Franklin County, Tennessee | |
|---|---|
 Franklin County Courthouse in Winchester | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofTennessee | |
| Coordinates:35°09′N86°06′W / 35.15°N 86.1°W /35.15; -86.1 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Tennessee |
| Founded | 1807 |
| Named after | Benjamin Franklin |
| Seat | Winchester |
| Largest city | Winchester |
| Area | |
• Total | 576 sq mi (1,490 km2) |
| • Land | 555 sq mi (1,440 km2) |
| • Water | 21 sq mi (54 km2) 3.7% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 42,774 |
| • Density | 74/sq mi (29/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 4th |
| Website | franklincotn |
Franklin County is acounty in theU.S. state ofTennessee. It is located on the eastern boundary ofMiddle Tennessee in the southern part of the state. As of the2020 census, the population was 42,774.[1] Itscounty seat isWinchester.[2] Franklin County was formerly part of theTullahoma-Manchester, TNMicropolitan Statistical Area, it was removed in 2023 and is part of the Winchester Micropolitan Statistical Area.
White settlement began around 1800, and the county was formally organized in 1807 and named forBenjamin Franklin.[3][4] During the next several decades, the size of the county was reduced several times by reorganizations which created the neighboring counties ofCoffee County,Moore County, andGrundy County. One of the most notable early settlers was frontiersmanDavy Crockett, who came about 1812 but is not thought to have remained long.[3]
TheUniversity of the South, founded by the Episcopal Church, was organized just before theCivil War. It began full operations shortly after hostilities ceased. It encompasses a full university and theological seminary. The University of Tennessee Space Institute is also located in the county.
The area became stronglysecessionist before the war. Franklin County formally threatened tosecede from Tennessee and joinAlabama if Tennessee did not leave the union, which the state did when forced to take sides by Abraham Lincoln.[3] This contrasted sharply with the situation in not distantWinston County, Alabama, which was largely pro-Union and provided more volunteers for the Union than the Confederacy.
During 1863, theArmy of Tennessee retreated through the county, leaving it more or less under Union control for the rest of the war, although some guerrilla warfare still took place.Isham G. Harris, the Confederate governor of Tennessee, was from Franklin County. After having his political rights restored after the war, he was chosen to represent the state in theUnited States Senate.
During thetemperance (anti-liquor) agitations of the late 19th century, residents discovered that by a quirk of state law, liquor could be sold only inincorporated towns. As a result, all of the county's towns abolished their charters in order to prohibit the sale of alcohol.[3]
In the 20th century, Franklin County benefited from the flood control and power generation activities of theTennessee Valley Authority (TVA), built by the PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt administration during theGreat Depression. The TVA helped bring new industry to the area. It also created opportunities for water recreation by making new lakes, but at the same time also displaced many county residents from their soon to be submerged homes. The establishment of the federalArnold Engineering Development Center, which is partly within the county, helped spur economic growth and technical development. Theinterstate highway system barely touched the county, but it did provide valuable access onInterstate 24 to nearbyChattanooga.
Two notable figures who were born in the county early in the twentieth century were singer/entertainerDinah Shore and entrepreneur/philanthropistJohn Templeton. He later became a British subject and was awarded aknighthood.
During the last decades of the 19th and the first of the 20th, Tennessee, like other southern states, passed laws and constitutional amendments establishingJim Crow:racial segregation in public facilities, restrictions of voting for blacks, and similar measures. There were few violent disturbances in Franklin County compared to many other localities, but it was not until a decade after the historicBrown v. Board of Education court decision that the county's schools weredesegregated in 1964 whena lawsuit was won in Sewanee, Tennessee.
Considerable industrial growth occurred in the county in the last decades of the 20th century, including the construction of a large automobile engine plant by theNissan corporation inDecherd. An emphasis on tourism also developed, based on Civil War history and local scenic attractions such as thedogwood forests, for which an annual festival is held.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 576 square miles (1,490 km2), of which 555 square miles (1,440 km2) is land and 21 square miles (54 km2) (3.7%) is water.[5]
Franklin is one of Tennessee's southern tier of counties and abuts theAlabama border. It has a varied geography, extending from the southeast corner of theNashville Basin over theHighland Rim and up onto theCumberland Plateau, for a difference in elevation of about 1,300 feet (400 m). The county is well watered and forested, and except for the steeper areas of the plateau is well suited for agriculture, having a long growing season and mild winters.
Sewanee Natural Bridge is a 25 feet (7.6 m) highnatural sandstone arch with a span of 50 feet (15 m).
Lost Cove Cave, located near Sherwood, is in the Carter State Natural Area. One of its entrances is known as the Buggytop Cave Entrance and another entrance is known as the Peter Cave Entrance. The Buggytop Entrance is 100 feet (30 m) wide and 80 feet (24 m) high and opens at the base of an overhanging bluff 150 feet (46 m) high. The cave stream cascades down from the mouth and drops 40 feet (12 m) in less than 100 yards (91 m).[6]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1810 | 5,730 | — | |
| 1820 | 16,571 | 189.2% | |
| 1830 | 15,620 | −5.7% | |
| 1840 | 12,033 | −23.0% | |
| 1850 | 13,768 | 14.4% | |
| 1860 | 13,848 | 0.6% | |
| 1870 | 14,970 | 8.1% | |
| 1880 | 17,178 | 14.7% | |
| 1890 | 18,929 | 10.2% | |
| 1900 | 20,392 | 7.7% | |
| 1910 | 20,491 | 0.5% | |
| 1920 | 20,641 | 0.7% | |
| 1930 | 21,796 | 5.6% | |
| 1940 | 23,892 | 9.6% | |
| 1950 | 25,431 | 6.4% | |
| 1960 | 25,528 | 0.4% | |
| 1970 | 27,244 | 6.7% | |
| 1980 | 31,983 | 17.4% | |
| 1990 | 34,725 | 8.6% | |
| 2000 | 39,270 | 13.1% | |
| 2010 | 41,052 | 4.5% | |
| 2020 | 42,774 | 4.2% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[7] 1790-1960[8] 1900-1990[9] 1990-2000[10] 2010-2014[11] | |||
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 42,774 residents, a median age of 43.6 years, 19.6% of residents under the age of 18, and 21.1% aged 65 or older; there were 96.6 males for every 100 females overall and 94.8 males for every 100 females age 18 and over.[12]
32.1% of residents lived in urban areas while 67.9% lived in rural areas.[13]
There were 16,814 households in the county, of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 50.9% were married-couple households, 17.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 25.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 26.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[12]
There were 19,395 housing units, of which 13.3% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 75.8% were owner-occupied and 24.2% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.3%.[12]
The racial makeup of the county was 87.1%White, 4.6%Black or African American, 0.4%American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%Asian, less than 0.1%Native Hawaiian andPacific Islander, 2.1% from some other race, and 5.0% fromtwo or more races, whileHispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 3.5% of the population.[14]
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 36,864 | 86.18% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 1,962 | 4.59% |
| Native American | 117 | 0.27% |
| Asian | 348 | 0.81% |
| Pacific Islander | 17 | 0.04% |
| Other/Mixed | 1,964 | 4.59% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 1,502 | 3.51% |
As of thecensus[15] of 2000, there were 39,270 people, 15,003 households, and 11,162 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 71 inhabitants per square mile (27/km2).
There were 16,813 housing units at an average density of 30 per square mile (12/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 92.20%White orEuropean American, 5.49%Black orAfrican American, 0.20%Native American, 0.41%Asian, 0.03%Pacific Islander, 0.60% fromother races, and 1.06% from two or more races. 1.58% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.00% under the age of 18, 10.90% from 18 to 24, 26.40% from 25 to 44, 24.40% from 45 to 64, and 15.20% 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 92.80 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $36,044, and the median income for a family was $42,279. Males had a median income of $31,506 versus $21,479 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $17,987. About 9.60% of families and 13.20% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 17.00% of those under age 18 and 13.00% of those age 65 or over.
Franklin County has become aRepublican stronghold in recent years. The last Democrat to carry this county wasAl Gore in 2000. Prior to 2004, the only Republican to win the county in a 20th-century presidential election wasRichard Nixon in 1972. Despite this, the area aroundSewanee remains Democratic, like othercollege towns.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 370 | 13.51% | 2,172 | 79.33% | 196 | 7.16% |
| 1916 | 711 | 21.98% | 2,469 | 76.32% | 55 | 1.70% |
| 1920 | 1,558 | 30.77% | 3,504 | 69.19% | 2 | 0.04% |
| 1924 | 707 | 24.92% | 2,072 | 73.03% | 58 | 2.04% |
| 1928 | 928 | 35.26% | 1,698 | 64.51% | 6 | 0.23% |
| 1932 | 360 | 10.54% | 3,029 | 88.65% | 28 | 0.82% |
| 1936 | 519 | 12.76% | 3,534 | 86.92% | 13 | 0.32% |
| 1940 | 569 | 11.63% | 4,312 | 88.13% | 12 | 0.25% |
| 1944 | 600 | 13.12% | 3,958 | 86.55% | 15 | 0.33% |
| 1948 | 589 | 13.20% | 2,948 | 66.08% | 924 | 20.71% |
| 1952 | 2,015 | 29.48% | 4,786 | 70.03% | 33 | 0.48% |
| 1956 | 1,727 | 26.19% | 4,791 | 72.65% | 77 | 1.17% |
| 1960 | 2,041 | 28.59% | 5,041 | 70.61% | 57 | 0.80% |
| 1964 | 2,262 | 27.28% | 6,029 | 72.72% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 1,700 | 18.62% | 2,489 | 27.27% | 4,939 | 54.11% |
| 1972 | 4,136 | 57.51% | 2,896 | 40.27% | 160 | 2.22% |
| 1976 | 2,619 | 27.50% | 6,788 | 71.27% | 117 | 1.23% |
| 1980 | 3,995 | 36.02% | 6,760 | 60.96% | 335 | 3.02% |
| 1984 | 5,705 | 49.09% | 5,846 | 50.31% | 70 | 0.60% |
| 1988 | 5,381 | 49.43% | 5,442 | 49.99% | 63 | 0.58% |
| 1992 | 4,507 | 31.79% | 7,773 | 54.83% | 1,896 | 13.37% |
| 1996 | 5,296 | 39.58% | 6,929 | 51.79% | 1,154 | 8.63% |
| 2000 | 6,560 | 44.65% | 7,828 | 53.28% | 303 | 2.06% |
| 2004 | 9,129 | 53.46% | 7,800 | 45.68% | 148 | 0.87% |
| 2008 | 10,539 | 60.46% | 6,613 | 37.94% | 280 | 1.61% |
| 2012 | 10,262 | 63.66% | 5,603 | 34.76% | 254 | 1.58% |
| 2016 | 11,532 | 70.30% | 4,374 | 26.66% | 498 | 3.04% |
| 2020 | 13,987 | 73.11% | 4,864 | 25.42% | 281 | 1.47% |
| 2024 | 15,016 | 76.12% | 4,529 | 22.96% | 183 | 0.93% |
Places adjacent to Franklin County, Tennessee | |
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Municipalities and communities ofFranklin County, Tennessee,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Towns | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Other communities | ||
| Ghost town | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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| Geographic | |
| Other | |
