inch = 5.68
|Jul precipitation inch = 4.95
|Aug precipitation inch = 3.61
|Sep precipitation inch = 4.04
|Oct precipitation inch = 3.46
|Nov precipitation inch = 4.06
|Dec precipitation inch = 5.54
|year precipitation inch = 55.92
|Jan snow inch = 0.8
|Feb snow inch = 0.7
|Mar snow inch = 0.4
|Apr snow inch = 0.0
|May snow inch = 0.0
|Jun snow inch = 0.0
|Jul snow inch = 0.0
|Aug snow inch = 0.0
|Sep snow inch = 0.0
|Oct snow inch = 0.0
|Nov snow inch = 0.0
|Dec snow inch = 0.3
|year snow inch = 2.2
|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
|Jan precipitation days = 12.4
|Feb precipitation days = 11.7
|Mar precipitation days = 12.5
|Apr precipitation days = 11.1
|May precipitation days = 12.3
|Jun precipitation days = 12.4
|Jul precipitation days = 10.8
|Aug precipitation days = 9.9
|Sep precipitation days = 8.9
|Oct precipitation days = 9.6
|Nov precipitation days = 10.1
|Dec precipitation days = 12.8
|year precipitation days = 134.5
|unit snow days = 0.1 in
|Jan snow days = 0.7
|Feb snow days = 0.7
|Mar snow days = 0.3
|Apr snow days = 0.0
|May snow days = 0.0
|Jun snow days = 0.0
|Jul snow days = 0.0
|Aug snow days = 0.0
|Sep snow days = 0.0
|Oct snow days = 0.0
|Nov snow days = 0.0
|Dec snow days = 0.4
|year snow days = 2.1
| source 1 = [[NOAA]]<ref name=nws>
{{cite web
| url = https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=ohx
| title = NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
| access-date = May 28, 2021}}</ref><ref name=NCEI>
{{cite web
| url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USC00406371&format=pdf
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
| title = Station: Murfreesboro 5 N, TN
| work = U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020)
| access-date = May 28, 2021}}</ref>
}}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1850= 1917
|1860= 2861
|1870= 3502
|1880= 3800
|1890= 3739
|1900= 3999
|1910= 4679
|1920= 5367
|1930= 7993
|1940= 9495
|1950= 13052
|1960= 18991
|1970= 26360
|1980= 32845
|1990= 44922
|2000= 68816
|2010= 108755
|2020= 152769
| estyear = 2023
| estimate = 165430
| estref = <ref name="USCensusEst2023">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/murfreesborocitytennessee/AFN120217 |date=May 16, 2024|title=City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2023|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=May 16, 2024}}</ref>
|footnote=Sources: <br />U.S. Census Bureau<ref name="QuickFacts.Murf" /><br /> U.S. Decennial Census<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=November 6, 2014}}</ref><br />{{cbignore}}<ref name="USCensusDecennial2020CenPopScriptOnly">{{cite web|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/pl?get=P1_001N,NAME&for=place:*&in=state:47&key=5ccd0821c15d9f4520e2dcc0f8d92b2ec9336108|title=Census Population API|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=October 15, 2022}}</ref>
}}

===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+'''Murfreesboro city, Tennessee – [[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|Racial]] and ethnic composition'''<br><small>{{nobold|''Note: the US census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.''}}</small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(''NH = Non-Hispanic'')</small>
!Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>{{Cite web|title=P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Murfreesboro city, Tennessee|url=https://data.census.gov/table?g=160XX00US4751560&tid=DECENNIALSF12000.P004|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Murfreesboro city, Tennessee|url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US4751560&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!{{partial|Pop 2020}}<ref name=2020CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Murfreesboro city, Tennessee|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US4751560&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!% 2000
!% 2010
!{{partial|% 2020}}
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] alone (NH)
|53,963
|79,471
|style='background: #ffffe6; |94,941
|78.42%
|73.07%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |62.15%
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino African Americans|Black or African American]] alone (NH)
|9,506
|16,333
|style='background: #ffffe6; |29,416
|13.81%
|15.02%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |19.26%
|-
|[[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] or [[Alaska Native]] alone (NH)
|173
|292
|style='background: #ffffe6; |398
|0.25%
|0.27%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.26%
|-
|[[Asian Americans|Asian]] alone (NH)
|1,841
|3,628
|style='background: #ffffe6; |5,748
|2.68%
|3.34%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.76%
|-
|[[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]] alone (NH)
|15
|43
|style='background: #ffffe6; |90
|0.02%
|0.04%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.06%
|-
|Some other race alone (NH)
|69
|131
|style='background: #ffffe6; |815
|0.10%
|0.12%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.53%
|-
|[[Multiracial Americans|Mixed or multiracial]] (NH)
|819
|2,404
|style='background: #ffffe6; |7,443
|1.19%
|2.21%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |4.87%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (any race)
|2,430
|6,453
|style='background: #ffffe6; |13,918
|3.53%
|5.93%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |9.11%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''68,816'''
|'''108,755'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''152,769'''
|'''100.00%'''
|'''100.00%'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''100.00%'''
|}

As of the [[2020 United States census]], 152,769 people, 52,530 households, and 31,732 families resided in the city.

As of the [[2010 United States census|2010 census]], 108,755 people were living in the city. The [[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|racial makeup]] of the city was 75.62% White, 15.18% Black or African American, 0.35% Native American, 3.36% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 2.79% from other races, and 2.65% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 5.93% of the population.

Of the 26,511 households,  30.7% had children under 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 not families. About 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.0% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the city, the age distribution was 22.7% under 18, 20.5% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 17.3% from 45 to 64, and 8.8% who were 65 or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.7 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 97.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $39,705, and for a family was $52,654. Males had a median income of $36,078 versus $26,531 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $20,219. About 8.2% of families and 14.1% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 12.0% of those under 18 and 11.1% of those 65 and older.

Special census estimates in 2005 indicated 81,393 residents, and in 2006, the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey estimated a population of 92,559, with 35,842 households and 20,979 families in the city.<ref name="dnj090701" /> Murfreesboro's 2008 special census reported that the population had reached 100,575,<ref name="dnj090701">{{cite news |url=http://dnj.com/article/20090701/NEWS01/907010331/ |title='Boro ranks 12th in U.S. for growth |work=Daily News Journal |first=Melinda |last=Hudgins |date=July 1, 2009 |access-date=July 1, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090715052419/http://dnj.com/article/20090701/NEWS01/907010331 |archive-date=July 15, 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref> while preliminary information from the 2010 U.S. census indicates a population of 108,755. 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.murfreesborotn.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1881 |title='Be Murfreesboro, Be Counted': Special Census available online |publisher=City of Murfreesboro |date=November 28, 2017 |access-date=December 5, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171205093647/https://www.murfreesborotn.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1881 |archive-date=December 5, 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref> According to Money.com in 2018, 136,000 people called Murfreesboro home and it would see a nearly 10% expansion of jobs in the coming years.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lim |first=Christine |date=August 28, 2018 |title=Murfreesboro, Tennessee |url=https://money.com/collection-post/murfreesboro-tennessee/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200819074918/https://money.com/collection-post/murfreesboro-tennessee/ |archive-date=August 19, 2020 |website=[[Money.com]]}}</ref>

==Economy==
===Top employers===
According to Murfreesboro's 2023 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.murfreesborotn.gov/DocumentCenter/View/28344/2023-Financial-Report-PDF |title=Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, Fiscal Year June 30, 2023 |publisher=City of Murfreesboro, Tennessee |page=208 |date=January 31, 2024 |access-date=February 23, 2025 |url-status=live }}</ref> the top employers in Rutherford County are:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! #
! Employer
! # of Employees
|-
| 1
| [[Nissan]]
| 8,000
|-
| 2
| [[Rutherford County, Tennessee|Rutherford County]] government and [[Rutherford County Schools (Tennessee)|schools]]
| 7,441
|-
| 3
| [[Amazon (company)|Amazon Fulfillment Center]]
| 2,700
|-
| 4
| City of Murfreesboro (includes schools)
| 2,388
|-
| 5
| [[Middle Tennessee State University]]
| 2,205
|-
| 6
| [[Saint Thomas - Rutherford Hospital|Ascension St. Thomas Rutherford]]
| 1,741
|-
| 7
| [[Ingram Content Group]]
| 1,700
|-
| 8
| [[Taylor Farms]]
| 1,700
|-
| 9
| [[Veterans Health Administration|Alvin C. York Veterans Administration Medical Center]]
| 1,300
|-
| 10
| [[Asurion]]
| 1,250
|}

==Arts and culture==
===Music===
Murfreesboro hosts several music-oriented events annually, such as the Main Street Jazzfest presented by MTSU's School of Music and the Main Street Association each May.<ref name="Littman2013">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/moonhandbooksten0000litt |url-access=registration |title=Tennessee |series=Moon Handbooks |publisher=Avalon Travel |first=Margaret |last=Littman |pages=[https://archive.org/details/moonhandbooksten0000litt/page/271 271]–272 |year=2013 |isbn=978-1612381503 |access-date=October 16, 2016 }}</ref><ref name="southern20140310">{{cite news |url=http://southernmanners.com/mainstreet-murfreesboro-releases-lineup-jazzfest/2534 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140310210949/http://southernmanners.com/mainstreet-murfreesboro-releases-lineup-jazzfest/2534 |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 10, 2014 |title=Main Street Murfreesboro releases lineup for JazzFest |work=Southern Manners |date=March 10, 2014 |access-date=March 26, 2014}}</ref> For over 30 years, Uncle Dave Macon Days has celebrated the musical tradition of [[Uncle Dave Macon]]. This annual July event includes national competitions for [[old-time music]] and dancing.<ref name="Littman2013"/><ref name="boropost20130626">{{cite news |url=http://www.murfreesboropost.com/uncle-dave-macon-days-celebrates-36-years-cms-36003 |title=Uncle Dave Macon Days celebrates 36 years |work=Murfreesboro Post |date=June 26, 2013 |access-date=March 26, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140331174703/http://www.murfreesboropost.com/uncle-dave-macon-days-celebrates-36-years-cms-36003 |archive-date=March 31, 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Murfreesboro also hosts an annual DIY not-for-profit music festival called Boro Fondo, which is also a bike tour and local artist feature.<ref name="fondo">{{cite news |url=https://rutherfordsource.com/murfreesboros-music-festival-releases-lineup-itinerary/ |title=Murfreesboro's music festival releases lineup, itinerary |work=Rutherford Source |date=April 17, 2014 |access-date=May 3, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180503180448/https://rutherfordsource.com/murfreesboros-music-festival-releases-lineup-itinerary/ |archive-date=May 3, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Arts===
The Murfreesboro Center for the Arts, close to the Square, entertains with a variety of exhibits, theatre arts, concerts, dances, and magic shows.<ref name="Littman2013"/> Murfreesboro Little Theatre has provided the community with popular and alternative forms of theatre arts since 1962.<ref name="boropost20130725">{{cite news |url=http://www.murfreesboropost.com/murfreesboro-little-theatre-wraps-up-50th-season-cms-36318 |title=Murfreesboro Little Theatre wraps up 50th season |work=Murfreesboro Post |first=Michelle |last=Willard |date=July 25, 2013 |access-date=March 26, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140331174552/http://www.murfreesboropost.com/murfreesboro-little-theatre-wraps-up-50th-season-cms-36318 |archive-date=March 31, 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Murfreesboro's International FolkFest began in 1982, and is held annually during the second week in June. Groups from countries spanning the globe participate in the festival, performing traditional songs and dances while attired in regional apparel.<ref name="boropost20120610">{{cite news |url=http://www.murfreesboropost.com/international-folkfest-celebrates-diversity-cms-31473 |title=International Folkfest celebrates diversity |work=Murfreesboro Post |first=Marie |last=Kemph |date=June 10, 2012 |access-date=March 26, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140331174826/http://www.murfreesboropost.com/international-folkfest-celebrates-diversity-cms-31473 |archive-date=March 31, 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Museums===
The [[Discovery Center at Murfree Spring]] is a nature center and interactive museum focusing on children and families. The facility includes {{convert|20|acre|0}} of wetlands with a variety of animals.<ref name="dnj20140221">{{cite news |url=http://www.dnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2014302220007 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140326205356/http://www.dnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2014302220007 |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 26, 2014 |title=Discovery Center adds Lifelong Learning classes |work=[[The Daily News Journal]] |date=February 21, 2014 |access-date=March 26, 2014}}</ref>

[[Bradley Academy Museum]] contains collectibles and exhibits of the first school in Rutherford County. This school was later renovated to become the only African American school in Murfreesboro, which closed in 1955.<ref name="Littman2013"/><ref name="boropost20100124">{{cite news |url=http://www.murfreesboropost.com/bradley-academy-dates-back-to-1811-cms-21514 |title=Bradley Academy dates back to 1811 |work=Murfreesboro Post |first=Mike |last=West |date=January 24, 2010 |access-date=March 30, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201165222/http://www.murfreesboropost.com/bradley-academy-dates-back-to-1811-cms-21514 |archive-date=February 1, 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[Stones River National Battlefield]] is a national park that memorializes the [[Battle of Stones River]], which took place during the American Civil War during December 31, 1862, to January 3, 1863. The grounds include a museum, a national cemetery, monuments, and the remains of a large earthen fortification called Fortress Rosecrans.<ref name="Littman2013"/>

[[Oaklands Historic House Museum]] is a 19th-century mansion which became involved in the Civil War. It was occupied as a residence until the 1950s, after which it was purchased by the City of Murfreesboro and renovated into a museum by the Oaklands Association.<ref name="Littman2013"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oaklandsmuseum.org/history.php |title=History of Oaklands Plantation |publisher=Oaklands Historic House Museum |access-date=March 30, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131127035624/http://www.oaklandsmuseum.org/history.php |archive-date=November 27, 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Earth Experience: The Middle Tennessee Museum of Natural History is the only [[natural history museum]] in Middle Tennessee. The museum opened in September 2014 and features more than 2,000 items on display, including a complete replica ''[[Tyrannosaurus rex]]'' skeleton.<ref name="dnj20140908">{{cite news |url=http://www.dnj.com/story/life/2014/09/08/earth-experience-museum-now-open/15298109/ |title=Earth Experience: Museum now open |work=Daily News Journal |first=Nancy |last=De Gennaro |date=September 8, 2014 |access-date=October 21, 2017}}</ref><ref name="sidelines20170224">{{cite news |url=http://mtsusidelines.com/2017/02/rock-on-murfreesboros-museum-of-natural-history/ |title='Rock on': Murfreesboro's Museum of Natural History |work=MTSU Sidelines |first=Caleb |last=Revill |date=February 24, 2017 |access-date=October 21, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171022033912/http://mtsusidelines.com/2017/02/rock-on-murfreesboros-museum-of-natural-history/ |archive-date=October 22, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Commerce===
Two main malls are located within the city limits. [[Stones River Mall]] is a traditional enclosed mall featuring many stores and restaurants, and [[The Avenue Murfreesboro]] is an outdoor [[Lifestyle center (retail)|lifestyle center]].

The Historic Downtown Murfreesboro district also offers a wide variety of shopping and dining experiences that encircle the pre-Civil War Courthouse.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.downtownmurfreesboro.com/ |title=Main Street Murfreesboro |work=DowntownMurfreesboro.com |access-date=March 30, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140331191224/http://www.downtownmurfreesboro.com/ |archive-date=March 31, 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Murfreesboro is the home of a [[Consolidated Mail Outpatient Pharmacy]], part of an initiative by the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide mail-order prescriptions to veterans using computerization at strategic locations throughout the United States. It is located on the campus of the [[Alvin C. York]] Veterans Hospital.

The City Center building (also known as the Swanson Building) is the tallest building in Murfreesboro. Located in the downtown area, it was built by Joseph Swanson in 1989.<ref>{{cite web |title=100 E Vine Street – City Center |url=http://www.showcase.com/property/100-E-Vine-Street/Murfreesboro/Tennessee/833742 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110415004256/http://www.showcase.com/property/100-E-Vine-Street/Murfreesboro/Tennessee/833742 |archive-date=April 15, 2011 |work=Showcase.com}}</ref> It has 15 floors, including a large penthouse, and stands {{convert|211|ft|m}} tall.<ref>{{cite web |title=City Center |url=http://www.emporis.com/building/citycenter-murfreesboro-tn-usa |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140701125552/http://www.emporis.com/building/citycenter-murfreesboro-tn-usa |archive-date=July 1, 2014 |access-date=March 30, 2014 |work=Emporis.com}}</ref> As a commercial building its tenants include [[Bank of America]] and is the headquarters for the [[National Healthcare|National Healthcare Corporation]] (NHC).

===Points of interest===
* [[Discovery Center at Murfree Spring]]
* Geographic center of Tennessee
* [[Middle Tennessee State University]]
* [[Oaklands Historic House Museum]]
* [[Stones River Greenway Arboretum]]
* [[Stones River National Battlefield]]

==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. Visitors can view the grist mill, school house, doctor's office, Leeman House, Caboose, Wedding Chapel, and other points of interest. It is also home to the [[World's Largest Cedar Bucket]].<ref name="Littman2013"/><ref name="boro-cannon">{{cite web |url=http://www.murfreesborotn.gov/index.aspx?nid=164 |title=Cannonsburgh Village |publisher=City of Murfreesboro |access-date=March 30, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209053651/http://murfreesborotn.gov/index.aspx?NID=164 |archive-date=February 9, 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Old Fort Park and Golf Course|Old Fort Park]] is a {{convert|50|acre|m2|adj=on}} park which includes baseball fields, tennis courts, children's playground, an 18-hole championship golf course, picnic shelters and bike trail.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.murfreesborotn.gov/government/parks_rec/Parks/old_fort.htm |title=Old Fort Park |publisher=City of Murfreesboro |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080720074029/http://www.murfreesborotn.gov/government/parks_rec/Parks/old_fort.htm |archive-date=July 20, 2008}}</ref>

Barfield Crescent Park is a {{convert|430|acre|m2|adj=on}} facility with eight baseball fields, {{convert|7|mi|km}} of biking/running trails, an 18-hole championship [[disc golf]] course, and ten picnic shelters.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.murfreesborotn.gov/index.aspx?nid=181 |title=Barfield Crescent Park |publisher=City of Murfreesboro |access-date=March 30, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209054742/http://murfreesborotn.gov/index.aspx?NID=181 |archive-date=February 9, 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Murfreesboro Greenway System is a system of [[Greenway (landscape)|greenways]] with {{convert|12|mi|km}} of paved paths and 11 trail heads.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.murfreesborotn.gov/default.aspx?ekmenu=126&id=3044 |title=Murfreesboro Greenway system |publisher=City of Murfreesboro |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130118130957/http://murfreesborotn.gov/default.aspx?ekmenu=126&id=3044 |archive-date=January 18, 2013}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://wgnsradio.com/concerns-and-enthusiasm-over-greenway-expansion-clash-at-city-council-meeting-cms-11578 |title=Concerns and Enthusiasm Over Greenway Expansion Clash at City Council Meeting |work=WGNS |date=March 7, 2013 |access-date=March 30, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140713003415/http://wgnsradio.com/concerns-and-enthusiasm-over-greenway-expansion-clash-at-city-council-meeting-cms-11578 |archive-date=July 13, 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Government==
{{see also|Mayoral elections in Murfreesboro, Tennessee}}
The city council has six members, all elected [[at-large]] for four-year terms, on staggered schedules with elections every two years. The mayor is also elected at large. City council members have responsibilities for various city departments.

{{hidden begin|title=List of mayors of Murfreesboro, Tennessee|titlestyle=background:#F8F8FF;width:80%}}
* Joshua Haskell, 1818<ref>{{cite book |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/publication02ruth#page/n85/mode/2up |chapter=Mayors of Murfreesboro, 1818-1973 |title=Publication No. 2 |publisher=Rutherford County Historical Society |location=Murfreesboro, TN |via=Internet Archive |first=W. H. |last=Westbrooks |pages=37–38 |date=Winter 1973}} {{free access}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/tennesseecountyh75pitt#page/132/mode/2up |chapter=Appendix B: Mayors of Murfreesboro |title=Rutherford County |series=Tennessee County History Series |publisher=Memphis State University Press |via=Internet Archive |first=Mabel |last=Pittard |editor-first=Robert E. |editor-last=Corlew III |pages=132–133 |date=1984 |isbn=0-87870-182-6 |oclc=6820526}} {{free access}}</ref>
* David Wendel, 1819
* Robert Purdy, 1820
* Henry Holmes, 1821
* W. R. Rucker, 1822–1823
* John Jones, 1824
* Wm. Ledbetter, 1825, 1827
* John Smith, 1828, 1830
* Edward Fisher, 1829, 1836, 1839
* James C. Moore, 1831
* Charles Ready, 1832
* Charles Niles, 1833
* Marman Spence, 1834
* M. Spence, 1835
* L. H. Carney, 1837
* [[Edwin Augustus Keeble]], 1838, 1855
* G. A. Sublett, 1840
* B. W. Farmer, 1841–1842, 1845–1846
* Henderson King Yoakum, 1843
* Wilson Thomas, 1844
* John Leiper, 1847–1848
* Charles Ready, 1849–1853, 1867
* F. Henry, 1854
* [[Joseph B. Palmer]], 1856–1859
* John W. Burton, 1860–1861
* John E. Dromgoole, 1862
* James Monro Tompkins, 1863–1864
* R. D. Reed, 1865–1866
* E. L. Jordan, 1868–1869
* Thomas B. Darragh, 1870
* Joseph A. January 1871
* I. B. Collier, 1872–1873
* J. B. Murfree, 1874–1875
* H. H. Kerr, 1876
* H. H. Clayton, 1877
* N. C. Collier, 1878–1879
* Jas. Clayton, 1880–1881
* E. F. Burton, 1882–1883
* J. M. Overall, 1884–1885
* H. E. Palmer, 1886–1887
* Tom H. Woods, 1888–1895
* J. T. Wrather, 1896–1897
* J. O. Oslin, 1898–1899
* J. H. Chrichlow, 1900–1909
* G. B. Giltner, 1910–1918
* N. C. Maney, 1919–1922, 1932–1934
* Al D. McKnight, 1923–1931
* W. T. Gerhardt, 1934–1936, 1941–1942
* W. A. Miles, 1937–1940, 1943–1946
* John T. Holloway, 1947–1950
* Jennings A. Jones, 1951–1954
* A. L. Todd Jr., 1955–1964
* William Hollis Westbrooks, 1965-1982<ref name="murfpost20130908">{{cite news |url=https://www.murfreesboropost.com/news/former-mayors-honored-with-street-names/article_03b71c81-509b-51c9-a350-144222914d7b.html |title=Former mayors honored with street names |work=Murfreesboro Post |date=September 8, 2013 |access-date=January 7, 2018}}</ref>
* Joe B. Jackson, 1982-1998<ref name="murfpost20080422">{{cite news |url=https://www.murfreesboropost.com/news/update-former-mayor-joe-b-jackson-dies/article_89f7fdf8-f4f1-584d-a07a-b8fb7219cf6c.html |title=Update: Former Mayor Joe B. Jackson dies |work=Murfreesboro Post |date=April 22, 2008 |access-date=January 29, 2018}}</ref><ref name="Record1998">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=82F4jvxVUnoC&pg=PA8577 |section=Honoring the Distinguished Career of Mayor Joe B. Jackson |title=Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the 105th Congress, Second Session |publisher=Government Printing Office |first=Bart |last=Gordon |volume=144 |issue=6 |page=8577 |date=May 7, 1998|isbn=9780160857072 }}</ref>
* Richard Reeves, 1998-2002<ref name="murfpost20130908" />
* Tommy Bragg, 2002-2014<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.murfreesboropost.com/end-of-the-bragg-era--cms-39113 |title=End of 'The Bragg Era' |work=The Murfreesboro Post |first=Jonathon |last=Fagan |date=April 27, 2014 |access-date=August 25, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170825184559/http://www.murfreesboropost.com/end-of-the-bragg-era--cms-39113 |archive-date=August 25, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Shane McFarland]], 2014–present<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.murfreesborotn.gov/497/Mayor |title=Mayor: Shane McFarland |publisher=City of Murfreesboro |access-date=August 25, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170825194602/http://www.murfreesborotn.gov/497/Mayor |archive-date=August 25, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>
{{hidden end}}

==Education==
Elementary education within the city is overseen by [[Murfreesboro City Schools]] (MCS). MCS focuses on prekindergarten through sixth grade learning.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cityschools.net/schools |title=Schools |publisher=Murfreesboro City Schools |access-date=August 16, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130729031131/http://www.cityschools.net/schools |archive-date=July 29, 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> The city has 12 schools serving 8,800 students between grades [[Pre-kindergarten|pre-K]] through 6th.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.cityschools.net/mcs/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/MCS-Community-Report-2017.pdf |title=Community Report |publisher=Murfreesboro City Schools |year=2017 |access-date=February 27, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180413060648/http://www.cityschools.net/mcs/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/MCS-Community-Report-2017.pdf |archive-date=April 13, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Secondary schools are overseen by [[Rutherford County Schools (Tennessee)|Rutherford County Schools]], which has 50 schools and a student population of over 49,000.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://1.cdn.edl.io/vHCpnEAPvK39m0tD9hJzQbu8UCbviqy6lB4HSvjnPNzaIENI.pdf |title=Fact Book and Annual Report |publisher=[[Rutherford County Schools (Tennessee)|Rutherford County Schools]] |date=May 2018 |access-date=February 27, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181219044138/https://1.cdn.edl.io/vHCpnEAPvK39m0tD9hJzQbu8UCbviqy6lB4HSvjnPNzaIENI.pdf |archive-date=December 19, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Japanese Supplementary School in Middle Tennessee (JSMT, 中部テネシー日本語補習校 ''Chūbu Teneshī Nihongo Hoshūkō''), a [[Hoshuko|weekend Japanese education program]], holds its classes in Peck Hall at [[Middle Tennessee State University]], while its school offices are in Jefferson Square.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jsmt.org/?page_id=148 |title=所在地・連絡先 |publisher=Japanese Supplementary School in Middle Tennessee |archive-url=https://archive.today/20150406023335/http://www.jsmt.org/?page_id=148 |archive-date=April 6, 2015 |access-date=April 5, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Media==
{{see also|List of newspapers in Tennessee|List of radio stations in Tennessee|List of television stations in Tennessee}}
Murfreesboro is serviced by the following media outlets:

Newspapers:
*''[[The Daily News Journal]]''
*''The Murfreesboro Post''
*''The Murfreesboro Pulse''
*''Sidelines'' – MTSU student newspaper
*''Rutherford Source''
*''[[The Sword of the Lord]]''

Radio:
*[[WGNS]] – Talk radio
*[[WMOT]] – MTSU [[public radio]] station
*[[WMTS-FM]] – MTSU free-form student-run station
*WRHW-LP - [[3ABN Radio]] Christian

TV:
*City TV Murfreesboro, Channel 3 – [[government-access television|Government-access]] [[cable television|television channel]]
*MTN – MTSU student-run educational-access television channel

==Infrastructure==
===Transportation===
Murfreesboro is served by [[Nashville International Airport]] ([[International Air Transport Association airport code|IATA code]] BNA), [[Smyrna Airport (Tennessee)|Smyrna Airport]] (MQY) and [[Murfreesboro Municipal Airport]] (MBT). The city also benefits from several [[highway]]s running through the city, including [[Interstate 24 in Tennessee|Interstates&nbsp;24]] and [[Interstate 840 (Tennessee)|840]]; U.S. Routes [[U.S. Route 41 in Tennessee|41]], [[U.S. Route 70S (Tennessee)|70S]], and [[U.S. Route 231 (Tennessee)|231]]; and State Routes [[Tennessee State Route 1|1]], [[Tennessee State Route 2|2]], [[Tennessee State Route 10|10]], [[Tennessee State Route 96|96]], [[Tennessee State Route 99|99]], and [[Tennessee State Route 268|268]].

Industry also has access to north–south [[Rail transport|rail service]] with the rail line from Nashville to Chattanooga. Into the latter 1940s the [[Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway]]'s #3/#4 (Memphis - Nashville - Atlanta) served Murfreesboro.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Ry, Table 1 |journal=Official Guide of the Railways |publisher=National Railway Publication Company |volume=78 |issue=12 |date=May 1946}}</ref> By 1950 that train's route was shortened to Nashville - Atlanta. Until 1965 the [[Louisville & Nashville]]'s ''[[Dixie Flyer (train)|Dixie Flyer]]'' (Chicago - Florida) made a stop in the town on its route. Likewise, the #3/#2 (renumbered from #3/4) continued to that period as an overnight train between Nashville and Atlanta, also making a stop in town.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Louisville and Nashville, Table 2 |journal=Official Guide of the Railways |publisher=National Railway Publication Company |volume=94 |issue=1 |date=June 1961}}</ref>

====Public transportation====
In April 2007 the City of Murfreesboro established a public transportation system with nine small buses, each capable of holding sixteen people and including two spaces for wheelchairs. The system is called Rover; the buses are bright green with Rover and a cartoon dog painted on the side. {{As of|2019}}, buses operate in six major corridors: Memorial Boulevard, Gateway, Old Fort Parkway, South Church Street, Highland Avenue and Mercury Boulevard.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://murfreesborotn.gov/248/Public-Transit---Rover-Bus-System |title=Public Transit - Rover Bus System |publisher=City of Murfreesboro |access-date=May 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401051606/http://www.murfreesborotn.gov/248/Public-Transit---Rover-Bus-System |archive-date=April 1, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>

A one-way fare is {{US$|1.00}} for adults, {{US$|0.50}} for children 6–16 and seniors 65 and over, and free for children under 6. The system operates Monday to Friday, 6:00&nbsp;a.m. to 6:00&nbsp;p.m.<ref name="roverbegins">{{cite news |url=http://www.murfreesborotn.gov/news/roverbegins.htm |title='Rover' bus service set to begin in early April |publisher=City of Murfreesboro |access-date=March 22, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070502191425/http://www.murfreesborotn.gov/news/roverbegins.htm |archive-date=May 2, 2007}}</ref><ref name="rover">{{cite news |title=Work begins on Rover bus fleet |work=Daily News Journal |first=Turner |last=Hutchens |date=January 5, 2007}}</ref>

==Notable people==
*[[Jerry Anderson (safety)|Jerry Anderson]] (1953–1989), football player
*[[Rankin Barbee]] (1874–1958), journalist and author
*[[Ronnie Barrett]] (born 1954), firearms manufacturer
*[[Rex Brothers]] (born 1987), [[Major League Baseball]] pitcher, currently on the [[Chicago Cubs]]
*[[James M. Buchanan]] (1919–2013), economist
*[[Bryan M. Clayton]] - businessman and real estate investor, CEO and cofounder of [[GreenPal]]
*[[Reno Collier]], stand-up comedian
*[[Crystal Dangerfield]] (born 1998), [[Los Angeles Sparks]] point guard
*[[Marisa Davila]] (born 1997), actress and singer <ref name="DNJ">{{Cite web|url= https://eu.dnj.com/story/life/2016/03/11/murfreesboros-marisa-davila-earns-roles-tv-shows/81653366/ |title= Murfreesboro's Marisa Davila earns roles on TV shows |first= Nancy |last= De Gennaro |publisher= Daily News Journal |date=March 11, 2016}}</ref> 
*[[Colton Dixon]] (born 1991), singer
*[[Will Allen Dromgoole]], (1860–1934), author and poet
*[[Harold Earthman]] (1900–1987), politician
*[[Mary Ann Eckles]] (born 1947), politician
*[[Corn Elder]] (born 1994), football player
*[[Jeff Givens]] (died 2013), horse trainer
*[[Bart Gordon]] (born 1949), politician and lawyer
*[[Francis Avent Gumm]] (1886–1935), vaudevillian, theater manager, and father of [[Judy Garland]]
*[[Joe Black Hayes]] (1915–2013), football player
*[[James Sanders Holman]] (1804–1867), 1st [[Mayor of Houston|mayor]] of [[Houston, Texas]]<ref>{{cite web | last=Holman | first=Dixon W. | title=James Sanders Holman | work=Handbook of Texas Online | url=https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/holman-james-sanders | date=March 3, 2017 | access-date= November 24, 2023 | publisher=Texas State Historical Association}}</ref>
*[[Montori Hughes]] (born 1990), football player
*[[Yolanda Hughes-Heying]] (born 1963), professional [[Female bodybuilding|female bodybuilder]]
*[[Robert James (defensive back)|Robert James]] (born 1947), football player
*[[Marshall Keeble]] (1878–1962), [[African American]] [[preacher]]
*[[Muhammed Lawal]] (born 1981), mixed martial artist
*[[Mike Liles]] (1945–2022), businessman and politician
*[[Sondra Locke]] (1944–2018), actress and director
*[[Andrew Nelson Lytle]] (1902–1995), novelist, dramatist, essayist and professor
*[[Jean MacArthur]] (1898–2000), wife of U.S. Army General of the Army [[Douglas MacArthur]]
*[[Bayer Mack]] (born 1972), filmmaker, journalist and founder of [[Block Starz Music]].
*[[Matt Mahaffey]] (born 1973), record producer and recording engineer
*[[Marvin Maple]] (1936–2016), grandfather arrested at age 73 for kidnapping two of his grandchildren more than 20 years earlier
*[[Philip D. McCulloch Jr.]] (1851–1928), politician
*[[Ridley McLean]] (1872–1933), [[United States Navy]] [[Rear admiral (United States)#Rear admiral|Rear Admiral]]
*[[Alvin and Judith Neelley|Judith Ann Neelley]] (born 1964), double murderer<ref>{{Cite book |last=Newton |first=Michael |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DwNVbOcTncwC&pg=PA192 |title=The Encyclopedia of Serial Killers |date=February 2006 |publisher=Infobase Publishing |isbn=978-0-8160-6987-3 |pages=192 |language=en}}</ref>
*[[William Northcott]] (1854–1917), lieutenant governor of Illinois
*[[Andre Alice Norton]] (1912–2005), author of science fiction and fantasy
*[[Joseph B. Palmer]] (1825–1890), lawyer, legislator, and soldier
*[[Sarah Childress Polk]] (1803–1891), First Lady of the United States
*[[Patrick Porter]], singer-songwriter
*[[David Price (baseball)|David Price]] (born 1985), [[Major League Baseball]] pitcher
*[[Grantland Rice]] (1880–1954), iconic sportswriter, journalist and poet
*[[Darryl Sage]] (born 1965), racing driver
*[[Mary Scales]] (1928–2013), professor and civic leader
*[[Robert W. Scales]] (1926–2000), Vice-Mayor of Murfreesboro
*[[Margaret Rhea Seddon]] (born 1947), [[NASA]] astronaut
*[[Adam Smith (American football)|Adam Smith]] (born 1990), [[Arena Football League]] player
*[[Chuck Taylor (baseball)|Chuck Taylor]] (born 1942), Major League Baseball relief pitcher
*[[Audrey Whitby]] (born 1996), actress
*[[Barry E. Wilmore|Barry Wilmore]] (born 1962), [[NASA]] astronaut
*[[Chris Young (singer)|Chris Young]] (born 1985), country music artist

==Notable bands==
{{columns-list|colwidth=40em|
*[[Abated Mass of Flesh]], [[brutal death metal]]
*[[Destroy Destroy Destroy]], [[Heavy metal music|heavy metal]]
*[[De Novo Dahl]], [[indie rock]]
*[[Feable Weiner]], [[power pop]]
*[[Fluid Ounces (band)|Fluid Ounces]], power pop
*[[Flummox (band)|Flummox]], [[avant-garde metal]]
*[[Glossary (band)|Glossary]], [[Independent music|indie]] [[rock and roll]]/[[Americana (music)|Americana]]
*[[The Katies]], power pop
*[[The Plain (band)|The Plain]], rock
*[[The Protomen]], [[Rock_opera|rock opera]]
*[[Self (band)|Self]], alternative pop/rock
*[[The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza]], [[mathcore]]
*[[Velcro Stars]], pop
}}

==See also==
{{Portal|United States}}
*[[Blackman, Tennessee]]
*[[Boxwood (Murfreesboro, Tennessee)]]
*[[Barrett Firearms Manufacturing]]
*[[First Presbyterian Church (Murfreesboro, Tennessee)]]
*[[Murfreesboro Musicians]]
*[[Murphy Center]]
*[[Evergreen Cemetery (Murfreesboro, Tennessee)|Evergreen Cemetery]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{See also|Timeline of Murfreesboro, Tennessee#Bibliography|l1=Bibliography of the history of Murfreesboro, Tennessee}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* {{official website|http://www.murfreesborotn.gov/}}

{{Rutherford County, Tennessee}}
{{Nashville Metro}}
{{Tennessee}}
{{Tennessee county seats}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Murfreesboro, Tennessee| ]]
[[Category:Cities in Tennessee]]
[[Category:Cities in Rutherford County, Tennessee]]
[[Category:County seats in Tennessee]]
[[Category:Former state capitals in the United States|Tennessee]]
[[Category:Cities in Nashville metropolitan area]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1811]]
[[Category:1811 establishments in Tennessee]]