Franklin is a town in and the county seat of Macon County, North Carolina, United States. It is situated within the Nantahala National Forest. The population was reported to be 4,175 in the 2020 census, an increase from the total of 3,845 tabulated in 2010.
The town developed around a 1,000-year old platform mound, the center of the historic Cherokee town of Nikwasi.
Franklin is a popular destination for hikers and outdoor enthusiasts, specifically in relation to the Nantahala National Forest, the Great Smoky Mountains, and the Appalachian Trail. The town and the surrounding area is rich in gems and minerals, and is known locally as the "Gem Capital of The World.
he city was named by European-American settlers for Jesse Franklin, one of two state commissioners who surveyed and organized the town in 1820 as the county seat, for what would become Macon County in 1828. Jesse Franklin was later elected by the state legislature as the United States Senator from North Carolina (popular election of senators did not become custom until the 20th century). He was later elected and served North Carolina as its 20th governor. The city of Franklin was not formally incorporated until 1855.
In 1946, the people of Franklin raised money to buy the site of Nikwasi Mound and vowed to preserve it. Schoolchildren were among those who donated money to buy it from one of the many private owners who had held it since the Cherokee were forced from their historic town.