Franklin County, Virginia

Franklin County, Virginia
Location in the state of Virginia
Virginia's location in the U.S.
Founded	1785
Seat	Rocky Mount
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	712 sq mi (1,844 km²) 692 sq mi (1,792 km²) 19 sq mi (49 km²), 2.74%
Population  -  Density	56,159 81.2/sq mi (31/km²)
Website	www.franklincountyva.org

Franklin County is a county located in the Blue Ridge Foothills of the U.S. state of Virginia. As of 2010, the population was 56,159. Its county seat is Rocky Mount. The Roanoke River forms its northeast boundary with Bedford County.

Franklin County is part of the Roanoke Metropolitan Statistical Area and located in the Roanoke Region of Virginia. It is not to be confused with Franklin, VA, an independent city in southeast Virginia.

History

Franklin County historic marker, State of Virginia

The Blue Ridge Foothills had long been inhabited by indigenous peoples. At the time of European encounter, mostly Siouan-speaking tribes lived in this area.

The county was formed in 1785 from parts of Bedford and Henry counties. It was named for Benjamin Franklin.

During Prohibition, local wits named Franklin County the "Moonshine Capital of the World," a name used today by the local chamber of commerce as a historic identification. Moonshine is still being made in the area. In the 1920s, it was estimated that 99 out of every 100 Franklin County residents were in some way involved in the illegal liquor trade. In 2002, a book was published about The Great Moonshine Conspiracy Trial of 1935 in the County.

Since the 1980s, much residential development has occurred around Smith Mountain Lake. People live there who commute to Roanoke, Lynchburg, Martinsville, and Danville. Retirees have also moved there and both groups have increased the county's population.

Notable natives and residents

• Jubal Anderson Early, Confederate General
• Booker T. Washington, a freedman (former slave) who became a leading educator and one of the prominent civil rights activists of his era, was born on the Burroughs Farm in Hale's Ford.
• Adam Clayton Powell, Sr. (1865–1953), was born to Sally Dunning, a free woman of color, and reared here. He worked his way through Wayland Seminary and graduate school at Yale University, and became a prominent minister, leading Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, New York from 1908–1936, to a membership of 4,000, the largest in the US at the time.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 712 square miles (1,844.1 km²), of which 692 square miles (1,792.3 km²) is land and 19 square miles (49.2 km²) (2.74%) is water. It is upriver of the fall line of the Roanoke River, located at Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina.

Districts

The county is divided into supervisor districts; a few are: Blackwater, Blue Ridge, Boones Mill, Gills Creek, Rocky Mount, Snow Creek, Union Hall, Ferrum, Glade Hill, Penhook, and Callaway

Historic marker for Fort Blackwater, one of the earliest frontier forts in Virginia. Built in 1756 in present-day Franklin County

Adjacent Counties

• Bedford County, Virginia - northeast
• Pittsylvania County, Virginia - southeast
• Henry County, Virginia - south
• Patrick County, Virginia - southwest
• Floyd County, Virginia - west
• Roanoke County, Virginia - northwest

National protected areas

• Blue Ridge Parkway (part)
• Booker T. Washington National Monument

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1790	6,842		—
1800	9,302		36.0%
1810	10,724		15.3%
1820	12,017		12.1%
1830	14,911		24.1%
1840	15,832		6.2%
1850	17,430		10.1%
1860	20,098		15.3%
1870	18,264		−9.1%
1880	25,084		37.3%
1890	24,985		−0.4%
1900	25,953		3.9%
1910	26,480		2.0%
1920	26,283		−0.7%
1930	24,337		−7.4%
1940	25,864		6.3%
1950	24,560		−5.0%
1960	25,925		5.6%
1970	26,858		3.6%
1980	35,740		33.1%
1990	39,549		10.7%
2000	47,286		19.6%
2010	56,159		18.8%

As of the census of 2000, there were 47,286 people, 18,963 households, and 13,918 families residing in the county. The population density was 68 people per square mile (26/km²). There were 22,717 housing units at an average density of 33 per square mile (13/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 88.95% White, 9.35% Black or African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.42% from other races, and 0.71% from two or more races. 1.21% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 18,963 households out of which 29.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.10% were married couples living together, 9.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.60% were non-families. 22.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.84.

In the county, the population was spread out with 22.20% under the age of 18, 8.10% from 18 to 24, 28.20% from 25 to 44, 27.20% from 45 to 64, and 14.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 97.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $38,056, and the median income for a family was $45,163. Males had a median income of $29,807 versus $22,215 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,605. About 7.30% of families and 9.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.70% of those under age 18 and 9.80% of those age 65 or over.

Incorporated towns

• Boones Mill
• Rocky Mount

Unincorporated communities

• Ferrum
• North Shore
• Penhook
• Union Hall
• Westlake Corner
• Callaway
• Snow Creek
• Glade Hill
• Bent Mountain
• Hale's Ford
• Redwood

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Franklin County, Virginia

External links

• Franklin County government official website
• Rocky Mount official website