Welcome to West Frankfort ...
The city of West Frankfort is located in Franklin County<1>.
Google driving directions from your current location to West Frankfort
The location of West Frankfort has been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (the GNIS).<2>
The pronunciation of West Frankfort: FRANK-fuhrt<3>
While we don't have a date for the founding of West Frankfort, you might consider that their post office opened in 1904.
A typical abbreviation for West Frankfort: W. Frankfort
From the Census Estimates for 2019, West Frankfort has a population of 7,829 people<4> (see below for details).
West Frankfort is 400 feet [122 m] above sea level.<5>.
Time Zone: West Frankfort lies in the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT) and observes daylight saving time
Area Codes for West Frankfort: 618 & 730<6>
The ZIP code for West Frankfort: 62896<7>
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, West Frankfort had an population of 7,829 people. This is a decrease of 4.31% since the 2010 Census (or a decrease of 4.48% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, West Frankfort had a population of 8,182 people (which is 20.44% of the total population of Franklin County). This makes West Frankfort the county's most populous community.
The population of West Frankfort represents 0.06% of the total population of Illinois (which has 12,830,632 people), making it the state's 250th most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 8,182 people, the population of West Frankfort has remained roughly the same as the 2000 Census (with a count of 8,196 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for West Frankfort.
Communities Also Named West Frankfort ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 2 communities that are also named West Frankfort - they are located in Kentucky and New York.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for West Frankfort.
Communities near West Frankfort ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near West Frankfort.
- Carbondale
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carbondale
- Carbondale is located in Jackson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 25,036 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Carbondale <8>
- Marion
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion
- Marion is located in Williamson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 17,417 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Marion <8>
- Herrin
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herrin
- Herrin is located in Williamson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 12,625 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Herrin <8>
- Benton
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Benton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benton
- Benton is located in Franklin County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,784 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Benton <8>
- Carterville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carterville
- Carterville is located in Williamson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,834 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Carterville <8>
- Du Quoin
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Du Quoin
- Du Quoin is located in Perry County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,591 people
- Christopher
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Christopher have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Christopher
- Christopher is located in Franklin County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,686 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Christopher <8>
- Ina
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ina
- Ina is located in Jefferson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,279 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ina <8>
- Sesser
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sesser
- Sesser is located in Franklin County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,837 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sesser <8>
- Zeigler
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Zeigler have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zeigler
- Zeigler is located in Franklin County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,671 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Zeigler <8>
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around West Frankfort. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for West Frankfort.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of West Frankfort. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around West Frankfort.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around West Frankfort. Our list includes 4 papers. See our Newspapers Page for West Frankfort.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for West Frankfort ...
Looking for more information about West Frankfort? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
While we are unaware of a Tourism page that is specific to West Frankfort, there are neighboring communities that do have Tourism pages. A map of those communities can be found with our TripAdvisor Page for West Frankfort.
Adding West Frankfort to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of West Frankfort in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for West Frankfort was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<9>
From that list, the West Frankfort post office opened in 1904.
We also found West Frankfort mentioned on a train schedule titled Greyhound Bus Time Table (November 1931).
For more details, see References and Mentions for West Frankfort.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for West Frankfort. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for State of Illinois: https://illinois.gov
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of Illinois' counties, including Franklin, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <3> | The pronunciation we've provided is our attempt to give a phonetic pronunciation for West Frankfort. While it might not be exactly right, hopefully it will be close. If we have it wrong or there's a better way to pronounce the name, please contact us through our Feedback Page. |
| <4> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for West Frankfort. |
| <5> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around West Frankfort - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <6> | When there's a risk of an area code running out of phone numbers, an 'Overlay Area Code' is created that has the same geographic boundaries as the existing area code. In this case, the 618 code has been Overlayed with the 730 area code. New phone numbers in the West Frankfort area will be assigned with one of these codes: 618 or 730. As a result, placing a call in the West Frankfort area will require 10-digit dialing (where you enter both the area code and then the phone number). |
| <7> | ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a city (such as West Frankfort). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether West Frankfort or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). |
| <8> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <9> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |