Franklin County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

in the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 155,932. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

is Chambersburg. Franklin County comprises the Chambersburg–Waynesboro, PA metropolitan statistical area, which is also included in the

Washington–Baltimore combined statistical area The Washington–Baltimore combined metropolitan statistical area is a combined statistical area, statistical area, including the overlapping metropolitan areas of Washington metropolitan area, Washington, D.C. and Baltimore metropolitan area, B ...

. The county is part of the South Central region of the commonwealth.

History

Originally part of Lancaster County in 1729, then York County in 1749, then

Cumberland County Cumberland County may refer to: Australia * Cumberland County, New South Wales * the former name of Cumberland Land District, Tasmania, Australia Canada *Cumberland County, Nova Scotia United Kingdom * Cumberland, historic county *Cumberl ...

in 1750, Franklin County became an independent

jurisdiction Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' and 'speech' or 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United States, the concept of jurisdiction applies at multiple level ...

on September 9, 1784, soon after the end of the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

. It is named in honor of

Founding Father The following is a list of national founders of sovereign states who were credited with establishing a state. National founders are typically those who played an influential role in setting up the systems of governance, (i.e., political system ...

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin (April 17, 1790) was an American polymath: a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and Political philosophy, political philosopher.#britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the m ...

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.08%) is water. Franklin County is in the watershed of the

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula, including parts of the Ea ...

and the overwhelming majority of it is drained by the

Potomac River The Potomac River () is in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and flows from the Potomac Highlands in West Virginia to Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography D ...

, but the Conodoguinet Creek and the Shermans Creek drain northeastern portions into the

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River ( ; Unami language, Lenape: ) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, crossing three lower Northeastern United States, Northeast states (New York, Pennsylvani ...

. It has a hot-summer

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

(''Dfa'') and its

hardiness zone A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most widely ...

is 6b. Average monthly temperatures in Chambersburg range from 29.9 °F in January to 74.7 °F in July.

Adjacent counties

* Juniata County (north) * Perry County (northeast) *

(northeast) * Adams County (east) *

Frederick County, Maryland Frederick County is located in Maryland, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the population was 271,717. The county seat is Frederick, Maryland, Frederick. The county is part of the Washington metropolitan area, ...

(southeast) *

Washington County, Maryland Washington County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. The population was 154,705 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Its county seat and largest city is Hagerstown, Maryland, Hagerstown. The ...

(south) * Fulton County (west) * Huntingdon County (northwest)

Major highways

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 129,313 people, 50,633 households, and 36,405 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 53,803 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 95.33%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 2.33%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.15% Native American, 0.55% Asian, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.74% from other races, and 0.86% from two or more races. 1.75% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. 40.2% were of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, 19.4% American, 7.6% Irish and 6.0% English ancestry. 96.0% spoke English and 2.1% Spanish as their first language. There were 50,633 households, out of which 30.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.00% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 8.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.10% were non-families. 23.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.94. In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.00% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 28.20% from 25 to 44, 23.70% from 45 to 64, and 16.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 94.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.90 males. In 2001, Franklin County was featured in David Brooks' article "One Nation, Slightly Divisible" in ''

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 185 ...

'' as a representative Red or Republican Party county.

2020 census

Government

County commissioners

Source: * Dean Horst, chairman, Republican * John Flannery, Republican * Robert Ziobrowski, Democrat

Other county offices

Source: * Clerk of Courts, Todd Rock * Controller, Harold Wissinger * Coroner, Jordan Conner * District Attorney, Ian Brink * Prothonotary, Timothy Sponseller * Register and Recorder, Joy Heinbaugh * Sheriff, Benjamin Sites * Treasurer, Melody Shuman

State House of Representatives

Source: * Jesse Topper, Republican, Pennsylvania's 78th Representative District * Adam Harris, Republican, Pennsylvania's 82nd Representative District * Rob W. Kauffman, Republican, Pennsylvania's 89th Representative District * Paul Schemel, Republican, Pennsylvania's 90th Representative District

State Senate

Source: * Judy Ward, Republican, Pennsylvania's 30th Senatorial District * Doug Mastriano, Republican, Pennsylvania's 33rd Senatorial District

United States House of Representatives

* John Joyce, Republican, Pennsylvania's 13th congressional district

Politics

For most of its history, Franklin County has been a Republican Party stronghold in presidential elections, with only three Democratic Party candidates having managed to win the county from

1880 Events January *January 27 – Thomas Edison is granted a patent for the incandescent light bulb. Edison filed for a US patent for an electric lamp using "a carbon filament or strip coiled and connected ... to platina contact wires." gr ...

to the present day. The most recent Democrat to win the county in a presidential election was

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...

, who won state-wide in the Pennsylvania election and in the national election, in a 1964 landslide. As a testament to the county's status as a Republican Party stronghold,

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

in 1976 is the lone Democrat to win forty percent of the county's votes since Johnson's 1964 win.

Voter registration

As of February 5, 2024, there are 99,471 registered voters in the county. There are 61,383 registered Republicans, 23,279 registered Democrats, 11,351 voters registered non-affiliated voters, and 3,458 voters registered to other parties.

United States Senate

John Fetterman John Karl Fetterman ( ; born August 15, 1969) is an American politician serving as the senior United States senator from Pennsylvania, a seat he has held since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, he served from 2006 to 2019 as the mayor o ...

, Democrat *

Dave McCormick David Harold McCormick (born August 17, 1965) is an American politician, businessman, and former United States Army, Army officer serving since 2025 as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States Senate, United States senato ...

, Republican

Education

Universities and colleges

* Wilson College * Penn State Mont Alto

Technology school

* Franklin County Career and Technology Center *Chambersburg Area Career Magnet School *Triangle Tech

Intermediate unit

Lincoln

Intermediate Unit In Pennsylvania, intermediate units are regional educational service agencies, established by the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Intermediate units are public entities and serve a given geographic area's educational needs and function as a step o ...

(IU#12) region includes: Adams County, Franklin County and York County. The agency offers school districts, home-schooled students and private schools many services, including: special education services, combined purchasing, and instructional technology services. It runs Summer Academy, which offers both art and academic strands designed to meet the individual needs of gifted, talented and high achieving students. Additional services include: curriculum mapping, professional development for school employees, adult education, nonpublic school services, business services, migrant & ESL (English as a second language), instructional services, special education, management services, and technology services. It also provides a

GED Ged or GED may refer to: Places * Ged, Louisiana, an unincorporated community in the United States * Ged, a village in Bichiwara Tehsil, Dungarpur District, Rajasthan, India * Delaware Coastal Airport, in Delaware, US, callsign GED People * Ged B ...

program to adults who want to earn a high school diploma and literacy programs. The Lincoln Intermediate Unit is governed by a 13-member board of directors, each a member of a local school board from the 25 school districts. Board members are elected by school directors of all 25 school districts for three-year terms that begin July 1. There are 29 intermediate units in Pennsylvania. They are funded by school districts, state and federal program specific funding and grants. IUs do not have the power to tax.

Public school districts

Public school districts include: * Chambersburg Area School District * Fannett-Metal School District (also in Perry County) * Greencastle-Antrim School District * Shippensburg Area School District (also in Cumberland County) * Tuscarora School District * Waynesboro Area School District

Private schools

* Anchor Christian Day School – Shippensburg * Antrim Mennonite School – Greencastle * Brook Side Amish School – Spring Run * Calvary Mennonite School – Chambersburg * Clearfield Parochial School – Shippensburg * Conococheague Amish School – Spring Run * Corpus Christi Catholic School – Chambersburg * Cornell Abraxas Leadership Development Program * Cornell Abraxas Youth Center – South Mountain * Culbertson Mennonite School – Chambersburg * Cumberland Valley Christian School – Chambersburg * Emmanuel Christian School – Chambersburg * Franklin Learning Center – Chambersburg * Highfield Christian Academy – Blue Ridge Summit * Living Word Academy – Blue Ridge Summit * Maple Grove Amish School Dry Run * McClays Mill Amish School – Newburg * Meadow Brook Amish School – Spring Run * Manito Day Treatment – Chambersburg * Mercersburg Academy – Mercersburg * Montessori Academy of Chambersburg * Mountain View Amish School – Spring Run * Mowersville Christian Academy – Newburg * Noahs Ark Christian Church Center – Waynesboro * Otterbein School – Shippensburg * Path Valley Christian School – Doylesburg * Portico River Brethren School – Chambersburg * Providence School – Waynesboro * St. Andrew the Apostle Catholic School – Waynesboro * Shady Grove Mennonite School – Greencastle * Shalom Christian Academy – Chambersburg * South Mountain Secure Treatment Unit – South Mountain * Stoney Creek Parochial School – Orrstown * Sunset Amish School – Newburg * Sweetwater Ridge School – Dry Run * Sylvan Learning Center – Chambersburg * Tunnel Run School – Newburg * Visionquest-South Mountain Lodge – South Mountain * Willow Hill Parochial School – Willow Hill

Libraries

The Franklin County Library system has five branches: *Blue Ridge Summit Free Library – Blue Ridge Summit *Coyle Free Library – Chambersburg *Grove Family Library – Chambersburg *Lilian S Besore Memorial Library – Greencastle *St Thomas Branch Library – Saint Thomas The system also supports the Alexander Hamilton Memorial Library in Waynesboro, PA. In addition, the system currently operates two bookmobiles.

Recreation

There are four Pennsylvania state parks in Franklin County. *

Caledonia State Park Caledonia State Park is a List of Pennsylvania state parks, Pennsylvania state park in Greene Township, Franklin County, Pennsylvania, Greene Township, Franklin County, Pennsylvania, Franklin County and Franklin Township, Adams County, Pennsylva ...

straddles the Franklin and Adams County line along U.S. Route 30 between Chambersburg and Gettysburg. * Buchanan's Birthplace State Park is the birthplace of the 15th

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

James Buchanan James Buchanan Jr. ( ; April 23, 1791June 1, 1868) was the 15th president of the United States, serving from 1857 to 1861. He also served as the United States Secretary of State, secretary of state from 1845 to 1849 and represented Pennsylvan ...

. *

Mont Alto State Park Mont Alto State Park is a List of Pennsylvania state parks, Pennsylvania state park on in Quincy Township, Pennsylvania, Quincy Township, Franklin County, Pennsylvania, Franklin County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is on Pennsylva ...

is the oldest state park in Pennsylvania. * Cowans Gap State Park is largely surrounded by Buchanan State Forest and straddles the Franklin and Fulton County border.

Communities

Map of Franklin County Pennsylvania With Municipal and Township Labels

Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities:

cities A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

boroughs A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...

, townships, and, in at most two cases,

towns A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

. The following boroughs and townships are located in Franklin County:

Boroughs

* Chambersburg (county seat) * Greencastle * Mercersburg * Mont Alto * Orrstown * Shippensburg (mostly in

) * Waynesboro

Townships

* Antrim Township * Fannett Township * Greene Township * Guilford Township * Hamilton Township * Letterkenny Township * Lurgan Township * Metal Township * Montgomery Township * Peters Township * Quincy Township * Southampton Township * St. Thomas Township * Warren Township * Washington Township

Census-designated places

Census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

s are geographical areas designated by the

for the purposes of compiling demographic data. They are not actual jurisdictions under Pennsylvania law. Other unincorporated communities, such as villages, may be listed here as well. * Blue Ridge Summit * Fayetteville * Fort Loudon * Guilford * Marion * Pen Mar * Rouzerville *

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

* State Line * Wayne Heights

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Franklin County. † ''county seat''

References

{{authority control 1784 establishments in Pennsylvania Populated places established in 1784