Our History

In 1956, under President Eisenhower, Sister Cities International was created to inspire citizen diplomacy with the aim to promote the fostering of international connections. Sister Cities of Franklin and Williamson County (SCFWC) was established in 2002 in line with that vision, hoping to connect Williamson County to other like-minded cities across the globe. SCFWC started as a project from the 2000-2001 Leadership Franklin class, an organization created to help members of the Williamson County community create new opportunities and programs for the county. Our first sister city was Carleton Place, Canada, established on January 25, 2005. On March 7, 2008, County Laois, Ireland, became our second sister city. Bad Soden, Germany, became our sister city on September 3, 2016. Thanks to a connection first established through a Spanish teacher at Battle Ground Academy, we are currently going through the proper channels to make Ciudad Rodrigo, Spain, our fourth sister city. 

After the founding of SCFWC the Leadership Franklin class went through Sister Cities International to get paired with a similar city. Through that we were matched with Carleton Place, Canada, becoming our first sister city and their second. For many years, we participated in a student exchange with Carleton Place, Canada. While the student exchange is currently halted, every year they send us a giant pumpkin they grow, which we display at Pumpkin Fest, in Franklin, Tennessee. 

The O’More College of Design which was originally in Franklin helped create the relationship between Franklin and County Laois, Ireland, as the O’More family originally hailed from County Laois. The O’More college named their administration building Abbey Leix, after their family’s home in Ireland. While Belmont later acquired the college, the Abbey Leix mansion is still preserved in Franklin. In July 2025, we sent an adult delegation to County Laois, Ireland, with several government representatives, including the mayor. We are also involved in several local Irish organizations in the Nashville and Williamson County area, including Irish Network Nashville. You may also see us at Quinn’s Neighbourhood Pub and Eatery on Wednesday nights to listen to live Irish music.

One desire for twinning with Bad Soden was adding a foreign language component. Additionally, there were many similarities with both Franklin and Bad Soden being just outside of a major city Nashville and Frankfurt respectively. Both cities have similar socioeconomic climates and prioritize protecting local history and historic architecture. We participate annually in a student exchange and internship program with Bad Soden, Germany. For our student exchange program, Bad Soden sends its delegation to us for two weeks in February, and we reciprocate by sending our delegation to Germany for two weeks in the summer. While each delegation is visiting, they stay with host families and get to explore neighboring cities and towns as well. Marion Dannenfelser, who participated in the exchange in 2025, stated, “This program has greatly impacted me. Not only am I more educated on the international world, I also made lifelong friends along the way. The people I met in this program brought so much love and kindness into my life.” The internship program allows Williamson County students proficient in German to practice and grow their German language skills, while also providing the opportunity to gain work experience internationally. Please see the “Our Programs” page to learn more about these opportunities.

If you want to learn more please visit the “News and Events” section where you can find our newspaper archive. Additionally feel free to email us with any questions.