Franklin County, Illinois

Franklin County, Illinois
Franklin County is a county in Southern Illinois. At the 2020 census, it had a population of 37,804. The largest city is West Frankfort and the county seat is Benton. 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.
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.
The high levels of gas found in Franklin County's coal deposits have resulted in mining disasters and explosions over the years. Between 1905 and 1968, there were eleven mine disasters. In 1905, the Zeigler No. 1 mine, located in Zeigler, had an explosion that killed about fifty people. In 1917, an explosion in Old Ben Mine No. 11, located in Christopher, killed 17. The worst explosion occurred in 1951, in the Orient No. 2 Mine in West Frankfort, in which 119 people died.
The West Frankfort quadrangle of Franklin County is home to 17 coal mines, according to a 2004 report.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (5.2%) is water. Wayne Fitzgerrell State Recreation Area is located in this county.
Climate and weather
In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Benton have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1977 and a record high of was recorded in August 2007. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in February to in May.
On April 21, 1912, a tornado destroyed facilities at the Possum Ridge Mine.
On March 18, 1925, Franklin County was among five southern Illinois counties effected 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
Jefferson County (north)
Hamilton County (east)
Saline County (southeast)
Williamson County (south)
Jackson County (southwest)
Perry County (west)
Transit
South Central Transit
Major highways
Interstate 57
Illinois Route 14
Illinois Route 34
Illinois Route 37
Illinois Route 148
Illinois Route 149
Illinois Route 154
Illinois Route 184
Demographics
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 39,561 people, 16,617 households, and 10,912 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 18,525 housing units at an average density of . 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. 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.
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.
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.
Communities
Cities
Benton (seat)
Christopher
Orient
Sesser
West Frankfort
Zeigler
Villages
Buckner
Ewing
Freeman Spur (mostly in Williamson County)
Hanaford
Macedonia (partly in Hamilton County)
North City
Royalton
Thompsonville
Valier
West City
Census-designated place
Mulkeytown
Townships
Franklin County is divided into twelve townships:
Barren
Benton
Browning
Cave
Denning
Eastern
Ewing
Frankfort
Goode
Northern
Six Mile
Tyrone
Unincorporated communities
Akin
Akin Junction
Cleburne
Deering City
Frisco
Kegley
Meyer
Parrish
Pershing
Plumfield
Rend City
Steel City
Valier Patch
West End
Whittington
Education
Regional
Franklin, Johnson, Massac, and Williamson County Regional Office of Education #21
Primary and secondary
Christopher Unit School District 99
Sesser-Valier Community Unit School District 196
Benton Community Consolidated School District 47
Frankfort Community Unit School District 168
Zeigler-Royalton Community Unit School District 188
Thompsonville Community Unit School District 174
Ewing-Northern Community Consolidated School District 115
Higher education
John A. Logan College Extension Center - West Frankfort
Specialized
Franklin & Jefferson County Special Education Cooperative
Politics
Franklin County voted mostly for Democratic US presidential candidates until 2000. Since then it has voted for Republican presidential nominees.
See also
National Register of Historic Places listings in Franklin County, Illinois
Ku Klux Klan in Southern Illinois
Fourth Franklin County Courthouse
References
United States Census Bureau 2007 TIGER/Line Shapefiles
United States Board on Geographic Names (GNIS)
United States National Atlas
Illinois counties
1818 establishments in Illinois
Populated places established in 1818
Franklin County, Illinois
Franklin County, Illinois
Pre-statehood history of Illinois