Franklin County, Tennessee

Franklin County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is located on the eastern boundary of Middle Tennessee in the southern part of the state. As of the 2020 census, the population was 42,774. Its county seat is Winchester. Franklin County was formerly part of the Tullahoma-Manchester, TN Micropolitan Statistical Area, it was removed in 2023 and is part of the Winchester Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

White settlement began around 1800, and the county was formally organized in 1807 and named for Benjamin Franklin. During the next several decades, the size of the county was reduced several times by reorganizations which created the neighboring counties of Coffee County, Moore County, and Grundy County. One of the most notable early settlers was frontiersman Davy Crockett, who came about 1812 but is not thought to have remained long.

Franklin is one of Tennessee's southern tier of counties and abuts the Alabama border. It has a varied geography, extending from the southeast corner of the Nashville Basin over the Highland Rim and up onto the Cumberland Plateau, for a difference in elevation of about . 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 high natural sandstone arch with a span of .

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 wide and high and opens at the base of an overhanging bluff high. The cave stream cascades down from the mouth and drops in less than .

Adjacent counties

Coffee County (north)
Grundy County (northeast)
Marion County (east)
Jackson County, Alabama (south)
Madison County, Alabama (southwest)
Lincoln County (west)
Moore County (northwest)

State protected areas

Bear Hollow Wildlife Management Area
Carter State Natural Area
Franklin State Forest (part)
Hawkins Cove State Natural Area
Mingo Swamp Wildlife Management Area
Natural Bridge State Natural Area
Owl Hollow Mill Wildlife Management Area
South Cumberland State Park (part)
Tims Ford State Park
Walls of Jericho State Natural Area

Other protected areas

Tims Ford Lake
Woods Reservoir

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 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.

32.1% of residents lived in urban areas while 67.9% lived in rural areas.

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.

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|+Franklin County racial composition of 2000, there were 39,270 people, 15,003 households, and 11,162 families residing in the county. The population density was .

There were 16,813 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 92.20% White or European American, 5.49% Black or African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.60% from other races, and 1.06% from two or more races. 1.58% of the population were Hispanic or Latino 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. The per capita income for the county was $17,987. About 9.60% of families and 13.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.00% of those under age 18 and 13.00% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

right|thumb|210px|Winchester

Cities

Cowan
Decherd
Tullahoma (partial)
Winchester (county seat)

Towns

Estill Springs
Huntland
Monteagle (also in Marion and Grundy Counties)

Census-designated places

Belvidere
Sewanee
Sherwood

Unincorporated communities

Alto
Asia
Beech Hill
Broadview
Midway
Shady Grove

Notable people

Stephen Adams (1807–1857), United States Senator and Representative
James Patton Anderson, (1822–1873), born in Franklin County, Confederate Army general
Phillip Fulmer (b. 1950), former head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers football team
Bernie Moore (1895–1967), commissioner of the Southeastern Conference
Dinah Shore (1916–1994), singer, actress, and television celebrity
John Templeton (1912–2008), investor and philanthropist
Jauan Jennings (b. 1997), Wide Receiver for the San Francisco 49ers
Shirley Majors (1913–1981), former head coach of The Sewanee Tigers football team

Politics

Franklin County has become a Republican stronghold in recent years. The last Democrat to carry this county was Al Gore in 2000. Prior to 2004, the only Republican to win the county in a 20th-century presidential election was Richard Nixon in 1972. Despite this, the area around Sewanee remains Democratic, like other college towns.

References

External links

Official site
Franklin County Chamber of Commerce
Franklin County Schools
Franklin County, TNGenWeb – genealogy resources
History of Franklin County , transcribed from Goodspeed's History of Tennessee (1886–1887)
Franklin County Landforms