About 174,000 people live in Murfreesboro, a growing college and commuter city roughly 34 miles southeast of Nashville that was Tennessee's capital from 1818 to 1826. Middle Tennessee State University sets the rhythm, with football games in the fall and a student crowd around campus. The locals call it the Boro, and there is a running joke that it is the center of the universe.
History lovers should see Stones River National Battlefield and Oaklands Mansion. The Historic Downtown Square has shops, restaurants and the Christmas tree lighting, and the greenway and Old Fort Park give people room to walk. Families tend to choose Blackman and Siegel, while the university area is where the students are. Costs are close to the national average, which is a relief compared with Nashville, and home prices have flattened after a fast run. The tradeoffs are spring tornado season, flash flooding and hot humid summers. Crime is near or a bit above the state average, mostly property crime.
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- Known as
- Center of the Universe (Tennessee's geographic-center joke); Home of Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU); Former state capital (1818-1826); Boro
- Founded
- 1811 settled; 1817 incorporated; state capital of Tennessee 1818 to 1826
- Languages
- English; Spanish; Arabic; Kurdish; Vietnamese; Burmese and other refugee community languages
- Airports
- Nashville International (BNA), about 30 miles northwest; Murfreesboro Municipal (MQY) is general aviation only, no commercial service; Huntsville International (HSV), about 100 miles south
- Tipping
- Restaurants 18-20%; bars $1-2 per drink; taxis and rideshare 15-20%; hotel housekeeping $3-5 per night; bellhops $2-5 per bag; food delivery 15-20%; counter service optional
About this data
Population 173,625 is the 2025 estimate cited on Wikipedia (Census QuickFacts returned a server error); land area 63.99 sq mi from Wikipedia; Redfin price current as of Aug 2026. Metro figure 2,150,000 is the Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin MSA shared with Nashville (Murfreesboro is not the anchor). Elevation, hotel ranges, tipping, cost of living, rent, event months, crime and airport distances are approximate or from general knowledge; lower confidence. Visitor URL is the Rutherford County CVB site seen in search results; calendar is the city special events page. URLs not load-tested.
