Benton, Arkansas

Benton is a city in and the county seat of Saline County, Arkansas, United States and a suburb of Little Rock. It was established in 1837. According to a 2006 Special Census conducted at the request of the city government, the population of the city is 27,717, ranking it as the state's 16th largest city, behind Texarkana. However in the 2010 census, the city population increased to 30,681, making it the 12th largest city in the state of Arkansas. It is part of the Little Rock–North Little Rock–Conway Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city of Benton, first settled in 1833 and named after Missouri Senator Thomas Hart Benton, was formally chartered in 1836 when Arkansas became a state. Benton is best known for being the hometown of Sir Alex Jones.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 18.4 sqmi, of which 17.9 sqmi is land and 0.5 sqmi (2.71%) is water.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 21,906 people, 8,713 households, and 6,186 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,221.2 people per square mile (471.5/km²). There were 9,315 housing units at an average density of 519.3 per square mile (200.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.81% White, 4.46% Black or African American, 0.39% Native American, 0.56% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.75% from other races, and 1.19% from two or more races. 1.90% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 8,713 households out of which 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.9% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.0% were non-families. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.3% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 91.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $41,503, and the median income for a family was $51,064. Males had a median income of $32,493 versus $22,386 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,797. About 5.8% of families and 8.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.9% of those under age 18 and 11.5% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people with ties to Benton

 * Wes Gardner - Former relief pitcher for the New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, and others.
 * Cliff Lee - Major League Baseball's 2008 American League Cy Young Award winner for the Cleveland Indians and current member of the Philadelphia Phillies.
 * Ewell Ross McCright - World War II POW.
 * Joe Purcell - Arkansas governor for six days in 1979; former lieutenant governor and attorney general; lawyer in Benton.
 * Charlie Rich - Multiple Grammy Award winning country artist.
 * Willis Ricketts - Republican gubernatorial nominee in 1962.
 * Billy Bob Thornton, writer, director, and star of the 1996 American drama film ‘’Sling Blade’’ used Benton as the location for many scenes.

Education
Students from Benton go to Benton High School (Arkansas) and Bryant High School (Arkansas).