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Franklin County, Maine facts for kids

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Not to be confused with Franklin, Maine.
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Franklin County
U.S. county
Franklin County Courthouse
Franklin County Courthouse
Map of Maine highlighting Franklin County
Location within the U.S. state of Maine
Map of the United States highlighting Maine
Maine's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Maine
Founded May 9, 1838
Named for Benjamin Franklin
Seat Farmington
Largest town Farmington
Area
 • Total 1,743 sq mi (4,510 km2)
 • Land 1,697 sq mi (4,400 km2)
 • Water 47 sq mi (120 km2)  2.7%%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 29,456 Decrease
 • Density 17.4/sq mi (6.7/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district 2nd

Franklin County is a county located in the state of Maine, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 29,456, making it the second-least populous county in Maine. Its county seat is Farmington. The county was established on May 9, 1838, and named for Benjamin Franklin.

History

Franklin County was formed on May 9, 1838, from portions of Kennebec, Oxford and Somerset counties. Smaller adjustments were made during the following fourteen years.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,743 square miles (4,510 km2), of which 1,697 square miles (4,400 km2) is land and 47 square miles (120 km2) (2.7%) is water. The county is crossed by some of the northernmost parts of the Appalachian Mountain range, with the terrain also including several lakes and ponds, including Rangely Lake, the Chain of Ponds and part of Mooselookmegantic Lake. The county high point is Sugarloaf Mountain, the ski mountain in Carrabassett Valley whose elevation is 4,237 feet (1,291 m).

Adjacent counties and municipalities

Major highways

  • US 2
  • SR 4
  • SR 16
  • SR 17
  • SR 27
  • SR 133
  • SR 142
  • SR 156
  • SR 236

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1840 20,801 —
1850 20,027 −3.7%
1860 20,403 1.9%
1870 18,807 −7.8%
1880 18,180 −3.3%
1890 17,053 −6.2%
1900 18,444 8.2%
1910 19,119 3.7%
1920 19,825 3.7%
1930 19,941 0.6%
1940 19,896 −0.2%
1950 20,682 4.0%
1960 20,069 −3.0%
1970 22,444 11.8%
1980 27,098 20.7%
1990 29,008 7.0%
2000 29,467 1.6%
2010 30,768 4.4%
2020 29,456 −4.3%
2023 (est.) 30,828 0.2%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790–1960 1900–1990
1990–2000 2010–2016

2015

As of 2015 the largest self-reported ancestry groups in Franklin County, Maine are:

Largest ancestries (2015) Percent
English England 22.4%
French or French Canadian France 19.1%
Irish Republic of Ireland 14.9%
"American" United States 8.5%
German Germany 6.1%
Scottish Scotland 5.0%
Italian Italy 4.2%
Scots-Irish Ulster 1.7%

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 30,768 people, 13,000 households, and 8,129 families living in the county. The population density was 18.1 inhabitants per square mile (7.0/km2). There were 21,709 housing units at an average density of 12.8 per square mile (4.9/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 97.3% white, 0.4% Asian, 0.4% American Indian, 0.2% black or African American, 0.2% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 23.3% were English, 14.2% were Irish, 7.7% were French Canadian, 7.5% were German, 6.4% were Scottish, and 5.0% were American.

Of the 13,000 households, 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.6% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 37.5% were non-families, and 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.76. The median age was 43.4 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $39,831 and the median income for a family was $48,634. Males had a median income of $38,563 versus $30,024 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,838. About 10.2% of families and 15.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.2% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over.

Law enforcement

Only five municipalities in Franklin County have their own police department (Carrabassett Valley, Farmington, Jay, Rangeley, and Wilton). The Franklin County Sheriff's Department is responsible for patrol and emergency calls in the remaining communities in the county without their own agency. The current sheriff is Scott Nichols, of New Sharon. Nichols was elected to that post in November 2012, defeating incumbent sheriff, Dennis Pike. Pike had spent 46 years in Franklin County law enforcement prior to being defeated by Nichols.

The status of the Franklin County Jail has been contentiously debated issue within the county and state for several years. In 2008, Governor John Baldacci signed into law a bill which consolidated county jails in an effort to reduce costs. As a result, the Franklin County jail was designated a 72-hour holding facility. Any inmates who needed to be held longer than the three-day maximum had to be transported to the Somerset County Jail in East Madison, which county jail officials said was a waste of department time and money. Jail consolidation has also led to jail overcrowding statewide. When the Somerset Jail reached its maximum capacity, inmates were forced to be transported to another jail within the state, sometimes hours away which Franklin County officials again said wasted time and money.

In 2012, the Somerset County Commissioners voted not to accept any more inmates from outside the county as the state Board of Corrections withheld its third quarter payment. While the vote allowed current inmates to stay at the jail, it required all future inmates to be sent to Two Bridges Regional Jail in Wiscasset. In 2013, the Maine Legislature's Public Safety and Criminal Justice Committee voted 11–0 to allow the Franklin County jail to return to full service status.

In 2014, the Franklin County Commissioners voted to withhold all payments to the state for jail inmates. Public outrage over the jail issue also pressured the state to give the county full service rights. In 2014 an 800-member Facebook group was created and several protests were staged in front of the county courthouse. In 2015, the State Board of Corrections voted to grant the county a fully operational jail, officially ending the seven year conflict between the county and the state.

Communities

Smalls Falls
Smalls Falls Rest Area on Route 4 just south of Rangeley, Maine

Towns

Plantations

Census-designated places

Unorganized territories

Unincorporated communities

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Franklin (Maine) para niños

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