Franklin County, Kentucky Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Franklin County
U.S. county
Franklin County courthouse in Frankfort
Location within the U.S. state of Kentucky
Kentucky's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Kentucky
Founded	May 10, 1795
Named for	Benjamin Franklin
Seat	Frankfort
Largest city	Frankfort
Area
• Total	212 sq mi (550 km²)
• Land	208 sq mi (540 km²)
• Water	4.3 sq mi (11 km²) 2.0%%
Population (2020)
• Total	51,541
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	6th

Franklin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. Its county seat is Frankfort, the state capital. The county was formed in 1795 from parts of Woodford, Mercer and Shelby counties, and was named after the American inventor and statesman Benjamin Franklin. Franklin County is part of the Frankfort, Kentucky Micropolitan Statistical Area. It shares a name with Franklin County in Ohio, where Columbus is located. This makes it one of two pairs of capital cities in counties of the same name, along with Marion Counties in Oregon and Indiana.

History
Geography
- Major highways
- Adjacent counties
Demographics
Parks
Communities
Education
See also

History

The three original counties of Kentucky (Jefferson, Fayette and Lincoln counties) intersected in what is today Franklin County. Franklin County was established in 1795 from land given by Mercer, Shelby, and Woodford counties. Franklin was the 18th Kentucky county in order of formation.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 212 square miles (550 km²), of which 208 square miles (540 km²) is land and 4.3 square miles (11 km²) (2.0%) is water.

Major highways

Interstate 64
US 127
US 60
US 421
US 460
KY 676

Adjacent counties

Owen County (north)
Scott County (east)
Woodford County (southeast)
Anderson County (south)
Shelby County (west)
Henry County (northwest)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1800	5,078	—
1810	8,013	57.8%
1820	11,024	37.6%
1830	9,254	−16.1%
1840	9,420	1.8%
1850	12,462	32.3%
1860	12,694	1.9%
1870	15,300	20.5%
1880	18,699	22.2%
1890	21,267	13.7%
1900	20,852	−2.0%
1910	21,135	1.4%
1920	19,357	−8.4%
1930	21,064	8.8%
1940	23,308	10.7%
1950	25,933	11.3%
1960	29,421	13.5%
1970	34,481	17.2%
1980	41,830	21.3%
1990	43,781	4.7%
2000	47,687	8.9%
2010	49,285	3.4%
2020	51,541	4.6%
2021 (est.)	51,682	4.9%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2021

As of the census of 2000, there were 47,687 people, 19,907 households, and 12,840 families residing in the county. The population density was 227 per square mile (88/km²). There were 21,409 housing units at an average density of 102 per square mile (39/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 87.98% White, 9.36% Black or African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.72% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.55% from other races, and 1.24% from two or more races. 1.11% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 19,907 households, out of which 29.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.70% were married couples living together, 12.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.50% were non-families. 30.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.86.

22.60% of the population was under the age of 18, 9.70% from 18 to 24, 30.50% from 25 to 44, 24.90% from 45 to 64, and 12.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $40,011, and the median income for a family was $51,052. Males had a median income of $32,826 versus $26,201 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,229. About 6.90% of families and 10.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.80% of those under age 18 and 12.20% of those age 65 or over.

Parks

Capitol View Park
Cove Spring Park and Nature Preserve
Dolly Graham Park
East Frankfort Park
Josephine Sculpture Park
Juniper Hill Park and Golf Course
Lakeview Park
Leslie Morris Park on Fort Hill: 120 acres (0.49 km²) of woodland overlooking downtown Frankfort. It contains trails that guide visitors through the remains of earthwork forts that were the main defensive position for Union troops protecting the city during an 1864 Civil War skirmish.
Riverview Park
Todd Park

Communities

Bridgeport
Forks of Elkhorn
Frankfort (county seat)
Jett
Switzer
Peaks Mill

Education

The county is served by two public school districts: Franklin County Public Schools and Frankfort Independent Schools.

Franklin County Public Schools

This district takes in almost all of the county, including the majority of the city of Frankfort. It operates the following schools:

Bridgeport Elementary School (grades K-5)
Collins Lane Elementary School (grades K-5)
Early Childhood Education Center (grades K-1)
Elkhorn Elementary School (grades 2-5)
Hearn Elementary School (grades 2-5)
Peaks Mill Elementary School (grades 2-5)
Westridge Elementary School (grades K-5)
Bondurant Middle School (grades 6-8)
Elkhorn Middle School (grades 6-8)
Franklin County High School (grades 9-12)
Western Hills High School (grades 9-12)
The Academy (grades 9-12) (For kids with problems/juveniles)
Franklin County Career and Technical Center (grades 9-12) (Career center for all public high schools in the county.)

Frankfort Independent Schools

This district serves an area roughly covering the Frankfort neighborhoods known as "downtown", South Frankfort (the vicinity of the state capitol building), and Bellepoint. It operates two schools:

Second Street School (grades K-6)
Frankfort High School (grades 7-12)

Private schools

University

Kentucky State University

Franklin County, Kentucky facts for kids

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