Franklin is a city within and the county seat of Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 41,842 as of the 2000 census.

History

The City of Franklin was founded by Abram Maury, Jr. (1766-1825), who was also a State Senator and is buried with his family in Founders Pointe, 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, resulting in almost 10,000 casualties (killed, wounded, captured and missing) and turning forty-four buildings in town into field hospitals. It took 120 years for the county's economy to reach pre-war levels.

Franklin has grown from a very small, agricultural community into a strong blend of residential, commercial and corporate citizens.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 41,842 people, 16,128 households, and 11,225 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,393.3 people per square mile (538.0/km²). There were 17,296 housing units at an average density of 575.9/sq mi (222.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 84.53% Caucasian, 10.35% Black, 4.84% Hispanic/Latino, 1.61% Asian, 0.24% Native American, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 2.17% from other races, and 1.06% from two or more races.

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 $65,506, and the median income for a family was $69,431 (these figures had risen to $74,914 and $87,125 respectively as of a 2007 estimate). Males had a median income of $50,226 versus $31,531 for females. The per capita income for the city was $32,160. 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.

Notable events

• In November 1864, the Second Battle of Franklin of the Civil War took place, with the first fifteen minutes being the most bloody fifteen minutes in all of American history.
• The movie premieres of Friday Night Lights and Elizabethtown were held in Franklin.
• At Close Range, staring Christopher Wlken and Sean Penn was filmed in Franklin
  

Notable residents

• Scott Hamilton, professional figure skater
• Hayley Williams, singer / songwriter / member of Paramore
• Russell Branyan, professional baseball player
• Steve Camp, contemporary artist / evangelical minister
• Nick Carter, singer
• Kenny Chesney, singer
• Paul Colman, singer / songwriter / member of The Newsboys, Christian music
• Dario Franchitti, Indycar Series 2007 Champion, former NASCAR driver
• Sheryl Crow, singer / songwriter, technically lives in College Grove
• Steven Curtis Chapman, Christian singer/songwriter
• Leanne Rimes, singer
• Dave Ramsey, author, talk show host, The Dave Ramsey Show
• Walter Egan, Singer
• Sara Evans, Country Singer
• Jeff Fisher, head coach of the NFL team, Tennessee Titans
• Robin Mark, Irish christian artist
• Troy Gentry, country singer and one-half of country music duo Montgomery Gentry
• Kurt Heinecke, composer of the Christian series VeggieTales
• Will Hoge, singer/songwriter, born and raised in Franklin
• Alan Jackson, Country Singer
• George Jones, country singer
• Ashley Judd, actress
• Wynonna Judd, singer
• Naomi Judd, singer
• Alison Krauss, singer
• Phil Joel, Christian musician
• Peter Furler, member of Newsboys
• David LaBruyere, songwriter / producer / touring bassist for John Mayer
  
• Burney Lamar, NASCAR Driver
  
• TobyMac, Christian rap singer
• Michael McDonald, singer
• George Maney, Confederate general in the American Civil War
• McGee Brothers^[10] — Long-time Grand Ole Opry performing duo
• David Meece, Christian musician
• Krystal Meyers^[11], pop punk / Christian rock singer
• Mike Nawrocki, co-creator of the Big Idea Productions Christian series VeggieTales
• Brad Paisley, country singer
• Michael W. Smith^[12], pop / Christian singer
• Joe Smyth, drummer for Sawyer Brown
• Rebecca St. James, Christian singer
• James Storm, professional wrestler
• Hank Sweeney, baseball player
• Billy Strange, singer, songwriter for Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, and Sammy Davis Jr.
• Gary Talley, guitarist for The Boxtops
• Derrick Turnbow, baseball player
• Darrell Waltrip, 3-time NASCAR Winston Cup champion
• Taylor Ware, country singer
• Holly Watson, Christian singer, tv spokeswoman
• Kirk Whalum, jazz / blues saxophonist
• Adam Wright, rugby player
• Bob Demoss, Author
  
• Sterling Marlin, NASCAR driver
• Tamera Alexander, Christian author
• Carrie McGavock, The Widow of the South
• Luke Benward, Actor and singer
• Michael S. Hyatt, President and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishing
• Miley Cyrus, Singer and Actress

Festivals

Main Street Festival

Franklin’s Main Street Festival is a street festival that brings more than 200 artisans & crafters, four stages, two carnivals and two food courts to the historic Franklin Square and Downtown District. Arts and crafts booths line Main Street from First to Fifth Avenue.

From Wikipedia