Benjamin, Texas
Encyclopedia
Benjamin is a city in Knox County
, Texas
, United States
. It is the county seat
of Knox County
. The population was 258 at the 2010 census.
and State Highway 6 in central Knox County, approximately 90 miles north of Abilene
and 85 miles southwest of Wichita Falls
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 1 square miles (2.6 km²), all of it land.
of 2000, there were 264 people, 97 households, and 64 families residing in the city. The population density
was 254.5 people per square mile (98.0/km2). There were 119 housing units at an average density of 114.7 per square mile (44.2/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 89.77% White, 3.03% African American, 1.89% Asian, 4.92% from other races
, and 0.38% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.36% of the population.
There were 97 households out of which 36.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.5% were married couples
living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families. 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.31.
In the city the population was spread out with 33.3% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 88.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,023, and the median income for a family was $38,125. Males had a median income of $29,750 versus $19,375 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $13,138. About 14.5% of families and 14.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.7% of those under the age of eighteen and 8.7% of those sixty five or over.
through current conflicts.
Benjamin's Moorhouse Park, dedicated by the state highway department in 1965, and an area know the Narrows located four miles east of the city are also popular tourist attractions.
.
Knox County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,253 people, 1,690 households, and 1,166 families residing in the county. The population density was 5 people per square mile . There were 2,129 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Knox County
Knox County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,253 people, 1,690 households, and 1,166 families residing in the county. The population density was 5 people per square mile . There were 2,129 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile...
. The population was 258 at the 2010 census.
Geography
Benjamin is located at 33.583419°N 99.793394°W (33.583419, -99.793394). It is situated at the junction of U.S. Highway 82U.S. Route 82
U.S. Route 82 is an east–west United States highway in the southern United States. What started as a 1932 addition to the system across central Mississippi and southern Arkansas eventually became a 1,609 mile route extending from the White Sands of New Mexico to Georgia's Atlantic coast.The...
and State Highway 6 in central Knox County, approximately 90 miles north of Abilene
Abilene, Texas
Abilene is a city in Taylor and Jones counties in west central Texas. The population was 117,063 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Abilene Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2006 estimated population of 158,063. It is the county seat of Taylor County...
and 85 miles southwest of Wichita Falls
Wichita Falls, Texas
Wichita Falls is a city in and the county seat of Wichita County, Texas, United States, United States. Wichita Falls is the principal city of the Wichita Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Archer, Clay and Wichita counties. According to the U.S. Census estimate of 2010,...
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 1 square miles (2.6 km²), all of it land.
History
The community was founded in 1884 by Hilory H. Bedford, president and controlling stockholder in the Wichita and Brazos Stock Company. He named it Benjamin after his son who had been killed by lightning. To attract additional settlers, Bedford gave his stockholders a fifty-acre tract of land and set aside forty more acres for a town square. Benjamin was designed as the Knox County seat when it was organized in 1886. A school opened in 1886 as well. A jail built in 1887 still stands as a private residence and the old bank stands next to the Sheriff's Office. Benjamin was incorporated in 1928 and the population was 485 in the 1930 census. Two structures in the community, a courthouse (1938) and school building (1942), were constructed Works Projects Administration (WPA) labor. That courthouse replaced the previous stone structure built in 1888. The number of inhabitants reached a high of 599 in 1940, but that figure slowly decreased during the latter half of the twentieth century.Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 264 people, 97 households, and 64 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 254.5 people per square mile (98.0/km2). There were 119 housing units at an average density of 114.7 per square mile (44.2/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 89.77% White, 3.03% African American, 1.89% Asian, 4.92% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.38% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.36% of the population.
There were 97 households out of which 36.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.5% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families. 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.31.
In the city the population was spread out with 33.3% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 88.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,023, and the median income for a family was $38,125. Males had a median income of $29,750 versus $19,375 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $13,138. About 14.5% of families and 14.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.7% of those under the age of eighteen and 8.7% of those sixty five or over.
Attractions
The Knox County Museum, located in the county courthouse, features a barbed wire exhibit and numerous other frontier artifacts. The Knox County Veterans Memorial, located at the corner of U.S. Highway 82 and State Highway 6, honors all Knox County veterans from the Spanish-American WarSpanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
through current conflicts.
Benjamin's Moorhouse Park, dedicated by the state highway department in 1965, and an area know the Narrows located four miles east of the city are also popular tourist attractions.
Education
Public education in the city of Benjamin is provided by the Benjamin Independent School DistrictBenjamin Independent School District
Benjamin Independent School District is a public school district based in Benjamin, Texas .The district has one school that serves students in grades pre-kindergarten through twelve....
.