Benton, Illinois facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Benton
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Franklin County Courthouse
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Location of Benton in Franklin County, Illinois.
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Location of Illinois in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Illinois |
| County | Franklin |
| Named for | Thomas Hart Benton |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor-council government |
| Area | |
| • Total | 5.66 sq mi (14.66 km2) |
| • Land | 5.48 sq mi (14.19 km2) |
| • Water | 0.18 sq mi (0.46 km2) |
| Elevation | 471 ft (144 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 6,709 |
| • Density | 1,224.28/sq mi (472.712/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| ZIP Code |
62812
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| Area code(s) | 618 |
| FIPS code | 17-05300 |
| GNIS feature ID | 404187 |
| Public Transit | South Central Transit |
Benton is a city in Franklin County, Illinois, and it's the main town for the county. About 6,700 people lived there in 2020. The city was named after Thomas Hart Benton, a senator from Missouri.
Benton started as a village in 1841. It became a city in 1902. The city grew a lot because it had plenty of coal, many railroads, and good farming land. The Franklin County Courthouse, a beautiful old building, was built in 1874-75 and was a central part of the town.
Contents
History of Benton
Early Days and Growth
Benton became the main town for Franklin County in 1839. It was built on a hill at the south end of Rowling's Prairie. The first village was set up in 1841 on land given by John Ewing and Walter S. Akin.
Famous Visitor: George Harrison
In September 1963, George Harrison from The Beatles visited Benton. This was the first time any member of The Beatles came to America! He stayed with his sister, Louise, at her home on McCann Street. This house later became a bed and breakfast.
During his visit, George Harrison bought a special guitar, a Rickenbacker 425, from a music store in Mt. Vernon, Illinois. This guitar later sold for a lot of money at an auction. He also played music with a local band called "The Four Vests" in Eldorado, Illinois. His sister, Louise, said he had a wonderful time meeting the friendly people of the Midwest.
Community Events and Changes
In April 1995, a group called the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) held a rally outside the Franklin County Courthouse. About 400 people came to watch, but not everyone supported the KKK. Around 40 police officers were there to keep things peaceful.
In August 2017, a large mural of George Harrison was put up in Benton. It's about 16 feet tall and was created by artist John Cerney from California. He heard about Harrison's visit on the radio and was inspired to make the artwork. You can see this "highway art" when you're driving south on Interstate 57. It was ready just in time for people traveling to see the total solar eclipse of 2017.
In June 2020, people gathered at the Franklin County Courthouse for a Black Lives Matter protest. About 60 people attended this event. This protest happened 25 years after the KKK rally in the same spot.
TV Show in Benton
In 2023, Benton was the setting for a TV show called Luann & Sonja: Welcome to Crappie Lake. In this show, Luann de Lesseps and Sonja Morgan from Bravo spent five weeks in Benton helping to improve the town.
Geography and Parks
Land and Water
Benton covers about 5.66 square miles (14.66 square kilometers). Most of this area, about 5.48 square miles (14.19 square kilometers), is land. The rest, about 0.18 square miles (0.46 square kilometers), is water.
Benton Public Library
The Benton Public Library serves everyone in the Benton High School District. You can visit their website at www.benton.lib.il.us.
The library has a special program where people can buy a brick to be engraved and placed on the library's property. The money from these bricks helps support the library.
The library has about 48,000 items, including books, audiobooks, magazines, and music CDs. You can also use computers there. They have a reading garden behind the building with colorful chairs made by the local high school and a large wooden ship for play.
Benton Public Park
Benton Public Park is a great place to visit! It has playgrounds, picnic spots, tennis courts, basketball courts, and ball fields. There's also a paved path for walking that goes around the ball fields. Near the park entrance, you'll see a red caboose, which is an old train car.
Media and Internet
Local News
Benton has two local newspapers that come out every week: The Benton News and The Benton Gazette. Larger newspapers like The Southern Illinoisan also cover news for Benton and the surrounding areas.
Television News
Benton doesn't have its own TV news channels. However, several channels provide local news for the Benton area. Some popular ones include WSIL (channel 3), KFVS (channel 12), and Fox 23 (channel 23).
Internet Access
Benton has many companies that provide fast internet service. Six of these companies offer very fast internet speeds, over 100 megabits per second. The fastest internet available is from Frontier, offering speeds up to 5 gigabits per second! You can get internet through different types of connections, including DSL, cable, fixed wireless, satellite, and fiber-optic internet.
Population Facts
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1860 | 380 | — | |
| 1870 | 615 | 61.8% | |
| 1880 | 984 | 60.0% | |
| 1890 | 939 | −4.6% | |
| 1900 | 1,341 | 42.8% | |
| 1910 | 2,675 | 99.5% | |
| 1920 | 7,201 | 169.2% | |
| 1930 | 8,219 | 14.1% | |
| 1940 | 7,372 | −10.3% | |
| 1950 | 7,848 | 6.5% | |
| 1960 | 7,023 | −10.5% | |
| 1970 | 6,833 | −2.7% | |
| 1980 | 7,778 | 13.8% | |
| 1990 | 7,216 | −7.2% | |
| 2000 | 6,880 | −4.7% | |
| 2010 | 7,087 | 3.0% | |
| 2020 | 6,709 | −5.3% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
In 2020, Benton had 6,709 people living there. There were 2,835 households, which are groups of people living together in one home.
About 92.65% of the people were White. Other groups included African American (0.52%), Native American (0.33%), and Asian (0.54%). About 2.59% of the population identified as Hispanic or Latino.
About 22.2% of the people in Benton were under 18 years old. The average age in the city was 40.5 years.
The average income for a household in Benton was about $44,795 per year. For families, the average income was about $57,305 per year.
Notable People from Benton
Many interesting people have come from Benton, Illinois:
- Lin Bolen – A former leader at the NBC television network.
- Doug Collins – A famous basketball player, coach, and broadcaster. He also played in the Olympics!
- William L. Hungate – A federal judge and congressman from Missouri.
- John Malkovich – A well-known actor.
- Rodney K. Miller – A television host for the show Small Town Big Deal.
- Carl Scarborough – A race car driver who was born in Benton.
- Noble Threewitt – A famous trainer of thoroughbred racehorses, born in Benton in 1911.
- Rich Yunkus – A former basketball player.
See also
In Spanish: Benton (Illinois) para niños
Images for kids
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The Franklin County Courthouse in Benton.
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Map showing Benton's location in Franklin County, Illinois.
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Map showing Illinois in the United States.
