Franklin Township was originally surveyed as Town 3 Range 9 as part of the Connecticut Western Reserve and was purchased by Aaron Olmsted in 1798.

Today Franklin Township is a mostly rural area largely associated with the neighboring city of Kent as the two share a common history, public school district, ZIP code, and fire department.

[7] In 1802, much of the original Trumbull County, which covered the entire Western Reserve, was organized under the name of Franklin Township.

[1][8] The first settlers arrived in November 1805 when John Haymaker and his family moved west from Warren to the banks of the Cuyahoga River.

They were joined by John's brother George and their father Jacob Haymaker and their families early the next year, and built a gristmill in 1807.

[9] Initial growth in the area was slow, but eventually two small villages would develop due to the potential power generated by the Cuyahoga River that could be used in gristmills and manufacturing.

Factories and mills were either planned or constructed along the Cuyahoga River, some of which either were never built or ultimately failed, due mostly to effects of the Panic of 1837.

[12] In 1851, the Cleveland and Pittsburgh Railroad was built across the northern part of the township with a station at Earlville, a small settlement that once existed along present-day State Route 43 north of Kent.

The arrival of the Atlantic and Great Western in the township in 1863 and the establishment of Franklin Mills as the site of the railroad's maintenance yards and shops the next year fueled a new spurt of prolonged economic and population growth in the village, culminating in it being renamed Kent in 1864 and formally incorporating in 1867.

Within the boundaries of the township is the unincorporated community of Twin Lakes, a residential area on either side of State Route 43 just south of Sugar Bush Knolls.

Immediately south of Twin Lakes is the location of the historical town of Earlville which existed primarily in the 19th and early 20th centuries as a stop on the Cleveland and Pittsburgh Railroad.

Located on the western end of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, the topography of Franklin Township includes rolling hills and varied terrain.

Lake Rockwell, the main drinking water source for the city of Akron, is in the northeastern part of the township.

[22] Effects from tropical systems can also be felt, usually taking the form of increased humidity, rain, and wind, such as with the remnants of Hurricane Ike in September 2008.

[25] Initial population growth in Franklin Township was influenced by the location on the Cuyahoga River which led to the development of industrial and manufacturing jobs.

[33] The location of Franklin Township along the Cuyahoga River and later the Pennsylvania and Ohio Canal and multiple railroad lines made it attractive initially for the establishment of small gristmills and factories.

[35][36] As of 2000, the educational, health, and social services fields were the township's largest sector, and employed approximately 29% of the workforce.

[32] The township is governed by a three-member board of trustees, who are elected in November of odd-numbered years to a four-year term beginning on the following 1 January.

[38] In the State Senate, Franklin Township is part of the 18th district, represented since by Republican Jerry Cirino of Kirtland since 2021.

[39] At the Federal level, the township is part of Ohio's 13th congressional district, represented by Democrat Tim Ryan of Howland.

[45][46] In December 2009, it was named in U.S. News & World Report as one of the best high schools in the United States, earning the publication's Bronze Medal designation.

[46][48] Franklin Township is part of the Cleveland-Akron Television Market Area as defined by the Federal Communications Commission, which includes a 17-county region of Northeast Ohio.

[50] While most stations are located in Cleveland and Akron, Franklin Township is home to the studios for WAOH and W35AX, local affiliates for the Retro Television Network.

The Record-Courier, a daily paper based in Kent which covers news for Portage County, is the main source of printed media for Franklin Township.

Waste collection is handled individually and township residents maintain their own wells and septic systems.

[60][61][62] While residents are free to choose their own natural gas and electric suppliers, the township is part of the Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council, or NOPEC, the largest government aggregation in the United States.

[66] PARTA serves Franklin Township through a dial-a-ride service, the seasonal Black Squirrel route along SR 59 during Kent State University's Fall and Spring semesters, and the Interurban connecting with Stow and Ravenna.

[68] The township is home to one free clinic, Portage Community Health Center, located along State Route 59 in the Joint Economic Development District with Kent.

[75] Other performing artists to come from Kent/Franklin Township include singer Julianne Baird, playwright Vincent J. Cardinal, and voice actor Joshua Seth.

[72][76] Lucien Price, an author and writer for The Boston Evening Transcript and The Atlantic Monthly grew up in the area and used the pseudonym "Woolwick" for Kent in some of his stories.