Franklin

Franklin is located in Macon County in the east-central part of the state.  It has a mayor/council form of government.

History

Prior to the forced removal of the Creek Indians in 1832, the area around Franklin was part of the Creek Nation. The Methodist Missionary Church was founded in the late eighteenth century and included Creek members, some of whom are buried in the segregated cemetery. Non-Indian settlement began soon after removal, with plantation agriculture being the main driver of the local economy.  The first school, the Franklin School, opened in the 1890s and operated until 1942. One section of the school today serves as the town hall and community center. The Harris Barrett School was built in 1903 by students from what is now Tuskegee University. Today it serves as a historical museum. Franklin incorporated in 1976.

Demographics

According to 2020 Census estimates, Franklin recorded a population of 898. Of that number, 69.9 percent of respondents identified themselves as African American, 21.0 percent as white, 8.2 percent as two or more races, 0.8 percent as American Indian, and 0.7 percent as Hispanic. The town’s median household income was $76,842, and the per capita income was $39,979.

Employment

According to 2020 Census estimates, the workforce in Franklin was divided among the following industrial categories:

• Educational services and health care and social assistance (31.3 percent)
• Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services (19.8 percent)
• Public administration (14.7 percent)
• Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and extraction (7.7 percent)
• Manufacturing (7.5 percent)
• Transportation and warehousing, and utilities (6.7 percent)
• Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation and food services (5.1 percent)
• Construction (2.7 percent)
• Retail trade (2.4 percent)
• Other services, except public administration (1.2 percent)
• Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing (0.7 percent)
• Information (0.2 percent)

Education

Students in Franklin attend Macon County schools.

Transportation

Interstate 85 runs east-west through the lower section of Franklin, State Route 49 runs north-southeast through the eastern section, and County Road 17 runs northeast-southwest through the northwestern portion of the town.