Murfreesboro or Knoxville? (Chattanooga, Clarksville, Franklin: apartments, rent, crime)

[Midnight Sage]

Hey, everyone.

I'm a college student, lifelong resident of Hendersonville and pretty soon I'll be transferring from a two-year community college to a four-year university. I'm about to propose to my girlfriend (a California native that I met a few years back at an event in Nashville) and we're looking for a good place to go to college and settle down in an apartment for a few years while we get our bearings.

Basically, we've narrowed down our choices to MTSU and UT Knoxville. The next time that she visits we're going to get more familiar with each area, but I wanted to ask a few questions in the meantime.

- We're both fairly liberal, but my girlfriend is moreso due to her being from the San Diego area. I'm used to most aspects of Middle Tennessee's culture, but is the East Tennessee culture of Knoxville conservative enough that it would bother both of us considerably? Neither of us are very religious, if this gives you an idea.

- Are there a fair amount of things to do in Murfreesboro, or is it really just a place to go to college/stay for the night before the daily commute to Nashville? What activities does Knoxville have to offer, in this regard?

- How are both of the cities in terms of crime? Do either of them have places that are as dodgy as, say, North or South Nashville?

- Is the greater prestige (relatively speaking here) of having gone to UT Knoxville worth the higher rent for apartments?

- Finally, how would you describe each community overall?

Any enlightenment on these questions would be very appreciated.

[JMT]

I teach at UTK so let me give you my impressions.

While Knoxville and East Tennessee are very conservative, the area around UTK is pretty liberal. MTSU has a slightly larger undergrad population but UTK has a much larger grad student population, and those grad students tend to be more liberal than their younger counterparts. That also means there are probably more foreign students at UTK which I happen to enjoy.

While Knoxville is considerably larger than Murfreesboro, Murfreesboro is close to Nashville which is considerably larger than Knoxville.

There's probably more crime around UTK than MTSU. But most of that crime seems to be against girls who are walking around by themselves at 3 in the morning near the bars and pubs on The Strip. I was in grad school here at UTK and lived in The Fort (Student Central around here) for 2 years and never experienced any crime whatsoever.

If you like the great outdoors, UTK is hard to beat. We're close to the Great Smoky Mountains, lots of whitewater rafting, camping, hiking, and tons of boating on the big huge TVA lakes in the area.

And if you like intercollegiate sports, well, MTSU pales in comparison to the Vols. But for some people that can actually get annoying as it seems UTK places too much emphasis on their athletic teams. While I don't agree with that assessment (the athletic department is self-financed, after all) the perception is still there, and it's hard to avoid the gigantic athletic facilities on campus.

If your fiancee plans on flying back and forth to California, you might want to be closer to Nashville which has MUCH cheaper air fares (thanks to Southwest Airlines) than Knoxville's tiny and very expensive airport.

I hope you don't mind the indiscretion, but why have you narrowed your choices to UTK and MTSU? Have you considered other universities in Tennessee? There's also Austin Peay and Tennessee Tech which are pretty close to Nashville, and UTChattanooga is a pretty good school in a really cool town and is only 100 miles from either Nashville or Atlanta. Just some food for thought.

[Midnight Sage]

Originally Posted by JMT

I teach at UTK so let me give you my impressions.

While Knoxville and East Tennessee are very conservative, the area around UTK is pretty liberal. MTSU has a slightly larger undergrad population but UTK has a much larger grad student population, and those grad students tend to be more liberal than their younger counterparts. That also means there are probably more foreign students at UTK which I happen to enjoy.

While Knoxville is considerably larger than Murfreesboro, Murfreesboro is close to Nashville which is considerably larger than Knoxville.

There's probably more crime around UTK than MTSU. But most of that crime seems to be against girls who are walking around by themselves at 3 in the morning near the bars and pubs on The Strip. I was in grad school here at UTK and lived in The Fort (Student Central around here) for 2 years and never experienced any crime whatsoever.

If you like the great outdoors, UTK is hard to beat. We're close to the Great Smoky Mountains, lots of whitewater rafting, camping, hiking, and tons of boating on the big huge TVA lakes in the area.

And if you like intercollegiate sports, well, MTSU pales in comparison to the Vols. But for some people that can actually get annoying as it seems UTK places too much emphasis on their athletic teams. While I don't agree with that assessment (the athletic department is self-financed, after all) the perception is still there, and it's hard to avoid the gigantic athletic facilities on campus.

If your fiancee plans on flying back and forth to California, you might want to be closer to Nashville which has MUCH cheaper air fares (thanks to Southwest Airlines) than Knoxville's tiny and very expensive airport.

I hope you don't mind the indiscretion, but why have you narrowed your choices to UTK and MTSU? Have you considered other universities in Tennessee? There's also Austin Peay and Tennessee Tech which are pretty close to Nashville, and UTChattanooga is a pretty good school in a really cool town and is only 100 miles from either Nashville or Atlanta. Just some food for thought.

Thanks for your input, JMT.

Well, I've considered Austin Peay but I'm really not sure if going there would look as impressive on a resume as, say, MTSU (or especially UTK). I don't know a lot about the Clarksville area, either. As for Cookeville, I think that it's a bit too "rural" for my girlfriend and I believe that she'd feel entirely out of place if we moved there. Besides that, I feel that Tennessee Tech doesn't really fit my needs overall.

[Midnight Sage]

Also, I can't say that I know a lot about UT Chattanooga either.

[jabogitlu]

I know very little about MTSU and even less about Murfreesboro, but no, Knoxville isn't a wholly-consuming Conservative city. It's no San Fran or Boston, of course, but it's not exactly Tupelo, either. The great thing about Knoxville is you can pretty much find whatever you're looking for there. I knew anarchists, socialists, fundamental Baptists, atheists, gays, Africans, Europeans, Asians, Latinos, and several one-legged Gay St. hobos all while I was there. And the music scene is pretty neat, too! If you move up be sure to check out the Blue Plate Special and the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra (containing the venerable Knoxville son, Keith Brown).

[Midnight Sage]

Originally Posted by jabogitlu

I know very little about MTSU and even less about Murfreesboro, but no, Knoxville isn't a wholly-consuming Conservative city. It's no San Fran or Boston, of course, but it's not exactly Tupelo, either. The great thing about Knoxville is you can pretty much find whatever you're looking for there. I knew anarchists, socialists, fundamental Baptists, atheists, gays, Africans, Europeans, Asians, Latinos, and several one-legged Gay St. hobos all while I was there. And the music scene is pretty neat, too! If you move up be sure to check out the Blue Plate Special and the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra (containing the venerable Knoxville son, Keith Brown).

Nice to know. Thanks!

[fragments38]

My friend,

For you, I would be more inclined to recommend Knoxville.

Reason being this. I'm all about Middle Tennessee... and have no bad things to say about Murfreesboro, but you seem to be at a place where you're launching a new chapter of your life. That makes this a big choice. And win you examine both cities abroad, I personally think Knoxville wins. It's just a nice place. Obviously UTK has a good reputation (even though I've heard both UTK and MTSU referred to as 'party schools'). A degree from UTK, in my opinion, is a pretty impressive thing.

In addition to this, Knoxville is a great place to settle for a while. It's even a great place to stay and raise a family, if you're into that sort of thing. Plus it's a beautiful area... smack dab in the middle of East Tennessee, you're staring at the Smokey Mountains (depending on what part of the area you're in).

There's all kinds of stuff to do near Knoxville. Obviously the city has malls, restaurants, movie theaters - all the stuff a general city has. But just outside the city limits there are some pretty sweet places, like the tourist-attracting town of Pigeon Forge, and my personal favorite - Gatlinburg. Dude, Gatlinburg rocks for real. Also a great East Tennessee hobby is nature... lots of hiking, camping, all that stuff.

Murfreesboro, I have been to, but really don't know much about it. From what I have experienced, it has more of a smaller city feel to it. They are building some really nice areas close to I-24, and there is alot of good housing (apartment style) near the school. None the less, to get to the more exciting things, you have to travel to Nashville of Franklin.

About the conservative thing you were talking about - I don't think you'll find any problems with either location... especially Murfreesboro. Many Tennesseeans have conservative political views, obviously - it's the South. But that doesn't mean that we have a problem with liberal people. I know I sure don't. Politics divides people, but belief in a common goal unites them. If you can get along with people who don't have the same views as you, I really think you'll be fine wherever you go.

And about the religion thing, I personally cringe at the word "religious"... as do alot of people, haha. However, I encourage you to be open-minded. I don't consider myself a "religious" person, because when I hear the word "religious", I think of tradition and ritual. Though there's nothing wrong with tradition and ritual, I just don't associate myself with the words traditious or religious. However, I do believe in God and do believe in Jesus Christ; He has improved my mind and life. And I encourage you to be open minded, because sometimes the very thing you're running from is something you should investigate and ask yourself why you're running.

None the less.... dude I would say go with Knoxville. But your choice is yours!

Have a good one!

[JoAnn5]

How about Vanderbilt in Nashville? Sweetie could still have the city life... and there are few schools more prestigious to have on a resume.

Also there is the University of the South... most impressive... but it's a little on the pastoral side in southern TN... not far off I-24.... within a quick run of Chattanooga.

[Mike in TN]

Originally Posted by Midnight Sage

- Are there a fair amount of things to do in Murfreesboro, or is it really just a place to go to college/stay for the night before the daily commute to Nashville?

MTSU is often referred to as a suitcase college. For many students, it's just a place to get your degree from. There isn't a lot of school pride and many of the students are commuters that are only here when they have classes. IMO there isn't much to do for the younger crowd. There are a couple of college type bars, but not really much else. It's much more of a family oriented city.

How are both of the cities in terms of crime?

Murfreesboro is very safe. I've been to some of the "shadier" area and I've never really been worried.

Do either of them have places that are as dodgy as, say, North or South Nashville?

Murfreesboro doesn't.

Is the greater prestige (relatively speaking here) of having gone to UT Knoxville worth the higher rent for apartments?

How much more are apartments?

Finally, how would you describe each community overall?

Like I said earlier, Murfreesboro is an overgrown college town that's very family oriented and turning into a suburb of Nashville. That's not necessarily bad, it just depends on what one is looking for.