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We are considering a move to TN and I was wondering what Murfreesboro is like. We have a 6 yr old and a 2 yr old, so schools are a priority. What public schools there are best? Seems like a nice town.. close to Nashville, MTSU is there, etc.. Any info would be really appreciated!
"Tn school rules" has quite a thread on the schools in that area. It could be just an isolated incident but you might be able to PM that person who posted it who lives there for more information.
We are considering a move to TN and I was wondering what Murfreesboro is like. We have a 6 yr old and a 2 yr old, so schools are a priority. What public schools there are best? Seems like a nice town.. close to Nashville, MTSU is there, etc.. Any info would be really appreciated!
I have four children and have lived in Murfreesboro for almost nine years now. It is often referred to as a "college town" because of MTSU. However, our explosion of growth has caused a major change in this "town" which is now a true "city" and offers basically anything you would want or need. If you do wish to commute to Nashville, it is a fairly easy drive unless you are caught up in the daily rush hour grind which can be grueling.
Murfreesboro is very family oriented and you will find many activities here for young children. There are several parks and a wonderful Greenway walking/biking trail that my girls always enjoy. We have a wonderful Discovery Center children's museum, live theatre of the Performing Arts which offers various plays and puts on some wonderful children's plays as well. We have an existing mall which is renovating and expanding, and a new upscale mall is currently under construction on Medical Center Parkway which will open in the fall of this year and have over 200 retail stores.
As far as dining, there is everything here from five star gourmet restaurants, to franchises like Bonefish Grill, Carrabas, Outbacks, Chilis, and almost every other franchise or fast-food chain you could think of. There are numerous festivals that take place in the historic downtown area like Jazz Festival, Children's Festival, Children's Parade, and many, many other events. MTSU has a wonderful horse arena and hosts many horse shows, from Western to Walking Horses that my girl's also enjoy going to.
Recreational sports are huge with a multi-million soccer complex that just opened last year. Baseball, softball, football, basketball, cheerleading, gymnatics, karate, dance, theatrical performance, and even voice, piano, and fencing can all be found here. From children's level through high school and college, you will have unlimited activities for your children.
Housing prices here are still very affordable and you will get a lot of home for your money. You will find lots of new construction here but lot sizes in most new developments are around .25 - .35 acres. If you purchase an existing home then larger lots are easier to find. Land here is now selling at a premium and developers like to divide the new developments into small lots (which is my only complaint right now about our wonderful town!)
Employment opportunites are good here and our economy is very strong. Our Chamber of Commerce has done an excellent job in promoting Rutherford County and attracting new businesses and corporations to move into this area.
I think I could write pages about Murfreesboro! I hope this helps shed a little light on this town for you. Feel free to PM or email me if you need specific information about anything. I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have.
We are considering a move to TN and I was wondering what Murfreesboro is like. We have a 6 yr old and a 2 yr old, so schools are a priority. What public schools there are best? Seems like a nice town.. close to Nashville, MTSU is there, etc.. Any info would be really appreciated!
Yesterday's Tennessean in Nashville had a big article about school overcrowding in Nashville's suburbs, particularly in Murfreesboro and Rutherford County. The county is growing so quickly, something like 2,000 new students PER YEAR, they're having a hard time keeping up with the growth. It's led to overcrowded schools, lots of trailers at schools, frustrated teachers and parents, etc. Murfreesboro has become a victim of its own success.
Yesterday's Tennessean in Nashville had a big article about school overcrowding in Nashville's suburbs, particularly in Murfreesboro and Rutherford County. The county is growing so quickly, something like 2,000 new students PER YEAR, they're having a hard time keeping up with the growth. It's led to overcrowded schools, lots of trailers at schools, frustrated teachers and parents, etc. Murfreesboro has become a victim of its own success.
Actually the article was directed at the overcrowding problem in the entire Middle TN area and talked a lot about the Wilson County system, as well as Sumner and Williamson in addition to Rutherford. To quote one of the opening paragraphs, it stated "All the area's districts have something in common: Schools are overcrowded, and the growth shows no signs of slowing."
Yes, we are growing and schools are crowded. I believe the article stated Sumner and Williamson are experiencing 14% overcrowding and Rutherford is at 26%. Rapid growth brings in new students and the county has already built two brand new high schools and numerous elementary schools to accomodate for this growth. As the article stated, county officials have an aggressive building plan ~ just like Williamson County ~ for the next ten years which calls for approximately $500 million for new school buildings. For 2006, there were 32,704 students enrolled in Rutherford and 1,999 students for a student/teacher ratio of 16.36 while neighboring Williamson County enrolled 25,440 students and 1,561 teacher for a student/teacher ratio of 16.29. The % of core courses taught by highly qualified teachers in Williamson County in 2006 was 99.4% and Rutherford County reflected 98.5%.
Murfreesboro is not perfect but our schools are very good and the county is working hard to provide adequate buildings. Our system isn't perfect but it isn't that bad either! Our schools do very well, especially given our tax base here that the county has to work with compared to Williamson County.
Actually the article was directed at the overcrowding problem in the entire Middle TN area and talked a lot about the Wilson County system, as well as Sumner and Williamson in addition to Rutherford. To quote one of the opening paragraphs, it stated "All the area's districts have something in common: Schools are overcrowded, and the growth shows no signs of slowing."
Yes, we are growing and schools are crowded. I believe the article stated Sumner and Williamson are experiencing 14% overcrowding and Rutherford is at 26%. Rapid growth brings in new students and the county has already built two brand new high schools and numerous elementary schools to accomodate for this growth. As the article stated, county officials have an aggressive building plan ~ just like Williamson County ~ for the next ten years which calls for approximately $500 million for new school buildings. For 2006, there were 32,704 students enrolled in Rutherford and 1,999 students for a student/teacher ratio of 16.36 while neighboring Williamson County enrolled 25,440 students and 1,561 teacher for a student/teacher ratio of 16.29. The % of core courses taught by highly qualified teachers in Williamson County in 2006 was 99.4% and Rutherford County reflected 98.5%.
Murfreesboro is not perfect but our schools are very good and the county is working hard to provide adequate buildings. Our system isn't perfect but it isn't that bad either! Our schools do very well, especially given our tax base here that the county has to work with compared to Williamson County.
It sure sounds like parts of the Nashville area are becoming like parts of Florida--rapid growth, overcrowded schools, lots of traffic. I personally would prefer to live in the city of Nashville as opposed to suburbs like Murfreesboro, but I also don't have kids to worry about. If I did, I don't know what I'd do since apparently all of Nashville's suburbs are experiencing breakneck growth that's sapping school resources. I guess someplace like Dickson would be a better compromise since it's not growing nearly as rapidly as Rutherford, Wilson and Sumner counties (especially Rutherford). Williamson County, as reported in the Tennessean, has the fewest number of mobile home classrooms, but then you have the high cost of living in Williamson County which prohibits most of us from even dreaming of living there.
I remember visiting Murfreesboro about 20 years ago, and back then it was a lovely town. But it's more than tripled in population since then, and now it's just another booming suburb with cookie-cutter subdivisions and overcrowded schools. It's so sad. I just hope Knoxville and its suburbs don't become another Nashville.
Thank you so much for your reply, it was very informative. Murfreesboro sounds like a great place for families! I really appreciate your help. What particular areas of Murfreesboro are the nicest? We would probably be looking for a newer subdivision or at least fairly new. Can you specifically recommend any of the public schools? Thanks for all your help!!
My wife and I just moved here over a month ago and we live west of town where it's booming. Although I can't speak on the whole city and this is just my opinion, try the Blackman school area west of I-24 and M'Boro on Hwy 96 (Old Fort Pkwy). There are plenty of houses there and some older brick ranch style homes with decent yards. I've also seen some nice homes north/northeast of town off Memorial pkwy and Northfield Blvd. and south as well. If you want to be out of city limits but around 15 min. away, check out Readyville toward Woodbury. Beautiful area and lots of land out there. Probably best to stay away from MTSU campus since that's where most of the college students rent homes and apts. As the previous posts mentioned, Rutherford Co. is growing like crazy, almost too fast but there still seem to be some good areas around, even outside the city limits. It seems that the schools are very good here, my wife is a full time substitute teacher for the county and is impressed overall.
Thank you so much for your reply, it was very informative. Murfreesboro sounds like a great place for families! I really appreciate your help. What particular areas of Murfreesboro are the nicest? We would probably be looking for a newer subdivision or at least fairly new. Can you specifically recommend any of the public schools? Thanks for all your help!!
I think most of our schools are very good to excellent. If you purchase within the city limits some of our city schools have the "alternative calendar" and the others have the "traditional calendar." Sometimes that impacts where a family decides to buy if they really want to be in the alternative calendar zone. We are currently in the alternative calendar and really, really like it! Also city schools offer 6th grade in the elementary school and county schools are going to promote 6th grade into the middle schools. Sometimes families like the option of keeping their 6th grader in the elementary school environment one more year.
The Blackman area, or west of town, where UNT Eagle purchased is a great location. Really close to the new mall being built and strong schools from the elementary level through high school. Also, if you like to drive over to Williamson County, especially Franklin, then West of town is very convenient for that commute. North of town is going to be closest into Nashville and zoned Siegel which is another highly requested area. But, Murfreesboro is a huge city and there are homes and great schools north, south, east and west. If you want to go out into the county, Lascassas has an excellent elementary and middle school and then your child would come back into Siegel or Oakland for High School. Christianna and Rockvale are also outside the city limits and offer excellent schools.
There are SO many new subdivisions available right now that I couldn't list them all here. If you want to send me a PM or email me, I'll be happy to run a current MLS search and forward all those listings directly to your email so you can review them. I can narrow it down as much as you'd like or keep it very broad. Just let me know home size, lot, age, price, garage, one level, two levels, bedrooms, and anything else that is important to you.
Thank you so much for your reply, it was very informative. Murfreesboro sounds like a great place for families! I really appreciate your help. What particular areas of Murfreesboro are the nicest? We would probably be looking for a newer subdivision or at least fairly new. Can you specifically recommend any of the public schools? Thanks for all your help!!
Just keep in mind that when you ask which schools are good, it really depends on what your definition of a good school is. Choosing the right school is like choosing the right husband. You're going to have to live with it for a long time, so make sure its something you're willing to live with. While suggestions give you a great place to start, don't pick a school for your kids until you really do some research on it. What's good for one family is not necessarily good for another. Go visit the classrooms, look over their curriculum, watch how the teachers interact with the kids and read through the school's policy manual to see if you think its a place that your child would fit in well. If you see things going on that you wouldn't want to have to deal with, then that's probably not the best school for you. I know doing all that research is a lot of work, but its well worth any time you spend doing it.
By the way, I would also recommend renting at first because you never really get to know what a community is like until you live there awhile. You might chose a totally different area in a few months than you would today.
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Murfreesboro is WONDERFUL!
