Franklin County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 155,932. Its county seat is Chambersburg.
Franklin County comprises the Chambersburg–Waynesboro, PA metropolitan statistical area, which is also included in the Washington–Baltimore combined statistical area. The county is part of the South Central region of the commonwealth.
History
Originally part of Lancaster County in 1729, then York County in 1749, then Cumberland County in 1750, Franklin County became an independent jurisdiction on September 9, 1784, soon after the end of the American Revolutionary War. It is named in honor of Founding Father Benjamin Franklin.
Geography
thumb|[[Fannettsburg, Pennsylvania|Fannettsburg in rural northwestern Franklin County]]
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.08%) is water.
Franklin County is in the watershed of the Chesapeake Bay and the overwhelming majority of it is drained by the Potomac River, but the Conodoguinet Creek and the Shermans Creek drain northeastern portions into the Susquehanna River. It has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Dfa) and its hardiness zone is 6b. Average monthly temperatures in Chambersburg range from 29.9 °F in January to 74.7 °F in July.
Adjacent counties
- Juniata County (north)
- Perry County (northeast)
- Cumberland County (northeast)
- Adams County (east)
- Frederick County, Maryland (southeast)
- Washington County, Maryland (south)
- Fulton County (west)
- Huntingdon County (northwest)