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
Northeast
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A '' compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—eac ...
region of the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
of
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States
Georgia may also refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
. As of the
2020 census, the population was 23,424. 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 ...
is
Carnesville.
On February 25, 1784, Franklin and Washington became Georgia's eighth and ninth counties, with Franklin named in honor of patriot
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 ...
.
In its original form, Franklin County included all of the territory now in Banks, Barrow, Clarke, Jackson, Oconee, and Stephens counties, and parts of the modern-day Gwinnett, Hall, Hart, and Madison counties, as well as three counties that are now part of South Carolina. Franklin County has several miles of shoreline on
Lake Hartwell
Lake Hartwell is a man-made reservoir bordering Georgia and South Carolina and encompassing parts of the Savannah, Tugaloo, and Seneca Rivers. Lake Hartwell is one of the largest recreation lakes in the Southeastern United States. It was creat ...
.
Economic development
The Franklin County Industrial Building Authority, one of only seven created by a Georgia constitutional amendment, actively seeks and recruits new industries to the county. The Authority consists of seven members: each of the five mayors from the cities within Franklin County, and two
at-large
At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather tha ...
members selected by the Board of Commissioners.
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 (1.9%) is water.
The county is located in the
Piedmont
Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...
region of the state.
The majority of Franklin County is located in the
Broad River sub-basin of the
Savannah River
The Savannah River is a major river in the Southeastern United States, forming most of the border between the states of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and South Carolina. The river flows from the Appalachian Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean, ...
basin, with just the northeastern corner, north of
Lavonia, located in the
Tugaloo River sub-basin of the same Savannah River basin. Franklin County is also located on
Lake Hartwell
Lake Hartwell is a man-made reservoir bordering Georgia and South Carolina and encompassing parts of the Savannah, Tugaloo, and Seneca Rivers. Lake Hartwell is one of the largest recreation lakes in the Southeastern United States. It was creat ...
.
Adjacent counties
*
Stephens County (north)
*
Oconee County,
South Carolina
South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...
(northeast)
*
Hart County (east)
*
Elbert County (southeast)
*
Madison County (south)
*
Banks County (west)
Education
Franklin County School system
The
Franklin County School District (Georgia) supports grades from kindergarten to grade twelve. The system consists of three elementary schools, one middle school, one high school, and one alternative school. The Franklin County School System has a staff of over 600 and an enrollment of 3570 as of 2020. The system boasts a 90.7% graduation rate. FCSS is the largest employer in Franklin County.
Private schools
*
Shepherd's Hill Academy, a Christian private school for grades 7–12
Colleges
*
Emmanuel University is a private, Christian, liberal arts college located in
Franklin Springs. The college is a member of the
NCAA Division II
NCAA Division II (D-II) is the intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environment ...
.
Attractions
*
Lake Hartwell
Lake Hartwell is a man-made reservoir bordering Georgia and South Carolina and encompassing parts of the Savannah, Tugaloo, and Seneca Rivers. Lake Hartwell is one of the largest recreation lakes in the Southeastern United States. It was creat ...
, a man-made lake covering 56,000 acres built for flood control and recreation.
*
Tugaloo State Park which is a 393-acre state park on the lake featuring a beach, campsites, and several nature trails.
*
Victoria Bryant State Park, a 502-acre state park featuring a large 18-hole
golf
Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible.
Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...
course, a swimming area on the
Broad River, campsites, and an archery range.
*
Cromer's Mill Covered Bridge
*
Ty Cobb
Tyrus Raymond Cobb (December 18, 1886 – July 17, 1961), nicknamed "the Georgia Peach", was an American professional baseball center fielder. A native of rural Narrows, Georgia, Cobb played 24 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He spent ...
museum in Royston, Georgia.
Transportation
Major highways
*
Interstate 85
*
U.S. Route 29
U.S. Route 29 or U.S. Highway 29 (US 29) is a north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs for from Pensacola, Florida, to Ellicott City, Maryland, just west of Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland, in the Eastern United Stat ...
*
State Route 8
*
State Route 17
*
State Route 17 Business
*
State Route 51
*
State Route 59
*
State Route 63
*
State Route 77 Connector
*
State Route 106
*
State Route 145
*
State Route 174
*
State Route 184
*
State Route 198
*
State Route 281
*
State Route 320
*
State Route 326
*
State Route 327
*
State Route 328
*
State Route 403 (unsigned designation for I-85)
Airports
*
Franklin County Airport (18A), featuring a runway and self-service
100LL
Avgas (aviation gasoline, also known as aviation spirit in the UK) is an aviation fuel used in aircraft with spark-ignited internal combustion engines. ''Avgas'' is distinguished from conventional gasoline (petrol) used in motor vehicles, whi ...
and
Jet A fuel.
*
Broad River Air Park (3GE3), a private airport community featuring a runway parallel to Interstate 85.
Infrastructure
Railroad
The
Hartwell Railroad operates freight service through the eastern portion of Franklin County throughout the Martin, Lavonia, Canon, and Royston areas on the former
Norfolk Southern
The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States. Headquartered in Atlanta, the company was formed in 1982 with the merger of the Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. The comp ...
line from
Toccoa to
Elberton.
Utilities
Electric service in Franklin County is provided by two customer-owned electric cooperatives, Hart EMC and
Jackson EMC, as well as by
Georgia Power
Georgia Power is an electric utility headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It was established as the Georgia Railway and Power Company and began operations in 1902 running streetcars in Atlanta as a successor to the Atlanta Consol ...
, a subsidiary of
Southern Company
Southern Company is an American gas and electric utility holding company based in the Southern United States. It is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with executive offices located in Birmingham, Alabama. As of 2021 it is the second largest ut ...
. Water utilities are provided by the cities of Lavonia, Martin, Royston, and Carnesville as well as by Franklin County in rural areas.
Natural gas
Natural gas (also fossil gas, methane gas, and gas) is a naturally occurring compound of gaseous hydrocarbons, primarily methane (95%), small amounts of higher alkanes, and traces of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide and helium ...
is supplied by the cities of Toccoa and Royston.
Hospital
St. Mary's Healthcare System operates
St. Mary's Sacred Heart Hospital in Lavonia which is the only hospital in Franklin County. The hospital features 56 inpatient beds, a 24/7 Emergency Department, a Critical Care Unit, 4 surgical suites, and an open to the public gym.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the
2020 United States census, there were 23,424 people, 8,460 households, and 6,123 families residing in the county.
2010 census
As of the
2010 United States census, there were 22,084 people, 8,540 households, and 5,979 families living in the county.
The population density was . There were 10,553 housing units at an average density of .
The racial makeup of the county was 87.3% white, 8.4% black or African American, 0.5% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 1.9% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.9% of the population.
In terms of ancestry, 17.6% were
American, 9.7% were
Irish, 9.7% were
English, and 8.0% were
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 ...
.
Of the 8,540 households, 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.6% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.0% were non-families, and 26.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.00. The median age was 40.9 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $36,739 and the median income for a family was $44,667. Males had a median income of $33,718 versus $28,713 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,276. About 14.3% of families and 17.8% 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 22.5% of those under age 18 and 13.4% of those age 65 or over.
2000 census
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 20,285 people, 7,888 households, and 5,695 families living 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 9,303 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 89.49%
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 ...
, 8.83%
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 ...
or
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 ...
, 0.21%
Native American, 0.25%
Asian, 0.02%
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 ...
, 0.41% from
other races, and 0.78% from two or more races. 0.92% 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.
There were 7,888 households, out of which 31.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.20% 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, 10.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.80% were non-families. 24.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.90% under the age of 18, 9.60% from 18 to 24, 27.30% from 25 to 44, 23.80% from 45 to 64, and 15.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 94.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $32,134, and the median income for a family was $38,463. Males had a median income of $29,474 versus $21,051 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 county was $15,767. About 11.00% of families and 13.90% 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 16.80% of those under age 18 and 18.50% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Franklin County is governed by a five-member
board of commissioners
A county commission (or a board of county commissioners) is a group of elected officials (county commissioners) collectively charged with administering the county government in some states of the United States. A county usually has three to five ...
, whose members are elected from
multi-member district
An electoral (congressional, legislative, etc.) district, sometimes called a constituency, riding, or ward, is a geographical portion of a political unit, such as a country, state or province, city, or administrative region, created to provi ...
s. They serve alternating four-year terms. The county has a
county manager system of government, in which day-to-day operation of the county is handled by a manager appointed by the board. The chairman of the Board of Commissioners is elected by the citizens of the county.
Communities
Cities
*
Canon
Canon or Canons may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author
* Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture
** Western canon, th ...
*
Carnesville
*
Franklin Springs
*
Lavonia
*
Royston
Town
*
Martin Martin may refer to:
Places Antarctica
* Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land
* Port Martin, Adelie Land
* Point Martin, South Orkney Islands
Europe
* Martin, Croatia, a village
* Martin, Slovakia, a city
* Martín del Río, Aragón, Spain
* M ...
Census-designated place
*
Gumlog
Notable people
*
Ernest Vandiver - Former Georgia Governor 1959–1963)
*
FPS Russia,
YouTube
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
personality
*
Ty Cobb
Tyrus Raymond Cobb (December 18, 1886 – July 17, 1961), nicknamed "the Georgia Peach", was an American professional baseball center fielder. A native of rural Narrows, Georgia, Cobb played 24 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He spent ...
, member of the
Baseball Hall of Fame
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by a private foundation. It serves as the central collection and gathering space for the history of baseball in the United S ...
*
Dee Dowis,
Air Force Academy
An air force academy or air academy is a national institution that provides initial officer training, possibly including undergraduate level education, to air force officer cadets who are preparing to be commissioned officers in a national air forc ...
quarterback,
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy ( ; also known simply as the Heisman) is awarded annually since 1935 to the top player in college football. It is considered the most prestigious award in the sport and is presented by the Heisman Trophy Trust followin ...
finalist, Air Force career rushing yard record holder
*
Pauline Bray Fletcher, nurse and camp director
*
Tony Jones, professional football player in the
NFL
*
Gary Walker, professional football player in the NFL
*
Terry Kay
Terry Winter Kay (February 10, 1938 – December 12, 2020) was an American author, whose novels examined life in the American South. His most well-known book, ''To Dance with the White Dog'', was made into a Hallmark Hall of Fame television mov ...
, author
*
Omer Clyde "O.C." Aderhold, former president of the
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...
during racial integration
*
D. W. Brooks, farmer and businessman
Politics
See also
*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Franklin County, Georgia
*
Lake Hartwell
Lake Hartwell is a man-made reservoir bordering Georgia and South Carolina and encompassing parts of the Savannah, Tugaloo, and Seneca Rivers. Lake Hartwell is one of the largest recreation lakes in the Southeastern United States. It was creat ...
*
List of counties in Georgia
The U.S. state of Georgia is divided into 159 counties, the second-highest number after Texas, which has 254 counties. Under the Georgia State Constitution, all of its counties are granted home rule to deal with problems that are purely loca ...
References
External links
Franklin Countyhistorical marker
Hebron Presbyterian Churchhistorical marker
Poplar Springs Methodist Camp Groundhistorical marker
{{Coord, 34.37, -83.23, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-GA_source:UScensus1990
1784 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia (U.S. state) counties
Populated places established in 1784
Northeast Georgia