Franklin, Georgia
12 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1899 and the latest in 1978. It stands in the Franklin census division. It lies in ZIP code area 30217. It stands on Centralhatchee Creek. The Survey maps it on the Franklin quadrangle. 950 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 663 feet above sea level.
Research this city
On record in Franklin
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 1 record
Heard County Jaillisted 1981
Population over time
2 figuresFranklin fell from 993 to 950 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 993 | |
| 2020 | 950 | -43 (-4%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
7 surveys from 12 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1899 USGS Wedowee quadrangle1:125000
- 1902 USGS Wedowee quadrangle1:125000, 3 printings
- 1953 USGS Atlanta quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1957 USGS Atlanta quadrangle1:250000
- 1958 USGS Atlanta quadrangle1:250000
- 1964 USGS Franklin quadrangle1:24000, 3 printings
- 1978 USGS La Grange quadrangle1:100000
Photographs
8 of 11 photographs shown, 1941Taken for the Office of War Information and the Farm Security Administration, who photographed the country between 1935 and 1944. Works of United States government photographers, with no known restriction on use. Each opens its catalogue record.
Delano, Jack, 1941. Library of Congress
Delano, Jack, 1941. Library of Congress
Delano, Jack, 1941. Library of Congress
Delano, Jack, 1941. Library of Congress
Delano, Jack, 1941. Library of Congress
Delano, Jack, 1941. Library of Congress
Delano, Jack, 1941. Library of Congress
Delano, Jack, 1941. Library of Congress
Every photograph of Heard County
Fires near this place
145 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 145 fires within 5 miles of Franklin between 1992 and 2020, burning about 818 acres in total. 10 started naturally. 22 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 80 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 22 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 11 |
| Natural | 10 |
| Smoking | 10 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 7 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 3 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 2 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 September 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.8 acres | Georgia Forestry Commission | FY2012-HEARD-007 |
| 19 September 2003 | Debris and open burning | 1.5 acres | Georgia Forestry Commission | not named |
| 18 September 2019 | Arson/incendiarism | 14 acres | Georgia Forestry Commission | FY2020HEARD001 |
| 16 September 1999 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Georgia Forestry Commission | not named |
| 14 September 1993 | Debris and open burning | 2.5 acres | Georgia Forestry Commission | not named |
| 13 September 1998 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Georgia Forestry Commission | not named |
| 8 August 2004 | Arson/incendiarism | 2.0 acres | Georgia Forestry Commission | not named |
| 5 August 2006 | Natural | 15 acres | Georgia Forestry Commission | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
1 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 1 working within 5 miles of Franklin: 1 past producer. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Granite. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Wynn Quarry | Granite | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
43 since 1994Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Franklin in 43 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 20 hail, 15 thunderstorm wind, 5 lightning, 1 funnel cloud. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2011 | Lightning | Franklin | $200,000 | The public reported that lightning struck a home on Georgia Highway 34 in Franklin setting the house on fire. The house was completely destroyed by the fire. |
| May 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Franklin | $75,000 | The Franklin News & Banner reported that a number of trees had been blown down across the county, some landing on homes and vehicles. In addition, several mobile homes had been overturned. |
| July 2014 | Lightning | Franklin | $60,000 | The Heard County Emergency Manager reported that a house around two miles southeast of Franklin on Pike Road had major damage from a fire caused by a lightning strike. |
| May 2009 | Lightning | Franklin | $25,000 | The Heard County 911 Center reported that a home was set on fire. It was not entirely clear whether this was from a lightning strike or a downed tree, but there was considerable cloud-to-ground lightning in the area at the time as a squall line of thunderstorms moved through the county. |
| July 2014 | Flash Flood | Franklin | $20,000 | A Heard County Park Ranger reported flash flooding at the Brush Creek Park by the Chattahoochee River around 5 miles south to southeast of Franklin. Most of the campers had already left in the evening. The Heard County Emergency Manager confirmed through the Public Works Department that several dirt and rock roads east and south of Franklin had significant erosion damage and will need regrading. No culvert pipes were washed out. |
| May 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Franklin | $15,000 | The West Georgia Beacon of Hogansville reported that a tree fell on a mobile home on Joe Cook Road causing damage to the structure. |
| June 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Franklin | $5,000 | Emergency manager reported a few trees down in the vicinity of S Franklin, concentrated near the intersection of S River Rd and Dr Fisher Rd. |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Franklin | $5,000 | The Heard County 911 Center reported that several trees were blown down in the southwest part of the county between Franklin and Glenn, especially in Brush Creek Park. Several camper tents were brought down by the winds. |
| May 2003 | Tornado (F0) | Franklin | $3,000 | An employee of the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Peachtree City, Georgia conducted a damage survey and found tree damage consistent with a brief F0 tornado touchdown which crossed Georgia Highway 27 between Centralhatchee and Franklin. Damage was confined mainly to several trees, which were blown down in several directions. It appeared that the tornado was a multi-segmented tornado as it skipped through the woods along and near Georgia Highway 27. The parent funnel cloud continued eastward into Coweta county where it again touched down as an F0 tornado near Newnan. |
| January 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Franklin | $2,000 | The Heard County 911 Center reported that numerous trees were blown down along Highway 34 East in Franklin. |
| July 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Franklin | $2,000 | The public and Heard county 911 reported that thunderstorm winds knocked trees down along highway 34 both east and west of Franklin. |
| March 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Franklin | $1,000 | Tree down on powerlines near the intersection of main st and college dr. |
| August 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Franklin | $1,000 | Tree down along Bevis Rd near Riverview Rd. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Franklin | $1,000 | The Heard County 911 center reported a tree blown down on Highway 34 near Ebenezer Road. |
| January 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Franklin | $1,000 | Thunderstorm winds knocked trees down on power lines. |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Franklin | $1,000 | A HAM operator reported trees down near highway 100. |
| August 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Franklin | $500 | Several large trees were blown down across Georgia Highway 34 by thunderstorm winds. |
| August 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Franklin | $250 | The Heard County 911 Center reported that one tree was blown down onto Georgia Highway 27. |
| July 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Franklin | $250 | The Heard county 911 center reported that 1 tree was blown down. |
| March 2023 | Hail | Franklin | - | Report of quarter size hail on Bevis rd. |
| May 2012 | Hail | Franklin | - | The Heard County 911 Center and the Family Dollar store reported that hail fell in Franklin. The hail started as dime size but within five minutes increased to quarter size. |
| December 2007 | Hail | Franklin | - | A storm spotter observed nickel-sized hail in the Franklin area. |
| January 2006 | Hail | Franklin | - | The public reported penny to quarter-sized hail in Franklin and quarter-sized hail southwest of Franklin on U.S. Highway 219 near Aubrey. |
| March 2005 | Hail | Franklin | - | Two reports of penny-sized hail were received from the public. |
| April 2005 | Hail | Franklin | - | The Heard County 911 Center reported penny-sized hail. |
| May 2005 | Hail | Franklin | - | The public reported penny to quarter-sized hail. |
| June 2002 | Hail | Franklin | - | The Heard county 911 center reported quarter size hail. |
| July 2002 | Hail | Franklin | - | The Heard county 911 center reported dime size hail. |
| July 2002 | Lightning | Franklin | - | Lightning struck a transformer in the county and set it on fire. |
| June 2002 | Hail | Franklin | - | The Heard county 911 center reported yet another round of quarter size hail. |
| August 2000 | Lightning | Franklin | - | The Heard county civil defense director reported that a girl was struck by lightning. However, no injury was reported. |
| August 2000 | Hail | Franklin | - | The Heard county civil defense director reported dime size hail. |
| May 1999 | Hail | Franklin | - | The public reported nickel size hail. |
| June 1999 | Hail | Franklin | - | Public reports indicated hail ranging from dime to golfball size fell in Heard county. |
| February 1998 | Hail | Franklin | - | Dime size hail was reported by Heard county 911. |
| April 1998 | Hail | Franklin | - | A few public reports of hail from dime to half-dollar size were received. |
| May 1998 | Funnel Cloud | Franklin | - | A funnel cloud and small hail were reported in Franklin. |
| March 1998 | Hail | Franklin | - | Fire station 5 reported dime size hail. |
| October 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Franklin | - | Thunderstorm winds knocked over several 30-foot Pine trees near Georgia Highway 109 just north of Glenn. |
| May 1998 | Hail | Franklin | - | no account filed |
| January 1997 | Hail | Franklin | - | no account filed |
| March 1997 | Hail | Franklin | - | no account filed |
| March 1997 | Hail | Franklin | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverside | 0.8 miles | 12 | |
| Whispering Pines | 2.4 miles | 12 | |
| Shellnut | 2.5 miles | 11 | |
| Rockridge | 2.7 miles | 11 | |
| Viola | 3.1 miles | 11 | |
| Five Points | 3.8 miles | 12 | |
| Capstan (historical) | 4.5 miles | 12 | |
| Ridley | 5.7 miles | 11 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Franklin | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q775102 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 314347. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.






