Franklin, Tennessee
Franklin is a city in Williamson County, Tennessee, USA. The population was 41,842 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Williamson CountyTemplate:GR.
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. Much of this growth occurred in the late 1980s with the arrival of the General Motors Saturn plant in nearby Spring Hill, and in the 1990s, as the Cool Springs development (located mostly within Franklin) was established and subsequently expanded.
Franklin has combined economic success with a nationally recognized historic preservation effort, earning it the Great American Main Street award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Much of its downtown is protected by historic zoning, and even the residents of the many new subdivisions value Franklin's historic small-town character, as demonstrated in household surveys by the city's planning department.
Geography
Franklin is located at 35°55′45″N 86°51′27″W / 35.92917°N 86.85750°WInvalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (35.929074, -86.857402)Template:GR.
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 (0.27%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR 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. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.84% of the population.
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. About 5.1% of families and 6.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.0% of those under age 18 and 12.0% of those age 65 or over.
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. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates Franklin's population as of July 1, 2005, to be 53,311 (see the Excel table released by the census bureau in 2006).
Notable residents and events
- As of 2008, Franklin will be the headquarters of Nissan North America.
- Franklin is the home of retired NASCAR drivers Mike Alexander and Darrell Waltrip, the latter of whom owns a car dealership there.
- Franklin is the home of America's Got Talent contestant Taylor Ware. She was one of the top five finalists of the show in Season One.
- It is also the home of several country singers including Alan Jackson, Amy Grant, Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood, Vince Gill, and Josh Gracin, an American Idol 2 finalist. Musician Lee Greenwood, and professional wrestler James Storm, who currently wrestles for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling also call Franklin their home.
- Big Idea Productions, creators of Veggie Tales is located in Franklin.
- The band, Paramore, was formed here.
- Musician Will Hoge, as well as his musician brother Josh Hoge, are from Franklin.
- Major League Baseball player Derrick Turnbow attended Franklin High School.
- Actress/model Ashley Judd attended Franklin High School (Tennessee).
- Former NFL player, the late Fred Lane Jr., was born and raised in Franklin.
- NFL Player Troy Fleming lives in Franklin.
- Miley Cyrus, daughter of Billy Ray Cyrus, was born here. She currently plays Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana, a girl who doubles as pop star Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel Original Series Hannah Montana.
