Franklin

Formed March 11, 1808 (40^th county)

Franklin County (47,556), Malone (5,484)

A Neo-Classical masonry 1930 building is the Franklin County courthouse.  The structure is on Main Street between Amesden and Brewster streets.  Main Street is United States Highway 11 passing through the town.  William J. Beardsley is the building designer.  The building was enlarged in 2010.  The county came into being on March 11, 1808 from Clinton County as the 40^th county.  There were also 1811, 1852, and 1885 courthouses all in Malone, the only county seat.  The county namesake is American statesman Benjamin Franklin.  Malone is named for Shakespearean scholar Edmund Malone. 

Franklin County government consists of a sheriff and 7 Legislators.  One County Court Judge and One Family Court Judge serve Franklin County.  The county is on the northern border with Canada.  Albany, New York is southeast and Montreal, Canada is northeast of the county.  The county is shaped like the state of Alabama.  Malone is located in the northern quarter of the county.  Malone is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 11.5% of the county population. 

The area of the county is 1697 square miles.  It is 6 out of 62 in the state.  It ranks 49 out of 62 in population in the state.  It has a density of 28.0 persons per square mile making it 59 out of 62 in the state.  Franklin County has 29.0% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 11 crosses the county east to west from Clinton County to Saint Lawrence County.  The county center is 27.1 miles South of Malone nearer Santa Clara.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Canada, and Clinton, Essex, Hamilton, and Saint Lawrence counties.  This county is in the Malone Micropolitan Statistical Area.