Franklin County, Virginia

Franklin County Education, Geography, and History

Franklin County is a county located in the Blue Ridge foothills of the US state of Virginia. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 56,159. Its county seat is Rocky Mount.

Franklin County is part of the Roanoke, VA Metropolitan Statistical Area and is located in the Roanoke Region of Virginia. The Roanoke River forms its northeast boundary with Bedford County.

Etymology - Origin of Franklin County Name

Franklin was named for American statesman Benjamin Franklin.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Franklin County History

Franklin County, Virginia formed from Bedford, Henry, and Patrick Counties. Legislative enactment in 1785. Organized in 1786. Patrick County gave only small portions in 1847-1848 and 1872-1873. [Virginia Counties: Those Resulting from Virginia Legislation, by Morgan Poitiaux Robinson, originally published as Bulletin of the Virginia State Library, Volume 9, January, April, July 1916, reprinted 1992 by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Baltimore, MD.]

Franklin County was named for Benjamin Franklin and was formed from Bedford and Henry Counties in 1785. Its area is 711.5 square miles, and the county seat is Rocky Mount.

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 712 square miles (1,843 km²), of which, 692 square miles (1,792 km²) of it is land and 19 square miles (50 km²) of it (2.74%) is water.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

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

Education

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