Franklin County, Illinois

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Franklin County is a county in Southern Illinois. At the 2020 census, it had a population of 37,804.<ref name="QF">Template:Cite web</ref> The largest city is West Frankfort and the county seat is Benton.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Franklin County at the time of its formation in 1818

Franklin County at the time of its formation in 1818
The creation of Williamson County in 1839 reduced Franklin to its current borders.

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The high levels of gas found in Franklin County's coal deposits have resulted in mining disasters and explosions over the years.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> Between 1905 and 1968, there were eleven mine disasters.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1905, the Zeigler No. 1 mine, located in Zeigler, had an explosion that killed about fifty people.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1917, an explosion in Old Ben Mine No. 11, located in Christopher, killed 17.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The worst explosion occurred in 1951, in the Orient No. 2 Mine in West Frankfort, in which 119 people died.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The West Frankfort quadrangle of Franklin County is home to 17 coal mines, according to a 2004 report.<ref name=":0" />

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (5.2%) is water.<ref name="census-density"/> Wayne Fitzgerrell State Recreation Area is located in this county.

Climate and weather

Template:Climate chart In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Benton have ranged from a low of Template:Convert in January to a high of Template:Convert in July, although a record low of Template:Convert was recorded in January 1977 and a record high of Template:Convert was recorded in August 2007. Average monthly precipitation ranged from Template:Convert in February to Template:Convert in May.<ref name="weather"/>

On April 21, 1912, a tornado destroyed facilities at the Possum Ridge Mine.<ref name=":0" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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.

Demographics

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As of the 2010 United States census, there were 39,561 people, 16,617 households, and 10,912 families residing in the county.<ref name="census-dp1">Template:Cite web</ref> The population density was Template:Convert. There were 18,525 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert.<ref name="census-density">Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref name="census-dp1"/> 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.<ref name="census-dp2">Template:Cite web</ref>

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.<ref name="census-dp1"/>

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.<ref name="census-dp3">Template:Cite web</ref>