Rutherford

Formed October 25, 1803 (24^th county)

Rutherford County (341,481), Murfreesboro (152,775)

The red brick Greek Revival and Italianate facility was built in 1859 and remodeled in 1908, 1912, and 1965.  The building was enlarged in 1861, 1912, and 1960.  The facility is in Public Square at Main and Church streets.  United States Highway 41 is three blocks to the west of the location.  The architect is James H. Yeaman.  The courthouse features a dome with a working clock and veterans’ memorials.  A modern Judicial Center has been added in 1980 and a Justice Center was planned in 2018.  There were 1813 and 1822 courthouses earlier in Murfreesboro, the only county seat.  Rutherford County was founded on October 25, 1803 from parts of Davidson, Williamson, and Wilson counties as the 24^th county.  It is named for American Revolutionary General Griffith Rutherford.  The county seat is named for American Revolutionary War hero Hardy Murfree. 

Rutherford County government consists of a sheriff, a County Mayor, and 21 Commissioners.  Three Circuit Court Judges, One Chancery Court Judge, Three General Court Judges, and Three Juvenile Court Judges serve Rutherford and Cannon counties.  The county is in the central part of Tennessee.  The geographical center of Tennessee is 5 miles northeast of Murfreesboro in the county.  Nashville, Tennessee is northwest and Chattanooga, Tennessee is southeast of the county.  The county center is in Murfreesboro 3.5 miles Northwest of the city center.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Wilson, Cannon, Coffee, Bedford, Marshall, Williamson, and Davidson counties. 

The area of the county is 619 square miles.  It is 8 out of 95 in the state.  It ranks 5 out of 95 in population in the state.  It has a density of 551.7 persons per square mile making it 5 out of 95 in the state.  Rutherford County has 71.9% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 24 crosses northwest to southeast in the county from Davidson County to Bedford County.  United States Highway 41 parallels Interstate Highway 24 from Davidson County to Coffee County.  United States Highway 70 South crosses east to west from Cannon County to Davidson County.  United States Highway 231 enters from the north, Wilson County, and exits to the south, Bedford County.  The county resembles a fat tear drop.  Murfreesboro is located south of center in the county.  Murfreesboro is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 44.7% of the county population.  This county is in the Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin Metropolitan Statistical Area.

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