Franklin County, North Carolina

	Franklin County
	Founded 1779
	Website www.franklincountync.us

Franklin County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2000, the population was 47,260. Its county seat is Louisburg Template:GR.

History

The county was formed in 1779 from the southern half of Bute County. It was named for Benjamin Franklin.

County Formation Timeline

1664 Albemarle County formed (original)

1668 Albemarle County subdivided into Carteret, Berkeley, & Shaftesbury Precincts

1681 Shaftesbury Precinct renamed Chowan Precinct

1722 Bertie County formed from Chowan Precinct

1741 Edgecombe County formed from Bertie County

1746 Granville County formed from Edgecombe County

1764 Bute County formed from Granville County

1779 Franklin County formed from Bute County

1875 Franklin County gains land from Granville County

1881 Franklin County looses land to help form Vance County

Franklin County Song

by Fred U. Wolfe

<poem> With loyalty we sing thy praise, Glory to thy honored name! Our voices loud in tribute raise, Making truth thy pow'r proclaim. Thy past is marked with vict'ry bold; Thy deeds today can ne'er be told, And heroes brave shall e'er uphold Franklin's name forevermore.

We love thy rich and fruitful soil, Wood, and stream, and thriving town. We love the gift of daily toil, Making men of true renown. Thy church and school shall ever stand To drive the darkness from our land A true and loyal, valiant band, Sons of Franklin evermore.

A shrine of promise, pow'r and truth, Lasting righteousness and peace, A land of hope for toiling youth, Yielding songs that never cease. Let ev'ry son and daughter stay The hand of vice that brings decay. When duty's voice we shall obey, Franklin's name shall live for aye. </poem>

The "Franklin County Song" was selected in a 1929 contest by the county historical association as the song most suitable for public occasions. The words were written by Fred U. Wolfe, an agriculture teacher at Gold Sand. Sung to the tune "Maryland, My Maryland" ("O Christmas Tree"), the song was incorporated in the Bicentennial programs of 1979. At the evening convocation of January 29, Mrs. Beth Norris announced to the audience that Wolfe (retired and residing in North, South Carolina) was aware his song was part of the program that night. (See Franklin Times, January 30, 1979.)^[1]

Franklin County Motto

LEGES JURAQUE VINDICAMUS

"We Defend Laws and Justice"

Law and government

Franklin County is a member of the Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments.

Education

Franklin County is home to the two-year Methodist-affiliated Louisburg College and to a satellite campus of Vance-Granville Community College.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 495 square miles (1,281 km²), of which, 492 square miles (1,274 km²) of it is land and 3 square miles (7 km²) of it (0.52%) is water.

Townships

The county is divided into ten townships: Cedar Rock, Cypress Creek, Dunn (not Bunn as many may think although the Town of Bunn is located within that township), Franklinton, Gold Mine, Hattis, Hayesville, Louisburg, Sandy Creek, and Youngsville.

Adjacent counties

Warren County, North Carolina - north-northeast
Nash County, North Carolina - east
Wake County, North Carolina - southwest
Granville County, North Carolina - west
Vance County, North Carolina - north-northwest
Johnston County, North Carolina - south
Halifax County, North Carolina - northeast

Demographics

As of the census Template:GR of 2000, there were 47,260 people, 17,843 households, and 12,882 families residing in the county. The population density was 96 people per square mile (37/km²). There were 20,364 housing units at an average density of 41 per square mile (16/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 66.00% White, 30.03% Black or African American, 0.44% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 2.29% from other races, and 0.91% from two or more races. 4.44% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 17,843 households out of which 33.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.50% were married couples living together, 13.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.80% were non-families. 23.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the county the population was spread out with 25.30% under the age of 18, 8.40% from 18 to 24, 32.40% from 25 to 44, 22.90% from 45 to 64, and 11.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 97.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $38,968, and the median income for a family was $44,540. Males had a median income of $31,543 versus $24,568 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,562. About 10.00% of families and 12.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.10% of those under age 18 and 16.70% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

Map of Franklin County, North Carolina With Municipal and Township Labels

References

↑ Willard, George-Anne. Franklin County Sketchbook. Louisburg, NC: Franklin County-Louisburg Bicentenary Committee, 1982.

External links

This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia adapted for use as a quick research reference on this wiki. The original content was here: Franklin County, North Carolina. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with the ENC Phillips Group Wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License.