Benson is a city in Swift County,

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

, United States, along the Chippewa River. The population was 3,480 at the 2020 census. It is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

History

Benson was

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Survey System, Public Lands Surveys to ...

ted in 1870 when the railroad was extended to that point. As the end of the tracks, Benson became a lively trading center. Benson was the market for a 100-mile area in almost all directions. The city was named for Ben H. Benson, a Norwegian settler. Benson was incorporated as a city in 1908. The town's early history included many tragedies, such as an 1872 smallpox epidemic, an 1876 grasshopper plague, and a fire in 1880 that wiped out a whole city block. In 1869, the first general store in Benson was established. A post office has been in operation at Benson since 1870. Th
Benson Public Library
was established in 1911 after a generous donation. In 1912, the Swift County Hospital was built, originally housing 19 patients. Benson's first one-room schoolhouse still stands as a historic site in Ambush Park and is open to the public. The current schools were established in 1890 (Benson High School]) and 1958 (Northside Elementary School).

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, Benson has an area of ; is land and is water. U.S. Highway 12 and Minnesota State Highways 9 and 29 are three of the main routes in the city.

Climate

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 3,240 people, 1,469 households, and 828 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 1,602 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.2%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.5%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.4% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.1%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.6% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 2.6% of the population. There were 1,469 households, of which 24.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.7% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 43.6% were non-families. 38.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.85. The median age in the city was 43.6 years. 21.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.5% were from 25 to 44; 25.9% were from 45 to 64; and 22.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.8% male and 52.2% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 3,376 people, 1,451 households, and 880 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,566 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.07%

, 0.24%

, 0.24% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.06%

, 0.50% from other races, and 0.65% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.18% of the population. There were 1,451 households, out of which 27.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.5% were

living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.3% were non-families. 36.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 23.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.94. In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.5% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 22.9% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 24.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $32,234, and the median income for a family was $44,638. Males had a median income of $31,280 versus $23,444 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $17,269. About 3.2% of families and 8.0% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 4.0% of those under age 18 and 14.7% of those age 65 or over.

Alternative energy

Benson is home to the Chippewa Valley Ethanol Company (CVEC), which produces a variety of ethanol products including E85. The plant also produces food-grade ethyl alcohol for adult beverages.

Transport

The city owns and operates the Benson Municipal Airport Veterans Field.

Notable people

* Lyn Yvonne Abramson, Professor of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison * Edgar Dale, Professor, College of Education and Human Ecology, Ohio State University, 1929-1970, internationally renowned developer of the Cone of Experience theory * Saxe J. Froshaug, prohibitionist politician, member of U.S. House of Representatives, 1911-1915 * Darwin Hall, American politician, U.S. House of Representatives, 1889-1891 * David Hazewinkel, 1968 and 1972 U.S. Olympic Greco-Roman wrestler, coached wrestling in Benson in the 1970s * Alfred I. Johnson, politician, Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives, 1955-1959 * James A. Johnson, Chairman and CEO, Fannie Mae, 1991-1998; Chairman, Kennedy Center for the Arts and Brookings Institution * Mark Kennedy, American politician and university president, U.S. House of Representatives, 2001-2007 * Becca Kufrin, American television personality * Ole J. Kvale, Lutheran minister and politician, U.S. House of Representatives, 1923-1929 * Paul John Kvale, Staff Editor of Minneapolis Tribune and politician, member of U.S. House of Representatives, 1929-1939 * Martha Ostenso, novelist and screenwriter, author of ''Wild Geese'' and 15 other novels, born in Norway (1900), emigrated to Minnesota, lived in rural Benson as a child * Sandra Peterson, politician, Minnesota House of Representatives, 2005-2013 * Ernie Wheeler, longtime Benson educator and former professional football player, Chicago Cardinals and Pittsburg Pirates, 1939-1942

Gallery

Atlantic Avenue and 13th Street, Benson, MN.jpg, Atlantic Avenue and 13th Street Pacific Avenue and 13th Street, Benson, MN.jpg, Pacific Avenue and 13th Street Municipal Building, Benson, MN.jpg, Former Municipal Building Railroad tracks between Atlantic and Pacific Avenues, Benson, MN.jpg, Railroad tracks between Atlantic and Pacific Avenues Post Office, Benson, MN.jpg, Post Office Swift County Courthouse, Benson, MN-08.jpg, Swift County Courthouse 2012-0828-Swift-StFrancisXavier.jpg, Church of St. Francis Xavier

References

External links

City WebsiteBenson Public Schools
{{authority control Cities in Minnesota Cities in Swift County, Minnesota County seats in Minnesota 1870 establishments in Minnesota Populated places established in 1870