Franklin County is the home to nearly 40,000 inhabitants who reside primarily in six small cities and eight villages spread throughout 412 square miles.
Life in Franklin County, however, is difficult to define in a series of statistics.
Residents enjoy working, learning, shopping, and living in the heart of Southern Illinois, one of the Midwest's most scenic regions.
The small-town atmosphere that city planners strain to capture in development projects across America is authentic in Franklin County.
Farms roll out across the landscape, stopping at the edge of small towns featuring historic main streets, town squares, and well-maintained residential neighborhoods.
Residents and visitors alike enjoy an area that features antique shops, museums, galleries, unique restaurants, and wineries. Outdoor recreation includes boating, golfing, fishing, hunting, hiking, horseback riding, swimming, and water skiing.
Franklin County built a strong reputation throughout the 20th century as one of the leading coal producing areas of the United States. In fact, Franklin County coal mines once led the nation in annual coal production.
Today, residents are an integral part of a diversified regional economy that is less reliant on a single industry.
Franklin County, located in the center of Southern Illinois, is in an enviable position geographically to take advantage of the region's assets and the advances being made in commerce, healthcare, and education.
Naturally, the strength of any community is found in its people. Franklin County residents are hard-working citizens, proud of their country, state, and community.
Owning one of the region's most interesting histories, Franklin County citizens are confident they lay claim to a successful, promising future, as well.
Franklin County looks forward to welcoming visitors, business, and industry to a unique area of the United States.