Franklin Street is a prominent thoroughfare in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Historic Franklin Street is considered the center of social life for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as well as the town of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and it is home to numerous coffee shops, restaurants, museums, bookshops, music stores and bars. The street in downtown Chapel Hill is notable for its festivities, nightlife, and culture. The stretch of college-oriented businesses continues west into neighboring Carrboro. Both streets are home to small music venues, like the Cat's Cradle and the Carrboro Arts Center, which were influential in the birth of Chapel Hill rock, and Chapel Hill's Morehead Planetarium and Science Center, as well as the Ackland Art Museum.GeographyThe three-mile length is divided into West and East Franklin Streets. West Franklin begins at the intersection of South Merrit Mill Road where Carrboro's East Main Street ends. West Franklin moves east-northeast through the town's historic business district to Columbia Street, where it becomes East Franklin. East Franklin continues the straight path through the business district, passing campus and then curving north "down the hill" through some of Chapel Hill's historic neighborhoods. East Franklin Street ends just beyond Ephesus Church Road, where it morphs into U.S. Highway 15-501 towards Durham. Over time, Chapel Hill, as well as Carrboro, North Carolina and Hillsborough, North Carolina, have meshed together to form historically charming communities that offer a wide range of activities and cultural experiences to enjoy. Although Chapel Hill is a part of "the triangle" of North Carolina, it is situated further to the west, and nowadays the towns of Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough within North Carolina are their own smaller triangle of which local residents can be proud.
