{"id":1660,"date":"2023-02-23T07:13:31","date_gmt":"2023-02-23T07:13:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/?p=1660"},"modified":"2026-08-11T21:32:52","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T21:32:52","slug":"franklin-county-georgia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/franklin-county-georgia\/","title":{"rendered":"Franklin County, Georgia"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Franklin County is a county in Georgia, United States, in the state&#8217;s northeast corner about<br \/>\n85 miles northeast of Atlanta. It had a population of 23,424 at the 2020 census, an estimated<br \/>\n25,948 by 2025, and covers 266 square miles (690 km2) centred near 34&#176;22&#8242;N 83&#176;14&#8242;W.<\/p>\n<p>Carnesville is the county seat; its postal code is 30521. The county holds 5 cities, 1<br \/>\nincorporated town and 4 unincorporated or census-designated communities, and it runs on Eastern<br \/>\nTime.<\/p>\n<h2>Towns &amp; Villages in Franklin County<\/h2>\n<p>Franklin County has 10 named places on record: 6 incorporated cities and towns, 1 census<br \/>\ndesignated place (CDP), and 3 unincorporated communities with no local government of their own.<br \/>\nUnincorp. covers crossroads and rural communities with no formal boundary.<\/p>\n<div class=\"tv-table-scroll\">\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Place<\/th>\n<th>Type<\/th>\n<th>Pop.<\/th>\n<th>ZIP<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Lavonia<\/td>\n<td>City<\/td>\n<td>2,143<\/td>\n<td>30553<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Royston<\/td>\n<td>City<\/td>\n<td>2,649<\/td>\n<td>30662<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Gumlog<\/td>\n<td>CDP<\/td>\n<td>2,358<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Franklin Springs<\/td>\n<td>City<\/td>\n<td>1,155<\/td>\n<td>30639<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Carnesville<\/td>\n<td>City &middot; seat<\/td>\n<td>713<\/td>\n<td>30521<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Canon<\/td>\n<td>City<\/td>\n<td>643<\/td>\n<td>30520<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Martin<\/td>\n<td>Town<\/td>\n<td>336<\/td>\n<td>30557<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Ashland<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Cromers<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Unity<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p>Three places on this list straddle county lines. Royston&#8217;s population figure above is<br \/>\ncitywide &mdash; most of the city sits in Franklin and Hart counties, with a small portion<br \/>\nreaching south into Madison County. Canon likewise sits partly in Hart County, and Martin<br \/>\nstraddles the Franklin&#8211;Stephens county line, with its town hall on the Franklin side.<\/p>\n<h2>ZIP Codes<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>30521 &mdash; Carnesville<\/li>\n<li>30553 &mdash; Lavonia<\/li>\n<li>30662 &mdash; Royston (also serves the Franklin County portion of the city)<\/li>\n<li>30520 &mdash; Canon<\/li>\n<li>30639 &mdash; Franklin Springs<\/li>\n<li>30557 &mdash; Martin<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Gumlog, Ashland, Cromers and Unity have no ZIP code of their own; mail there is delivered<br \/>\nunder the nearest incorporated city&#8217;s code, most often Lavonia&#8217;s 30553 for Gumlog on<br \/>\nthe Lake Hartwell shore.<\/p>\n<h2>Geography<\/h2>\n<p>Franklin County sits in Georgia&#8217;s Piedmont, a belt of low rolling hills between the<br \/>\nBlue Ridge foothills and the coastal plain. Of its 266 square miles, 261 are land and 5.0 are<br \/>\nwater, about 1.9 percent, most of it Lake Hartwell along the county&#8217;s northeastern edge.<br \/>\nThe Tugaloo River, dammed to form Lake Hartwell, marks the county&#8217;s boundary with South<br \/>\nCarolina, and the Broad River drains the county&#8217;s southern and western reaches.<\/p>\n<p>Stephens County lies to the north, Oconee County, South Carolina, to the northeast across<br \/>\nLake Hartwell, Hart County to the east, Elbert County to the southeast, Madison County to the<br \/>\nsouth, and Banks County to the west. <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/stephens-county\/\">Stephens<br \/>\nCounty<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/oconee-county-south-carolina\/\">Oconee County<\/a>,<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/hart-county\/\">Hart County<\/a>, <a\nhref=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/elbert-county\/\">Elbert County<\/a>, <a\nhref=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/madison-county-georgia\/\">Madison County<\/a> and <a\nhref=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/banks-county\/\">Banks County<\/a> all border Franklin<br \/>\ndirectly.<\/p>\n<h2>Demographics<\/h2>\n<p>Franklin County had a population of 23,424 at the 2020 census, and the latest estimate puts<br \/>\nthe county near 25,948 residents. Royston and Lavonia are the two largest incorporated cities,<br \/>\nthough Gumlog&#8217;s 2,358 residents make it the most populous single place in the county.<br \/>\nMedian household income runs $53,046, well below Georgia&#8217;s statewide figure of $74,632<br \/>\n(2023 ACS). Population density works out to roughly 90 people per square mile of land, well<br \/>\nunder the state average, typical for a rural Piedmont county outside a metro area.<\/p>\n<h2>Economy &amp; Local Life<\/h2>\n<p>Manufacturing employs the most workers in the county, about 1,721 people, followed by retail<br \/>\ntrade at 1,201 and health care and social assistance at 1,074. The Franklin County School<br \/>\nSystem is the county&#8217;s largest single employer. The county&#8217;s Industrial Building<br \/>\nAuthority recruits new industry to sites along the Interstate 85 corridor near Lavonia and<br \/>\nCarnesville. Franklin Springs is home to Emmanuel University, a small private college that grew<br \/>\nout of the Franklin Springs Institute, founded there in 1919. Royston&#8217;s Ty Cobb Museum<br \/>\ndraws visitors year-round to the birthplace of the Hall of Fame outfielder, and Martin holds an<br \/>\nannual Fall Festival on the last Saturday of October.<\/p>\n<h2>History<\/h2>\n<p>The Georgia General Assembly created Franklin County on February 25, 1784, alongside<br \/>\nWashington County, carving both from Cherokee and Creek land ceded the previous year. The<br \/>\ncounty was named for Benjamin Franklin. It originally covered a much larger territory that later<br \/>\nbecame all or part of Banks, Barrow, Clarke, Jackson, Oconee and Stephens counties, plus<br \/>\nportions of Gwinnett, Hall, Hart and Madison counties, as the state repeatedly carved new<br \/>\ncounties from Franklin&#8217;s original boundaries. Carnesville, laid out in 1805 and named for<br \/>\nlawyer and politician Thomas Petters Carnes, became the permanent county seat in 1806.<\/p>\n<p>Royston, incorporated in 1879, is the birthplace of Ty Cobb, who grew up in Franklin County<br \/>\nbefore starting his baseball career; he is buried in Royston&#8217;s Rose Hill Cemetery. Franklin<br \/>\nCounty native Spud Chandler, born in Carnesville, won the American League MVP award in 1943.<\/p>\n<h2>Getting There<\/h2>\n<p>Interstate 85 crosses the county&#8217;s southeastern corner near Lavonia. US 29 runs<br \/>\nnortheast&#8211;southwest through Royston and Franklin Springs, and GA 17, GA 106 and GA 145<br \/>\nconnect the county&#8217;s other towns.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Athens &mdash; about 30 miles southwest of Royston<\/li>\n<li>Toccoa &mdash; about 11 miles northwest of Martin<\/li>\n<li>Hartwell &mdash; about 12 miles northeast of Royston<\/li>\n<li>Greenville, South Carolina &mdash; about 53 miles northeast of Lavonia<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Athens-Ben Epps Airport, roughly 35 miles southwest of Carnesville, is the nearest<br \/>\ncommercial-service airport with regional flights; Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International<br \/>\nAirport, about 90 miles southwest, is the nearest major hub. Franklin County has no Amtrak<br \/>\nstation; the closest service is in Toccoa on the Southern Crescent route corridor.<\/p>\n<h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Where is Franklin County located?<\/strong><br \/>\nIt sits in Georgia&#8217;s northeast Piedmont, about 85 miles northeast of Atlanta, bordered by<br \/>\nStephens, Oconee (South Carolina), Hart, Elbert, Madison and Banks counties.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is the population of Franklin County?<\/strong><br \/>\n23,424 at the 2020 census, with a 2025 estimate near 25,948.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How big is Franklin County?<\/strong><br \/>\n266 square miles (261 square miles of land and 5.0 square miles of water), or 676 km2.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is the county seat of Franklin County?<\/strong><br \/>\nCarnesville, the permanent county seat since 1806, its postal code is 30521.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How many towns and cities are in Franklin County?<\/strong><br \/>\nSix incorporated places &mdash; Lavonia, Royston, Franklin Springs, Carnesville, Canon and<br \/>\nMartin &mdash; plus the Gumlog CDP and three unincorporated communities: Ashland, Cromers and<br \/>\nUnity.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What ZIP codes does Franklin County use?<\/strong><br \/>\n30521 for Carnesville, 30553 for Lavonia, 30662 for Royston, 30520 for Canon, 30639 for<br \/>\nFranklin Springs, and 30557 for Martin.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is Franklin County known for?<\/strong><br \/>\nTy Cobb&#8217;s hometown of Royston and its Ty Cobb Museum, and Emmanuel University in Franklin<br \/>\nSprings.<\/p>\n<p>More counties in this state: <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/category\/georgia\/\">Towns and villages in Georgia<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Franklin County is a county in Georgia, United States, in the state&#8217;s northeast corner about 85 miles northeast of Atlanta. It had a population of 23,424 at the 2020 census, an estimated 25,948 by 2025, and covers 266 square miles (690 km2) centred near 34&#176;22&#8242;N 83&#176;14&#8242;W. Carnesville is the county seat; its postal code is [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"Towns & Villages in Franklin County, Georgia","_seopress_titles_desc":"All 10 towns and communities in Franklin County, Georgia - type, population and ZIP code for each, plus Ty Cobb's Royston hometown history.","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[6],"class_list":["post-1660","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-georgia","tag-towns-and-cities","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1660","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1660"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1660\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9711,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1660\/revisions\/9711"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1660"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1660"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1660"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}