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Once a thriving city, Franklin fell on hard times when the last of the mills that powered its economy for more than a century shut down in 1971. By 1990, vacant storefronts and sub-standard housing were the norm. Today, Franklin is experiencing a remarkable rebirth, with new stores, restaurants, high-priced condominiums, a busy downtown and a new whitewater recreation park, the first of its kind in New Hampshire.

鈥淥ur biggest accomplishment as a city is the amazing range of partnerships we鈥檝e created. Together, all of these projects and the networks that we鈥檙e building are creating a really exciting future for Franklin,鈥� says Mayor Jo Brown.

Brown credits a 2105 charette with kicking off the downtown鈥檚 revitalization, brought to Franklin by UNH Extension and Plan NH with federal support. The project brought together community, business and nonprofit leaders to imagine how they could revitalize Franklin, the smallest of New Hampshire鈥檚 13 cities, with around 9,000 residents.

Today, construction workers and equipment are the norm, and they are busy renovating Franklin's beautiful brick mill buildings into offices and apartments, including high-end condominiums selling for more than听$500,000. And a centerpiece is the new Mill City Park, which is bringing whitewater paddlers and visitors from across New England to play and compete in the rapids of the Winnipesaukee River.

鈥淚f you want to see what鈥檚 next for the state of New Hampshire, look no further than Franklin,鈥� says Taylor Caswell, state commissioner of Business and Economic Affairs.