Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Historic Downtown Franklin


A few miles east of Westhaven is the 15-block historic district of downtown Franklin, Tennessee. Renovated historic buildings and brick sidewalks line both sides of the classic, American Main Street (shown above) and today house a variety of boutiques (including a Chico's) and cafes (including Starbucks, of course). If you like antiques, Franklin has a lot of them, and has received the distinction of being named One of the Five Best Places in America to Antique Shop. Franklin has actually won a number of awards, including Clean Cities Award, Great American City Award, Tree City, USA Award, and Preserve America's Community Award.

Founded in 1799, Franklin was originally a wealthy, agricultural community and, actually, the center of the plantation economy of the area. The Civil War changed all that. Union Troops occupied Franklin for over three years, and most businesses died. The Battle of Franklin (more on that this week) turned most businesses and homes in the area into hospitals. It took over 100 years for Franklin to recover.

Today, Franklin is again a wealthy, thriving community. Developments chip away at the bucolic farmland on the outskirts of town bringing people - and economic growth - to the area. Money Magazine has named Franklin one of the Top Ten Places to Retire in the US, and one of the Top Ten Places to Live in the US.

For the next few days, we'll look at some of the attractions in this historic town.

7 comments:

quintarantino said...

Very nice photo of downtown. Love the building.

TORUŃ DAILY PHOTO said...

A lovely downtown Chris! I'm starting to realise that Nashville is alot more than just Dolly Parton!!

Wayne said...

Oh that looks sooo inviting. Love these small town main street shots! I see this picture and I think, just give me some mid-50's weather, my favorite jeans and a light coat, and I am ready to wander around for a few hours. And yes, if it's colder, just give me a heavier coat, and some hot chocolate! Very nice picture Chris.
Thanks,
Wayne

Fénix - Bostonscapes said...

This photo looks great when enlarged. :)

(Try some Vietnamese food, Chris, you'll like it - if you like soup, you'll love pho.)

Jim Klenke said...

Beautiful picture. I cant wait to see the rest.

Jim Klenke said...

I just noticed. Whats up with all of the dark colored cars?

Steve Buser said...

It really has a nice feel to it. Antiques and autumn must go together.
--steve buser
New Orleans Daily Photo