Franklin County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

in the Commonwealth of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. 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 civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

Chambersburg Chambersburg is a borough in and the county seat of Franklin County, in the South Central region of Pennsylvania, United States. It is in the Cumberland Valley, which is part of the Great Appalachian Valley, and north of Maryland and the Mas ...

. Franklin County comprises the Chambersburg–Waynesboro, PA

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...

, which is also included in the Washington–Baltimore–Arlington-DC–MD–VA–WV–PA Combined Statistical Area. It lies to a large extent within the

Cumberland Valley The Cumberland Valley is a northern constituent valley of the Great Appalachian Valley, within the Atlantic Seaboard watershed in Pennsylvania and Maryland. The Appalachian Trail crosses through the valley. Geography The valley is bound to ...

History

Originally part of Lancaster County (1729), then York County (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 *Cumberla ...

(1750), Franklin County became an independent

jurisdiction Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' + 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United States, areas of jurisdiction apply to local, state, and federal levels. Jur ...

on September 9, 1784, relatively soon after the end of the American Revolutionary War. It is named in honor of

Founding Father The following list of national founding figures is a record, by country, of people 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. ...

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading inte ...

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), 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 Census Bureau is part of the ...

, 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 the parts: the ...

and the overwhelming majority of it is drained by the

Potomac River The Potomac River () drains the Mid-Atlantic United States, flowing from the Potomac Highlands into Chesapeake Bay. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map. Retrieved Augus ...

, but the

Conodoguinet Creek Conodoguinet Creek is a tributary of the Susquehanna River in South central Pennsylvania in the United States.Gertler, Edward. ''Keystone Canoeing'', Seneca Press, 2004. The name is Native American, and means "A Long Way with Many Bends". Conodo ...

and the Sherman Creek drain northeastern portions into the

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River (; Lenape: Siskëwahane) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, overlapping between the lower Northeast and the Upland South. At long, it is the longest river on the East Coast of the ...

. 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 freezing ...

(''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 wide ...

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

Adjacent counties

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

(northeast) *

Huntingdon County Huntingdon is a market town in the Huntingdonshire district in Cambridgeshire, England. The town was given its town charter by John, King of England, King John in 1205. It was the county town of the historic county of Huntingdonshire. Oliver Cr ...

(Northwest) * Adams County (east) * Frederick County, Maryland (southeast) *

Washington County, Maryland Washington County is located in the western part of the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the population was 154,705. Its county seat is Hagerstown. Washington County was the first county in the United States to be named for the ...

(south) *

Fulton County Fulton County is the name of eight counties in the United States of America. Most are named for Robert Fulton, inventor of the first practical steamboat: *Fulton County, Arkansas, named after Governor William Savin Fulton *Fulton County, Georgia *F ...

(west)

Major highways

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

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

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 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 geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 168 people per square mile (65/km²). There were 53,803 housing units at an average density of 70 per square mile (27/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.33%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 2.33%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.15% Native American, 0.55%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, 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 the original p ...

, 0.74% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

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

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race. 40.2% were of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

, 19.4%

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

, 7.6%

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

and 6.0%

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

ancestry. 96.0% spoke

and 2.1%

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

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 recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

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. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...

'' as a representative Red or Republican Party county.

2020 Census

Government

County commissioners

* David Keller, Chairman, Republican * John Flannery, Republican * Robert Ziobrowski, Democrat

Other county offices

* Clerk of Courts, Todd Rock * Controller, Harold Wissinger * Coroner, Jeff Conner * District Attorney, Matthew Fogal * Prothonotary, Timothy Sponseller * Register and Recorder, Linda Miller * Sheriff, Dane Anthony * Treasurer, Melody Shuman

State House of Representatives

* 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

* Judy Ward, Republican, Pennsylvania's 30th Senatorial District *

Doug Mastriano Douglas Vincent Mastriano (born January 2, 1964) is an American far-right politician and retired military officer who has served in the Pennsylvania Senate since 2019, representing the 33rd district. A member of the Republican Party, he was ...

, Republican, Pennsylvania's 33rd Senatorial District

United States House of Representatives

John Joyce John Joyce or Johnny Joyce may refer to: * John Joyce (New Zealand politician) (1839–1899), New Zealand Member of Parliament (MP) * John Joyce (American politician) (born 1957), United States Representative * John Joye or Joyce, MP * Jack 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 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), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

, who won state-wide in the Pennsylvania election and in the

national election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

, in a 1964 landslide. As a testament to the county's status as a Republican Party stronghold,

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...

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

United States Senate

Pat Toomey Patrick Joseph Toomey Jr. (born November 17, 1961) is an American businessman and politician serving as the junior United States senator for Pennsylvania since 2011. A member of the Republican Party, he served three terms as the U.S. representat ...

, Republican * Bob Casey, Democrat

Education

Universities and colleges

* Wilson College *

Penn State Mont Alto Penn State Mont Alto is a residential commonwealth campus of the Pennsylvania State University. Located in Mont Alto, Pennsylvania, the campus offers nine four-year and seven two-year degree programs, including nursing, forest technology, occup ...

Technology school

Franklin County Career and Technology Center The Franklin County Career and Technology Center is vocational high school located in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. It serves Grades 10-12. The program at FCCTC includes half a year of academics and half a year of shop. It has six participating schoo ...

*Chambersburg Area Career Magnet School *Triangle Tech

Intermediate unit

Lincoln

Intermediate Unit {{short description, School service agencies in Pennsylvania In Pennsylvania, intermediate units are regional educational service agencies, established by the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Intermediate units are public entities and serve a given ...

(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 The General Educational Development (GED) tests are a group of four subject tests which, when passed, provide certification that the test taker has United States or Canadian high school-level academic skills. It is an alternative to the US high ...

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

Chambersburg Area School District The Chambersburg Area School District is a public school district located in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. The district encompasses approximately 250 square miles, including the borough of Chambersburg, plus the townships of Hamilton, Greene, ...

Fannett-Metal School District The Fannett-Metal School District is a diminutive, rural, public school district that serves Fannett and Metal townships in Franklin County, as well as a small portion of Toboyne Township in Perry County, Pennsylvania. It encompasses approx ...

(also in Perry County) *

Greencastle-Antrim School District The Greencastle-Antrim School District is a medium, rural, public school district located in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. It encompasses the borough of Greencastle and the surrounding Antrim Township. Greencastle-Antrim School District enco ...

Shippensburg Area School District The Shippensburg Area School District is a midsized, suburban, public school district in Franklin County, Pennsylvania and Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. It is centered on the borough of Shippensburg and also serves Newburg, Hopewell Towns ...

(also in Cumberland County) *

Tuscarora School District The Tuscarora School District is a midsized, rural, public school district located in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. It serves: the borough of Mercersburg, as well as St. Thomas Township, Peters Township, Montgomery Township, and Warren To ...

Waynesboro Area School District The Waynesboro Area School District is a midsized, suburban public school district located in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. The district is one of the 500 public school districts of Pennsylvania. It encompasses the boroughs of Waynesboro and ...

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 Academy (formerly Marshall College and Mercersburg College) is an independent selective college-preparatory boarding & day high school in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania in the United States. Founded in 1893, the school enrolls approximat ...

– 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 December 2013 Fannettsburg PA

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 Pennsylvania state park in Greene Township, Franklin County and Franklin Township, Adams County in southern Pennsylvania. The park is named for the Caledonia Furnace, an iron furnace that was owned by Thaddeus St ...

straddles the Franklin and Adams County line along

U.S. Route 30 U.S. Route 30 or U.S. Highway 30 (US 30) is an east–west main route in the system of the United States Numbered Highways, with the highway traveling across the northern tier of the country. With a length of , it is the third longest ...

between

and Gettysburg. *

Buchanan's Birthplace State Park Buchanan's Birthplace State Park is an Pennsylvania state park near Cove Gap in Peters Township, Franklin County, Pennsylvania. The park is on Pennsylvania Route 16 along Tuscarora Mountain. Buchanan's Birthplace State Park was created from la ...

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 of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

James Buchanan James Buchanan Jr. ( ; April 23, 1791June 1, 1868) was an American lawyer, diplomat and politician who served as the 15th president of the United States from 1857 to 1861. He previously served as secretary of state from 1845 to 1849 and repr ...

. *

Mont Alto State Park Mont Alto State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on in Quincy Township, Franklin County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is on Pennsylvania Route 233 one mile from Mont Alto. History Mont Alto Iron Company Mont Alto State Park i ...

is the oldest state park in Pennsylvania. *

Cowans Gap State Park Cowans Gap State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Todd Township, Fulton County and Metal Township, Franklin County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is largely surrounded by Buchanan State Forest in Allens Valley just off Penn ...

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 notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

boroughs A borough is an administrative division in various 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 In the Middle Ag ...

townships A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Ca ...

, and, in at most two cases,

towns A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

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

Boroughs

(county seat) * Greencastle *

Mercersburg Mercersburg is a borough in Franklin County, located near the southern border of Pennsylvania, United States. The borough is southwest of Harrisburg, the state capital. Due to its location in a rural area, it had a relatively large percentage ...

* 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 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 counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

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 Marion may refer to: People *Marion (given name) *Marion (surname) *Marion Silva Fernandes, Brazilian footballer known simply as "Marion" *Marion (singer), Filipino singer-songwriter and pianist Marion Aunor (born 1992) Places Antarctica * Mario ...

Pen Mar Pen Mar is an unincorporated community in Washington County, Maryland, and Franklin County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is one of the border towns in the United States with a portmanteau name. Pen Mar came to prominence as a resort in the 2 ...

* Rouzerville *

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

* 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