Franklin is the southwesternmost independent city in Hampton Roads, Commonwealth of Virginia.

[5] The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Franklin with Southampton County for statistical purposes.

[7] As several U.S. Navy flag steamships, led by the USS Commodore Perry, tried to pass through Franklin on the Blackwater River, a band of local Confederates opened fire on the ships.

As stated by an officer aboard one of the ships, "The fighting was the same— Here and there high banks with dense foliage, a narrow and very crooked stream, with the frequent heavy firing of musketry.

As the naval vessels retreated, the Confederates tried to block the narrow Blackwater River by felling large trees across it.

[11] At the end of this period, after a bout with near-bankruptcy, World War I brought the Camp family back to financial success, bringing along with it the city of Franklin.

[6]: 3  On May 29, 1956, the residents of Franklin were informed that the Local Camp Manufacturing Corporation had just negotiated a merger with the Union Bag and Paper company operating out of New York.

U.S. Route 258 passes through the center of Franklin as East Second Avenue, South Main Street, and South Street; US 258 leads northeast 15 mi (24 km) to Windsor, Virginia, and southwest 21 mi (34 km) to Murfreesboro, North Carolina.

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters.

[15] The resultant flooding caused the submersion of 182 business and 150 homes, located primarily in downtown.

[15] The flood was the result of a storm that distributed a large amount of water throughout the watershed in which Franklin resides.

[26] With the high agricultural profile of Franklin and the surrounding areas, it was only with the opening of the Camp Lumber Mill in 1887 that the manufacturing sector began to expand.

[30] Annual events in Franklin include the Lumberjack Festival and the Juneteenth Cultural Celebration.

[32] There is also the annual Franklin Christmas Parade and the Holiday Open House & Craft Fair.

The Elms (Franklin, Virginia) is a Queen Anne and Colonial Revival style house built in 1898; it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Franklin High School is home to the 2004 and 2008 VHSL Division 1A State Football Champions.

Both major parties of the United States political system operate in Franklin with official committees.

In 2020, the City of Franklin's political representation to the 3rd Congressional District of Virginia GOP Committee was re-established with the election of Timothy C. Bradshaw, a local entrepreneur and political outsider, as Chairman of the Franklin City / Southampton County Republican Committee, while an elected member of the Southampton County Board of Supervisors, Christopher Cornwell, was appointed to represent Southampton County to the 4th Congressional District GOP Committee.