About Franklin

The Town of Franklin, Massachusetts is a growth community with a pro-business environment, a low stable single tax rate, ample industrial land, and a modernized infrastructure.  Franklin is ideally located at the center of the Tri-Center Cohesive Commercial Statistical Area, which includes nine communities within commuting distance of Boston and Worcester Massachusetts and Providence Rhode Island.  With a population of 31,381 (2007), Franklin is the largest community in the nine town Tri-Center Region.

Franklin enjoys good transportation networks with State Route 140, two exits to Interstate 495, and easy access to major routes such as the Massachusetts Turnpike (Interstate 90), Route 1 and Interstates 93, 95 and 295. In addition to this well integrated roadway system, Franklin is host to two MBTA commuter rail stations, and has fixed bus route service through the Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority.

In 2008, CNNMoney.com released their list of the “100 Best Places to live and launch” your own company. CNN chose areas with the best mix of business advantages and lifestyle appeal, of which Franklin ranked #10.  Credited for its charming, historic atmosphere with diverse enterprises, Franklin is a growth town with a pro-business attitude.  “Startups and firms looking to relocate here can take advantage of some of the state’s business incentives. For instance, manufactures and laboratories may be eligible for research and development tax credits; biotech and medical-device manufacturing firms may take advantage of incentive payments for new-job creation” (CNNMoney).

Manufacturing and Retail Trade are the leading industries in Franklin and are continually growing business sectors in the community. The Town's two industrial parks, Forge Park and Franklin Industrial Park, and the Grove Street Business Corridor, house a substantial number and variety of businesses, including research and development and manufacturing companies. Putnam Investments, Garelick Farms, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Tegra Medical, and EMC, the community’s largest employer, are just a few of the nationally and regionally known firms located in Franklin. 

The Town of Franklin is a member of the I-495/95 South Regional Economic Target Area, and as such can offer businesses wishing to locate or expand in Franklin a local tax incentive through tax increment financing.  Franklin supports the use of this local tax credit for a wide range of development projects that create a significant number of livable wage jobs for the regions residents and enhance the community’s commercial and industrial tax base. The Town is especially interested in attracting renewable energy, biotechnology, medical instrumentation, and other new innovative technology companies.

In April 2009 the State’s Economic Assistance Coordinating Council approved applications designating three portions of the Town of Franklin as economic opportunity areas: Forge Park, Franklin Industrial Park, and the Town-owned Pond Street property. Franklin hopes to use the economic opportunity area designations as incentive to encourage existing businesses to expand, and to attract new businesses.

In addition to being an economic opportunity area, the Town’s Pond Street property is Franklin’s first priority development site, guaranteeing an expedited permitting process for future development of the site.  In addition, in April 2009 the Franklin Town Council voted in create two additional priority development sites: Forge Park Priority Development Site and Franklin Industrial Park Priority Development Site.

Even with the large business presence in Franklin, the community is still able to maintain the quintessential New England small-town feel with its old fashioned downtown of locally owned small businesses, and its two adjacent National Historic Districts.  Franklin prides itself on the wide spectrum of architectural styles preserved in the community, including handsome Greek revival and Italianate buildings, as well as High Victorian Gothic, Second Empire and Queen Ann, among others.  Many of these historic structures are home to the offices and dormitories of Dean College.

Franklin is host to many annual cultural events including the 4th of July Celebration on the historic Town Common, the Feast of St. Rocco, and the Downtown Franklin Partnership’s Harvest Festival and Strawberry Festival. Franklin is a family oriented community with a great quality of life, newly renovated public schools, new senior center, outstanding public library, and is within 30 miles of dozens of higher education and vocational training institutions, including State universities, State colleges and community colleges, Ivy League schools and many other well know private colleges and universities, and some of the best research and engineering universities in the country. Franklin’s dedication to education is reflected in test results and national rankings of its public and private schools. In addition to the outstanding Town of Franklin public school system, the Town is home to the Tri-County Regional vocational school, a charter school, Dean College, and private elementary schools.

The Town was named one of Family Circle’s 2007 "Ten Best Towns for Families" in the United States.  This honor was bestowed on Franklin and nine other towns and small cities "that offer what parents and children want most - affordable homes, good jobs, top-rated schools, open spaces and a lot less stress". 

Franklin has a lot to offer.  Any business looking to locate in Massachusetts should visit Franklin first to see all that this business friendly community has to offer and view the many available office, industrial, warehouse, and research and development properties.