Franklin is a 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, Robertson County,

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, United States. It is within the Brazos Valley, on the cusp of the

East East 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 fact that ea ...

and

Central Texas Central Texas is a region in the U.S. state of Texas roughly bordered on the west by San Saba, to the southeast by Bryan- College Station, the south by San Marcos and to the north by Hillsboro. Central Texas overlaps with and includes part ...

regions. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 1,614. The original name of the town was Morgan and it was made county seat in 1879.

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 The Navasota River is a river in the U.S. state of Texas. It is about 125 miles (201 km) long, beginning near Mount Calm and flowing south into the Brazos River at a point where Brazos, Grimes, and Washington counties converge.''Merriam-We ...

; and the forks of Cedar Creek run to the south, passing Mount Pleasant, Henry Prairie and Wheelock. 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. On April 13, 2019, an EF-3 tornado passed through Franklin, causing widespread damage and many injuries.

Climate

Demographics

Franklin is part of the Bryan-College Station metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,614 people, 555 households, and 419 families residing in the city. 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 1,470 people, 533 households, and 351 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 626 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 75.51%

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 ...

, 19.52%

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 ...

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

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 ...

, 2.93% from other races, and 1.36% 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 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 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, 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 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 $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 at 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 organ ...

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

Notable people

Fred C. Cole Fred Carrington Cole (April 12, 1912 – May 6, 1986) was an American librarian and historian. He was president of the Council on Library Resources and Washington & Lee University, Washington and Lee University. In 1999, ''American Libraries'' ...

, librarian and historian * Felix Nelson, actorLamarre, Hazel L. (May 28, 1953)
"All the World's a Stage: Artist of the Week"
''Los Angeles Sentinel''. p. B-2. Retrieved March 31, 2024. * Derek Scott Jr., racing driver

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 operation off U.S. Route 79 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