Franklin is a city and the

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 ...

of Robertson County,

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. It is within the Brazos Valley on the cusp of

East East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fac ...

and

Central Texas Central Texas is a region in the U.S. state of Texas surrounding Austin and roughly bordered by San Saba to Bryan and San Marcos to Hillsboro. Central Texas overlaps with and includes part of the Texas Hill Country and corresponds to a ...

. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 1,614.

Geography

Franklin lies near the geographic center of the county, on an upland prairie that is drained by the branches of three creeks. Touchstone Branch, to the north, runs westward into Mud Creek; South Mineral Creek drains waters eastward to the Navasota River; and the forks of Cedar Creek run to the south, passing Mount Pleasant, Henry Prairie and Wheelock. Franklin is located at (31.026222, –96.486086). According to the

United States 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 th ...

, the city has a total area of , all of it land. On April 13, 2019, an EF-3 tornado went through Franklin causing widespread damage and many injuries.

Demographics

Franklin is part of the Bryan-College Station metropolitan area. As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to off ...

, there were 1,614 people, 555 households, and 419 families residing in the city. 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 inc ...

of 2000, there were 1,470 people, 533 households, and 351 families living in the city. 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 RosenberPopu ...

was 1,594.4 people per square mile (616.9/km). There were 626 housing units at an average density of 679.0 per square mile (262.7/km). The racial makeup of the city was 75.51%

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 ...

, 19.52%

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 ...

, 0.20% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 0.07%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 2.93% from other races, and 1.36% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 8.84% of the population. There were 533 households, out of which 36.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.5% 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 ...

living together, 17.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.0% were non-families. 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.20. In the city, the population was spread out, with 29.0% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 18.4% from 45 to 64, and 20.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $27,400, and the median income for a family was $33,889. Males had a median income of $31,818 versus $20,441 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $13,490. About 15.4% of families and 18.9% of the population were 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 ...

, including 23.5% of those under age 18 and 25.0% of those age 65 or over.

Notable attractions

* Pridgeon Community Center and Visitor Center * Robertson County Courthouse – National Register of Historic Places * Franklin Ranch – Community/Sports Park * Franklin Carnegie Library * Franklin Cemetery

Government

Franklin is a Type A general law city governed by a mayor and five city council members. The mayor and city council are elected at large to serve for a two-year term. Members may serve an unlimited number of terms. The city council meets on the third Monday of each month at 6:00 pm at City Hall. Request to be placed on the agenda should be made to the city secretary and approved by the mayor. All members must be residents within the city limits of Franklin.

Education

Franklin is served by the Franklin Independent School District. The district website is located a
Franklin ISD
It consists of three schools: * Roland Reynolds Elementary: Pre-K–4th * Franklin Middle School: 5th–8th * Franklin High School: 9th–12th The school district has approximately 1100 students and is classified as 3A according to the

University Interscholastic League The University Interscholastic League (UIL) is an organization that creates rules for and administers almost all athletic, musical, and academic contests for public primary and secondary schools in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the largest organi ...

(UIL). Franklin High School has approximately 300–350 students.

Notable people

* Fred C. Cole, librarian and historian

Images

File:Franklin, TX sign IMG 2278.JPG, File:Franklin, TX, City Hall IMG 2277.JPG, Franklin City Hall File:Glimpse of downtown Franklin, TX IMG 2279.JPG, Part of downtown Franklin File:Sanderson Farms operation, near Franklin, TX IMG 2281.JPG,

Sanderson Farms Sanderson Farms is an American poultry producer which is based in Laurel, Mississippi. It is the third largest poultry producer in the United States and produces 13.65 million chickens per week. On July 22, 2022, it merged with Wayne Farms to fo ...

operation off

U.S. Route 79 U.S. Route 79 (US 79) is a United States highway in the Southern United States. The route is officially considered and labeled as a north-south highway, but its path is actually more of a diagonal northeast-southwest highway. The highway's nort ...

east of Franklin File:Revised Robertson County Courthouse, Franklin, TX IMG 2273.JPG, Robertson County Courthouse before renovation

References

External links

* {{authority control Cities in Texas Cities in Robertson County, Texas County seats in Texas Bryan–College Station