Franklin

Situated near the Canadian border in Franklin County, the town of Franklin was chartered in 1789 and named for Benjamin Franklin. The town's northern location made it a frequent crossing point during the smuggling era of the early 1800s, when the Embargo Act drove Vermonters to creative methods of cross-border trade. Lake Carmi, the fourth-largest natural lake entirely within Vermont, lies partly within Franklin's borders and has been a center of recreation and summer activity for generations.

With a population near 1,160, Franklin is a small community sustained by agriculture and the natural beauty of its surroundings. The lake draws seasonal visitors, while year-round residents maintain the working landscape of farms and forest that characterizes this part of northern Vermont.

Franklin operates through the selectboard-town meeting model. Residents gather each March to set budgets, elect local officials, and make decisions about the community's future — a process that feels especially tangible in a town this size, where every vote carries real weight.