Franklin Parish, Louisiana Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Franklin Parish
Parish
Franklin Parish Courthouse in Winnsboro
Location within the U.S. state of Louisiana
Louisiana's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Louisiana
Founded	1843
Named for	Benjamin Franklin
Seat	Winnsboro
Largest city	Winnsboro
Area
• Total	635 sq mi (1,640 km²)
• Land	625 sq mi (1,620 km²)
• Water	11 sq mi (30 km²) 1.7%
Population (2020)
• Total	19,774
• Density	31.140/sq mi (12.023/km²)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	5th

Franklin Parish Veterans Memorial sign in Winnsboro, Louisiana

Franklin Parish Library in downtown Winnsboro historic district

Franklin Parish (French: Paroisse de Franklin, Spanish: Parroquia de Franklin) is a parish located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020, its population was 19,774. The parish seat and the most populous municipality is Winnsboro. The parish was founded in 1843 and named for Benjamin Franklin.

Geography
Communities
Demographics
Education
Culture
Notable people
See also

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the parish has a total area of 635 square miles (1,640 km²), of which 625 square miles (1,620 km²) is land and 11 square miles (28 km²) (1.7%) is water.

Major highways

U.S. Highway 425
Louisiana Highway 4
Louisiana Highway 15
Louisiana Highway 17

Adjacent parishes

Richland Parish (north)
Madison Parish (northeast)
Tensas Parish (southeast)
Catahoula Parish (south)
Caldwell Parish (west)

National protected area

Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Communities

Towns

Winnsboro (parish seat and largest municipality)
Wisner

Villages

Unincorporated communities

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1850	3,251	—
1860	6,162	89.5%
1870	5,078	−17.6%
1880	6,495	27.9%
1890	6,900	6.2%
1900	8,890	28.8%
1910	11,989	34.9%
1920	24,100	101.0%
1930	30,530	26.7%
1940	32,382	6.1%
1950	29,376	−9.3%
1960	26,088	−11.2%
1970	23,946	−8.2%
1980	24,141	0.8%
1990	22,387	−7.3%
2000	21,263	−5.0%
2010	20,767	−2.3%
2020	19,774	−4.8%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013

Franklin Parish racial composition as of 2020
Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	12,430	62.86%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	6,508	32.91%
Native American	26	0.13%
Asian	38	0.19%
Other/Mixed	496	2.51%
Hispanic or Latino	276	1.4%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 19,774 people, 7,423 households, and 5,130 families residing in the parish.

Education

Franklin Parish School Board operates local public schools. Franklin Parish High School is the sole public high school in the parish.

The parish also hosts two private schools. One of them, Franklin Academy in Winnsboro, was opened as a segregation academy on September 14, 1970, three weeks after parish schools were ordered by a federal judge to desegregate. Franklin Academy's student body is 97% white, while Franklin Parish High School's is majority Black.

Culture

Franklin Parish hosts the annual Franklin Parish Catfish Festival with music, attractions and hundreds of vendors. The 2018 festival was attended by over 10,000 people in bad weather but usually the draw is between 15,000 and 20,000. People from across the region are attracted by the relatively high vendor count and this has an important economic contribution for local businesses. In past years the festival has included an antique car show, a zoo exhibit for children and an exhibit about Louisiana's contributions during World War II, along with performances from Grammy-winning artists Jo-El Sonnier and Jason Crabb.

Notable people

Ralph E. King, Winnsboro physician who represented Catahoula, Franklin, and Richland parishes in the Louisiana State Senate from 1944 to 1952 and again from 1956 to 1960
Anthony "Booger" McFarland, Winnsboro native; All-American football player at Louisiana State University; played in National Football League for Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Franklin Parish, Louisiana facts for kids

Contents