Welcome to Benson ...
The village of Benson is located in Woodford County<1>.
The location of Benson has been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (ie- the GNIS).<2>
The pronunciation of Benson: BEN-suhn<3>
While we don't have a date for the founding of Benson, you might consider that their post office opened in 1873.
From the Census Estimates for 2019, Benson has a population of 406 people<4> (see below for details).
Benson is 760 feet [232 m] above sea level.<5>.
Time Zone: Benson lies in the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT) and observes daylight saving time
Benson lies within the (309) area code.
The ZIP code for Benson: 61516<6>
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Benson had an population of 406 people. This is a decrease of 4.02% since the 2010 Census (or a decrease of 0.49% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, Benson had a population of 423 people. This makes Benson the county's 11th most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 423 people, the population of Benson increased 3.68% from the 2000 Census (with a count of 408 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for Benson.
Communities Also Named Benson ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 28 communities that are also named Benson - they are located in Alabama (3), Arizona, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland (2), Michigan (2), Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Saskatchewan, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Benson.
Communities near Benson ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Benson.
- Washington
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washington
- Washington is located in Tazewell County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 16,395 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Washington <7>
- Chillicothe
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chillicothe
- Chillicothe is located in Peoria County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,955 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Chillicothe <7>
- Eureka
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eureka have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka
- Eureka is located in Woodford County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,232 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eureka <7>
- Metamora
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Metamora have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Metamora
- Metamora is located in Woodford County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,648 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Metamora <7>
- Germantown Hills
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Germantown Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Germantown Hills
- Germantown Hills is located in Woodford County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,390 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Germantown Hills <7>
- El Paso
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for El Paso have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for El Paso
- El Paso is located in Woodford County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,700 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for El Paso <7>
- Roanoke
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Roanoke have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roanoke
- Roanoke is located in Woodford County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,966 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Roanoke <7>
- Minonk
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minonk
- Minonk is located in Woodford County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,948 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Minonk <7>
- Hudson
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hudson have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hudson
- Hudson is located in McLean County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,810 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hudson <7>
- Lacon
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lacon have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lacon
- Lacon is located in Marshall County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,713 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lacon <7>
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Benson. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Benson.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Benson. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Benson.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Benson. See our Newspapers Page for Benson.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Benson ...
Looking for more information about Benson? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
In addition to the Tourism page for Benson, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Benson.
Adding Benson to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Benson in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Benson was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<8>
From that list, the Benson post office opened in 1873.
We also found Benson on a map titled Rand McNally Map (1881).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Benson.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Benson. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for State of Illinois: https://illinois.gov
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of Illinois' counties, including Woodford, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <3> | The pronunciation we've provided is our attempt to give a phonetic pronunciation for Benson. While it might not be exactly right, hopefully it will be close. If we have it wrong or there's a better way to pronounce the name, please contact us through our Feedback Page. |
| <4> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Benson. |
| <5> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Benson - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <6> | ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a village (such as Benson). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Benson or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). |
| <7> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <8> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |