| Franklin
County, Missouri
At
922 square miles, Franklin
County, Missouri, is one of the
largest counties in Missouri. In 1818, it
was organized and separated from neighboring
St. Louis County, and named after Benjamin
Franklin.
By an act of the State Legislature on Jan.
22, 1825, the City
of Union was established as the
county seat. The city’s name was chosen to
express the coming together of people and
ideas. In the past 20 years, Union has grown
from a sleepy Missouri farm town to a
bustling bedroom community of nearby St.
Louis. The city’s population is about
8,000, and home to East Central College and
its 3,500 students. In a nationwide survey
released in 2001, Union was ranked “One of
the Top 10 Best Small Towns in the United
States” and was the only Missouri
community on the list.
Today, Union is home to more than 300
successful businesses are now based in
Union. Some of the city’s largest
employers are manufacturing firms such as
the Esselte Pendaflex Corporation and
Transaction Technology/Coinco. Other major
employers are the Franklin County
Government, Union R-XI School District, and East
Central College.
Major rivers and streams in the area include
the Missouri, the Meramec, the Bourbeuse,
and the St. Johns and Boeuf creeks. Native
American Indians and early explorers and
settlers named these waterways. Robertsville
State Park, named after one-time
landowner Edward James Roberts, is 1,225
acres, and popular for canoeing and fishing
in the adjoining Meramec River.
In addition to Union and Roberstville, other
cities and towns in Franklin County include
Beaufort, Berger, Catawissa, Gerald, Gray
Summit, Labadie, Leslie, Lonedell,
Luebbering, New Haven, Pacific, Saint Clair,
Sullivan, Villa Ridge, and Washington.
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