Franklin is a home rule-class city in and the

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 ...

of Simpson County,

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

, United States. The county is located on the south central border of the state, and its population was 10,176 at the 2020 census.

Kentucky Downs Kentucky Downs is a Thoroughbred horse racing track located on the border between Kentucky and Tennessee, in the city of Franklin, Kentucky, just off Interstate 65. It is unique among American tracks in that it is a European-style course—it ...

, formerly known as Dueling Grounds Racetrack (owned by Corey Johnsen & Ray Reid), is located in Franklin on the Kentucky–Tennessee border. Kentucky Downs hosts the Kentucky Cup Turf Festival, a full card of world-class horse racing featuring four major turf stakes. Kentucky Downs also hosts year-round simulcasts for the Kentucky-Tennessee market.

History

Franklin was formally incorporated by the

state assembly State Assembly is the name given to various legislatures, especially lower houses or full legislatures in states in federal systems of government. Channel Islands States Assembly is the name of the legislature of the Bailiwick of Jersey. The Baili ...

on November 2, 1820, on a tract of land. This tract was purchased from William Hudspeth and was named for Founding Father

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 ...

. The

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...

was established on September 29, 1822, with Robert W. Simpson as postmaster. Accessed 5 May 2010. On March 1, 1968,

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...

and

June Carter Cash Valerie June Carter Cash (June 23, 1929 – May 15, 2003) was an American country singer and songwriter. A five-time Grammy Award–winner, she was a member of the Carter Family and the second wife of singer Johnny Cash. Prior to her marria ...

were married at the Franklin First United Methodist church by Reverend Leslie Chapman.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Franklin has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Geography

Franklin is located at (36.722487, -86.577566). According to the

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

, the city has a total area of , all land.

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 2020, there were 10,176 people residing in the city. The population density was . The racial makeup of the city was 80.20%

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 ...

, 13.00%

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 ...

, 0.10% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.10%

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 ...

, and 6.20% from two or more races.

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 were 3.00% of the population. The median income for a household in the city was $54,784. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $23,835. About 16.8% of the population is below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

Education

Public education in Franklin is administered by Simpson County School District, which operates Franklin Elementary School, Lincoln Elementary School and Simpson Elementary School, Franklin-Simpson Middle School and

Franklin-Simpson High School Franklin-Simpson High School is a high school in Franklin, Kentucky, United States. Franklin-Simpson is the only high school located in Simpson County, Kentucky. As of 2016, the school has 916 students enrolled and has 52 full-time teachers. The ...

as well as an alternative school called Franklin-Simpson High School West Campus. Franklin Mennonite Elementary School and Faith Baptist Academy are private institutions. Franklin has a

public library A public library is a library, most often a lending library, that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil servic ...

, the Goodnight Memorial Library.

Notable people

Joe Blanton Joseph Matthew Blanton (born December 11, 1980) is an American former professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Kansas City Royals, Pi ...

(1980–),

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

pitcher, was raised in Franklin * Marty Brown (1965–), country singer-songwriter born in Maceo and moved to Franklin in 2004 *

Thomas Chisholm Thomas Chisholm (April 12, 1842 – October 1, 1931) was a Canadian physician and politician. Born in Glen Williams, Halton County, Canada West, the son of John Chisholm and Jane McClure, he graduated from the University of Toronto School ...

(1866–1960), Christian songwriter who wrote "

Great is Thy Faithfulness Great Is Thy Faithfulness is a popular Christian hymn written by Thomas Chisholm (1866–1960) with music composed by William M. Runyan (1870–1957) in Baldwin City, Kansas, U.S. The phrase "great is thy faithfulness" comes from the Old Testa ...

", was born in Franklin * Carolyn Denning (1927–2016), pediatrician and pioneer in cystic fibrosis treatment, grew up in Franklin *

Blanche Taylor Dickinson Blanche Taylor Dickinson (April 15, 1896 – January 7, 1972) was an American writer associated with the Harlem Renaissance arts movement. In 2023, she was inducted into the Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame. Early life and education Blanche Tayl ...

(1896–1972), poet *

James Earnest James Harrison Earnest (January 11, 1818June 12, 1900) was an American Democratic politician and Wisconsin pioneer. He served four years in the Wisconsin State Senate and six years in the Assembly, representing Lafayette County. Background J ...

(1818–1900), member of the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Assembly is controlled by the Republican ...

and

Wisconsin State Senate The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after those o ...

, was born in Franklin * Brad M. Kelley (1956–), billionaire businessman, came from Franklin * Carolyn Conn Moore (1904–1986) of Franklin was elected as the first woman to serve in the

Kentucky Senate The Kentucky Senate is the upper house of the Kentucky General Assembly. The Kentucky Senate is composed of 38 members elected from single-member districts throughout Kentucky, the Commonwealth. There are no term limits for Kentucky senators. T ...

in November 1949, after a special election to replace her husband, the late J. Lee Moore, after his death. *

Kenny Perry James Kenneth Perry (born August 10, 1960) is an American professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour Champions. He won 14 PGA Tour events and has won nine PGA Tour Champions events including four senior major championships: the 2 ...

(1960–), a retired PGA golfer with 14 wins on the PGA Tour, 10 wins on the Senior PGA Tour, including 4 senior majors, and was a member of the U.S. teams in 5 Ryder & President's Cups, spent most of his childhood in Franklin and continues to live there. Today he operates a golf course there, Kenny Perry's Country Creek course. *

Joker Phillips Joe "Joker" Phillips Jr. (born May 12, 1963) is an American football coach and former player. He is the assistant head football coach and wide receivers coach at North Carolina State University, a position he has held since the 2021 season. Phill ...

(1963–), pro football player, was born and raised in Franklin; he attended, played football, and is a former head coach at the University of Kentucky. Current

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

coach *

Annie Potts Anne Hampton Potts (born October 28, 1952) is an American actress. She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for '' Corvette Summer'' (1978) and won a Genie Award for '' Heartaches'' (1981), before appearing in ''Ghostbusters'' (1984), ''Pretty ...

(1952–), actress (''Ghostbusters'', ''Pretty in Pink'', ''Designing Women'', and ''Young Sheldon''), was raised in Franklin and graduated from Franklin-Simpson High School in 1971. * Tony Randolph (1966–), member of the

South Dakota House of Representatives The South Dakota House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Dakota Legislature. It consists of 70 members, two from each legislative district. Two of the state's 35 legislative districts, Districts 26 and 28, are each subdivided ...

References

External links

* {{authority control * Cities in Kentucky Cities in Simpson County, Kentucky County seats in Kentucky 1820 establishments in Kentucky Populated places established in 1820