Franklin Parish, Louisiana
Template:Short description Template:Distinguish Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox U.S. county
Franklin Parish (Template:Langx, Template:Langx) is a parish located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020, its population was 19,774.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> The parish seat and the most populous municipality is Winnsboro.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> The parish was founded in 1843 and named for Benjamin Franklin.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the parish has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (1.7%) is water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref>
Major highways
U.S. Highway 425
Louisiana Highway 4
Louisiana Highway 15
Louisiana Highway 17
Louisiana Highway 577
.svg){kind=small}
.svg){kind=small}
.svg){kind=small}
.svg){kind=small}
Adjacent parishes
- Richland Parish (north)
- Madison Parish (northeast)
- Tensas Parish (southeast)
- Catahoula Parish (south)
- Caldwell Parish (west)
National protected area
Communities
Towns
Villages
Unincorporated communities
Demographics
2020 census
| 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) | 16,293 | 15,197 | 14,197 | 13,853 | 12,430 | 67.49% | 67.88% | 66.77% | 66.71% | 62.86% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 7,645 | 7,015 | 6,692 | 6,500 | 6,508 | 31.67% | 31.34% | 31.47% | 31.30% | 32.91% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 6 | 31 | 55 | 36 | 26 | 0.02% | 0.14% | 0.26% | 0.17% | 0.13% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 31 | 24 | 39 | 42 | 38 | 0.13% | 0.11% | 0.18% | 0.20% | 0.19% |
| 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> | 1 | 6 | 0 | x | x | 0.00% | 0.03% | 0.00% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 8 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 17 | 0.03% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.02% | 0.09% |
| 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> | 118 | 129 | 479 | x | x | 0.55% | 0.62% | 2.42% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 158 | 120 | 160 | 196 | 276 | 0.65% | 0.54% | 0.75% | 0.94% | 1.40% |
| Total | 24,141 | 22,387 | 21,263 | 20,767 | 19,774 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
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.<ref>Template:Cite web - text list</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Franklin Academy's student body is 97% white, while Franklin Parish High School's is majority Black.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
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
- Lainey Wilson, a 2024 Grammy Award winning country music singer, was born in Baskin.
Politics
Template:PresHead Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresFoot
See also
References
Template:Franklin Parish, Louisiana Template:Louisiana parishes