Changing views

[Fallingwater]

Hello Murfreesboroidianites,

I am here once again to confess. I am here to swallow some pride and speak what now seems to be a chaning view and some apparent truths. First, a brief history.

I was born in Clarksville and lived there all the way through High School graduation. My parents still reside there as do many family members. I lived in Nashville for the next 14 years before moving to Murfreesboro in 1995.

My childhood and teen years are absolutely filled with wonderful memories in Clarksville. It is and will always be my hometown and I still harbor a deep interest, love and passion for that place. It's phenomenal growth is also something in which I have watched with some pride from afar and the label of Tennessee's fifth largest city was also of some pride. Why? I do not know but it was.

Murfreesboro was a place that I did not desire to move but made the best sense economically and educatinally with respects to my children. It was also closer to my work. Still, I moved here reluctantly from Nashville.

I never had a major problem with Murfreesboro itself except for the fact that it was home to MTSU. Growing up an Austin Peay fan when MTSU was in the OVC made me a die hard Middle hater. The detestment for Middle ran down to the marrow of my bones. Insofar as Athletics is concerned, the prejudices still remain. I hope Middle loses every game in every sport they play by a wide margin! .... but I digress.

So, here I have been in "the Boro" for ten years now and I have been witness to phenomenal growth here as well. Of course, I still go back to Clarksville and snoop around on occasion. Comparisons between the two is a little hobby of mine. My views are changing with my props for Clarksville lessening and my props for Murfreesboro enlarging.

There was an article in the Clarksville Leaf Chronicle the other day. Actually, it was a Letter to the Editor which cited the growth of jobs in Rutherford County and the writer wondered why Clarksville could not add 20,000 jobs like Rutherford County. The paper has a discussion forum where anyone can post comments to articles in the paper and one woman stated that she checked out Murfreesboro as a potential place to move and did not like it for several reasons one of which is that she thought Murfreesboro was "ugly."

This statement by her immediately brought disagreement to my mind and I joined up just to respond to her charge. I found myself defending Murfreesboro from such baseless charges, IMO. On the contrary, the neighborhoods, parks, and areas around Murfreesboro are very hard to beat and part of why I do like Clarksville is because it is UGLY! Like the woman with the broken nose. I realized that I am coming to embrace this town as, objectively speaking and with any and all prejudices aside, it is hard to find fault with Murfreesboro.

Recently I had the opportunity to visit the extreme North End of Clarksville where it is said so much growth has occurred especially along Tiny Town Rd. I have never even been on this lengthy road. Uhm, yes, I saw the growth and it is phenomenal indeed. New homes by the thousands! They just opened a new elementary school out there this year and needed portables the first day. Two more elementary schools are now said to be needed as well as a new High School in that area. New houses, businesses and even new roads which I never knew existed are out there and St. Bethlehem and I found myself not knowing where I was at times. Incredible.

This is what I noticed too. All these new homes and neighborhoods and all these new businesses have mostly been done on the cheap. Thousands of "starter homes". Where are the really nice neighborhoods (There are some being built in other areas of the city)? Why do these new neighborhoods not have curbs, sidewalks and streetlamps? I also noticed that as one approaches the "old city limits" then it is beginning to look dilapidated and rundown and neglected. To be sure, Clarksville's population has increased but everyone moved into these new neighborhoods built close to the interstate and there are new businesses but these have all been built out by the interstate exits. Businesses in the "old city limits" have moved out that way too leaving the "old Clarksville" to wither and die. Of course, Ft. Campbell Blvd. is and has always been a 9 mile stretch of grotesque ugliness and no one would disagree. However, once lively areas such as Riverside Drive, Madison Street, etc. are now joining the ranks. Traffic in St. Bethlehem is a nightmare but get past that and there is nary a car to be found where once they were plentiful.

So, I compare these new neighborhoods to those being built in Murfreesboro and Murfreesboro's neighborhoods are nicer all around. The apartment buildings being built are nicer all around. Murfreesboro has grown outward but not really at the expense of other areas of the established town. Clarksville is so spread out that it's shear size has meant the gutting of its core. Murfreesboro is attracting higher paying jobs and is primed for prominent corporate businesses to take residence. Clarksville is not even close to that and continues to bank on luring Industrial jobs..... in the Information Age! I don't know about you but did you ever sit under the tree when you were kid and think, "Gee, I really want to work in a low paying factory when I grow up?"

Hey, Clarksville built a 16 screen theatre as did Murfreesboro. Clarksville's has a nice faux art deco front stuck on an overly large tool shed. It is a metal building!

Clarksville has a daytime population DECREASE of 9.8 percent. Murfreesboro has a daytime INCREASE of population of about 8 percent (this could be substantially attributed to the growth of MTSU). Nearly 10 percent of Clarksville leaves Clarksville during the day in order to make their money. This does not sound healthy to me.

I believe I stated on the Tennessee board once that Murfreesboro was not going to catch Clarksville in population very soon. Yes, I see Clarksville still growing at a rapid rate but there is healthy growth which attracts and there is growth which cannot be sustained, IMO. I think Murfreesboro is doing things basically right and will continue to grow phenomenally in the years to come and it will surpass Clarksville in population far sooner than what I would have projected. Clarksville's neighborhoods are worse; corporations and high paying jobs are virtually non-existent; its populous earns less than Murfreesboro, it has higher mortality rates, higher crime rates, and is now blighted in large swaths and tracts of land. Specialty and higher end shops do not locate there but Wal Mart and McDonalds love the place! These are things which if I haven't gleaned from various statistics I have seen with my own eyes.

I hate what has become of my hometown which was once a nice place but that is only because I love it. Long live Murfreesboro!

[dfwtiger]

Hello Murfreesboroidianites,

I am here once again to confess. I am here to swallow some pride and speak what now seems to be a chaning view and some apparent truths. First, a brief history.

I was born in Clarksville and lived there all the way through High School graduation. My parents still reside there as do many family members. I lived in Nashville for the next 14 years before moving to Murfreesboro in 1995.

My childhood and teen years are absolutely filled with wonderful memories in Clarksville. It is and will always be my hometown and I still harbor a deep interest, love and passion for that place. It's phenomenal growth is also something in which I have watched with some pride from afar and the label of Tennessee's fifth largest city was also of some pride. Why? I do not know but it was.

Murfreesboro was a place that I did not desire to move but made the best sense economically and educatinally with respects to my children. It was also closer to my work. Still, I moved here reluctantly from Nashville.

I never had a major problem with Murfreesboro itself except for the fact that it was home to MTSU. Growing up an Austin Peay fan when MTSU was in the OVC made me a die hard Middle hater. The detestment for Middle ran down to the marrow of my bones. Insofar as Athletics is concerned, the prejudices still remain. I hope Middle loses every game in every sport they play by a wide margin! .... but I digress.

So, here I have been in "the Boro" for ten years now and I have been witness to phenomenal growth here as well. Of course, I still go back to Clarksville and snoop around on occasion. Comparisons between the two is a little hobby of mine. My views are changing with my props for Clarksville lessening and my props for Murfreesboro enlarging.

There was an article in the Clarksville Leaf Chronicle the other day. Actually, it was a Letter to the Editor which cited the growth of jobs in Rutherford County and the writer wondered why Clarksville could not add 20,000 jobs like Rutherford County. The paper has a discussion forum where anyone can post comments to articles in the paper and one woman stated that she checked out Murfreesboro as a potential place to move and did not like it for several reasons one of which is that she thought Murfreesboro was "ugly."

This statement by her immediately brought disagreement to my mind and I joined up just to respond to her charge. I found myself defending Murfreesboro from such baseless charges, IMO. On the contrary, the neighborhoods, parks, and areas around Murfreesboro are very hard to beat and part of why I do like Clarksville is because it is UGLY! Like the woman with the broken nose. I realized that I am coming to embrace this town as, objectively speaking and with any and all prejudices aside, it is hard to find fault with Murfreesboro.

Recently I had the opportunity to visit the extreme North End of Clarksville where it is said so much growth has occurred especially along Tiny Town Rd. I have never even been on this lengthy road. Uhm, yes, I saw the growth and it is phenomenal indeed. New homes by the thousands! They just opened a new elementary school out there this year and needed portables the first day. Two more elementary schools are now said to be needed as well as a new High School in that area. New houses, businesses and even new roads which I never knew existed are out there and St. Bethlehem and I found myself not knowing where I was at times. Incredible.

This is what I noticed too. All these new homes and neighborhoods and all these new businesses have mostly been done on the cheap. Thousands of "starter homes". Where are the really nice neighborhoods (There are some being built in other areas of the city)? Why do these new neighborhoods not have curbs, sidewalks and streetlamps? I also noticed that as one approaches the "old city limits" then it is beginning to look dilapidated and rundown and neglected. To be sure, Clarksville's population has increased but everyone moved into these new neighborhoods built close to the interstate and there are new businesses but these have all been built out by the interstate exits. Businesses in the "old city limits" have moved out that way too leaving the "old Clarksville" to wither and die. Of course, Ft. Campbell Blvd. is and has always been a 9 mile stretch of grotesque ugliness and no one would disagree. However, once lively areas such as Riverside Drive, Madison Street, etc. are now joining the ranks. Traffic in St. Bethlehem is a nightmare but get past that and there is nary a car to be found where once they were plentiful.

So, I compare these new neighborhoods to those being built in Murfreesboro and Murfreesboro's neighborhoods are nicer all around. The apartment buildings being built are nicer all around. Murfreesboro has grown outward but not really at the expense of other areas of the established town. Clarksville is so spread out that it's shear size has meant the gutting of its core. Murfreesboro is attracting higher paying jobs and is primed for prominent corporate businesses to take residence. Clarksville is not even close to that and continues to bank on luring Industrial jobs..... in the Information Age! I don't know about you but did you ever sit under the tree when you were kid and think, "Gee, I really want to work in a low paying factory when I grow up?"

Hey, Clarksville built a 16 screen theatre as did Murfreesboro. Clarksville's has a nice faux art deco front stuck on an overly large tool shed. It is a metal building!

Clarksville has a daytime population DECREASE of 9.8 percent. Murfreesboro has a daytime INCREASE of population of about 8 percent (this could be substantially attributed to the growth of MTSU). Nearly 10 percent of Clarksville leaves Clarksville during the day in order to make their money. This does not sound healthy to me.

I believe I stated on the Tennessee board once that Murfreesboro was not going to catch Clarksville in population very soon. Yes, I see Clarksville still growing at a rapid rate but there is healthy growth which attracts and there is growth which cannot be sustained, IMO. I think Murfreesboro is doing things basically right and will continue to grow phenomenally in the years to come and it will surpass Clarksville in population far sooner than what I would have projected. Clarksville's neighborhoods are worse; corporations and high paying jobs are virtually non-existent; its populous earns less than Murfreesboro, it has higher mortality rates, higher crime rates, and is now blighted in large swaths and tracts of land. Specialty and higher end shops do not locate there but Wal Mart and McDonalds love the place! These are things which if I haven't gleaned from various statistics I have seen with my own eyes.

I hate what has become of my hometown which was once a nice place but that is only because I love it. Long live Murfreesboro!

Nice.....I lived in the boro for 6 years...now I'm in Fort Worth. With the exception of the old fort strip...I agree...it is a really nice place.

[rocky top buzz]

I think you have to think about what makes the 2 cities what they are? Murfreesboro has MTSU; Clarksville has Ft. Campbell

Murfreesboro appeals farther than MTSU at this point, but fact is it wouldn't be the city it is today without the growth of MTSU (Cumberland College in Lebanon and Austin Peay in Clarksville haven't garnered the same growth for whatever reason).

The starter homes in clarksville are probably intended for the low budget and regular relocations of their military personel. I would imagine that at least a large minority of Fort Campbell soldiers either get transferred prior to retrement, or move back 'home' when they retire. While Murfreesboro may not have the thousands of starter homes, Lake Forest Estates does (most of the houses built prior to 2003 are good size nice homes; after that, you get 900 sq ft, no parking except in the yard, and neighbors who are so close they hear you flush the toilet.

[MidTenn1]

I never had a major problem with Murfreesboro itself except for the fact that it was home to MTSU. Growing up an Austin Peay fan when MTSU was in the OVC made me a die hard Middle hater. The detestment for Middle ran down to the marrow of my bones. Insofar as Athletics is concerned, the prejudices still remain. I hope Middle loses every game in every sport they play by a wide margin! .... but I digress.

As an Austin Peay alum, I miss the intense rivaly (at least in basketball) between the two schools, but didn't quite become an MTSU hater. It was difficult for me when my daughter enrolled at MTSU, but I got over it. She was in the band, so we went to the football games and cheered them on. Might as well, APSU just gave up football about that time.

Those were the days, though. Watching Fly Williams play in a packed Murphy Center with 8,000 'Murphy High' fans and 4,000 APSU loud fans yelling 'Let's go Peay!" was a great moment in the sports history of both schools. I doubt we will ever see something like that again.

My daughter still lives near there, so I am more connected to Murfreesboro, but I still get back to the 'Queen City on the Cumberland' every now and then. But in comparing the two, I see two Cities more alike than different. They both have well preserved downtowns, growing Universities and plenty of rapid growth and urban sprawl. They both have some areas of urban decay.

I would never get into a contest over which City is better. They both are great places to live, work and play.

[edb2n]

I think Clarksville is ugly and kind of low-brow. Not that Murfreesboro is up there with Bell Meade or anything, but Murfreesboro to me has a more up-market image.

[Justiceham]

Murfreesboro has taken the initiative to provide city design guidelines and standards, as someone mentioned before. Citizens were given an option to speak about what they wanted to see all around the city and what they didn't. In the new standards, there will be no more metal sided buildings allowed, mortar is to be promoted, as well as underground utilities. As far as growth goes, Murfreesboro has exploded. The school board has determined that because of the growth we're experiencing, one new school will be built every year for the next ten years. A few years ago, the Main Street Program and city planners devised plans for the Maney Avenue revitilization project. It was to include loft style apartments, multifamily units, retail, and restaurants built to the street as well as new streetscapes for Vine, State, Sevier, Hancock, Castle, and surrounding streets. Does anyone know what happened to the project?

[Relient J]

^ From an aesthetic standpoint a lot of what you mentioned sounds great, but the government has no right to tell property owners how they can develop their property. It's a great tyranny that local governments get away with telling a property owner what types of materials he can and can't build his building out of. We may think our neighbor's metal shed is ugly, but it's his property to do with as he pleases.

[Fallingwater]

As an Austin Peay alum, I miss the intense rivaly (at least in basketball) between the two schools, but didn't quite become an MTSU hater. It was difficult for me when my daughter enrolled at MTSU, but I got over it. She was in the band, so we went to the football games and cheered them on. Might as well, APSU just gave up football about that time.

Those were the days, though. Watching Fly Williams play in a packed Murphy Center with 8,000 'Murphy High' fans and 4,000 APSU loud fans yelling 'Let's go Peay!" was a great moment in the sports history of both schools. I doubt we will ever see something like that again.

My daughter still lives near there, so I am more connected to Murfreesboro, but I still get back to the 'Queen City on the Cumberland' every now and then. But in comparing the two, I see two Cities more alike than different. They both have well preserved downtowns, growing Universities and plenty of rapid growth and urban sprawl. They both have some areas of urban decay.

I would never get into a contest over which City is better. They both are great places to live, work and play.

Yes, I too was most priviledged and honoured to witness James "Fly" Williams work his magic on the court. My very first Gov game was the Peay vs. Western Kentucky at the Little Red Barn. The place was SRO (as it was every game wherever Fly went) and they had another room or rooms set up with closed circuit TV to handle the overflow. That place was boisterous and utterly deafening! I agree that we will probably not see that kind of college excitement around here ever again.

Clarksville's downtown seems quite dead. There is a little percolation of activity and perhaps that is the beginning of better things to come. The new FM Bank building is a fine addition as was the Montgomery County Courts Bldg. There is a very small condominium project going up on Franklin Street and the University Landing Apartments is a rather large project going up on University Avenue. Other than that there is very little retail or even eating establishments - mostly Government and lawyers. In those times I have gone downtown I have only seen, at best, a handful of people.

Austin Peay now claims to be the fastest growing University in the State. So why is it always a bit disconcerting for me to go there? Perhaps I go at the wrong times but I actually see less students there than I would see over twenty years ago. Therefore, I asked some current students and those closely associated withe the University why this seems to be the case. I have been told that the vast bulk of Austin Peay's growth is constituted by "non-traditional" and "online" students. The "traditional student" population has not grown by much and the growth comes from older people returning to school for Degrees and also people who never are even on campus but take their classes online. Given that Clarksville's population has grown tremendously over the past 20 years then it does seem kind of alarming that the percentage of "traditional" students has not followed suit. Something just seems wrong about that.

Urban decay: Oh, there are places in Murfreesboro which are not pleasing to the eye. I don't think the old Nashville Pike is very pretty or even parts of Broad Street and all towns of any age are going to have some neighborhoods with an older housing stock and look every bit their age. Clarksville's problem, however, seems much more acute and vastly more expansive and includes huge swaths of land which used to be the 'old' city limits. We are talking buildings and houses that are boarded up and empty. Last time I was there I saw some homeless people sitting on the sidewalks in New Providence. I just think Murfreesboro has kept its core more viable and liveable than Clarksville has kept its core. Man, that whole area around Kraft Street is nothing but boarded up old factories. I think there are also signs that the Hilldale and Barksdale sections are on the downturn as shops (and eventually Gateway Medical Center) have moved to St. Bethlehem. Businesses have moved from older sections of town to the newer and have simply not been replaced. The newly started businesses locate primarily in the newer areas too.

[Fallingwater]

I think you have to think about what makes the 2 cities what they are? Murfreesboro has MTSU; Clarksville has Ft. Campbell

Murfreesboro appeals farther than MTSU at this point, but fact is it wouldn't be the city it is today without the growth of MTSU (Cumberland College in Lebanon and Austin Peay in Clarksville haven't garnered the same growth for whatever reason).

The starter homes in clarksville are probably intended for the low budget and regular relocations of their military personel. I would imagine that at least a large minority of Fort Campbell soldiers either get transferred prior to retrement, or move back 'home' when they retire. While Murfreesboro may not have the thousands of starter homes, Lake Forest Estates does (most of the houses built prior to 2003 are good size nice homes; after that, you get 900 sq ft, no parking except in the yard, and neighbors who are so close they hear you flush the toilet.

Hello Rocky Top Buzz,

One of the positive things that was recently reported is that Clarksville's economy grew at a time when Ft. Campbell was deployed to Iraq. To be sure, if Ft. Campbell closed the base and moved then it would be a tremendous blow to Clarksville just as it would be to Murfreesboro or Smyrna if Nissan did the same. The neighborhoods of which I speak, however, are not just located in North Clarksville but appear to be the norm for wherever they are built. Sure, one can see some more upscale neighborhoods being built but I noticed these tend to be smaller, gated type communities and not very many of them. At any rate, the shear number of houses and neighborhoods which have been built cannot all be geared solely to Ft. Campbell. There is just simply many to many of them which have been built to serve only the Ft. Campbell soldier market.

I found a site which has all manner of little facts about any Tennessee city you wish to study and I came away with these stats from 2004: In 2004, Clarksville issued 1,550 single family home building permits and Murfreesboro issued 1,906 for the same year. The average cost for the home in Clarksville was $78, 200 whereas the average cost in Murfreesboro was $121, 200. An average difference of over $40,000. Uhm, like I said, what I have seen in Clarksville are homes and neighborhoods being thrown up overnight.

Edited September 13, 2006 by Fallingwater

[edb2n]

^ From an aesthetic standpoint a lot of what you mentioned sounds great, but the government has no right to tell property owners how they can develop their property. It's a great tyranny that local governments get away with telling a property owner what types of materials he can and can't build his building out of. We may think our neighbor's metal shed is ugly, but it's his property to do with as he pleases.

I have to disagree with you there. We specifically sought out Murfreesboro and the neighborhood we're in when we bought a house because of those strict requirements (and because we couldn't afford Brentwood). The problem with people being allowed to develop their property however they want is that it affects surrounding property values. While you may think you have the right to put up a metal shed, not mow your yard, and run a day care out of your home, I don't think you have the right to make $20,000 vanish from my home's equity. Besides, it's not that different from any other zoning or codes laws. If you don't like the requirments, don't buy in a city with them or in a subdivision with an HOA. Try Lake Forest Estates in LaVergne. We used to live there, and it convinced me that I want Nazis in the codes department and a dictaor for an HOA.

On a related note, has anyone seen the X-Files about the gated community in California? They had this monster that would eat anyone who painted their mailbox the wrong color, let their grass get too tall, parked a car in the street, etc. I'm all for that!

[Relient J]

^ Personally I'd rather lose the property value than see the property rights of my fellow Americans eroded even further than they already have been. I don't believe the answer to my concerns is to run away.

[edb2n]

I'm just pointing out that there are places for people like you who don't want any restrictions. And there are also places for people like me who want lots of them.

We can just agree to disagree, and I'll say a little prayer that you never buy a house in my neighborhood.

[Justiceham]

I'm just pointing out that there are places for people like you who don't want any restrictions. And there are also places for people like me who want lots of them.

We can just agree to disagree, and I'll say a little prayer that you never buy a house in my neighborhood.

While it may be true that there are places for people like Relient J and "people like you," that last comment you made was a rather hateful one and if a person doesn't like certain standards they should not be penalized and made to feel less than.

Edited September 14, 2006 by Justiceham

[rocky top buzz]

I don't think edb2n's comment was meant to be hateful (because as you see, he put a smily face there!)

There are different strokes for different folks. As I've said many times, I too used to life in lake forest estates in La Vergne. People park carsin the yard, let mold accumulate on the house where you think it was originally green, and all sorts of other stuff. I take pride in having a nice house, yard, etc.. and it means nothing if my neighbors don't practice somewhat the same ideals.

I think there is middle ground between HOA nazi and joe redneck, but I'm just trying to illustrate the fact that if you don't care how much of a dump your neighbor's property looks like, there are places where you can be happy.

[edb2n]

I didn't intend to be hateful at all. I'm just saying I don't want somebody buying a house in my neighborhood who will do things to bring down my property value. When your neighbor parks a car on blocks in the yard or lets all his landscaping die or puts up a chain link fence, etc., etc., it makes my home worth less. That's like taking money out of my pocket when I sell. I guess I would say that the good of the community as a whole outweighs the individual rights in that case, at least in my opinion.

[Justiceham]

I think Clarksville will surprise us with its own "rebirth" in the near future the same way Chattanooga has. The FM Bank tower is just the beginning along with new condo, retail, and road projects. Due to heavy traffic, 101st Parkway and Wilma Rudolph Boulevard will have four ramps, two bridges and several retaining walls and an overpass on the Parkway over Wilma Rudolph. The public square is also being redesigned to made greener and easier to navigate.

[Relient J]

edb2n, I could tell you were just joking, so no hard feelings here. I recognize the intent behind your line of thinking, and it is certainly not without its practicality. I oppose modern planning and zoning for two reasons. First, as I have articulated already I believe it infringes on personal property rights, and secondly I firmly believe that when you give the government and inch of power they take a mile. We haven't seen it here yet to my knowledge, but just look at what went down in New London, Connecticut.

[edb2n]

What happened in New London?

[fieldmarshaldj]

What happened in New London?

The infamous KELO decision, you can read up on it here:

http://www.google.com/search?num=100&h...q=kelo+decision

[Fallingwater]

I think Clarksville will surprise us with its own "rebirth" in the near future the same way Chattanooga has. The FM Bank tower is just the beginning along with new condo, retail, and road projects. Due to heavy traffic, 101st Parkway and Wilma Rudolph Boulevard will have four ramps, two bridges and several retaining walls and an overpass on the Parkway over Wilma Rudolph. The public square is also being redesigned to made greener and easier to navigate.

Hello Justiceham,

I think my greatest dismay concerning what Clarksville has become centers on what has become of the "old city limits" and just the general quality of neighborhoods being built in the "newer" neighborhoods being built. Large swaths of land in the old city limits now looks rundown and former areas that once had thriving businesses looks very much strained from the sheer economic development and impact of "newer" sections of the city like St. Bethlehem. So, businesses and homes are still being built at a brisk pace but this is happening on the fringes and investment in the old city limits has been minimal.

Yes, 101st Airborne Division Pkwy. is being widened and will be an overpass over the very congested Wilma Rudolph Blvd. This is located in St. Bethlehem which has become an economic juggernaut. Drive Wilma Rudolph Blvd. about another 2 or 3 miles toward downtown and then you will see quite clearly some of that blight about which I speak. Interestingly, I would point to 101st Airborne Division Pkwy. as being the main culprit in choking the old Clarksville to near death. It is part of a bypass system which will eventually form a ring around the city and prior to its building, people in North Clarksville had to travel close to downtown in order to make it to the new mall and all the shops which were being built in St. Bethlehem. Now, they ALL use the bypass.

True, there is a small perculation of activity insofar as construction in downtown. The FM Bank building is a very nice addition. The condos are really only about 4 or 5 units. A rather large apartment complex is being constructed but these are mainly for Austin Peay students. Not much else going on there and I think the "downtown business district," as they like to call it, has maybe one clothing store and perhaps only three or four restaurants. Not much of a "business district" if you ask me.

I was reading the current Mayors plans, that is, if he is reelected, and he did state that it is time that Clarksville jump across the Cumberland River downtown and he desires to make that a green space (fountains, etc.) and retail. I always thought this should have been done many years ago and I do think it would give downtown a major boost if such a project ever came to fruition.

But, yes, the outlying areas of the city are quite alive with activity. Roads are being built and widened to handle traffic problems and neighborhoods and shops continue to rise overnight. Unfortunately, I have seen very few of these neighborhoods receive such things as street lights or sidewalks and, if they do, then they are usually not connected to the adjoining neighborhoods to form a cohesive sense of community on the larger scale and these are things that "the old city limits" had for the most part.

Clarksville's daytime population decreases by nearly 10% due to people commuting to Nashville in order to make more money and the unemployment rate in Clarksville is the highest it has been in years at about 6 percent. The Mayoral candidates, nearly one and all, speak of bringing in more factories and few are speaking of luring corporate businesses. Factory jobs will always be needed and welcomed but Clarksville seems just a little too enamoured with attracting those and too little effort is expended in attracting corporate jobs or creating an entrepeneurial environment. In a day where American industry is on the decline and factorys are no longer the jobs of economic prosperity then I question this emphasis. Some people want to work in factorys but, by and large, factorys are lower paying jobs and people work in them because they have to.