Franklin, Tennessee facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Franklin, Tennessee
City
City of Franklin
Historic Downtown Franklin
Seal
Location within Williamson County and Tennessee
Franklin, Tennessee Location in Tennessee Show map of Tennessee Franklin, Tennessee Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Tennessee
County	Williamson
Area
• Total	42.96 sq mi (111.26 km2)
• Land	42.75 sq mi (110.73 km2)
• Water	0.21 sq mi (0.54 km2)
Elevation	643 ft (196 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	83,454
• Density	1,943.70/sq mi (750.47/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP Code(s)	37064, 37065, 37067, 37068, 37069
Area code	615
FIPS code	47-27740
GNIS ID	1284816

Franklin is a city and county seat of Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. About 21 miles (34 km) south of Nashville, it is one of the principal cities of the Nashville metropolitan area and Middle Tennessee. As of 2020, its population was 83,454. It is the seventh-largest city in Tennessee.

The city developed on both sides of the Harpeth River, a tributary of the Cumberland River. In the 19th century, Franklin (as the county seat) was the trading and judicial center for primarily rural Williamson County and remained so well into the 20th century as the county remained rural and agricultural in nature.

Since 1980, areas of northern Franklin have been developed for residential and related businesses, in addition to modern service industries. The population has increased rapidly as growth moved in all directions from the core. Despite recent growth and development, Franklin is noted for its many older buildings and neighborhoods, which are protected by city ordinances.

History

Franklin United States Post Office

The city of Franklin was founded October 26, 1799, by Abram Maury, Jr. (1766–1825), a state senator who is buried with his family in Founders Pointe. Maury named the town after national founding father Benjamin Franklin, who was a close friend of Dr. Hugh Williamson, a member of the Continental Congress after whom Williamson County was named.

Ewen Cameron built the first European-American house in the town of Franklin. Cameron was born February 23, 1768, in Balgalkan, Ferintosh, Scotland. He emigrated to Virginia in 1785 and from there came to Tennessee. Cameron died February 28, 1846, having lived 48 years in the same log house. His second wife, Mary, and he are buried in the old City Cemetery. His descendants have lived in Franklin continuously since 1798, when his son Duncan was born.

During the American Civil War, the Battle of Franklin was fought in the city on November 30, 1864, resulting in almost 10,000 casualties (killed, wounded, captured, and missing). Forty-four buildings were converted to use as field hospitals. The Carter, Carnton, and the Lotz historic homes are still standing from this era.

Long a suburb to Nashville, Tennessee, Franklin has expanded more than fivefold since 1980, when its population was 12,407. In 2012, it had an estimated population of 68,280. This makes it rank as the seventh-largest city in the state. Many of its residents commute to businesses in Nashville, but considerable growth has occurred in Franklin and the county of a regional economy.

December 24, 1988, tornado

In the early morning hours of Christmas Eve of 1988, one person died when an F4 tornado struck the city.

Geography

Franklin is located at 35°55′45″N 86°51′27″W / 35.92917°N 86.85750°W / 35.92917; -86.85750 (35.929074, -86.857402).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 78.0 km² (30.1 mi²). 77.8 km² (30.0 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.27%) is covered by water.

Demographics

Since the late 20th century, the city has grown rapidly in population, attracting many businesses.

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 83,454 people, 32,690 households, and 23,675 families residing in the city.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, 62,487 people, 16,128 households, and 11,225 families resided in the city. The population density was 1,393.3 people per square mile (538.0/km²). The 17,296 housing units averaged 575.9 per square mile (222.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 84.53% White, 10.35% African American, 4.84% Latino, 1.61% Asian, 0.24% Native American, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 2.17% from other races, and 1.06% from two or more races.

Of the 16,128 households, 38.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.2% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.4% were not families; 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.09. In the city, the population was distributed as 27.9% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 38.1% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 7.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.2 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $75,871, and for a family was $91,931. Males had a median income of $66,622 versus $43,193 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $36,445. About 5.0% of families and 7.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.2% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over. Less than 5.0% of the eligible workforce was unemployed.

In popular culture

• ABC's television show Nashville has filmed many of the concert show segments at the Franklin Theater.
• Notable music videos "Here Comes the Sun" by The Beatles and "Uptown Funk" by Bruno Mars were filmed in the Historic District of Franklin, Tn

Festivals

Main Street Festival

Franklin’s Main Street Festival is a street festival that brings more than 200 artisans, four stages, two carnivals and two food courts to the historic Franklin Square and Downtown District. Arts and crafts booths line Main Street from First to Fifth Avenue.

Wine Down Main Street

"Wine Down Main Street" is a unique wine-tasting event attracting more than 2,000 attendees to historic Main Street in Franklin on the first Friday in November. This annual event is a benefit for the Boys & Girls Club of Middle Tennessee's Franklin and Fairview clubhouses.

Pumpkinfest

Franklin's Pumpkinfest, an annual fundraiser for the Heritage Foundation of Franklin and Williamson County, is held each year on the Saturday before Halloween. Halloween-themed activities include music, children's amusements, local artisans, and food.

Dickens of a Christmas

Dickens of a Christmas is celebrated every second week in December, attracting approximately 50,000 visitors yearly. It takes place in Historic Downtown Franklin. More than 250 costumed volunteers masquerade as figures from Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Music and dancing are a big part of the festival, and local school and church musical groups often perform. Victorian cuisine is served to visitors, and an arts and crafts bazaar features prominently in Public Square.

Sister cities

Franklin is an active participant in the Sister Cities program and has relationships with the following municipalities:

• Carleton Place, Ontario, Canada (2008)
• County Laois, Leinster, Ireland (2008)

Economy

Franklin is home to health-care-related businesses such as Community Health Systems, Acadia Healthcare, Iasis Healthcare, Tivity Health, Home Instead Senior Care, MedSolutions Inc, and Renal Advantage Inc. In addition, Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors, Clarcor, CKE Restaurants, Jackson National Life, Triangle Tyre Company, Magazines.com, Provident Music Group, World Christian Broadcasting, Mars Petcare, Franklin American Mortgage, Lee Company, Ramsey Solutions, Video Gaming Technologies, and Atmos Energy also have corporate or regional headquarters in Franklin.

Top employers

According to the city's 2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

Education

Public schools

The city is served by the Williamson County School District and the Franklin Special School District.

Private schools

Franklin's private schools include Battle Ground Academy, Franklin Classical School, Franklin Christian Academy, Montessori School of Franklin, and New Hope Academy.

Higher education

• Belmont University, Williamson Center campus.
• Columbia State Community College, Franklin campus. This satellite campus of Columbia State was opened in 2016 after being constructed for this purpose. It is a two-year college, serving a nine-county area in Middle Tennessee.
• Lipscomb University, a SPARK satellite campus, is here.
• New College Franklin
• Williamson College

Infrastructure

Transportation

Interstate 65 passes through the eastern part of the city and provides four exits in the city. U.S. Routes 31 and 431 intersect in the city, and form a concurrency, connecting the city to Nashville to the north. U.S. Route 31 connects the city to Spring Hill and Columbia to the south, and US 431 connects to Lewisburg to the south. State Route 96 connects the city to Murfreesboro to the east, and Dickson to the west. State Route 246 also connects the city to Columbia to the southwest, and serves as an alternative to US 31. State Route 441 begins in the northern part of the city, and connects to Brentwood. State Route 397, also designated as US 31/431 Truck and Mack Hatcher Memorial Parkway, serves as a bypass around the business district of the city to the east. Other major thoroughfares in Franklin include Cool Springs Boulevard and McEwen Drive, both of which have interchanges with I-65.

Utilities

The City of Franklin Water Management Department operates a system that provides water and wastewater services to a majority of city residents and some residents of surrounding areas. Some areas of Franklin may receive water and wastewater services from the Mallory Valley Utility District, the Milcrofton Utility District, and the HB&TS Utility District.

Electricity is provided by the Middle Tennessee Electric Membership Corporation (MTEMC), which serves several of the suburban counties of Nashville and purchases power from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).

Natural gas service is provided by Atmos Energy.

Notable people

Images for kids

• 

  Sunset observed from Long Lane in Franklin

See also

In Spanish: Franklin (Tennessee) para niños