The state of Tennessee is divided geographically as well as legally into three regions, the state's Grand Divisions: East, Middle and West. Each region of the state furnishes a unique variety of geography.

 

West Tennessee is the most geographically defined of the three regions bordered by the Mississippi River on the west and the Tennessee River on the east with an abundance of smaller rivers and lakes in between.  Middle Tennessee has a little more height with rolling hills and smaller streams. Nashville is the capital and home for many country music stars. Dome-like geography, the Nashville Basin, surrounds the state's capital Nashville with steep slopes and ridges called the Highland Rim. Moving into the Eastern Time Zone, East Tennessee offers a mountainous region including the Great Smoky Mountains. The Tennessee River makes its way back into this portion of the state after running through the West, dipping down into Alabama and coming back into East Tennessee.

The history of Country music is said to be found in Tennessee's musical heritage at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium, called the “Mother Church of Country Music.” musical legends at the Country Music all have played at the Grand ole Opry and for history buffs, Nashville also offers one of the nation’s oldest working state capitals, antebellum homes and trails and historical battlefields. Middle Tennessee hits thrill seekers with Nashville Super speedway races, Tennessee Titans football games and a gallery of golfing greens. Equestrian admirers can horseplay along the Tennessee Walking Horse Trail. Make a toast to two of America's most famous whiskey distilleries, Jack Daniel and George Dickel. Or take a ride down the Cumberland River on the General Jackson Showboat.

Who is moving to Nashville?

•  Nearly half (46 percent) of the participants were considered young professionals, ages 22-40.


• Another 25 percent were over the age of 55.


• About six out of every 10 (or 59 percent) have a college degree.


•  A total of 8 percent have advanced degrees.


•   The majority were white (80 percent); African-American (7 percent); Hispanic/Latino (5 percent); and Asian (2 percent).


•   Most (73 percent) are married.


•   Less than half (42 percent) have children under the age of 18.
  
  

The fact that nearly sixty of those surveyed have a college degree is very encouraging. Another positive, is the impact these workers can have on improving the educational attainment level for Middle Tennessee.

Why are people moving to Murfreesboro?

Murfreesboro is a growing city of over 100,000 people located 30 miles southeast of Nashville.  It offers a nice quality of life in a vibrant community, leading Rolling Stone magazine in 2005 to declare Murfreesboro "a surprisingly hip town."

   Murfreesboro is in the heart of Rutherford County, which is also on the rise.  Rutherford is the fastest growing county in the state, and its booming economy ranked #1 nationally in 2005.  With this tremendous growth comes a healthy business environment for developing applied I/O opportunities.

    A variety of affordable housing is available close to campus. Many apartment complexes and townhouses offer move-in specials, so be sure to shop around for a good deal. You may want to ask for recommendations from current students who have lived in the area for a while already.

    One of the good things about living here is that you are only minutes away from anything you could need. Murfreesboro has lots of grocery stores and shopping centers, several major department stores, two multiplex movie theaters, and tons of restaurants. If you don't care for chain stores, no problem, because Murfreesboro is also home to many Lower housing costs here than in neighboring counties made Rutherford County’s population surge during the ’90s, according to a study of the county’s economy.

Former Davidson Countians make up the largest group of new Rutherford residents, and they chose the county because of lower housing costs, according to the study.

The report suggests the typical new Rutherford County resident lived in Davidson County before coming here and moved to Davidson County in the first place to work.

According to the report, those moving to Davidson from elsewhere “tend to be relatively young, live in smaller households, and have lower household incomes than non-migrants. Many of these migrants are just starting out in life, and one might characterize this migration as opportunity migration, directed toward the job markets of Nashville,” the report said. Those migrants later tend to move to Nashville’s suburban ring, directed primarily toward Williamson and Rutherford counties.“These migrants are the main source of new residents to Rutherford County,” according to a recent the study. “They are likely to be couples with children and tend to have relatively high household incomes. Typical migrants come to Rutherford County not to seek employment, but to live, while continuing to work in Davidson County.”  “If you follow the trends, basically they move to Middle Tennessee, move to Davidson County, stay there temporarily, look around, and then they determine whether they’re going to go to Rutherford County, Wilson County or Williamson County in most instances”. People in higher-paying industries often choose Williamson County, because that’s where most of the higher-paying, white-collar industries in the region are centered. They have their office parks, their hotels, convention centers, and their strong retail that is very convenient to them there Davidson Countians looking at moving also look at Wilson County, which has its own factors drawing migrants. Then they look at Rutherford County, and say ‘Hey, university community, good school system, and, gee, their housing price is very, very competitive. Our average housing here today is probably a little bit over $125,000, if you go to Wilson, the average price is around $130k-145,000. And in Williamson, you have an average price of $260k-375,000. While the starter home market has been a leading component in growth and remains strong in the northern end of the county, there are signs of a shift in trends, at least in Murfreesboro. The starter home market has really flourished in the northern end of the county. In LaVergne, they can’t build them fast enough because it’s a starter home product that neighbors Davidson County,” meaning a shorter commute for people working in Nashville. More homes have sold for $185,000 to $225,000 than in any other price range in Murfreesboro over the past 2 years. Williamson County is joining Davidson as a major supplier of new people in Rutherford.