Murfreesboro is a city in Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. The population was 152,769 at the 2020 census (estimated at 173,625 in 2025). Located southeast of downtown Nashville, it is part of the Nashville metropolitan area in Middle Tennessee.
Settled in 1811, Murfreesboro was the state capital of Tennessee from 1818 to 1826. Today, it is the largest suburb of Nashville and the sixth-most populous city in the state. The city is both the center of population 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. Murfreesboro is home to Middle Tennessee State University, one of the largest undergraduate universities in the state.
History
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. The name was shortened to Murfreesboro in January 1812, when the town was formally chartered.
As Tennessee settlement expanded to the west, the location of the state capital in 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 Eight years later, however, it was superseded by Nashville.
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. 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 south to Tullahoma. Even so, the Union army did not 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 Chattanooga and Atlanta. The Union eventually divided the territory into the Eastern and 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 Fortress Rosecrans, some northwest of the town. The fortifications covered about and were the largest built during the war. Fortress Rosecrans consisted of eight lunettes, four redoubts, 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. 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. 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. 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. The city has also attracted numerous international students to the university.
Mosque controversy
Beginning in 2010, the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro faced protests related to its plan to build a new 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. Construction equipment was also torched by arsonists.
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. The center has a permanent membership of around 250 families and a few hundred students from the university. 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. In October 2023, the American Civil Liberties Union filed suit against the city, in response to the ban and, in December 2023, the ordinance was repealed.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which , or 0.54%, is covered by water. As of 2013, however, the city reported its total area as .
Murfreesboro is the geographic center of the state of Tennessee. A stone monument marks the official site on Old Lascassas Pike, about north of 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 creek suffer from pollution due to the urban environment and its use as a storm-water runoff.
Murfreesboro 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.
Murfreesboro has been in the path of destructive tornadoes several times. On April 10, 2009, a low-end EF4 tornado with estimated wind speeds up to 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.
Climate Being in the Sun Belt, Murfreesboro's climate is humid subtropical (Cfa) under the Köppen system, with mild winters and hot, humid summers. Under the Trewartha system, it is an oceanic (Do) climate due to five months of winter chill (having monthly means below ); however, Murfreesboro is close to being humid subtropical (Cf) even under Trewartha (March falls short of the threshold), supported by the fact that subtropical plants like southern magnolia trees and the occasional dwarf palmetto and 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 on January 26, 1940, to a record high of on August 16, 1954. 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 of rain. The dry season runs from August through January with a September low of and a secondary December peak of . Snowfall rarely exceeds .
Demographics
As of the 2020 census, 152,769 people lived in the city.
Racial and ethnic composition +Murfreesboro city, Tennessee – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 2000Pop 2010% 2000% 2010White alone (NH)53,96379,47194,94178.42%73.07%62.15%Black or African American alone (NH)9,50616,33329,41613.81%15.02%19.26%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)1732923980.25%0.27%0.26%Asian alone (NH)1,8413,6285,7482.68%3.34%3.76%Pacific Islander alone (NH)1543900.02%0.04%0.06%Some other race alone (NH)691318150.10%0.12%0.53%Mixed or multiracial (NH)8192,4047,4431.19%2.21%4.87%Hispanic or Latino (any race)2,4306,45313,9183.53%5.93%9.11%Total68,816108,755152,769100.00%100.00%100.00%
2020 census As of the 2020 census, Murfreesboro had a population of 152,769. The median age was 31.9 years. 23.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 10.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 93.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 90.2 males age 18 and over.
99.5% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.5% lived in rural areas.
There were 58,999 households in Murfreesboro, of which 33.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 41.4% were married-couple households, 19.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 31.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 28.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 62,905 housing units, of which 6.2% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.3%.
2010 census As of the 2010 census, 108,755 people were living in the city. The 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.