The Nantahala National Forest embraces not only breathtaking mountain landscapes and compelling vistas, but also a lifestyle, a pace, a point of view. That's the kind of world that enfolds Franklin, North Carolina, a town founded in the early 19th century as the result of population pressures that impelled the young nation to cast its gaze westward.


Western North Carolina had been Cherokee land, but in 1819 the Cherokee signed a treaty opening large portions of their once-extensive domain to American settlement. And the Americans came in droves to what then was "the West." Not a land of plantations or great wealth, these mountains were home to yeoman farmers who generally worked the land themselves. Still unincorporated in 1830, the town of Franklin boasted a population in excess of 5,000.


Twenty-five years later, Franklin was officially incorporated and named for Jesse Franklin, a State Commissioner who later became governor. It's located in Macon County, named for Nathaniel Macon, a North Carolina Congressman. At the time of its incorporation, Franklin already had a thriving central business district. When the U.S. Civil War erupted just six years later, some 1,000 locals joined up, most fighting for the South. States rights was their issue, not slavery, as slaves constituted less than 10% of the local population.


The same qualities that drew Franklin's early settlers to "the West" now appeal to Franklin's contemporary residents. Magnificent sunsets over Nantahala Lake,.a land that seems to nurture the spirit, and a business-friendly government interact to draw new residents and sustain the longtimers.


Quick access to major metropolitan areas means Franklin's residents have at hand the benefits of the big city while savoring the advantages of the small town. U.S. 441, a major north-south secondary artery, links Franklin to a host of other quaint towns and large cities, while I-40, 26 and 85 are close enough to provide fast access to major metropolitan areas. Atlanta is just 130 miles to the South, and Knoxville, TN just 109 miles west.


Franklin is the kind of town where on a given spring day, a band may be jazzing up the atmosphere at the Franklin Town Square Gazebo. Franklin hosts its own annual Christmas Parade downtown. Like most small Southern towns, Franklin raised a Confederate soldier monument, a classic slouch-postured enlisted man resting on the muzzle of his rifle. Raised in the early 20h century, it's fashioned from Italian marble.


Rich in cultural amenities, Franklin has always been education focused. Already in the 1840s, before its incorporation, Franklin, then boasting a population that numbered fewer than 5,000, had its first school. Today, its population, just under 3,500 in the 2000 census, remains well educated, thanks partly to its proximity to Western Carolina University, which offers a variety of disciplines, and to Southwestern Community College, which fields a Macon County campus. Forty-five percent of the population has experienced post-secondary education, and 16% hold bachelor's or graduate degrees.


Well over half of Franklin's adult population works in professional positions, while construction and retail trades account for more than a quarter of Franklin's jobs. Median household income is just over $21,500, but the cost of living is moderate, with median owner-occupied housing going for just over $88,000. Those numbers are attractive to retirees, making Macon County's population over age 65 constitute more than 22% of its citizens.


A population growth of nearly 27% from 1990 to 200l attests to the appeal of Franklin and Macon County as a place to live. Cost of living and cultural values join forces to explain at least part of the region's appeal. Community theater enhances Franklin's cultural life, with many plays and musicals performed not only in local theaters but also on the campuses of Franklin's schools.


The visual arts get good exposure in numerous venues around town, including at the Fine Arts Center on the campus of Franklin High School. Business supports Franklin's cultural life because it understands the vitality that ensues from such symbiosis.