Middle Tennessee State University Parent Guide
Life in Rutherford County
The population of Rutherford County was 118,570 in 1990 and officials now estimate the total to be more than 262,000, with 104,232 living in Murfreesboro.
The economic impact of MTSU on Rutherford and Davidson counties amounts to more than $1 billion each year. The annual boys and girls TSSAA State High School Tournaments at MTSU provide a $6.5 million economic impact to Rutherford County each year.
A dozen tourism sites in Rutherford County are devoted to the Civil War. This stems from the 1860s Battle of Stones River in Murfreesboro that saw 24,000 casualties, making it one of the bloodiest battles of the war.
Rutherford County is the geographic center of Tennessee, located southeast of Nashville on the major interstate (I-24) corridor between Nashville and Chattanooga. Chief topographic features are the Stones River and J. Percy Priest Lake. Rutherford County encompasses 612 square miles, and the average elevation is 619 feet above sea level.
