Franklin, AR

Franklin is a city located in Franklin County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 9,874. The city is the county seat of Franklin County and is included in the Little Rock–North Little Rock– Conway Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The first Europeans to visit Franklin were members of an expedition led by Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto in 1541. The area around Franklin was part of the Spanish colony of La Florida. In 1819, American settlers from Tennessee established a trading post on what is now Main Street. The post became known as Fort Smith and soon became one of the most important settlements in Arkansas. In 1836, Fort Smith was renamed Franklin after Benjamin Franklin, who had been president of the United States at the time.

In 1840, Franklin was designated as the capital of Arkansas Territory. The state legislature moved its headquarters to Franklin from Little Rock in 1841 and elected James K. Polk as governor that year. During Polk's term as governor (1841-1845), Franklin grew rapidly because it served as both the territorial capital and a major railroad center. In 1851, Congress created Pulaski County out of parts of Jefferson and Washington counties and placed its eastern border at a line running north from Bentonville through Prairie Grove to Camden (now part of Conway). This arrangement made Pulaski County much larger than it would have been if it had been located entirely within Jefferson or Washington counties; consequently, most development took place east of Bentonville rather than west thereof.

In 1861, during the American Civil War, Confederate forces attacked Fort Smith but were repulsed with heavy losses by Union troops under General John Pope. Afterward Confederate forces abandoned their efforts to capture Fort Smith and concentrated their efforts on attacking other Union strongholds throughout Arkansas such as Little Rock and Helena- West Helena instead..

After Reconstruction ended in 1877 white Democrats regained control over state government through elections that were characterized by widespread fraud and violence; they did not allow African Americans to vote until after passage of federal civil rights legislation in 1965..

Franklin's economy changed dramatically following World War II when large numbers of veterans returned home seeking jobs; this influx helped make Franklin one of America's fastest-growing cities during the postwar period..

In recent years there has been significant growth in commercial real estate activity within downtown Franklin due to increased demand for office space from businesses located within walking distance ..