Nashville may be the "It" city, but the census has found that Murfreesboro is equal - if not greater - in growth.
The secret to what's drawing people to the area is out and people have continued to move there in greater numbers with no sign of slowing down.
The next big thing expected in Murfreesboro is a new Urban Landscape.
The Fountains at Gateway is under construction and billed as a 31-acre Class A multi-tenant office and retail development.
"I think if you look at our economy we live to be a balanced stock portfolio," said Paul Latture, president of the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce.
He believed the Fountains at Gateway is a blue chip investment.
"Things are growing. Our retails sector has exploded," said Latture.
The fast growing county is a magnet now for business large and small.
"There's just a lot of excitement about the future here," said Aaron Dabney who opened his barbershop on the Murfreesboro square one year ago and now draws customers even out of Nashville.
"We always say we have the Nashville quality and the Murfreesboro prices," said Dabney.
And that sells not just for visitors, but for the thousands of people moving here and it's not just for haircuts and new restaurants.
"Last year alone we had 2,300 new jobs for Rutherford County," said Latture with the Chamber.
Those workers need services -- more police and schools are on the way.
City leaders just broke ground for an expanded emergency room at Stone Crest Medical Center in Smyrna.
"When you look at the things that make middle Tennessee attractive it's about health care," said Louis Caputo, CEO of TriStart StoneCrest Medical Center.
Everything about Murfreesboro and Rutherford County is about racing to keep up with the growth, and nothing is slowing down.
