Franklin County Real Estate: Online Guide
Are you looking to buy or sell a home in Franklin County, VA?
If so, you’ve found the best online guide to the county’s various areas along with some great insights about the moonshine capital of the world, so let’s get started!
If you need to sell your home, click here, otherwise, if you are looking to buy a home or property, keep reading along.
Facts about Franklin County, Virginia
First, I want to start off with some fun facts about our region, the county was formed in 1785 and named after Benjamin Franklin himself, although he never lived here.
Yes, the county is called the “moonshine capital of the world” as nearly 99% of all homes in the county helped drive the moonshine industry one way or another in the 1920s.
Today, many locals call the county, ‘the land between the lakes’ as Philpott Lake covers parts of the western side of the county and Smith Mountain Lake covers the eastern part. With roughly 55,000 people now living in Franklin, the 712 square miles of land cover various areas, each having its own distinct area to live in with various types of lifestyles.
You’ll also find the only high school and middle school, Franklin County High, and BFMS, Benjamin Franklin Middle School, with elementary schools being found all along each of the major communities in the county.
The median home price found in our county is $385,000 in 2023, which is up $85,000 from 2022. Also, the personal property rate on real estate is $0.61 per $100.
Median Home Price
Weather around Franklin County
Our summers are hot and muggy, the winters are very cold, and it is wet and partly cloudy year round, according to local meteorologist Jamey Singleton. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 31°F to 91°F and is rarely below 18°F or above 98°F.
Rocky Mount
The town of Rocky Mount is the county seat and it’s where you will find the central government, sheriff’s office, jail, and many of the county operations. The town has grown a lot since the late 1980s as the major roads all lead back to town, route 40, route 122, and US 220.
In 2023, you’ll find lots of shopping to do, with many name brands department stores, and fast food restaurants along with a great revitalized downtown and many local businesses. There is also the Harvester venue, a music hall that brings in many top named performances from people like Willie Nelson, Tim Reynolds of the Dave Mathews Band, Henry Rollins, and Amy Grant.
Boones Mill
Boones Mill is the other town in the county and it’s roughly halfway between Rocky Mount and Roanoke along US 220 North.
The notable thing about the town is that it was once a railroad stop, there are mostly local shops and they have an Apple Festival every fall that draws in a lot of local artisans and families that make apple butter and place bluegrass music.
Ferrum / Henry / Philpott Lake
Ferrum is home to Ferrum college, it enrolls around 800 undergraduate and graduate students and offers over 54 undergraduate majors and four graduate programs. Ferrum College's 700-acre campus is in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains along route 40 towards Floyd.
Ferrum also adjoins the area of Henry, a small community that touches parts of Philpott Lake, run by the Army Corp of Engineers, the lake is primarily used for fishing, camping, and recreation as there are no homes on the water itself. Lots of woodland and farmland surround Ferrum, Henry, and the lake.
Callaway
To the north of Ferrum is Callaway, featuring lots of farmland and rolling hills that bud up against the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Blue Ridge mountains. The community is a nice quiet place to raise a family and the views of the region are breathtaking to see. You can typically get to Callaway from Boones Mill or Rocky Mount, although you can also take backroads from Floyd county into Callaway.
Wirtz / Burnt Chimney
On the other side of US 220, just south of Boones Mill the areas of Wirtz and Burnt Chimney, another place that has lots of woods and private homes. The notable part of these areas is Burnt Chimney itself, while not a town, it does have the Homestead Creamery, they make various milk that comes in a glass bottle, ice cream, and butter products and it’s worth stopping there to check it out.
Glade Hill / Penhook
Glade Hill and Penhook are towards the southeastern part of the county and Penhook is home to The Waters Edge golf course and other parts of Southern Smith Mountain Lake. That part of SML is not as developed as Westlake or the Bedford side, but still gives you great views of the water should you choose to live on the waterfront.
Sontag / Snow Creek
Sontag’s and Snow Creek are mostly undeveloped farmland and private homes, featuring great countryside views and one of the county’s largest parks, the Franklin County Recreational Park, which has the annual Franklin County Agricultural Fair.
The fair has entertained approximately 10,000 visitors annually since its return in 2014 and has plenty of fun things to do for the family, from rides to races and lots of things to eat and purchase.
Westlake / Smith Mountain Lake
Perhaps the newest developed parts of the county, Westlake started out as a post office and pizzeria, today it features a Kroger, cinema, library, and high-end shopping with lots of commerce and it mainly supports the higher-end communities that are nearby at Smith Mountain Lake.
Here, you’ll find many homes that range from $400,000 to $6,000,000 with various golf courses and private high-end communities.
Life in Franklin County
Life here is mostly laidback and relaxed, it’s a great place for young families and those wanting a slower pace of life that is less costly than many other parts of the United States.
I myself grew up at Smith Mountain Lake in the 1980s and then Rocky Mount in the 1990s and a lot has changed as the county has grown to become more of a bedroom community of Roanoke in 2023.
With fairly low tax rates and low crime, this makes a wonderful place to also retire and enjoy the outdoors.
