Franklin County

History

Franklin County was erected and established in 1875, four decades after the independence of Texas, from land ceded by neighboring Titus County. Although the origin of the county's name is not recorded, it is generally believed to have been named after Judge Benjamin C. Franklin, the first appointed justice in the Republic of Texas.

There are two historic properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Franklin County.

Franklin County was one of the last 30 prohibition, or entirely dry, counties in the state of Texas. Citizens of its county seat, Mount Vernon, voted to allow beer and wine sales, both on and off premises, in May 2013.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 295 square miles (760 km2), of which 284 square miles (740 km2) is land and 10 square miles (26 km2) (3.5%) is water.

Major highways

Interstate 30

U.S. Highway 67

U.S. Highway 271

State Highway 11

State Highway 37

Adjacent counties

Red River County (north)

Titus County (east)

Camp County (southeast)

Wood County (south)

Hopkins County (west)

Delta County (northwest)

Communities

City

Winnsboro (mostly in Wood County)

Town

Mount Vernon (county seat)

Unincorporated communities

Clearwater

Cypress

Daphne

Eureka

Hagansport

Hopewell

Lakeview

Macon

Majors

New Hope

Purley

Scroggins

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 10,359. The median age was 43.8 years, 22.6% of residents were under the age of 18, and 22.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 91.9 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 78.6% White, 3.9% Black or African American, 0.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 6.8% from some other race, and 9.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 14.0% of the population.

<0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 4,046 households in the county, of which 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 53.9% were married-couple households, 15.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 25.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 5,089 housing units, of which 20.5% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 75.3% were owner-occupied and 24.7% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.4%.

According to the United States Census Bureau's 2020 Annual Income Estimates, the median household income was $59,632; the mean income was $82,203.

2000 census

At the 2000 U.S. census, there were 9,458 people, 3,754 households, and 2,732 families residing in the county. The population density was 33 people per square mile (13 people/km2). There were 5,132 housing units at an average density of 18 units per square mile (6.9/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 89.19% White, 3.94% Black or African American, 0.63% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 5.14% from other races, and 0.88% from two or more races. 8.90% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Economy

According to a study ordered by the Mount Vernon Economic Development Corporation in 2013, the local retail trade area population is 12,771 people. The county has 720 homes valued at $200,000 or more, 70 homes of $500,000 or more, and 72 homes valued at more than $1,000,000. Most of these homes are centered on Lake Cypress Springs, which was twice voted the Most Beautiful Lake in Texas by the readers of Dallas' "D" magazine (2005, 2010). The lake is located about 10 miles south of Mount Vernon. The EDC study determined the average sale price of lakefront property on Lake Cypress Springs (2012) was $484,000, with 91 percent of the 1,400 water-front homes being second residences. This concentration of second residences causes the population of the county to increase between 3,000 and 8,000 people on weekends and during holidays, according to estimates by the Franklin County Water District, which oversees the lake and its visitors.

Education

The following school districts serve Franklin County:

Mount Vernon ISD

Rivercrest ISD (partly in Red River, Titus counties)

Saltillo ISD (mostly in Hopkins County)

Sulphur Bluff ISD (mostly in Hopkins County)

Winnsboro ISD (mostly in Wood County, small portion in Hopkins County)

Politics

Franklin County is represented in the Texas House of Representatives by the Republican Shelley Luther (Tx.HR Dist. 62). It is represented in the Texas Senate by Republican Bryan Hughes of Mineola, Texas (Tx. Sen. Dist. 1). Franklin County is part of the First Congressional District of Texas which has been represented by Republican U.S. Congressman Nathaniel Moran since January 2023.