re: Tell me about Franklin, LA

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ne of those towns where it’s just sad to see what it’s become. Used to be really nice. From what I understand, sugar was the reason for money there in the 70’s/80’s but the farmed land around the town kept it from growing. Now other than the mill and plant work, there is not much going on.

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We moved there in 79. Was a nice place to live (for a small town) during the 20 years I lived there. The public high school was huge, the private high school was competetive in all aspects. They closed the fruit of the loom plant in Jeanerette, forcing them to go work at the newly opened casino. The casino thrived for a while, but that has gone to hell in a handbasket. Alot of people worked out at Cabot/Columbia. Some at the pipeline places in Patterson. Some worked at the sugar mills. Well the sugarmills became one mill, and the pipelines sold out and began laying people off. Kids graduating from the local schools leave town and rightfully don't return, because there are no professional options in that town outside of the ones mentioned. So that town has aged with its generation. The black community there has spread and taken over a good bit of what was once nice neighborhoods. And since that section of the population is predominantly poor, it has gone downhill. Anyone with money lives out along the bayou, in Garden City, Charenton, Jeanerette. The private school has barely any enrollment and is not competetive in any sports except maybe baseball and softball. The public schools now have to compete with WSM, which took a good chunch of enrollment and athletes away from the high school.