Map of Franklin County, North Carolina

Franklin County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 68,573. Its county seat is Louisburg.

Franklin County is included in the Raleigh, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC Combined Statistical Area, which had a 2019 estimated population of 2,079,687.

Franklin County overview:
Name:	Franklin County
FIPS code:	37-069
State:	North Carolina
Founded:	1779
Named for:	Benjamin Franklin
Seat:	Louisburg
Largest town:	Wake Forest
Total Area:	494 sq mi (1,280 km²)
Land Area:	492 sq mi (1,270 km²)
Total Population:	68,573
Population Density:	140/sq mi (54/km²)
Time zone:	UTC−5 (Eastern)
Summer Time Zone (DST):	UTC−4 (EDT)
Website:	www.franklincountync.gov

Franklin County location map. Where is Franklin County?

Franklin County location on the U.S. Map. Where is Franklin County. — Location of Franklin County in the the United States.

Franklin County location on the North Carolina map. Where is Franklin County. — Location of Franklin County in North Carolina.

History

The county was formed in 1779 from the southern half of Bute County. It is named for Benjamin Franklin. It is a part of the Research Triangle.

County formation timeline

1664 Albemarle County formed (original, extinct)
1668 Albemarle County subdivided into Carteret, Berkeley, & Shaftesbury Precincts
1681 Shaftesbury Precinct renamed Chowan Precinct
1722 Bertie Precinct formed from Chowan Precinct
1739 Bertie Precinct becomes Bertie County
1741 Edgecombe County formed from Bertie County
1746 Granville County formed from Edgecombe County
1754 Creation of Bertie Precinct, Edgecombe County, & Granville County repealed by King George II, in Privy Council
1756 Bertie, Edgecombe, & Granville re-created
1764 Bute County (extinct) formed from Granville County
1779 Franklin County formed from Bute County (extinct)
1787 Franklin County gains land from Wake County
1875 Franklin County gains land from Granville County
1881 Franklin County loses land to help form Vance County

School desegregation

The integration of Franklin County Schools in 1965–1968 was marked by a federal lawsuit and some violence against African-American residents. The North Carolina Humanities Council funded the Tar River Center for History and Culture at Louisburg College to prepare “An Oral History of School Desegregation in Franklin County, North Carolina.”

Franklin County Road Map

Franklin CountyStreet Map. — Street map of Franklin County, North Carolina. Source: OpenStreetMap (OSM)

Franklin CountyMap — Franklin Countypolitical map.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 494 square miles (1,280 km), of which 492 square miles (1,270 km) is land and 2.8 square miles (7.3 km) (0.6%) is water.

State and local protected area

V.E. and Lydia H. Owens Recreational Park at Bull Creek

Major water bodies

Buffalo Creek
Camping Creek
Crooked Creek
Fishing Creek
Lake Royale
Little River (Neuse River tributary)
Sandy Creek
Shocco Creek
Tar River

Adjacent counties

Warren County – northeast
Vance County – north
Granville County – northwest
Wake County – southwest
Nash County – east

Major highways

Future I-87 (Concurrency with US 64)
US 1
US 1A
US 64
US 401
NC 39
NC 56
NC 58
NC 96
NC 97
NC 98
NC 561
NC 581

Major infrastructure

Triangle North Executive Airport