Franklin is a city located in Williamson County, Tennessee, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 41,842. It is the county seat of Williamson County.

 

History
The City of Franklin was founded October 26, 1799 and was named after Benjamin Franklin, a close friend of Dr. Hugh Williamson, a member of the Continental Congress for whom Williamson County was named.

For most of its first 180 years, Franklin was a tranquil, small county seat. In the years prior to the American Civil War, Williamson County was one of the wealthiest counties in Tennessee and Franklin was the center of plantation economy.

However, the Civil War devastated the economy. Union troops occupied the area for nearly three years. The Battle of Franklin was fought on November 30, 1864, costing more than 8,000 casualties and turning every home and building in town into a hospital. It took 120 years for the county's economy to reach pre-war levels.

For more than a century, Franklin seemed remote not only from Nashville, Tennessee, but from the rest of the world as well. Today, Franklin is one of the wealthiest cities in one of the wealthiest counties in the United States.

Franklin has grown from a very small, agricultural community into a strong blend of residential, commercial and corporate citizens.

As of 2008, Franklin will be the headquarters of Nissan North America.

 

Geography
Franklin is located at 35°55'45" North, 86°51'27" West (35.929074, -86.857402)GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 78.0 km² (30.1 mi²). 77.8 km² (30.0 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.27% water.

 

Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 41,842 people, 16,128 households, and 11,225 families residing in the city. The population density was 538.0/km² (1,393.3/mi²). There were 17,296 housing units at an average density of 222.4/km² (575.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 84.53% White, 10.35% African American, 0.24% Native American, 1.61% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 2.17% from other races, and 1.06% from two or more races. 4.84% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 16,128 households out of which 38.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.2% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.4% were non-families. 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.09.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.9% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 38.1% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 7.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 93.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $56,431, and the median income for a family was $69,431. Males had a median income of $50,226 versus $31,531 for females. The per capita income for the city was $27,276. 6.7% of the population and 5.1% of families were below the poverty line. 8.0% of those under the age of 18 and 12.0% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

The 2004 Special Census lists the city's population at just over 46,000 making it the 10th largest city in the state and the fastest growing.

 

Trivia
Franklin is the home of retired NASCAR driver Darrell Waltrip, who also owns a car dealership there. It is also the home of country singers Carrie Underwood, American Idol 4 Winner, Josh Gracin, American Idol 2 finalist and musician Lee Greenwood, and professional wrestler James Storm, who currently wrestles for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.
Big Idea Productions, creators of Veggie Tales is located in Franklin.
The band, Paramore, was formed here.
Musician Will Hoge is from Franklin.
Country musician Brad Paisley resides in Franklin

 

 

This page was last modified 05:31, 29 April 2006. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License