Franklin, Pennsylvania

Franklin, Pennsylvania
Downtown Franklin
Nickname(s): The Victorian City
Franklin, Pennsylvania Location within the state of Pennsylvania
Coordinates: 41°23′52″N 79°49′53″W / 41.39778°N 79.83139°WCoordinates: 41°23′52″N 79°49′53″W / 41.39778°N 79.83139°W
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Venango
Settled	1740s
Platted	1795
Incorporated (borough)	1828
Incorporated (city)	1868
Government
• Mayor	Doug Baker
Area
• Total	4.7 sq mi (12.2 km^2)
• Land	4.6 sq mi (12.0 km^2)
• Water	0.1 sq mi (0.2 km^2)  1.70%
Population (2010)
• Total	6,545
• Density	1,422.8/sq mi (545.4/km^2)
• Demonym	Franklinite
Time zone	EST
ZIP code	16323

Franklin is a city in Venango County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was estimated 6,545 in the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Venango County. Franklin is part of the Oil City, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The city's namesake is Benjamin Franklin.^[1]

The Samuel F. Dale House and Franklin Historic District are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Plumer Block was listed from 1978 to 1986.^[2]

Geography

Franklin is located at 41°23′52″N 79°49′53″W / 41.39778°N 79.83139°W (41.3978, -79.8314).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.7 square miles (12 km²), of which 4.6 square miles (12 km²) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) (1.70%) is water.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1810	159		—
1820	252		58.5%
1830	410		62.7%
1840	595		45.1%
1850	936		57.3%
1860	1,303		39.2%
1870	3,908		199.9%
1880	5,010		28.2%
1890	6,221		24.2%
1900	7,317		17.6%
1910	9,767		33.5%
1920	9,970		2.1%
1930	10,254		2.8%
1940	9,948		−3.0%
1950	10,006		0.6%
1960	9,586		−4.2%
1970	8,629		−10.0%
1980	8,146		−5.6%
1990	7,329		−10.0%
2000	7,212		−1.6%
2010	6,545		−9.2%
Est. 2015	6,302	[3]	−3.7%
Sources:[4][5][6]

As of the census^[5] of 2000, there were 7,212 people, 3,030 households, and 1,824 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,560.2 people per square mile (602.7/km²). There were 3,281 housing units at an average density of 709.8 per square mile (274.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.77% White, 3.12% African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.33% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.31% from other races, and 1.37% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.67% of the population.

There were 3,030 households out of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.5% were married couples living together, 14.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.8% were non-families. 35.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the city, the population was spread out with 23.8% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 86.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,063, and the median income for a family was $37,433. Males had a median income of $35,088 versus $22,475 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,414. About 13.6% of families and 17.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.4% of those under age 18 and 14.4% of those age 65 or over.

Crime

Crime for 2009 (Source: FBI)

Population	Violent crime	Murder and non-negligent man-slaughter	Forcible rape	Robbery	Aggravated assault	Property crime	Burglary	Larceny-theft	Motor vehicle theft	Arson
6,608	25	0	5	5	15	176	27	144	5	0

Education

• The Franklin Area School District currently has one high school, one middle school, and four elementary schools located throughout the area with an estimated 2278 students.
• The Valley Grove School District currently has one high school and one elementary school located in the Franklin area with an estimated 1026 students. It formerly consisted of one high school, one middle school and two elementary schools, but a consolidation and rebuilding project converted the middle school into a single elementary school that reopened in 2007.^[7]
• Saint Patrick Roman Catholic Church operates an elementary school in the city.

Transportation

• Venango Regional Airport

Attractions

View of the confluence of French Creek (left) with the Allegheny River at Riverfront Park in Franklin

• Applefest, the largest craft festival in Western Pennsylvania
• DeBence Antique Music World
• Franklin Silver Cornet Band, formed in 1856, one of the oldest traditional town bands in the United States.
• Barrow-Civic Theatre, performing arts venue for community and Franklin Civic Operetta Association, founded 1959.
• Franklin Public Library, The Franklin Public Library was founded in 1894 and has had several homes, although its current location on Twelfth Street has been its home since 1921. The original structure on Twelfth Street was built in 1849 as a residence and required extensive renovations in 1921 to make it suitable for library use. A children's room was added in 1964 and another wing was added for the adult collection in 1978.
• Riverfront Park

Notable people

• John Wilkes Booth (May 10, 1838 – April 26, 1865) Abraham Lincoln's assassin. In 1864 he formed an oil company in Franklin and resided there while performing at the Franklin Opera House.
• Nate Byham (born June 27, 1988) American football tight end for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
• Jack Fultz (born August 27, 1948) Winner of the 1976 Boston Marathon.
• Judge Robert Lamberton (March 20, 1809 – August 7, 1885) Associate Judge of the Courts of Venango County, Pennsylvania and founder of the Lamberton Savings Bank.
• Rolland Lawrence (born March 24, 1951) American football Cornerback for the Atlanta Falcons.
• Hildegarde Dolson Lockridge (1908-1981) Author of mysteries and histories, including We Shook the Family Tree.
• Ted Marchibroda (born March 15, 1931) American football quarterback and head coach in the National Football League.
• Alexander McDowell (March 4, 1845 – September 30, 1913) Member of the United States House of Representatives.
• Charles Miller (June 15, 1843 – December 21, 1927) Franklin businessman and commander of the Pennsylvania National Guard Division
• Jesse L. Reno (April 20, 1823 – September 14, 1862) United States Army Major General.
• George C. Rickards (August 25, 1860—January 15, 1933) Major General in the United States Army and Chief of the National Guard Bureau
• Sean W. Rowe (born 1975) Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Northwestern Pennsylvania.
• George R. Snowden (February 12, 1841 – April 21, 1932) Major General in the Pennsylvania National Guard and commander of the Pennsylvania National Guard Division
• John A. Wiley (September 3, 1843 – December 28, 1909) National Guard Major General who commanded the 28th Infantry Division
• Howard Zahniser (February 25, 1906 – May 5, 1964) Environmental activist who authored the Wilderness Act.

Sports

In 1903, the city was the home of the Franklin Athletic Club, one of the earliest professional football teams. That season, the team was unofficially recognized as the "US Football Champions"^[8] and later won the 1903 World Series of Football, held that December at Madison Square Garden.^[9] The team included several of the era's top players, such as: Herman Kerchoff, Arthur McFarland, Clark Schrontz, Paul Steinberg, Pop Sweet, Eddie Wood, and coach Blondy Wallace.^[10]

Among other sporting accomplishments, Franklin Area High School has won two state basketball championships. In 2001 and 2006, the boys team, playing in PIAA Class AAA District 10, defeated Allentown Central Catholic out of District 11 and Communications Tech from District 12 (Philadelphia Public League), respectively.^[11]

In popular culture

The city was the setting of an episode of The X-Files entitled "Blood". It appeared in the show's second season and was actually filmed in British Columbia.

References

1. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p. 131.
2. National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
3. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015". Retrieved July 2, 2016.
4. "Census of Population and Housing". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
5. "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
6. "Incorporated Places and Minor Civil Divisions Datasets: Subcounty Resident Population Estimates: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2012". Population Estimates. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
7. "Search for Schools in Valley Grove School District". Great Schools. Retrieved 2008-12-07.
8. PFRA Research. "Franklin's Hired Guns: 1903" (PDF). Coffin Corner. Professional Football Researchers Association: 1–3.
9. Carroll, Bob (1980). "The First Football World Series" (PDF). Coffin Corner. Professional Football Researchers Association. 2 (Annual): 1–8.
10. • Smith, William R. (1981). "Franklin's World Champion Football Team" (PDF). Coffin Corner. Professional Football Researchers Association. 3 (Annual): 1–4.
11. Rebel, Don (2006-03-22). "2006 PIAA Basketball Finals Preview". MSA Sports Network. Retrieved 2008-12-07.

External links

• Media related to Franklin, Pennsylvania at Wikimedia Commons
• Franklin, Pennsylvania travel guide from Wikivoyage