Tennessee city guide
Moving From California to Franklin, TN
A historic downtown south of Nashville with the state's strongest reputation for public schools, and the highest prices most higher-equity movers accept.
Housing comparison
California versus Franklin, side by side
- Median home value
- $725,800
- $705,400
- Median annual property tax
- $5,114
- not available
- Median monthly cost, owners with a mortgage
- $2,844
- not available
- Population
- 39.0 million (state)
- 89,150
Figures are US Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020 to 2024 5-Year Estimates for the city place. Property tax and monthly cost rows cover owner-occupied units with a mortgage, so they describe what current owners pay, not what a new buyer would pay at today's prices. California column is the statewide baseline used across this site.
Why Californians look at Franklin
Franklin sits about 20 miles south of downtown Nashville in Williamson County, and it is the destination most California sellers land on once they decide the Nashville metro is the right region but want a smaller, more polished town center than Nashville itself offers. The historic downtown around the courthouse square is walkable, restored, and genuinely used, not just a tourist strip.
Williamson County is Tennessee's wealthiest county, and Franklin's public schools carry that reputation statewide. That draws families who would otherwise pay for private school in a lower-cost market, and it is priced into the housing stock accordingly.
Tennessee has no state income tax, which changes the math for a California household with wage or retirement income. But Franklin itself is not a discount move. It is close to the most expensive housing in the state, and the trade a Californian is making is California prices for Tennessee tax treatment, not California prices for Tennessee prices.
Franklin fits you if
- You want the Nashville metro's job market and airport within a short drive, plus a walkable historic downtown.
- Public school quality is a top priority and you are willing to pay Williamson County prices for it.
- You are moving with substantial California equity and are not trying to minimize your purchase price.
- You want no state income tax while staying close to a major metro's amenities and healthcare.
Look elsewhere if
- You are trying to make your California equity go as far as possible. Franklin is the expensive end of Tennessee, not the cheap end.
- You want a low-key rural feel. Franklin is a fast-growing suburb with real traffic on the main corridors.
- You need dense urban nightlife and transit. That is downtown Nashville, not Franklin.
- You are priced out of Nashville's core and hoping Franklin will be materially cheaper. It usually is not.
Housing in Franklin
Franklin's housing ranges from restored historic homes near the downtown square, to established 1990s and 2000s subdivisions, to newer master-planned developments toward Berry Farms and the Cool Springs corridor. Cool Springs also carries the area's office and retail density, which keeps some daily errands close to home.
The median home value for the city is $705,400, among the highest of any city in Tennessee outside the immediate Nashville core. Tennessee has no state income tax, so a buyer's ongoing state and local exposure is largely property tax and local sales tax rather than a wage tax.
Competition for well-located homes near the schools and the downtown core is real. Buyers coming from a hot California market will recognize the pace, even if the price per square foot is still lower than most of coastal California.
Work and the local economy
Franklin sits inside the Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin metro area, and many residents commute into Nashville proper or work at the corporate offices clustered along the Cool Springs and Maryland Farms office corridors, which host healthcare, insurance, and logistics company headquarters and regional offices.
Williamson County government, the school district, and Williamson Medical Center add a stable public and healthcare employment base on top of the corporate offices.
Remote workers bringing a California income find Franklin an easy landing spot given the office density and airport access, but anyone needing to build a new local career should expect competition from a well-educated, well-paid existing workforce.
Climate and setting
Franklin has a humid subtropical climate with hot, humid summers and mild, wet winters. Summer afternoons regularly reach the upper 80s and 90s with high humidity, a real adjustment for anyone leaving coastal or inland California's dry heat.
Winter brings occasional snow and ice events rather than sustained cold, but ice storms can shut down roads and schools for a day or two at a time because the region does not maintain the equipment fleet that snowier states do.
Spring brings severe thunderstorm and tornado risk, which is a genuine seasonal hazard in Middle Tennessee and worth understanding before you buy, including whether a home has a basement or safe room.
Getting around, care, and schools
- Commercial air
- Nashville International Airport (BNA) is about 25 miles north, with extensive domestic and growing international service.
- Highways
- Interstate 65 runs through Franklin, connecting directly to downtown Nashville.
- Hospital
- Williamson Medical Center, the county's main hospital.
- Public schools
- Williamson County Schools and Franklin Special School District.
- Higher education
- Belmont University and Vanderbilt University are both within the Nashville metro, a drive from Franklin.
- Setting
- Rolling hills of the Nashville Basin, roughly 700 feet elevation.
The trade-offs
- Home prices are among the highest in Tennessee. Do not expect a discount just because you have left California.
- Traffic on the corridors into Nashville, especially Interstate 65 and Franklin Road, has worsened as the region has grown quickly.
- Summers are hot and humid, and severe spring storms including tornadoes are a real seasonal risk.
- The town's reputation and schools attract steady demand, which keeps competition for good listings active.
Other Tennessee towns people compare
Chattanooga
A mid-size river city in southeast Tennessee known for municipal gigabit fiber and mountain access, popular with remote workers leaving expensive coastal markets.
Knoxville
The state's cheapest real metro, anchored by the University of Tennessee, about 40 minutes from the Great Smoky Mountains.
Mount Juliet
A fast-growing suburb east of Nashville on Old Hickory Lake, with heavy new construction and a commuter rail line into downtown Nashville.
Maryville
A quieter Blount County alternative to Knoxville with strong local schools and close proximity to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Johnson City
A northeast Tennessee value market anchored by a regional hospital system and a state university, part of the Tri-Cities region near the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains.
Statewide figures, tax detail, and the full Tennessee picture are on the Tennessee page. Compare property, income, and sales tax across all 49 destination states on Taxes, and see where Californians are actually moving on Stats.
Sources
- US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020 to 2024 5-Year Estimates, table B25077 (median home value), retrieved via Census Reporter, September 3, 2026.
- US Census Bureau, ACS 2020 to 2024 5-Year Estimates, table B25103 (median real estate taxes paid, owner-occupied units with a mortgage), retrieved September 3, 2026.
- US Census Bureau, ACS 2020 to 2024 5-Year Estimates, table B25088 (median selected monthly owner costs, owner-occupied units with a mortgage), retrieved September 3, 2026.
- US Census Bureau, ACS 2020 to 2024 5-Year Estimates, table B01003 (total population), retrieved September 3, 2026.
- Census Reporter, Franklin, TN place profile, censusreporter.org.
- GeoStat.org, Home Values in Franklin, Tennessee, geostat.org.
- Williamson County Schools, williamsonschools.net.
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