Franklin is a city of approximately 83,000 to 88,000 people about 21 miles south of Nashville via Interstate 65, typically a 25 to 35-minute drive in normal traffic. It is the seventh-largest city in Tennessee, the county seat of Williamson County, and widely considered the best-executed suburb in the Nashville metropolitan area.
The basics
Franklin’s downtown is a 16-block historic district along Main Street that has earned a “Great American Main Street” designation, which is the kind of thing that sounds like tourism branding until you walk it and realize it actually applies. The buildings are intact and well-maintained, the stores are largely independent rather than national chains, and the public spaces function. Over 70 shops and restaurants operate in the downtown core. The Franklin Theatre, built in 1937 and restored, anchors one end. Antique stores, boutiques, a Saturday and Sunday farmers market, and a Wednesday market at The Factory add density.
Franklin was founded in 1799 and carries one of the more consequential Civil War histories in Tennessee. The Battle of Franklin (November 30, 1864) involved approximately 28,000 Confederate and 22,000 Union troops in one of the war’s bloodiest engagements. Carnton Plantation, the Carter House, and McGavock Confederate Cemetery, the largest privately owned Confederate cemetery in the nation, all operate as historic sites open to the public.
Why people move to Franklin
Franklin consistently ranks as one of the safest cities in Tennessee by violent crime statistics. Williamson County Schools, which serve Franklin, are among the state’s highest-ranked. Median home prices run approximately $678,000, higher than Nashville proper but lower than Brentwood, offering a middle ground between urban access and suburban quality of life.
Major employers including Nissan Americas, Mars Petcare, and Community Health Systems are based in or near Franklin, giving it its own employment base rather than functioning solely as a Nashville bedroom community.
Festivals and events
The Main Street Festival draws significant crowds in April. Pumpkinfest happens in October. Dickens of a Christmas turns the downtown into a Victorian street scene in December. The Bluegrass Along the Harpeth series runs through summer. These are genuine community events rather than tourist-facing spectacles.
The distance question
From downtown Nashville, Franklin is about 21 miles. In light traffic, that is 25 minutes. In Nashville rush hour on I-65, the same drive can run 45 to 60 minutes. Franklin residents with downtown Nashville jobs either telecommute significantly, accept the commute trade-off, or work in Franklin itself, which has enough corporate infrastructure to keep many of them local most days.
Sources
- Wikipedia, Franklin, Tennessee
- Visit Franklin TN, official tourism site
- NashvilleSMLS, Cheapest Nashville suburbs guide, August 2025
- Felix Homes, Safest places to live in Tennessee
- Niche, Franklin Tennessee community reviews