Franklin is a town in and the county chair 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 enlargement from the sum of 3,845 tabulated in 2010.

The town developed roughly a 1,000-year old-fashioned platform mound, the center of the historic Cherokee town of Nikwasi.

Franklin is a popular destination for hikers and uncovered enthusiasts, specifically on the subject of the Nantahala National Forest, the Great Smoky Mountains, and the Appalachian Trail. The town and the surrounding Place is wealthy in jewels and minerals, and is known locally as the “Gem Capital of The World.”

Prior to the arrival of European settlers, the area was home to tribes within the Cherokee Nation. The Cherokee called this Place Nikwasi, or “center of activity”. Nikwasi was an ancient and important Cherokee town, centered not far off from an ancient platform mound believed to be at least 1000-years-old. The Cherokee built their Council House upon top of the mound. In the 21st century, the remains of Nikwasi Mound are nevertheless visible in downtown Franklin. It was privately owned until Franklin purchased the site in 1946 and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. In 1819, the Cherokee were forcibly relocated to the Qualla Boundary, which today is the home the federally qualified tribe of the Eastern Band of Cherokee.