Franklin County Map, Illinois

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Franklin County, Illinois

Franklin County sits in southern Illinois, a place that feels more like Kentucky than Chicago. Benton is the county seat, an old coal town trying to find its footing.

Rend Lake is the big draw as it’s great for fishing and camping. You’ll see a lot of pickup trucks and not many BMWs. The accent has a bit of a southern twang.

There’s a historic jail museum that looks straight out of a horror movie. Coal mining is mostly gone, but you can still see its impact. The county fair is a big deal as demolition derby night always sells out.

Category	Details
County Name	Franklin County
County Seat	Benton
Population	Approximately 37,000
Cities, Towns, and Communities	Benton, West Frankfort, Christopher, Sesser, Zeigler, Orient, Buckner, Ewing, Royalton, Thompsonville, Valier, and various other unincorporated communities.
Interstates and Highways	Interstate 57, Illinois Route 14, Illinois Route 34, Illinois Route 37, Illinois Route 148
FIPS Code	17-055
Total Area (Land and Water)	431 square miles (land: 409 sq mi, water: 22 sq mi)
Adjacent Counties (and Direction)	Jefferson County (North), Hamilton County (East), Saline County (Southeast), Williamson County (South), Jackson County (Southwest), Perry County (West)
Time Zone	Central Time Zone (CT)
State	Illinois
Coordinates	37.9961° N, 88.9206° W
Etymology	Named after Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States
Major Landmarks	Rend Lake, Benton Public Square Historic District, Franklin County Historic Jail Museum, West Frankfort City Hall
Website	Franklin County Website