Location:

Franklin County is located in the heart of southwestern Mississippi. Contiguous counties are Amite, Lincoln, Jefferson, Adams, and Wilkinson. 

Near the county's center on United States Highway 84 are Bude, its largest community, and Meadville, the county seat.  Both are situated approximately halfway between Jackson, Mississippi to the north and Baton Rogue, Louisiana to the south.  Roxie, also on the United States Highway 84, is located in the western portion of the county.

Distance between Meadville and:

Weather

The climate of Franklin County is generally mild in nature with a gradual change from season to season.  As a result, job productivity, recreational activities, and personal comfort and safety are seldom hampered by extreme weather conditions.  The county has a relatively short cold season and a rather long warm season which allows a long growing period and favorable conditions for outdoor activities.

Temperature & Precipitation in Franklin County Monthly Averages:

Communication

Newspaper:

The Franklin Advocate is a modern weekly newspaper which utilizes Compugraphic computerized typesetter.  The combined circulation of The Franklin Advocate and the Wilk-Amite Record covers all the southwest Mississippi and certain areas of Louisiana. Daily newpapers are delivered from Jackson, Natchez, McComb and Brookhaven.

Radio/Television:

Franklin County is served by radio stations in Centreville, Brookhaven, McComb, Natchez, Jackson and Baton Rogue.  Television reception is excellent from many areas including Natchez, Jackson, Baton Rouge, Monroe, and Alexandria.  Branch Cable, Inc., serves Bude, Meadville, and Roxie and adjacent areas with 24 satellite and over the air channels available.

Parcel Service:

The Franklin County area is served by United Parcel Service, Putolator, Mississippi Courier and Federal Express.

Transportation

Air Service:

The major airports of Jackson, MS; New Orleans, LA; and Baton Rogue, LA are all within a two hour drive of the center of Franklin County.  The state is served by the major carriers, American, Delta, Eastern, Republic and United Airlines.  Smaller airports at McComb, Natchez, and Brookhaven serve the area and are all within 45 minutes of the center of Franklin County.

Highways:

Franklin County has an excellent primary road system throughout the county which primarily consists of the North-South Highway 33 in the westerly part of the county; U.S. Highway 84 which traverses the center of the county in an East-West direction; and U.S. Highway 98 traveling from the western county line to the southeast corner of the county.  Most of U.S. Highway 84 is four-lane or under contract to be four-laned.  State Highway 33 and U.S. Highway 98 are main highway arteries.  The cities of Brookhaven, McComb, and Natchez are within 30 miles of the center of Franklin County and easily accessible over these major highways.  Franklin County also has ready access to Interstate 55, which runs North-South through Mississippi.

Railways:

Franklin County is served by the CN-IC Railroad.  Daily freight schedules are offered in Franklin County and "door-to-door" piggy-back arrangements are available.  North-South Amtrak passenger service is available in Brookhaven.

Water:

The Natchez Port on the Mississippi River, approximately 36 miles from the center of the county, has warehousing facilities, including a lift capacity of 125 tons and 60 tons, which are part of the port facilities owned by the Natchez Port Authority.  The facility also includes mechanical equipment such as fork trucks specialized lifting devices and slings.  The port is connected to highway and railway and easily accessible to Franklin County by U.S. Highway 84 and by CN-IC Railroad.

Miscellaneous

Library:

Franklin County has two public libraries, one in Meadville and one in Bude, both are part of the Lincoln-Lawrence Franklin Regional Library System.

Churches:

There are many churches of all denominations in Franklin County.  These churches have remained a prominent force in maintaining the character of their communities.  Not only are they houses of worship, but also social centers for those in the area.  One church in Bude sponsors a kindergarten for four year old children.

Civic Clubs:

The following civic clubs and organizations are represented in Franklin County:

Entertainment:

Bude sponsors an annual Bude Great Day which includes races, canoe races, river rafting, craft exhibits, music, fireworks display, concessions, entertainment, food and festivities.  Roxie sponsors an annual May Day celebration which includes concessions, exhibits, crafts, food and entertainment.

Recreation:

Franklin County has parks, playgrounds and community centers.  The Franklin County Fairgrounds is the site for an annual fair sponsored by the various civic clubs and the county extension service.

Clear Springs Lake, located on U.S. Forest Service lands in the Homochitto National Forest about six miles west of Meadville, offers complete outdoor recreational facilities including camping, swimming, picnicking, canoeing, fishing and hiking trails.

Complete country club facilities are available at the Middle Fork Country Club located just west of Meadville.  For a nominal membership fee, this club serves all of Franklin County with a nine hole golf course, clubhouse, tennis courts and swimming pool.

Hunting and fishing is excellent in Franklin County due to the abundant woodlands and streams.  Deer, quail, squirrel, turkey and dove are plentiful in the county.

The Homochitto National Forest, located in Franklin County, contains some 93,000 acres of woodlands available for hunting, fishing, camping and hiking.  There are more than 6,500 acres in  Franklin County reserved for wildlife refuges.

Meadville has a park containing two lighted tennis courts, bathhouse, and picnic tables.  Bude also has a town park around which is centered the Bude Great Day.

There are two lighted softball fields located in Meadville.  The Babe Ruth League have several teams that use these fields, as well as the Franklin County High School soft ball team. The Dixie Youth, B-Minor, and Tee-Ball have teams and their fields are located in Bude.

There is also a Soccer League, which involves several teams from Bude, Meadville and Roxie.

Percy Quinn State Park, within a 35 minute drive, offers fishing, skiing, camping, cabins, swimming, and picnic areas.  A lodge is available for rent.

Government

Franklin County is governed by a Board of Supervisors composed of five members, each of whom represents one of the five districts that comprise the county.  The Board prepares the budget, levies such taxes on property of the county as may be necessary to meet the needs of the budget, authorizes bond issues, and oversees the construction and maintenance of county roads, buildings, and bridges.

The three incorporated communities in Franklin County operate under a mayor-aldermen form of government.  A mayor and board of aldermen, elected for each community, regulate municipal policy, services, and administrative duties.

Services

Financial Institutions:

The Bank of Franklin main office is located in Meadville with branch banks in Bude and Roxie.

The Peoples Bank of Franklin County office is located in Bude at the intersection of Highway 84 and Highway 98.

Police Protection:

Bude and Meadville each provide law enforcement through municipal police departments.  Additional police protection is provided by the Sheriff's Department on a 24-hour basis, and the Bude and Meadville Chiefs of Police are official deputy sheriffs fully authorized to act outside of their respective municipalities.  Also, Bude and Meadville offer night patrol, and the police departments have radio-equipped cars with direct communication to other patrol units,  the Franklin County Sheriff's Office, and the Mississippi Highway Patrol Headquarters in Brookhaven, Mississippi.

Fire Protection:

The town of Bude has one of the best equipped small town fire departments in Mississippi.  It operates two modern pumpers and carries auxiliary equipment in each.

Meadville and Roxie maintain fire departments having a Class 8 and 9 rating respectively.  Each department operates two pumpers and is comprised of volunteer units.

District Five is located on Hwy. 98 east.  Volunteer firefighters and Medical First Responders.  One (1) pumper, carrying 750 gallons of water.

East Franklin is located on Hwy. 84 east of McCall Creek.  Volunteer firefighters and Medical First Responders.  One (1) pumper, carrying 1000 gallons of water.

Utilities

Electricity:

Entergy supplies most of the electrical power consumed in Franklin County with lesser amounts supplied by Magnolia Electric Power Association.  

Natural Gas:

Natural gas is distributed in the towns of Bude, Meadville, and Roxie by Union Gas Company which has an office in Bude. Union Gas Company obtains its supply for Bude and Meadville from Texas Eastern Transmission Company which has three of the largest gas transmission lines in the United States located between Bude and Meadville.  Roxie's natural gas is obtained by Union Gas Company from Southern Natural Gas Company which owns a transmission line just north of the town of Roxie.  Gas supplies are virtually unlimited and all three distribution systems are owned by each town which leases the system to Union Gas Company.

Water & Sewerage:

The towns of Bude, Meadville, and Roxie all have a modern municipal water and sewage system.  Roxie's sewage system covers 95% of the community and its lagoon has a present load of 20%.  Meadville's sewage system covers 95% of the community and treatment is provided by a five-acre lagoon.  Bude's sewage system covers 75% of the community and its lagoon has a capacity of 0.24 million gallons per day with a present load of 50%.

Water resources are plentiful, of good quality, and fully suitable for domestic and industrial uses.  The water is soft and the total dissolved solids in the wells of the towns are within the limits recommended by the U. S. Public Health Service for drinking water.  Franklin County Water Association, Inc., Providence Water Association, and Six-Town Water Associations provide water throughout most of rural Franklin County through Farmer's Home Administration financed non-profit water systems. 

Education

There are no private schools located in Franklin County.  However, highly rated private institutions are only a short distance away in Natchez, McComb, Centreville, Gloster, Liberty and Brookhaven, Mississippi.

Public Schools:

Franklin County operates an excellent county-wide school system which is accredited by the Mississippi State Department of Education and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Franklin County provides elementary (K-5) education located in Bude and secondary levels of education (6-12) located in Meadville.

An Accountability and Instructional Management (AIM) plan is administered within the county.  AIM utilizes a planned curriculum for developing mandatory skills, monitors proficiency for promotion, and provides monitors proficiency for promotion,, and provides instructional accountability to ensure the proper teaching of all course materials.

Quality of public education is evident by the recognition, high college entrance scores, and percentage of students going to college.  Area students going to college from the public schools average a score of nineteen on the ACT and constitute approximately 57% of the graduates.

The county's confidence in the system is evidenced by the existence of several scholarships made available through such organizations as Georgia-Pacific Corporation, Franklin Women's Club, D.A.R., Franklin County Education Corporation, Homochitto Heritage Club, Band, Scholar Athlete, Student Council, Nancy Reed Memorial, Author Boyte Memorial, Star Student, Beta Club, etc.,

Colleges and Universities:

Franklin County is located in the Copiah-Lincoln College District with the community college's main campus in Wesson, Mississippi, forty-two miles away, and a branch in Natchez, Mississippi, thirty-six miles away.  Copiah Lincoln Community College provides educational services to students transferring to senior colleges to pursue an academic degree and to career-oriented students participating in academic, technical, and vocational programs.

A number of the other excellent colleges and universities, both public and private, are conveniently located to Franklin County.  Together, these institutions offer a diverse selection of academic disciplines and provide local residents with the opportunity to earn college credits while remaining close to home.

Vocational-Technical Training:

Vocational-Technical courses are taught at the Franklin County Vocational Center in Meadville.  Secondary vocational-technical courses which are available to high school students are machine shop, electricity, business and office training, auto mechanics, small engine repair, welding, masonry, carpentry, and drafting.

Extensive post secondary vocational-technical training is available at either Southwest Mississippi Community College or Copiah-Lincoln Community College in such fields as data processing, distribution and marketing technology, drafting and design technology, electronics technology, automotive machinist, auto mechanics, machine shop, and welding.  In addition, adult education and technical programs are offered during the evening along with academic transfer courses.

Health Facilities

Franklin County Memorial Hospital  serves the health care needs of its community.  Build in 1951 under the Hill-Burton Program, Franklin County Memorial Hospital sponsors medical clinics in Meadville, and Bude.

Public Health:

The Franklin County Health Department, located in Bude, is staffed by skilled employees and physicians and provides personal and environmental services through a number of programs which include education as well as treatment.  With an emphasis on preventive medicine, the Health Department supplements the services provided by other health care agencies through a comprehensive public health program which includes disease control, sanitation, nursing home consultation, child health services, prenatal care, health education, family planning, and immunization. Included in the operation of the Health Department is a viable division of the state mental health program.

Meadville Convalescent Home is a 60 bed facility located in Meadville staffed by qualified employees.

Industry

Commercial, Industrial, and Manufacturing facilities:

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