Welcome to Benton ...
The city of Benton is located in Franklin County<1> and is the County Seat for Franklin County.
Google driving directions from your current location to Benton
The location of Benton has been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (the GNIS).<2>
The pronunciation of Benton: BEN-tuhn<3>
While we don't have a date for the founding of Benton, you might consider that their post office opened in 1840.
From the Census Estimates for 2019, Benton has a population of 6,867 people<4> (see below for details).
Benton is 440 feet [134 m] above sea level.<5>.
Time Zone: Benton lies in the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT) and observes daylight saving time
Area Codes for Benton: 618 & 730<6>
The ZIP code for Benton: 62812<7>
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Benton had an population of 6,867 people. This is a decrease of 3.1% since the 2010 Census (or a decrease of 0.19% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, Benton had a population of 7,087 people (which is 17.7% of the total population of Franklin County). This makes Benton the county's 2nd most populous community.
The population of Benton represents 0.06% of the population of Illinois (which has 12,830,632 people), making it the state's 281st most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 7,087 people, the population of Benton increased 3.01% from the 2000 Census (which had a count of 6,880 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for Benton.
Communities Also Named Benton ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are two Illinois communities named Benton: This one is located in Franklin County and the other is located in Lake County.
Beyond Illinois, there are 40 communities that are also named Benton - they are located in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas (2), Kentucky (3), Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri (2), Montana, Nebraska, New Brunswick, New Hampshire, New York, Newfoundland and Labrador, Ohio (5), Oklahoma, Pennsylvania (2), Tennessee (2), Texas and Wisconsin.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Benton.
Communities near Benton ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Benton.
- Marion
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion
- Marion is located in Williamson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 17,417 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Marion <8>
- Herrin
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herrin
- Herrin is located in Williamson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 12,625 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Herrin <8>
- West Frankfort
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Frankfort have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Frankfort
- West Frankfort is located in Franklin County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 7,733 people
- Carterville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carterville
- Carterville is located in Williamson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,834 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Carterville <8>
- Du Quoin
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Du Quoin
- Du Quoin is located in Perry County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,591 people
- Johnston City
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnston City
- Johnston City is located in Williamson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,359 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Johnston City <8>
- Christopher
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Christopher have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Christopher
- Christopher is located in Franklin County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,686 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Christopher <8>
- Ina
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ina
- Ina is located in Jefferson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,279 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ina <8>
- Sesser
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sesser
- Sesser is located in Franklin County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,837 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sesser <8>
- Zeigler
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Zeigler have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zeigler
- Zeigler is located in Franklin County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,671 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Zeigler <8>
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 Benton. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Benton.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Benton. 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 Benton.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Benton. Our list includes 9 papers. See our Newspapers Page for Benton.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Benton ...
Looking for more information about Benton? 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 Benton, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Benton.
Adding Benton to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Benton 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 Benton was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<9>
From that list, the Benton post office opened in 1840.
We also found Benton in the book titled U.S. Post Offices (Oct. 1846).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Benton.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Benton. 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 Franklin, 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 Benton. 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 Benton. |
| <5> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Benton - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <6> | When there's a risk of an area code running out of phone numbers, an 'Overlay Area Code' is created that has the same geographic boundaries as the existing area code. In this case, the 618 code has been Overlayed with the 730 area code. New phone numbers in the Benton area will be assigned with one of these codes: 618 or 730. As a result, placing a call in the Benton area will require 10-digit dialing (where you enter both the area code and then the phone number). |
| <7> | 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 city (such as Benton). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Benton or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). |
| <8> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <9> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |