The city was founded in 1880 when the Southern Pacific Railroad came through. It was named after Judge William B. Benson, a friend of the president of the railroad.
The city is best known as the gateway to Kartchner Caverns State Park.
Geography
Benson is located at 31°57'10" North, 110°18'24" West (31.95288, -110.30677)1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 92.5 km² (35.7 mi²), none of which is covered by water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 4,711 people, 2,084 households, and 1,346 families residing in the city. The population density is 50.9/km² (131.9/mi²). There are 2,822 housing units at an average density of 30.5/km² (79.0/mi²).
The racial makeup of the city is 89.32% White, 19.85% Hispanic or Latino (of any race), 1.29% Native American, 0.72% Black or African American, 0.47% Asian, and 0.13% Pacific Islander. 5.69% were from other races, and 2.38% from two or more races.
There are 2,084 households out of which 18.9% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.5% are married couples living together, 9.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 35.4% are non-families. 30.0% of all households are made up of individuals and 17.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.22 and the average family size is 2.72.
In the city the population is spread out with 19.5% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 18.0% from 25 to 44, 26.5% from 45 to 64, and 29.3% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 50 years. For every 100 females there are 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 91.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $28,289, and the median income for a family is $36,364. Males have a median income of $34,013 versus $18,964 for females. The per capita income for the city is $17,315. 13.7% of the population and 6.2% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 26.1% are under the age of 18 and 9.9% are 65 or older.
Media References
"Benson, Arizona" is the name of the theme song to the movie Dark Star.