Franklin is a growing suburb in the Chicago-Milwaukee Interstate 94 corridor, notably named after Benjamin Franklin. He isn't connected to the area, but locals say the city is named after Franklin to honor him as one of the nation's founders. The city's population has grown more than 10% since 2000, the highest growth rate of all of southeastern Wisconsin's cities. Now, with more than 35,000 residents, Franklin focuses on industry. Carma Labs, the manufacturer behind Carmex, has been headquartered in Franklin since 1976. The company recently received over $1.81 million in tax incremental financing to expand. The city also welcomed Saputo Cheese USA Inc., whose processing facility created over 550 new jobs, making it one of Franklin's largest employers. Close highways keep people connected to larger cities and commercial hubs like Milwaukee, Chicago and Madison.
Named after Benjamin Franklin, the city of Franklin offers a blend of rural and suburban living.
Saputo Cheese is one of the many new businesses in Franklin.
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Leafy neighborhoods and classic American architecture
Franklin is a bedroom community with ranch-style, Cape Cod, New Traditional and Colonial-inspired single-family homes. A few small subdivisions and condominium communities feature entirely custom architecture. The city's median home price is $405,000, even with the national median. Neighborhoods are leafy and inviting, with green manicured lawns, mature trees and basketball hoops overlooking driveways. Sidewalks are uncommon, although a few larger roads have them.
Farmhouse-style homes are prevalent in Franklin.
The Franklin community is peaceful with gorgeous homes.
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Watching the Milkmen at The Rock
Outdoor recreation is a favorite pastime in Franklin. The area's rolling hills support the southern portion of the Root River Parkway, a 15-mile-long, county-owned greenway. Kayla's Playground at Franklin Woods offers an accessible, all-inclusive playground that 1,500 volunteers built in just nine days. Ballpark Commons is home to Franklin Field and The Rock, two multi-purpose entertainment spaces. "The Rock has been a big draw. A lot of people go there to see outdoor movies in the summertime or Christmas lights during their winter exhibit," Jennifer Loeffel, director at the Franklin Public Library. It's also where the Milwaukee Milkmen play for thousands of baseball fans, and people enjoy skiing, snowboarding and snow tubing on Crystal Ridge.
Franklin Field is home to the Milkmen baseball team and winter activities during the holidays.
Kayla's Playground Entrance at Franklin Woods Nature Center has a colorful entrance.
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Growing restaurant options and tax-supported business parks
Franklin lacks an official downtown, so small shopping centers are scattered around the city. Locally owned eateries have slowly increased, adding more diversity to the city's culinary scene. "There was a time where if you wanted food, you only had Taco Bell or McDonalds," Leoffel says. However, most people travel to neighboring cities to shop. Drexel Town Square and Southridge Mall are about 3 miles away, offering various nationally recognized stores.
While commercial options are limited, the city does have five business and industrial parks. Most corporate offices, industrial headquarters and manufacturing warehouses are located in these tax incremental financing districts.
From Franklin, come to BelAir Cantina in Drexel Square for the best tacos around.
Franklin has five business parks which bring many companies to the area.
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Three districts teach Franklin students
The Franklin Public School District serves the center portion of the city. The district has an A on Niche, ranking third-best out of 21 Milwaukee County districts. The rest of the city attends either the Oak Creek/Franklin Joint School District or the Whitnall School District. Oak Creek has an A-minus rating, while Whitnall has a B-plus. Among the city's private options is the Indian Community School. This faith-based kindergarten through 8th-grade school serves the area's Native American community, with over 40 Native Nations represented.
Franklin High School serves the students of Franklin, WI.
Indian Community School provides education to the local native American community surrounding Franklin.
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Major intersection connects to several nearby interstates
The city has low-traffic residential roads, but a few main thoroughfares pass through Franklin. Wisconsin State Routes 36 and 100 create the city's largest intersection, connecting with Highway 45, Interstate 43 and Interstate 94/41 in a few miles. Milwaukee County Transit System bus stops are along Route 241, and Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport is about 8 miles away.
Merchants and farmers at St. Martins Labor Day Fair
Franklin hosts a few events throughout the year, including celebrating Arbor Day by handing out free tree saplings and organizing a citywide cleanup. Summers mean free concerts at Lions Legend Park, and Labor Day weekend brings a huge two-day farmers market. Every Halloween, the Frankin Public Library partners with the health department to host an annual Trunk or Treat. "It's a big event. It brings in like 1,500 people," Loeffel says.
Low crime, low flooding, high humidity
The FBI reports that Franklin's property and violent crime rates are substantially lower than the national rates. The Franklin Police Department corroborates this in its 2023 annual report, documenting a noticeable decrease between 2022 and 2023.
Franklin summers are usually moderate, but humidity can get high, causing muggy conditions. Winters are snowy, with lots of wind and cloudy skies. Root River flooding occasionally causes road closures, but significant damage is rare.
Abby spent most of her childhood in Iowa and grew up coming to the Milwaukee area to visit her grandparents and her Wisconsin-based family. After living in Denver, CO, Seattle, WA, Portugal, Czech Republic, Poland, The Netherlands, and Australia, Abby and her family now call Milwaukee home.
Abby and her husband Jobi have four kids and an energetic Bernedoodle. They bought their first duplex at the beginning of 2018 and closed on it from Poland without seeing it in person. They are also real estate investors here in Milwaukee and they love taking a distressed property and bringing it back to life! They now have a portfolio of long-term rentals and used to host guests on Airbnb as part of their househacking strategy.
Abby's professional background includes working in both service and sales roles in the tech industry while living in Denver, Seattle, and working remotely for a couple of years while living abroad. Real estate has become a sweet spot as she is passionate about helping others to meet their financial and personal goals. She believes every client deserves a luxury experience with top-notch communication, a process to help alleviate stress, and expert advice and negotiation skills. Navigating the real estate landscape while guiding clients through a pandemic and a high-demand/low-inventory market has helped Abby build out a consultation and buying and selling process to make your major real estate transactions more fun and less stressful. She enjoys staying in touch with clients long after the transaction is over and is a continual resource post-closing.
Abby started Thrive Realty Group in 2022 in order to serve more clients and be able to serve them all at a 5-star level that her clients know and expect. This 5-star experience is why most of our clients come from referrals from past clients! The heart of Thrive is to see our clients growing, safe, successful in reaching their goals, aka THRIVING! Abby is honored to be a part of bringing people home and believes people can thrive when they're in a safe home environment. We also want our communities to thrive and a huge part of Thrive is focusing on giving back to our community (5% of all of commission earned is donated to local organizations) and providing both fun and educational events for our clients and communities. Abby hosts monthly financial wellness workshops covering a wide range of topics including budgeting, building credit, investing, real estate, taxes, insurance, and more. Follow @thriverealtygroupmke for the full schedule. The team hosts food drives and blood drives and sponsors a number of community events. Thrive Realty Group seeks the best for our clients and our community.
Abby and Jobi have moved many times for Jobi's former professional basketball career, and the last nine of the intercontinental moves have been with young kids! She knows moving takes courage, and change can be scary. She would love to guide you through selling your home and buying your next one so you can focus on being brave in the midst of your next big transition. She loves helping you find Home.
All of Abby's older sale history is found under the Abby Wall Homes.com profile, which can be found here: https://www.homes.com/real-estate-agents/abby-wall/lm4x45e/
Disclaimer: Certain information contained herein is derived from information provided by parties other than Homes.com. Our sources include: Accuweather, Public Records and Neustar. All information provided is deemed reliable, but is not guaranteed to be accurate and should be independently verified.
