MURFREESBORO, Tenn (WTVF) — Davidson County continues growing but so does another nearby county. People are starting to head south to Rutherford County.
Nashville is a growing city, from its population, its economy, it’s all going up, but if you head down to Rutherford County officials tell us they're starting to experience similar trends.
“8.6% of the workforce in Davidson County lives in Rutherford; that's 81,000 people a year, a day drive from Rutherford County to Davidson County,” said Rob Mitchell county assessor.
The county is growing about 3% a year and about 324,000 people call the area home.
Mitchell says in the next 20 to 40 years the numbers are likely to grow to 586,000 people.
But what's attracting people to cities like Murfreesboro, Smyrna and La Vergne?
“We have low crime, we have a very low tax rate, we have the lowest property tax rate of all the surrounding communities. Rutherford County continues to be a great buy in the mid-state area,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell says cheaper homes and better schools are also an attraction, but growth can bring on some growing pains.
“The challenge is maintaining the lifestyle that they have without changing it with the population, and there's always going to be a fight with dollars, it's going to cost more to provide this,” said Mitchell.
It's a big change the county will have to prepare for, soon. Mitchell said people will have to be prepared to pay more, but he believes with the pressures of growth the county is still going to be the best buy in the mid-state.
“We have to plan for roads, we have to plan for infrastructure, we have to plan for all the necessary things people have to have an expect,” said Mitchell.
