Quality Life Experiences

Sub-theme: Creating desirable life experiences: Franklin will continue to be a destination to live and work that ranks among the best in the nation.

Franklin citizens are proud of their community. They want it to remain among the best places to live in the United States–a place envied for its engaging quality of life. People are invested in their neighborhoods as well as in the city. They willingly volunteer, participate, and support the many activities, recreational pursuits, and special events that bring them together as a community.

Franklin’s rapidly growing and increasingly diverse population, both in age and ethnicity, is both a strength as well as a challenge to the vision of our city. Our citizens understand the importance of ensuring that everyone who works within our community is able to live within our community.

A critical part of sustaining our unique sense of inclusiveness is ensuring that a range of housing options is available for varying income and demographic groups. As our boundaries expand, the efficient and effective varieties of land uses–residential, commercial, open space, and institutional–are critical components for sustaining our vibrant community. Our citizens are concerned that traffic congestion is increasing everywhere–on major streets and in neighborhoods. They would like a functional transportation system, more bicycle and pedestrian connections between residential neighborhoods and shopping districts or employment centers, and better transit options, not only within the city but connecting the greater metropolitan region.

There are ten goals contained within this sub-theme:

Goal: To improve ranking as one of the 100 Best Places to live in the United States.
Franklin has received numerous awards throughout the years - a testament to the high quality of life, amenities and spirit of our City. One testament we have received is from Money Magazine. In 2012 we received a ranking of 52nd of the 100 Best Places to live in the United States. In 2020, Franklin ranked the 8th Best Place to live in the United States, making the fifth year in a row we placed in the top 10! We have also received the following accolades/awards:
  • All-American City - 2020 (National League of Cities)
  • #1 Best Town in Tennessee - 2015, 2016 (Niche Rankings)
  • #10 Best Town to Retire in the United States - 2015 (USA Today/Bankrate)
  • Best Southern Town (Garden and Guns Magazine)
  • Most Romantic Main Street (National Trust for Historic Preservation)
  • Top 10 Community for job growth 
All-American City 2020
  • #7 best place for STEM (Science, Technology, Education and Math) jobs in the U.S. - 2018 (Livability.com) 
  • Money Magazine's Top 10 Places to Retire
  • Great American Main Street Award
  • #10 for new jobs created in America and projected to be 3rd in America for new jobs over the next twenty years.
  • One of Five Best Places in America to Antique Shop

Just to name a few. We appreciate the awards, but the reason they are earned is the dedication of our citizens, our employees and the effort of the entire community to make Franklin one of the best places to live, work, grow and raise a family anywhere.

Baseline: Ranked of 52 (CNN Money Magazine, 2012).

Goal: To improve ranking as one of the top 10 communities providing for historic preservation in the U.S.

Historic Preservation is one of the priorities identified by the City of Franklin in Franklin’s Land Use Plan and in the Central Franklin Area Plan. The preservation of the city’s historic character has proven to be of great economic benefit to Franklin. Franklin is a Preserve America Community and a Great American Main Street Community. Its Main Street has been named one of the Top 5 “Most Romantic” in the United States, and the American Planning Association has named Downtown Franklin Neighborhood one of the Great Places in America. Franklin has also been recognized as one of the 1000 Places to See in the US and Canada Before You Die.” In 2009, Franklin was deemed one of the National Trust for Historic Preservation's "Dozen Distinctive Destinations" The reason for all of this attention and accolades? Franklin is a well-preserved southern town.

We are proud of our historic character and all of the effort which has gone into preserving it. We will continue to work hard to preserve and maintain it in the future.

Baseline: Rank as 4th in nation for historic preservation (Preservation Network, 2012)

Goal: To improve ranking as one of the top business‐friendly cities in Tennessee.

Sustaining economic growth and vitality requires a collaborative approach of the public and private sector working together. The City of Franklin is proud to have an established track record of working with private industry to understand their needs and accommodate them as best as possible. The Beacon Center, an independent research organization, annually produces their list of the 50 most business friendly cities in Tennessee. For the last four fiscal years (November 2010 through 2013), Franklin has ranked no lower than 5th and as high as 2nd in FY 2013.

The last time the Beacon Center issued their rankings was 2013.

Baseline: Ranked as 2nd in Tennessee (Beacon Center for Tennessee, November 2012).

Goal: To remain one of the top rated healthy cities in Tennessee.

As important as a solid economic base, good schools, clean air and water, good transportation networks, cultural amenities and quality shopping is to making a great community, increasingly the health of our citizens and the recreational opportunities they can access is one of the most important issues which residents nationwide voice as a major concern. Franklin is no different. We have worked and continue to work to improve recreational opportunities, connect trails and pathways for exercise and work with various agencies to foster a culture and a climate of active, healthier living.

Franklin's efforts have not gone unnoticed. In 2012, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation named Franklin the healthiest city in the state of Tennessee. And most recently in 2018, they have again ranked Williamson County as the number one healthiest county in Tennessee (out of all 95 counties). Williamson County ranks first on health behaviors, access to clinical care, and social & economic factors. Go to www.countyhealthrankings.org to find out more and explore the data.

Baseline: Ranked 1st. (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2012)

Goal: To exceed the National Recreation and Park Association standard for park space within a community (current standard is 6 acres per 1,000 citizens of park space).

An essential City contribution to fostering desirable life experiences and healthy living is ample and convenient parks and recreation facilities which residents can easily access. The National Recreation and Park Association has set a standard that all communities should at minimum have 9.5 acres of park space for every 1,000 citizens (as of 2016). Franklin exceeds this amount, with 13.21 acres per 1,000 citizens as of FY 2018.

Maintaining this amount, however, will continue to be a challenge as Franklin's population continues to grow. The Parks Master Plan addresses this growth in population and has proposed a multi-year plan to ensure adequate facilities for the next several decades while Franklin continues to grow.

Baseline: 11.28 acres per 1,000 citizens (Parks Department).

Goal: To remain below the national Cost of Living Index of 100.

When prospective businesses and employees decide to relocate somewhere, there are many potential factors which they consider. One of those factors is the Cost of Living Index. Derived from a variety of economic indicators, the Cost of Living Index allows for a city-to-city comparison of living costs regardless of the regional differences and economic conditions throughout the country.

The City of Franklin, Williamson County and the State of Tennessee in general fair well when it comes to overall Cost of Living compared to the regional and national averages. The latest cost of living Index information from the Williamson County Chamber of Commerce rated Williamson County at a 98 out of 100. The lower the score, the more affordable the area is. 100 is the national average.

Baseline: 89 on index of 100 (Williamson County Chamber of Commerce). Source: C2ER Annual Averages, U.S. Census Bureau.

Goal: Maintain status as a Tree City U.S.A.

The Franklin Parks Department is charged with the maintenance and expansion of parks, recreation and forestry of the City. The goal of the department is to provide a diverse and high quality system of parks, recreation facilities and public open spaces that will meet the recreation and leisure needs of the residents and visitors populations and that will protect and enhance the environmental character of the City of Franklin.

We are proud to have been recognized by the Arbor Day Foundation for 16 consecutive years as a Tree City USA community. The City of Franklin will continue to work to maintain this certification and work to ever increase and maintain the canopy of trees vital for the sustenance of our ecosystem.

Maintain Tree City U.S.A. Status
Baseline: Satisfy national standards of maintaining a treeboard, tree care ordinance, a community forestry program, and observation and proclamation of Arbor Day annually (Parks Department).
Goal: To reduce the poverty for citizens of Franklin to a rate at least 50% below the state average (State average is 16.9%) (2010 Census).

As affluent as Franklin is, not all Franklin residents live with similar resources. Franklin has less poverty than the state and the nation, but there are still several thousand Franklin residents living below the poverty line. FranklinForward set forth the goal to reduce the overall poverty of Franklin citizens annually and to a rate which is at least 50% below the state average. The chart on the right shows that although Franklin has a poverty rate which is at least 50% less than the state average, it is not decreasing. Generally, the City's poverty rate has followed that of the state and rises and lowers as the rest of the state does.

Baseline: The 2010 census shows 7.4% of citizens live in poverty in Franklin (2010 Census). Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2006-2015 American Community Survey.