ADVERTISEMENT

UNIVERSITY NEWS 4th Largest County

I remember my car with the 8 on the tag for years.

Rutherford was #11 during most of the 1970's. My dad's license plate tag was 11-D-131 on his then brand new 1976 Ford Granada. That car was bought at Binford Motor Co., the previous Ford dealership where Chili's Restaurant currently sits on NW Broad Street. Then, Coffee was #24, Williamson was #32, and Bedford was #42 (later slipped to #44). Cannon stayed #80 and Dekalb was #76 during the 1970's and 80's. We later became #8, Williamson became #14 and Sumner became #7 replacing Madison as #7.

Murfreesboro's census population in the 1970's was 26,370--revised to 29,524 by 1977. Basically, Murfreesboro's northern and southern limits was just beyond East Clark Blvd and extended down to Samsonite Blvd/Sanbyrn Drive back then. There was not much at I-24 at Old Fort Parkway until after Outlet Limited Mall developed; there was more development at Exit 81 but even that didn't get annexed until mid-1970s after Riverdale, Standard Register, and Rich's had opened.
 
I believe MTSU was about 15-16K students when I graduated in 2000. Crazy how this place has ballooned up, but I don't feel our infrastructure has kept the pace, especially the roads.

Now we have Bucee's coming to Joe B, which I am dreading. That is where I get on I-24 and that interchange is a mess as it is. I don't oppose the Bucee's, I just wish it would be one exit down at Epps Mill Road or add continuous on and off ramps.
 
I was visiting family in Cookeville over Christmas and as I got off I-40 at Willow Avenue, there is a very nice "Welcome to Cookeville, Home of Tennessee Technological University" sign. I like how Bowling Green has same type signs visible from I-65. I wonder why Murfreesboro/Rutherford County doesn't do something like that.
 
I was visiting family in Cookeville over Christmas and as I got off I-40 at Willow Avenue, there is a very nice "Welcome to Cookeville, Home of Tennessee Technological University" sign. I like how Bowling Green has same type signs visible from I-65. I wonder why Murfreesboro/Rutherford County doesn't do something like that.
Heck they just had the water towers painted with MT.
 
I was visiting family in Cookeville over Christmas and as I got off I-40 at Willow Avenue, there is a very nice "Welcome to Cookeville, Home of Tennessee Technological University" sign. I like how Bowling Green has same type signs visible from I-65. I wonder why Murfreesboro/Rutherford County doesn't do something like that.
I've never understood that. I've said before I hate Virginia Tech, but I love Blacksburg. It screams college town. VT on every business and the bridges on Rt 460 coming in are painted orange with maroon plants in the median. Schools size/conference shouldn't matter. Shoot, even little Athens near me, home of D2 Concord is covered in maroon and silver, as is where I live with D2 Bluefield State. HBCU signs all over town.

I've always said the bridges on I24 should be blue. And coming into town on 231 from Lebanon, or down 96, the two ways I always come in, you'd never know it was a college town until the MT Blvd/Greenland red light when you hit campus.
 
Heck they just had the water towers painted with MT.
IMG_1388.jpg
 
I think there's at least 2 (if not more) MT billboards in Knoxville/Knox County. I know they're trying to recruit HS students from here quite a bit. One of my old college roommates is a HS teacher here and MTSU always sends folks to their HS college days and such.
 
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT