{"id":7635,"date":"2023-09-05T18:50:21","date_gmt":"2023-09-05T18:50:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/?p=7635"},"modified":"2026-08-07T18:59:41","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T18:59:41","slug":"franklin-county-tennessee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/franklin-county-tennessee\/","title":{"rendered":"Franklin County, Tennessee"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Franklin County is a county in Tennessee, United States, about 65 miles southeast of Nashville<br \/>\non the western edge of the Cumberland Plateau. It had a population of 42,774 at the 2020 census,<br \/>\nan estimated 45,579 by 2024, and covers 576 square miles (1,490 km2) centred near 35\u00b009\u2032N 86\u00b006\u2032W.<\/p>\n<p>Winchester is the county seat; its postal code is 37398. The county holds 4 cities, 3 towns and<br \/>\na scatter of smaller unincorporated communities, and it runs on Central Time. Two of its<br \/>\nincorporated places, Tullahoma and Monteagle, share their city and town limits with neighboring<br \/>\ncounties.<\/p>\n<h2>Towns &amp; Villages in Franklin County<\/h2>\n<p>Franklin County has 14 named places on record: 7 incorporated cities and towns, one Census<br \/>\nDesignated Place, and 6 unincorporated communities with no local government of their own. CDP<br \/>\nstands for census designated place; Unincorp. covers crossroads and rural communities with no<br \/>\nformal 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>Winchester<\/td>\n<td>City &middot; seat<\/td>\n<td>9,375<\/td>\n<td>37398<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Tullahoma<\/td>\n<td>City<\/td>\n<td>20,339<\/td>\n<td>37388<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Decherd<\/td>\n<td>City<\/td>\n<td>2,379<\/td>\n<td>37324<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Cowan<\/td>\n<td>City<\/td>\n<td>1,759<\/td>\n<td>37318<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Sewanee<\/td>\n<td>CDP<\/td>\n<td>2,535<\/td>\n<td>37375<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Estill Springs<\/td>\n<td>Town<\/td>\n<td>2,267<\/td>\n<td>37330<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Monteagle<\/td>\n<td>Town<\/td>\n<td>1,393<\/td>\n<td>37356<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Huntland<\/td>\n<td>Town<\/td>\n<td>886<\/td>\n<td>37345<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Alto<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Asia<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Beech Hill<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Broadview<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Midway<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Shady Grove<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p>Two places on this list straddle county lines. Tullahoma&#8217;s 20,339 residents are mostly in<br \/>\nCoffee County &mdash; the city sits in that county&#8217;s southwest corner and only extends south<br \/>\ninto a smaller Franklin County share. Monteagle runs the opposite way: its 1,393 residents are<br \/>\nsplit across Franklin, Marion and Grundy counties, with no single county holding a majority of<br \/>\nthe town.<\/p>\n<h2>ZIP Codes<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>37398 &mdash; Winchester<\/li>\n<li>37388 &mdash; Tullahoma (also serves 37389, a Tullahoma PO box ZIP; administered mostly from<br \/>\nCoffee County)<\/li>\n<li>37324 &mdash; Decherd<\/li>\n<li>37318 &mdash; Cowan<\/li>\n<li>37375 &mdash; Sewanee (also serves 37383, a Sewanee PO box ZIP)<\/li>\n<li>37330 &mdash; Estill Springs<\/li>\n<li>37356 &mdash; Monteagle<\/li>\n<li>37345 &mdash; Huntland<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Alto, Asia, Beech Hill, Broadview, Midway and Shady Grove have no ZIP code of their own; mail<br \/>\nto these unincorporated communities is delivered under the nearest incorporated town&#8217;s<br \/>\ncode.<\/p>\n<h2>Geography<\/h2>\n<p>Franklin County straddles the boundary between the Highland Rim and the Cumberland Plateau.<br \/>\nThe eastern third of the county, around Sewanee and Monteagle, climbs onto the plateau itself,<br \/>\nwhile the western two-thirds sit lower on rolling farmland drained by the Elk River. Of the<br \/>\ncounty&#8217;s 576 square miles, 555 are land and 21 are water, about 3.7 percent. Tims Ford Lake,<br \/>\na reservoir formed by a dam on the Elk River completed in 1972, is the county&#8217;s largest body<br \/>\nof water and its main recreation draw.<\/p>\n<p>Coffee County lies to the north, Grundy County to the northeast, Marion County to the east,<br \/>\nJackson County, Alabama to the south, Madison County, Alabama to the southwest, Lincoln County to<br \/>\nthe west, and Moore County to the northwest. <a\nhref=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/coffee-county-tennessee\/\">Coffee County<\/a>, <a\nhref=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/grundy-county-tennessee\/\">Grundy County<\/a>, <a\nhref=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/marion-county-tennessee\/\">Marion County<\/a>, <a\nhref=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/lincoln-county-tennessee\/\">Lincoln County<\/a> and <a\nhref=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/moore-county-tennessee\/\">Moore County<\/a> all border Franklin<br \/>\ndirectly within Tennessee; Jackson and Madison counties in Alabama form its southern state<br \/>\nline.<\/p>\n<h2>Demographics<\/h2>\n<p>Franklin County had a population of 42,774 at the 2020 census, and the latest Census Bureau<br \/>\nestimate puts the county near 45,579 residents by 2024. Tullahoma and Winchester are the two<br \/>\nlargest communities, together accounting for close to three-quarters of the county&#8217;s<br \/>\npopulation, though most of Tullahoma&#8217;s residents live across the line in Coffee County.<br \/>\nMedian household income runs about $63,494, below Tennessee&#8217;s statewide figure of $67,631<br \/>\n(2023 ACS). Population density works out to roughly 77 people per square mile of land, well below<br \/>\nthe state average, reflecting the county&#8217;s large rural and plateau acreage.<\/p>\n<h2>Economy &amp; Local Life<\/h2>\n<p>Manufacturing employs the most workers in the county, about 4,068 people, followed by health<br \/>\ncare and social assistance at 2,294 and retail trade at 2,213. The Nissan Powertrain Assembly<br \/>\nPlant in Decherd, which opened in 1997 and added a second production line in 2014, anchors that<br \/>\nmanufacturing base; it now turns out roughly 1.4 million engines a year for Nissan and Infiniti<br \/>\nvehicles and employs more than 1,600 workers. Sewanee&#8217;s University of the South is the<br \/>\ncounty&#8217;s largest institutional employer outside manufacturing, drawing staff and faculty<br \/>\nfrom across the plateau. Cowan&#8217;s restored 1904 railroad depot, now a small museum, marks the<br \/>\ntown&#8217;s 19th-century role as a base for pusher engines that helped freight trains climb the<br \/>\nCumberland Plateau grade.<\/p>\n<h2>History<\/h2>\n<p>Tennessee&#8217;s legislature organized Franklin County in 1807, naming it for Benjamin<br \/>\nFranklin. Winchester was laid out in 1810 and incorporated as the county seat in 1821, named for<br \/>\nRevolutionary War veteran and War of 1812 general James Winchester.<\/p>\n<p>The Episcopal Church&#8217;s ten southern dioceses founded the University of the South at<br \/>\nSewanee in 1857. Workers laid its six-ton marble cornerstone in October 1860, but Union soldiers<br \/>\nblew it up in 1863 during the Civil War, when the retreating Confederate Army of Tennessee passed<br \/>\nthrough the county and Union forces took effective control for the war&#8217;s remainder.<br \/>\nConstruction resumed in 1866 and the university held its first convocation in 1868 with nine<br \/>\nstudents and four faculty. The school desegregated in 1964. Winchester later produced four<br \/>\nTennessee governors: Isham G. Harris, Henry Horton, Albert Smith Marks and Peter Turney.<\/p>\n<h2>Getting There<\/h2>\n<p>Interstate 24 crosses the county&#8217;s eastern edge through Monteagle, the main highway link<br \/>\nbetween Chattanooga and Nashville over the Cumberland Plateau. US Route 41A and US Route 64 run<br \/>\nthrough the county alongside several state routes.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Chattanooga &mdash; about 45 miles east<\/li>\n<li>Nashville &mdash; about 65 miles northwest<\/li>\n<li>Tullahoma&#8217;s Coffee County side &mdash; adjoins Winchester directly to the north<\/li>\n<li>Huntsville, Alabama &mdash; about 55 miles south<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Nashville International Airport, roughly 65 miles northwest of Winchester, is the nearest major<br \/>\ncommercial airport; Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport, about 50 miles east, is a closer regional<br \/>\nalternative. No Amtrak line currently serves Franklin County.<\/p>\n<h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Where is Franklin County located?<\/strong><br \/>\nIt sits in south-central Tennessee on the western edge of the Cumberland Plateau, about 65 miles<br \/>\nsoutheast of Nashville, bordered by Coffee, Grundy, Marion, Lincoln and Moore counties in<br \/>\nTennessee and Jackson and Madison counties in Alabama.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is the population of Franklin County?<\/strong><br \/>\n42,774 at the 2020 census, with a 2024 estimate near 45,579.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How big is Franklin County?<\/strong><br \/>\n576 square miles (1,490 km2), of which 555 square miles are land.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is the county seat of Franklin County?<\/strong><br \/>\nWinchester, incorporated in 1821, is the county seat.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How many towns and cities are in Franklin County?<\/strong><br \/>\nSeven incorporated places &mdash; Winchester, Tullahoma (partly), Decherd, Cowan, Estill Springs,<br \/>\nMonteagle (partly) and Huntland &mdash; plus the Sewanee CDP and six unincorporated communities:<br \/>\nAlto, Asia, Beech Hill, Broadview, Midway and Shady Grove.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What ZIP codes does Franklin County use?<\/strong><br \/>\n37398 for Winchester, 37388 for Tullahoma, 37324 for Decherd, 37318 for Cowan, 37375 for Sewanee,<br \/>\n37330 for Estill Springs, 37356 for Monteagle and 37345 for Huntland.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is Franklin County known for?<\/strong><br \/>\nThe University of the South at Sewanee, founded in 1857, and the Nissan Powertrain Assembly Plant<br \/>\nin Decherd, one of the county&#8217;s largest employers.<\/p>\n<p>More counties in this state: <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/category\/tennessee\/\">Towns and villages in Tennessee<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Franklin County is a county in Tennessee, United States, about 65 miles southeast of Nashville on the western edge of the Cumberland Plateau. It had a population of 42,774 at the 2020 census, an estimated 45,579 by 2024, and covers 576 square miles (1,490 km2) centred near 35\u00b009\u2032N 86\u00b006\u2032W. Winchester is the county seat; its [&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, Tennessee","_seopress_titles_desc":"All 14 towns and communities in Franklin County, Tennessee - type, population and ZIP for each, plus Winchester and Sewanee 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":[49],"tags":[6],"class_list":["post-7635","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-tennessee","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\/7635","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=7635"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7635\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9443,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7635\/revisions\/9443"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7635"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7635"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7635"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}