The Franklin County real estate market features homes in historic neighborhoods including Victorian homes from the late-19th century, bungalows from first half and ranch homes from second half of the 20th century, just-built homes on the outskirts of town, waterfront homes, even farmhouses sitting on working farms and ranches.
And, homes in Franklin County retain their value. Historically, fluctuations in the national housing market leave Southern Illinois largely untouched.
Nearly 200 real estate professionals are available to assist the Franklin County homebuyer, as well as the home seller, at agencies throughout the county.
Century 21 Real Estate
Coldwell Banker Real Estate
HomeGain
TLC, LLC
United County Real Estate
Utilities
Ameren supplies Franklin County with its electricity and natural gas through AmerenCIPS. Franklin County is one of 70 counties and its communities are some of the nearly 60 served by AmerenCIPS.
Ameren CIPS traces its heritage to 1902 and today serves 400,000 retail electric customers. This includes seven percent of the state's population and 35 percent of the state's surface area. The service area extends from Quincy and East St. Louis on the west to Matton on the east and Marion on the south.
Ameren ranked fifth among the nation's top energy companies in customer satisfaction in a University of Michigan study.
Franklin County is also powered by SouthEastern Illinois Electric Cooperative, Inc. The electric power distributor was organized in 1938 and is owned and controlled by its members, a group that includes 23,000 accounts.
Telephone service is provided through Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint.
Residential and Commercial Electricity and Natural Gas Service Providers
AmerenCIPS
SouthEastern Illinois Electric Cooperative, Inc.
Resident and Commercial Telephone Service Providers
Internet Service Providers
Access US
EarthLink
Neon Internet, Inc.
Peoplepc
Shawnee Link
Speednet
Verizon Online
Utilities
|
Electricity |
AmerenCIPS |
(888) 789-2477 (Residential) (800) 232-2477 (Business) |
|
Southeastern IL Elec. Coop. |
(618) 273-2611 (Local) (800) 833-2611 (Toll Free) |
|
|
Natural Gas |
AmerenCIPS |
(888) 206-5467 |
|
Water |
City of Benton |
500 West Main Street |
|
Village of West City |
1000 W. Blakely St. |
|
|
Telephone |
AT&T |
(800) 222-0300 (Residential) (800) 222-0400 (Business) |
|
Sprint |
(800) 877-4646 (Personal Customer) (800) 877-2000 (Business) |
|
|
Verizon |
(800) 483-4000 (Residential) |
|
|
Internet Service Providers |
AccessUs.net |
(800) 638-6373 www.accessus.net |
|
Earthlink.net |
(800) 466-3624 www.earthlink.net |
|
|
Neon Internet, Inc. |
(800) 759-3658 www.neondsl.com |
|
|
Peoplepc Online |
(800) 627-3571 www.peoplepc.com |
|
|
ShawneeLink |
(800) 461-3956 www.shawneelink.com |
|
|
SpeedNet |
(888) 235-9924 www.speednet.com |
|
|
Verizon Online |
(888) 649-9500 www.verizon.net |
|
|
Cable Provider |
Comcast |
(866) 886-6838 www.comcast.com |
Source: Benton/West City Area Chamber of Commerce (www.bentonwestcity.com)
Verizon SuperPages: West Frankfort (2005)
Weather/Climate
Franklin County enjoys a subtropical climate with cool winters and warm summers.
Southern Illinois weather is generally without extremes and residents find the transformation from fall to winter, and from spring to summer, invigorating. The mild climate includes a late fall and an early spring.
The average high/low temperature in February is 47 degrees/29 degrees while the average in August is 88 degrees/69 degrees. Franklin County receives an average rainfall of 48 inches.
Current weather in Franklin County
Cost of Living
Life in Franklin County is stable. Perhaps the stability is also what makes life here affordable, as well. Franklin County, like the region as a whole, does not suffer from wild fluctuations that affect the national economy. Home prices and employment rates, generally, remain steady.
Compared with life across the country, the cost of living in Franklin County is nearly 30 percent lower than the United States average.
The median home cost in Franklin County is $72,700. Home appreciation the last year has been 0.12 percent.
Compared to the rest of the country, Franklin County's cost of living is 28.07% Lower than the U.S. average.