Town file
Franklin, Louisiana
Franklin, Louisiana (St. Mary Parish, Louisiana) is the town in one episode of Small Town Murder, the comedy true-crime podcast: episode 741, "Chasing The Devil" (8 October 2026). Kimberly Zimmerman was about thirty years old in 2001, married and raising three small children, and pregnant with a fourth.
- Town
- Franklin
- County
- St. Mary Parish
- State
- Louisiana
- Country
- USA
- Episodes
- 741
- Approximate location
- 29.785, -91.510
Episode 741 / 8 October 2026 / 184 min / full
Chasing The Devil
"We are going down to Franklin, Louisiana... This is in St. Mary Parish." about 0:07:04
The case: Murder of Troy Salone (December 2001). Read the case file.
The figures, as told in 2026
- Population
- 6,811
- Median age
- 38
- Median household income
- $33,390 a year
- Median home value
- $90,100
- Two-bedroom rent
- $890 a month
- Cost of living
- 78
- Religious
- 55.2%
- Property crime
- ▲ almost double
- Violent crime
- ▲ about one third higher
History, in brief
- Franklin was named for Benjamin Franklin. about 0:08:36
- Founded in 1808 as Harland's settlement. about 0:08:41
- A French-born pioneer named Joseph Carlin and his family were here, and it became the parish seat. about 0:08:45
- It was incorporated in 1820. about 0:08:51
- Sugar cane plantations dominated the area, and with steamboating it became an interior sugar port where some of the wealthiest agriculture families in the South built grand mansions. about 0:09:15
- The Battle of Irish Bend, also known as Nerson's Woods, was fought in Franklin in 1863. about 0:09:47
- After the railroad arrived it became a sawmill town. about 0:09:56
The reviews read out
3.1 stars
"Niche gives the town 3.1 stars."about 0:10:22
5 stars
"A very family-oriented town where everyone knows everyone; the main drawback is that there is not a lot for children to do."about 0:10:31
3 stars
"Homy, and everyone knows everyone, but not the best place for a young teen: it offers only grocery stores and fast food places and it is dry."about 0:11:24
3 stars
"There is little opportunity here; if you do not know someone in the system you will not find a gainful job, and many people leave for a better life."about 0:12:08
Nearest Small Town Murder towns
- St. Martinville, Louisiana30 miles
- Houma, Louisiana50 miles
- LaPlace, Louisiana65 miles
- Lake Arthur, Louisiana73 miles
- Ville Platte, Louisiana77 miles
- Marrero, Louisiana84 miles
Everything here is as told in the episode, on the date it went out; figures and places may have changed since. Endings are covered: open an episode and use the spoiler switch to read them.