Franklin County, Kentucky
Franklin County, Kentucky | |
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Franklin County courthouse in Frankfort | |
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Flag | |
Location within the U.S. state of Kentucky | |
| Coordinates: 38°14′N 84°53′W / 38.24°N 84.88°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Kentucky |
| Founded | May 10, 1795 |
| Named after | Benjamin Franklin |
| Seat | Frankfort |
| Largest city | Frankfort |
| Area | |
• Total | 212 sq mi (550 km2) |
| • Land | 208 sq mi (540 km2) |
| • Water | 4.3 sq mi (11 km2) 2.0% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 51,541 |
• Estimate (2024) | 52,442 |
| • Density | 248/sq mi (95.7/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 1st |
| Website | franklincounty |
Franklin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 51,541, making it the second-least populous capital county in the United States after Hughes County, South Dakota. Its county seat and most populous city is Frankfort, the state capital. The county was formed in 1795 from parts of Woodford, Mercer and Shelby counties, and was named after the American inventor and statesman Benjamin Franklin. Franklin County is part of the Frankfort, Kentucky Micropolitan Statistical Area. It shares a name with Franklin County in Ohio, where Columbus is located. This makes it one of two pairs of capital cities in counties of the same name, along with Marion Counties in Oregon and Indiana.