Franklin, Georgia

Not to be confused with Franklin County, Georgia.

Franklin, Georgia
City
The old Heard County gas station was built in 1938 and features a vintage, hand-painted Coca-Cola advertisement.
Location in Heard County and the state of Georgia
Coordinates: 33°16′47″N85°5′54″W / 33.27972°N 85.09833°W / 33.27972; -85.09833
Country	United States
State	Georgia
County	Heard
Named for	Benjamin Franklin
Government
• Mayor	Joel Rogers
Area [1]
• Total	3.35 sq mi (8.68 km2)
• Land	3.21 sq mi (8.31 km2)
• Water	0.14 sq mi (0.36 km2)
Elevation	663 ft (202 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	950
• Density	295.95/sq mi (114.26/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	30217
Area code	706
FIPS code	13-31292 [2]
GNIS feature ID	0314347 [3]
Website	www.franklingeorgia.com

Franklin is a city in Heard County, Georgia, United States. The population was 950 in 2020. Franklin is the county seat of Heard County. ^[4] The city is named after Benjamin Franklin. ^[5]

History

Franklin was settled in 1770, and was designated seat of the newly formed Heard County in 1831. ^[6] The town was hit by a tornado just before midnight on March 25, 2021, with multiple areas in downtown being heavily damaged with the most severe damage being rated high-end EF2. The tornado later became violent and hit nearby Newnan, Georgia to the east at EF4 strength, indirectly killing one person. ^{[7] [8]}

Geography

Franklin is located in central Heard County at 33°16′47″N85°05′54″W / 33.279788°N 85.098403°W / 33.279788; -85.098403 , ^[9] along the Chattahoochee River. U.S. Route 27 passes through the east side of the city on a bypass, leading north 23 miles (37 km) to Carrollton and south 19 miles (31 km) to LaGrange. Georgia State Route 34 passes through the center of Franklin, leading northeast 20 miles (32 km) to Newnan and southwest 12 miles (19 km) to the Alabama border. Georgia State Route 100 joins SR 34 for part of its path through Franklin, but leads northwest 14 miles (23 km) to Ephesus and southeast 14 miles to Hogansville.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Franklin has a total area of 3.5 square miles (9.0 km²), of which 3.4 square miles (8.7 km²) are land and 0.2 square miles (0.4 km²), or 4.00%, are water. ^[10]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1880	269		—
1890	250		−7.1%
1900	218		−12.8%
1910	340		56.0%
1920	317		−6.8%
1930	312		−1.6%
1940	390		25.0%
1950	425		9.0%
1960	603		41.9%
1970	749		24.2%
1980	711		−5.1%
1990	876		23.2%
2000	902		3.0%
2010	993		10.1%
2020	950		−4.3%
U.S. Decennial Census [11]

Franklin racial composition as of 2020 ^[12]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	625	65.79%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	217	22.84%
Native American	3	0.32%
Asian	20	2.11%
Other/Mixed	64	6.74%
Hispanic or Latino	21	2.21%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 950 people, 421 households, and 215 families residing in the city.

Education

Heard County School District

The Heard County School District holds pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of three elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school. ^[13] The district has 132 full-time teachers and over 2,278 students. ^[14]

Old Heard County Jail

Old Heard County Jail in 2012

Pauly Jail Company of Alabama built the jail in 1912 for $7,500, using plans by Manly Jail Works of Dalton, Georgia. It replaced an older jail built in 1880 that had become unfit. The jail housed up to 16 prisoners upstairs. The Heard County Sheriff (there were eight sheriffs from 1912–1964) and his family lived downstairs. In the 1930s, two prisoners cut the window bars and escaped. Death row prisoners were held here, but the jail's gallows were never used. In 1964, a new county jail opened on the Franklin Square and the old jail closed.

The jail was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 27, 1981. In 1987 it was completely restored by the Heard County Historical Society. It now serves as a museum and historical center.

Gallery

• 
  Franklin Court Square
• 
  Franklin City Hall
• 
  Franklin Post Office (ZIP code: 30217)
• 
  Heard County Comprehensive High School
• 
  Heard County School System

References

1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
2. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
3. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
4. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
5. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p. 131.
6. Hellmann, Paul T. (May 13, 2013). Historical Gazetteer of the United States. Routledge. p. 230. ISBN   978-1135948597 . Retrieved November 30, 2013.
7. NWS Damage Survey for March 25-26, 2021 Tornado and Severe Weather Event Update #5 (Report). Iowa Environmental Mesonet. March 31, 2021. Retrieved March 31, 2021.{{cite report}}: Unknown parameter |agency= ignored (help)
8. "ArcGIS Web Application". apps.dat.noaa.gov. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
9. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
10. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Franklin city, Georgia". American Factfinder. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved May 18, 2017.^{[ dead link ]}
11. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
12. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
13. Georgia Board of Education ^{[ permanent dead link ]}. Retrieved June 19, 2010.
14. School Stats. Retrieved June 19, 2010.

External links

• Franklin Baptist Church historical marker
• Franklin Methodist Church historical marker
• Heard County Jail historical marker