Franklin County, Missouri in the context of "St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area"

Greater St. Louis is the 23rd-largest metropolitan statistical area (MSA) in the United States consisting with an MSA population more than 2.8 million, and almost 3 million CSA the largest in Missouri, and the second-largest in Illinois. Its core city—St. Louis, Missouri—sits in the geographic center of the metro area, on the west bank of the Mississippi River. The river bisects the metro area geographically between Illinois and Missouri, although the latter portion is much more populous. The MSA includes St. Louis County, which is independent of the City of St. Louis; their two populations are generally tabulated separately.

The St. Louis, MO-IL metropolitan statistical area (MSA) includes the City of St. Louis; the Illinois counties of Bond, Calhoun, Clinton, Jersey, Macoupin, Madison, Monroe, and St. Clair (known collectively as the Metro East); and the Missouri counties of Crawford (only the City of Sullivan), Franklin, Jefferson, Lincoln, St. Charles, St. Louis (separate from and not inclusive of the city of St. Louis), and Warren.

Sullivan is a city that straddles the border of Franklin and Crawford counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. The population was 6,906 at the 2020 census.

The Meramec River (/ˈmɛrɪmæk/), sometimes spelled Maramec River (the original US mapping spelled it Maramec but later changed it to Meramec), is one of the longest free-flowing waterways in the U.S. state of Missouri, draining 3,980 square miles (10,300 km) while wandering 218 miles (351 km) from headwaters southeast of Salem to where it empties into the Mississippi River near St. Louis at Arnold and Oakville. The Meramec watershed coverssix Missouri Ozark Highland counties—Dent, Phelps, Crawford, Franklin, Jefferson, and St. Louis—and portions of eight others—Maries, Gasconade, Iron, Washington, Reynolds, St. Francois, Ste. Genevieve, and Texas. Between its source and its mouth, it falls 1,025 feet (312 m). Year-round navigability begins above Maramec Spring, just south of St. James. The Meramec's size increases at the confluence of the Dry Fork, and its navigability continues until the river enters the Mississippi at Arnold, Missouri.

Union is a city in and the county seat of Franklin County, Missouri, United States. It is located on the Bourbeuse River, 50 miles (80 km) southwest of St. Louis. The population was 12,348 at the 2020 census.

Hermann is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) located in northern portion of Gasconade and Franklin Counties on the southern banks of the Missouri River. It was established on August 18, 1983, by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), Treasury after reviewing the petition submitted by Jim Bias, president of Bias Vineyards & Winery, and Jim Held, president of Stone Hill Wine Co., on behalf of local vintners proposing the viticultural area in central Missouri, along the Missouri River, known as "Hermann." The wine appellation is named after the town of Hermann, about halfway between St. Louis and Jefferson City. The AVA expands across the northernmost hills of the Ozark Plateau with many of the 200 acres (81 ha) of vineyards planted along south-facing slopes. As of 2007, seven wineries were sourcing grapes in the appellation, including Missouri's largest winery, Stone Hill Winery.The area is a flood plain with alluvial soil deposits up to 30 feet (9.1 m) deep. Growing conditions have been compared to those in southern and eastern Germany. The hardiness zone is 6a. A wide variety of grapes are grown in Hermann, including Vitis vinifera, Vitis labrusca, and French hybrids.