Most of Benson was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1985. Below: maps from 1964 on and the census since 2000.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Benson is more historic than 21% of U.S. towns. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Benson’s overall grade.
Utah towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Utah town has 3.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Benson’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (18% of Utah towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.4 points). Two sources give 1871.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Benson’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Benson yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Benson is a census-designated place (CDP) in Cache County, Utah, United States. It is immediately south of Amalga, across Utah State Route 218, and is west of the Logan-Cache Airport. The population was 1,492 at the 2020 census. It is included in the Logan, Utah-Idaho Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of February 2024, the Benson community was engaged in the process of becoming an incorporated municipality.
Benson was established in 1871. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 1,485 in 2010, 1,492 in 2020.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Benson, 1871 to 1964
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
In 1871, according to Wikidata. Benson’s post office opened in 1879, and the census of 2000 counted 1,451 people here.
How does Benson rank for history?
Benson is more historic than 21% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Benson?
5% of Benson’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.4 points), against a typical 2.8% for an Utah town; the median home was built in 1985.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (2), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
2018
2014
