Benton, Louisiana
Encyclopedia
The town
of Benton is the parish seat of Bossier Parish
, in the US state of Louisiana
. The population was 2,035 at the 2000 census
. The larger Bossier City
is located south of Benton. The town maintains several historical buildings, including primitive cabins, a one-room schoolhouse museum, and the boyhood home of William Clark Hughes, a former Speaker
of the Louisiana House of Representatives
in Benton Square located between the Bossier Parish School Board office and the First Baptist
Church.
-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 Palmetto Country Club), Bay Hills, Woodlake South, Twin Lake Community, and many other newer lakefront homes located around Cypress Lake.
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.
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.
.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
of Benton is the parish seat of Bossier Parish
Bossier Parish, Louisiana
Bossier Parish is named for Pierre Bossier, a 19th-century Louisiana state senator and U.S. representative from Natchitoches Parish.Bossier Parish was spared fighting on its soil during the American Civil War...
, in the US state of Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. The population was 2,035 at the 2000 census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
. The larger Bossier City
Bossier City, Louisiana
Bossier City is a city in Bossier Parish, Louisiana, United States.As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total population of 61,315. Bossier City is closely tied to its larger sister city Shreveport, located on the western bank of the Red River. The Shreveport-Bossier City metropolitan area is the...
is located south of Benton. The town maintains several historical buildings, including primitive cabins, a one-room schoolhouse museum, and the boyhood home of William Clark Hughes, a former Speaker
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
of the Louisiana House of Representatives
Louisiana House of Representatives
The Louisiana House of Representatives is the lower house in the Louisiana State Legislature, the state legislature of the US state of Louisiana. The House is composed of 105 Representatives, each of whom represents approximately 42,500 people . Members serve four-year terms with a term limit of...
in Benton Square located between the Bossier Parish School Board office and the First Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
Church.
History
On April 3, 1999, a powerful F4Fujita scale
The Fujita scale , or Fujita-Pearson scale, is a scale for rating tornado intensity, based primarily on the damage tornadoes inflict on human-built structures and vegetation...
-rated tornado
Tornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
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 Palmetto Country Club), Bay Hills, Woodlake South, Twin Lake Community, and many other newer lakefront homes located around Cypress Lake.
Geography
Benton is located at 32°41′41"N 93°44′26"W (32.694607, -93.740595).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 1.9 square miles (4.9 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 2,035 people, 749 households, and 518 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
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
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 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
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
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
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
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 residents
- Robert E. "Bob" BartonRobert E. "Bob" BartonRobert Earl "Bob" Barton is the first Republican to have served in the Louisiana House of Representatives from Bossier Parish. A former newspaper owner from Bossier City, Barton held the District 8 seat from 1996-2000. The position opened when the 16-year incumbent, Robert Roy Adley, ran for...
, state representative from Bossier Parish, 1996-2000 - Walter O. BigbyWalter O. BigbyWalter Oliver Bigby, Sr. , was a Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from Bossier Parish, having served from 1968 until 1979. Often called the "Dean of the House" because of his reputation for integrity, fairness, and hard work, Bigby was a son-in-law of banker and former...
, late state representative and judge, graduated from Benton High School. - Ford E. StinsonFord E. StinsonFord Edwards Stinson, Sr. , was a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1940–1944 and again from 1952-1972. In his last legislative term from 1968–1972, he served in a two-member district covering Bossier Parish with fellow Democrat Walter O. Bigby...
, former state representative, was a Benton native. - Billy Bretherton, Entomologist who, with other members of his family, is an owner and licensee of Vexcon Inc, a pest control services company featured on the hit A&E series Billy the Exterminator
Schools
Benton, Louisiana has three public schools: Benton Elementary School, Benton Middle School, and Benton High SchoolBenton High School (Louisiana)
Benton High School is a public high school located in Benton, Louisiana, United States. The school, part of Bossier Parish School Board, serves about 675 students in grades 9 to 12....
.