Murfreesboro, Tennessee
From Freepedia
Murfreesboro is a city located in Rutherford County, Tennessee. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 68,816. It is the county seat of Rutherford County6.
Although Murfreesboro is sometimes considered a suburb or exurb of Nashville, Tennessee, it is far enough away and has a large enough population to maintain a separate identity from its larger neighbor.
Murfreesboro is the location of Middle Tennessee State University.
Among many Middle Tennesseans, the city's name is pronounced "MER-fiss-burra", "MURPHYS-burrow" or "MER-friss-burra."
Murfreesboro is one of the fastest growing cities in the country. From 1990 to 2000, the town's population grew 50%, from 46,000 to 69,000.
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History
In 1811, the Tennessee State Legislature established a county seat for Rutherford County. The town was first named "Cannonsburgh" in honor of Tennessee politician Newton Cannon, but was soon renamed "Murfreesboro" for Revolutionary War hero Colonel Hardy Murfree, later the great-grandfather of author Mary Noailles Murfree.
As Tennessee grew westward, it became clear that having the state capital in Knoxville would be a burden to those who had to travel from the western end of the state. So in 1819, Murfreesboro became the capital of Tennessee until 1826, when Nashville became the state capital.
On December 31, 1862, the Battle of Stones River, also called the Battle of Murfreesboro, was fought near Murfreesboro. This was a major engagement of the American Civil War. After the battle, Murfreesboro was used as a supply depot for the Union Army. Stones River National Battlefield is now an historical site.
Geography
Murfreesboro is located at 35°51'28" North, 86°23'41" West (35.857700, -86.394725)1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 101.5 km² (39.2 mi²). 101.0 km² (39.0 mi²) of it is land and 0.5 km² (0.2 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.54% water.
Murfreesboro is the geographic center of the state of Tennessee. A stone monument marks the official site on Old Lascassas Pike, about a half-mile (800m) north of MTSU.
Transportation
Murfreesboro is served by Nashville International Airport (IATA Airport Code BNA).
Murfreesboro has many highways through the city. These include the following:
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 68,816 people, 26,511 households, and 15,747 families residing in the city. The population density is 681.5/km² (1,764.9/mi²). There are 28,815 housing units at an average density of 285.3/km² (739.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 79.85% White, 13.89% African American, 0.28% Native American, 2.69% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.88% from other races, and 1.38% from two or more races. 3.53% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 26,511 households out of which 30.7% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.8% are married couples living together, 11.9% have a female householder with no husband present, and 40.6% are non-families. 28.3% of all households are made up of individuals and 7.0% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.42 and the average family size is 3.02.
In the city the population is spread out with 22.7% under the age of 18, 20.5% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 17.3% from 45 to 64, and 8.8% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 29 years. For every 100 females there are 98.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 97.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $39,705, and the median income for a family is $52,654. Males have a median income of $36,078 versus $26,531 for females. The per capita income for the city is $20,219. 14.1% of the population and 8.2% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 12.0% of those under the age of 18 and 11.1% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Notable natives
- James M. Buchanan, Nobel Prize-winning economist
- Bart Gordon, U.S. Congressman
- Jean MacArthur, wife of Gen. Douglas MacArthur
- Mary Noailles Murfree, author
- Hardy Murfree, Revolutionary War colonel
- Sarah Childress Polk, First Lady of the United States; wife of Pres. James K. Polk
- Grantland Rice, sportswriter
- M. Rhea Seddon, astronaut
- Andre Norton, science fiction and fantasy writer
- Matt Mahaffey, musician
- Will Allen Dromgoole, author
External links
- City web page
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Local or Yahoo! Maps
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
- Satellite image from Google Local or Microsoft Virtual Earth
