Franklin County, Illinois

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Franklin County is a county in Southern Illinois. At the 2020 census, it had a population of 37,804.<ref name="QF">Template:Cite web</ref> The largest city is West Frankfort and the county seat is Benton.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> This area of Southern Illinois is known locally as "Little Egypt".

History

Franklin County was established on January 2, 1818, and formed from parts of Gallatin and White counties. It was named for Benjamin Franklin.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Coal mining

Coal was mined in Franklin County as early as 1889, at the King Coal Mine, located at Township 5 South, Range 3 East.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The high levels of gas found in Franklin County's coal deposits have resulted in mining disasters and explosions over the years.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> Between 1905 and 1968, there were eleven mine disasters.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1905, the Zeigler No. 1 mine, located in Zeigler, had an explosion that killed about fifty people.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1917, an explosion in Old Ben Mine No. 11, located in Christopher, killed 17.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The worst explosion occurred in 1951, in the Orient No. 2 Mine in West Frankfort, in which 119 people died.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The West Frankfort quadrangle of Franklin County is home to 17 coal mines, according to a 2004 report.<ref name=":0" />

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (5.2%) is water.<ref name="census-density"/> Wayne Fitzgerrell State Recreation Area is located in this county.

Climate and weather

Template:Climate chart In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Benton have ranged from a low of Template:Convert in January to a high of Template:Convert in July, although a record low of Template:Convert was recorded in January 1977 and a record high of Template:Convert was recorded in August 2007. Average monthly precipitation ranged from Template:Convert in February to Template:Convert in May.<ref name="weather"/>

On April 21, 1912, a tornado destroyed facilities at the Possum Ridge Mine.<ref name=":0" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On March 18, 1925, Franklin County was among five southern Illinois counties affected by the infamous Tri-State Tornado. The storm cut across the southern edge of the county, hitting West Frankfort and destroying most of the northern side of town, causing significant damage to the town's mining facilities. Farther to the east, the village of Parrish was also struck, and was never rebuilt. The storm killed 192 people in Franklin County, injuring hundreds more and leaving scores of people homeless.

Adjacent counties

Transit

Major highways

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Demographics

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2020 census

Franklin County, Illinois – Racial and ethnic composition
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Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 1980<ref name=1980Census>Template:Cite web</ref> Pop 1990<ref name=1990Census>Template:Cite web</ref> Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>Template:Cite web</ref> Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref> Pop 2020<ref name=2020CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref> % 1980 % 1990 % 2000 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 42,879 39,979 38,323 38,353 35,210 99.25% 99.16% 98.22% 96.95% 93.14%
Black or African American alone (NH) 33 36 57 118 162 0.08% 0.09% 0.15% 0.30% 0.43%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 50 106 76 92 92 0.12% 0.26% 0.19% 0.23% 0.24%
Asian alone (NH) 41 81 68 122 119 0.09% 0.20% 0.17% 0.31% 0.31%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) x <ref>included in the Asian category in the 1980 Census</ref> x <ref>included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census</ref> 3 3 4 x x 0.01% 0.01% 0.01%
Other race alone (NH) 30 7 3 13 63 0.07% 0.02% 0.01% 0.03% 0.17%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) x <ref>not an option in the 1980 Census</ref> x <ref>not an option in the 1990 Census</ref> 239 385 1,512 x x 0.61% 0.97% 4.00%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 168 110 249 475 642 0.39% 0.27% 0.64% 1.20% 1.70%
Total 43,201 40,319 39,018 39,561 37,804 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 39,561 people, 16,617 households, and 10,912 families residing in the county.<ref name="census-dp1">Template:Cite web</ref> The population density was Template:Convert. There were 18,525 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert.<ref name="census-density">Template:Cite web</ref> The racial makeup of the county was 97.7% white, 0.3% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.3% black or African American, 0.3% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.2% of the population.<ref name="census-dp1"/> In terms of ancestry, 21.8% were German, 18.7% were Irish, 15.9% were English, 9.4% were American, and 5.7% were Italian.<ref name="census-dp2">Template:Cite web</ref>

Of the 16,617 households, 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.8% were married couples living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.3% were non-families, and 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age was 41.8 years.<ref name="census-dp1"/>

The median income for a household in the county was $34,381 and the median income for a family was $43,170. Males had a median income of $39,122 versus $28,950 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,504. About 14.5% of families and 19.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.5% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over.<ref name="census-dp3">Template:Cite web</ref>

Communities

Cities

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Villages

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File:Townships.Franklin.Co.map.png
Map of Franklin County, Illinois

Census-designated place

Townships

Franklin County is divided into twelve townships:

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Unincorporated communities

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Education

Regional

Primary and secondary

Higher education

Specialized

Politics

Franklin County voted mostly for Democratic US presidential candidates until 2000. Since then it has voted for Republican presidential nominees.

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See also

References

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