ZIP Code 71006

Benton is a town in Bossier Parish, in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The population was 2,048 in 2020. The larger Bossier City is located south of Benton. In Benton Square downtown, the town maintains several historical buildings, including primitive cabins, a one-room schoolhouse museum, and the boyhood home of William Clark Hughes, who was the Speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1926 to 1928. On April 3, 1999, a powerful F4 tornado roared through portions of the town killing six people and injuring 90. The Palmetto Country Club opened in 1954. The Shreveport Kiwanis Invitational was held at the country club from 1965 to 1969. On December 31, 2014, the club closed after recruitment drives and restructuring of the membership plan failed to make the facility financially solvent. The town is located at 32°4141N 93°4426W (32.694607, -93.740595) The town has a total area of 1.9 square miles (4.9 km²), all land. As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,042 people, 850 households, and 516 families residing in the town. Benton has six public schools: Benton Elementary School, Legacy Elementary School, Kingston Elementary, Benton Intermediate School, Benton Middle School, and Benton High School. It is home to the Vexcon Inc, a pest control services company featured on the A&E series Billy the Exterminator.

History

On April 3, 1999, a powerful F4 tornado roared through portions of the town killing six people and injuring 90. The population of Benton lakefront area nearly doubled between 2004 and 2008. The Shreveport Kiwanis Invitational was held at the country club from 1965 to 1969. On December 31, 2014, the club closed after recruitment drives and restructuring of the membership plan failed to make the facility financially solvent. Owner John H. Ward invested $250,000 over the past year in a vain bid to keep the facility afloat. Ward added that Palmetto "is not alone in this struggle and two dominating factors are in play: memberships are decreasing nationwide, especially in the under-40 bracket; and the industry has been overbuilt making growth within golf clubs very difficult." The country club opened in 1954 and closed in 2014. The club is located on the banks of Cypress Lake in Benton, Louisiana, near the town's lakefront community of Bay Hills, Woodlake South, Twin Lake Community, and many other newer lakefront homes located around CypressLake. The country Club was built in 1954, and was named after a former president of the Louisiana National Guard. The current owner, John Ward, has run the club since 2013. The golf club was founded in 1954. It was named for a former U.S. President of the United States, George H.W. Bush, who died in office in 1969. The clubhouse is located near the city's lake-front area.

Geography

Benton is located at 32°4141N 93°4426W (32.694607, -93.740595).According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.9 square miles (4.9 km²), all land. The town is home to the Benton County Sheriff's Office, which has been in charge of the sheriff's office for the past 30 years. The sheriff's department has been responsible for the arrest of several people in Benton since the town was founded in 1872. The U.N. World Heritage Site is located in the town, at 32.4141 N 93.4426 W. The site is the site of the World War II-era Fort Benton Memorial, which was named after the town's founder, William Benton. The United States Census Bureau estimates that Benton has a population of 1,788. The population of Benton was 1,838 at the time of the 2010 Census, and it has grown to 1,938 since then. It is the location of the Fort Bento National Wildlife Refuge, which is part of the National Park Service. The National Weather Service has also been based in the area since the 1950s, when it was first established. It has been known as Benton for more than 100 years, and is now known as the "Fort Benton National Park" The town's name is derived from the word Benton, which means "fort" or "home" in English.

Demographics

As of the 2020 U.S. census, there were 2,048 people, 850 households, and 516 families residing in the town. The town's population is expected to rise to 2,000 by the end of the decade. The population of the town is projected to reach 2,200 by the time the 2020 census is complete. It has a population of 850 people, with 516 people living in its homes. It is located on the Ohio River, which runs through the town's center. It also has a small lake, which is used as a source of water for the community. The community's name is derived from the word "corn", which means "corn" or "corn-like" in English. It was also used as the name of a local town in the 1800s and early 1900s, when it was known as "Cornville" and "Cornfield" for its cornfields.

Education

Benton has six public schools: Benton Elementary, Legacy Elementary, Kingston Elementary, Benton Intermediate School, and Benton Middle School. Benton High School is the only high school in Benton. The city has a population of 2,000. It is located in the eastern part of Benton County, about 30 miles from the city center. The town has a history of being heavily affected by the Great Depression and World War II. It also has a long history of having a high school, which was built in the 1950s and 1960s. The current high school opened in the 1970s and has a enrollment of 1,200 students. It was the first high school to open in the city in more than 50 years. The school district has been in operation since the 1960s, when it was founded. It has been the site of several high schools, including Benton Junior and Senior High, and a middle school. The high school was founded in the 1980s and is located on the city's eastern edge. It opened its first elementary school in the 1990s. It now has a middle and high school as well as a junior and senior high. The district also has an elementary and middle school, and an intermediate school. It closed its high school after the 2007-2008 school year. It reopened in the 2010-2011 school year, and the middle school in 2011-2012. It currently has a senior high school on the town's east side. The elementary school is in the center of the town.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Benton, Bossier Parish, Louisiana = 38.5. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 53. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 50. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Benton = 5.7 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 2,048 individuals with a median age of 33.1 age the population grows by 38.15% in Benton, Bossier Parish, Louisiana population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 813.99 residents per square mile of area (314.29/km²). There are average 2.48 people per household in the 1,080 households with an average household income of $32,413 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 6.20% of the available work force and has dropped -5.23% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 23.34%. The number of physicians in Benton per 100,000 population = 120.2.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Benton = 53.2 inches and the annual snowfall = 0.5 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 87. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 217. 94 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 37 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 23, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Benton, Bossier Parish, Louisiana which are owned by the occupant = 58.31%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 23 years with median home cost = $81,480 and home appreciation of 1.27%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $2.55 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,444 per student. There are 16.4 students for each teacher in the school, 381 students for each Librarian and 234 students for each Counselor. 3.85% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 6.15% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 2.87% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).