Benton, Louisiana

Benton, Louisiana
Town
Official name: Town of Benton
Country	United States
State	Louisiana
Parish	Bossier
Elevation	207 ft (63.1 m)
Coordinates
Area	1.9 sq mi (5 km2)
- land	1.9 sq mi (5 km2)
- water	0.0 sq mi (0 km2), 0%
Population	1,948 (2010)
Density	1,025.3 / sq mi (395.9 / km2)
Mayor	Wayne Cathcart (No Party) Police Chief Charles Pilkinton (R) (both elected 2012)
Timezone	CST (UTC-6)
- summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Postal code	71006
Area code	318
Location of Benton in Louisiana

Benton is a town in and the parish seat of Bossier Parish, in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The population was 2,035 at the 2000 census but declined to 1,948 in 2010. The town is named for 19th century U.S. Senator Thomas Hart Benton, a Democrat from Missouri and an ally of U.S. President Andrew Jackson.

The larger Bossier City is located south of Benton. In Benton Square downtown near the Bossier Parish School Board office, 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.

Benton is the eighth-largest city in the Ark-La-Tex region.

History

On April 3, 1999, a powerful F4-rated tornado roared through portions of the town killing six people and injuring 90. A mobile home park located south of town and homes near the Palmetto Country Club were devastated. Neighborhoods affected included Haymeadow Trailer Park, Palmetto Park/Palmetto Place (adjacent to the country club), Bay Hills, Woodlake South, Twin Lake Community, and many other newer lakefront homes located around Cypress Lake. The population of Benton lakefront area nearly doubled between 2004 and 2008.

The Palmetto Country Club, which opened in 1954, will close its doors on December 31, 2014, after recent recruitment drives and restructuring of the membership plan failed to make the facility financially solvent. Owner John H. Ward and a partner have run the club since 2013. 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 over built making growth within golf clubs very difficult."

Geography

Benton is located at (32.694607, -93.740595).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.9 square miles (4.9 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1930	402		—
1940	519		29.1%
1950	741		42.8%
1960	1,336		80.3%
1970	1,493		11.8%
1980	1,864		24.8%
1990	2,047		9.8%
2000	2,035		−0.6%
2010	1,948		−4.3%
Est. 2014	2,043		4.9%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,035 people, 749 households, and 518 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,062.6 people per square mile (409.2/km²). There were 834 housing units at an average density of 435.5 per square mile (167.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 54.64% White, 42.16% African American, 0.49% Native American, 0.05% Asian, 0.25% Pacific Islander, 0.44% from other races, and 1.97% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.10% of the population.

There were 749 households out of which 37.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.8% were married couples living together, 23.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.8% were non-families. 27.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.13.

In the town the population was spread out with 28.5% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 94.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $25,708, and the median income for a family was $31,953. Males had a median income of $29,423 versus $18,472 for females. The per capita income for the town was $12,289. About 20.0% of families and 24.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.1% of those under age 18 and 26.1% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

• Robert E. "Bob" Barton, state representative from Bossier Parish, 1996-2000
• Walter O. Bigby, state representative and judge, graduated from Benton High School.
• Billy Bretherton, Entomologist and co-owner of Vexcon Inc, a pest control services company featured on the A&E series Billy the Exterminator.
• Dewey E. Burchett, Jr., state court judge from 1988 to 2008, born in Shreveport but resided in Benton
• Jesse C. Deen, member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from Benton, 1972 to 1988
• Larry Deen, sheriff of Bossier Parish from 1988 to 2012
• Albert Lee Doughty (1936-2011) was the retired county agent in Bossier Parish who served as the mayor of Benton from 2004 until his death. A native of Jena, Doughty graduated from the University of Louisiana at Monroe and Louisiana State University. In 2008, he was inducted into the 4-H Hall of Fame. He was a member of the First Baptist Church of Benton. He was married for fifty-four years until his death to the former Dorothy Johnson, who survived him. The couple had four daughters and seven grandchildren.
• Mike Johnson, Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from Bossier Parish; constitutional attorney in Benton
• J. A. W. Lowry, Bossier Parish politician in the late 19th century; died in Benton in 1899
• Schuyler Marvin, district attorney for Bossier and Webster parishes since 2003
• George Nattin, Jr., businessman and LSU Tigers basketball player, 1959-1962
• Henry Warren Ogden, Virginia-born planter in Benton; former member of the United States House of Representatives for Louisiana's 4th congressional district and Speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives
• Ford E. Stinson, former state representative, was a Benton native.
• Ford E. Stinson, Jr., judge of the Louisiana 26th Judicial District from 1997 to 2014; former Chief Indigent Defender for the 26th District, resides and holds court in Benton
• Jeff R. Thompson, former state representative for Bossier Parish, 2012-2014; judge of Division B of the 26th Judicial District Court in Benton
• Monty M. Wyche, state district court judge, 1969 to 1988, born in Plain Dealing; resided thereafter in Benton and Bossier City

Schools

Benton has three public schools: Benton Elementary School, Benton Middle School, and Benton High School.