Franklin is a suburb of Boston located in Norfolk County in southeastern Massachusetts with a population of 33,256. It is approximately 30 miles from Boston and Providence with transportation networks including Route 140, Interstate 495, and easy access to several other major routes such as Interstate 90 (Massachusetts Turnpike), Interstate 95, Route 1, and Route 126.
Franklin consistently ranks as one of the best places to live in Massachusetts. Family Circle named Franklin as one of the “Ten Best Towns for Families” in the United States and in 2008, CNNMoney.com released their list of the “100 Best Places to Live and Launch” your own company selecting areas with the best mix of business advantages and lifestyle appeal, and ranked Franklin #10.
The town was incorporated in 1778, with the designated name Exeter. This was changed to the Franklin in honor of Dr. Benjamin Franklin, who donated a gift of 116 books for use by the residents. On November 20th, 1790, those attending the town meeting voted to lend the books to all residents free of charge. This vote established the Franklin collection as the first public library in the United States. The original Franklin collection is still housed in a bookcase in Franklin Public Library’s Reading Gallery!
Franklin’s school system is comprised of one preschool, six elementary schools, three middle schools, a new state-of-the-art high school, Tri-County Regional Vocational High School, Ben Franklin Classical Charter School, Cornerstone Christian Academy, Dean College, and fourteen recreational fields and playgrounds.
