MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WKRN) – Rutherford County is growing nearly two times faster than the state of Tennessee as a whole, according to the Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Tennessee .
The rate of growth has been faster than Murfreesboro Mayor Shane McFarland anticipated.
“That’s our number one issue we deal with right now is growth,” McFarland said.
Rutherford County pushing for impact fees with new website to help pay for growth
McFarland said paying for that growth while keeping current residents happy has been a balancing act.
“Honestly, you can’t have everything; you can’t have low taxes; you can’t have low crime; you can’t have the best schools, the best parks, and not pay for it,” he said.
According to data from UT Knoxville, Rutherford County is expected to gain more than 30,000 new residents in the next four years and 100,000 more in the next 10 years.
“We’ve created, in my opinion, one of the most attractive places to live in the country,” he said.