Benjamin Franklin lived in several places during his life, mainly Boston, Philadelphia, London, and Paris. Each city corresponds to a different phase of his career and public service.

Early years: Boston

Franklin was born and spent his childhood in Boston, in the British colony of Massachusetts. His birthplace was on Milk Street, near the Old South Meeting House, and he grew up in a large family in that city.

Main home: Philadelphia

As a teenager, Franklin left Boston and resettled in Philadelphia, which became his primary home for most of his adult life. He lived and worked on the 300 block of Market Street, where he built his printing business and carried out many of his civic and scientific projects.

Time in London

Franklin spent long periods in London while serving as a colonial representative and later as an American envoy. For nearly sixteen years between the late 1750s and mid‑1770s, he lived at 36 Craven Street, a house near today’s Trafalgar Square.

Years in Paris

During the American Revolution, Franklin lived in Paris as a diplomat seeking French support for the American cause. He stayed at the Hôtel de Valentinois in Passy, then a suburban area of Paris, which became a center of his diplomatic activities.

Final years: Philadelphia again

After his service in Europe, Franklin returned to Philadelphia in the 1780s. He lived in a substantial brick home in Franklin Court, where he spent his final years until his death in 1790.