Benton County, Mississippi
| Benton County, Mississippi | |
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The Old Benton County courthouse in Ashland
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 Location in the U.S. state of Mississippi |
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 Mississippi's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | 1870 |
| Named for | Samuel Benton |
| Seat | Ashland |
| Largest town | Hickory Flat |
| Area | |
| • Total | 409 sq mi (1,059 km2) |
| • Land | 407 sq mi (1,054 km2) |
| • Water | 2.0 sq mi (5 km2), 0.5% |
| Population | |
| • (2010) | 8,729 |
| • Density | 21/sq mi (8/km²) |
| Congressional district | 1st |
| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 |
| Website | bentoncountyms |
Benton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 8,729. Its county seat is Ashland.
It is locally believed that residents convinced the post-Civil War Reconstruction government that Benton County was to be named for U.S. Senator Thomas Hart Benton, but the name actually honored Confederate Brigadier General Samuel Benton of nearby Holly Springs in Marshall County.
Benton County is included in the Memphis, TN-MS-AR Metropolitan Statistical Area.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 409 square miles (1,060 km2), of which 407 square miles (1,050 km2) is land and 2.0 square miles (5.2 km2) (0.5%) is water. It is the fifth-smallest county by area in Mississippi.
The headwaters of the Wolf River meander and braid their way north and west across northern Benton County from Baker's Pond, the river's source spring (highest origin of continuous flow) in the Holly Springs National Forest approximately one mile southwest of where U.S. Highway 72 passes into Tippah County, Mississippi. The Wolf River passes into Fayette County, Tennessee between Michigan City (on the Mississippi side) and La Grange, Tennessee.
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