Franklin County, Illinois

Franklin County was established on January 2, 1818, and formed from parts of Gallatin and White counties. It was named for Benjamin Franklin. File:Franklin County Illinois 1818.png|Franklin County at the time of its formation in 1818 File:Franklin County Illinois 1839.png|The creation of Williamson County in 1839 reduced Franklin to its current borders. 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.}} 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 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 • 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==

2020 census As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 37,804. The median age was 44.1 years. 21.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 21.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 98.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.2 males age 18 and over. The racial makeup of the county was 93.8% White, 0.5% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.5% from some other race, and 4.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.7% of the population. 40.8% of residents lived in urban areas, while 59.2% lived in rural areas. There were 16,251 households in the county, of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 45.3% were married-couple households, 20.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 27.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 32.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. 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. 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. ==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==