Benld (/bəˈnɛld/) is a city in Macoupin County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,541 at the 2000 census. The name derives from founder Benjamin L. Dorsey (d.June 19, 1895).
Dorsey was responsible for gaining the land on which the town was built and coal mining rights. When it came time to name the village, he took the combination of his first name and his middle and last initial.[2]
Geography
Benld is located at 39°5′37″N 89°48′15″W / 39.09361°N 89.80417°W / 39.09361; -89.80417 (39.093555, -89.804260).[3]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.7 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 1,541 people, 676 households, and 415 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,455.9 people per square mile (561.3/km²). There were 772 housing units at an average density of 729.4/sq mi (281.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.25% White, 0.52% African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.45% from other races, and 0.58% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.97% of the population.
There were 676 households, of which 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.3% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.5% were non-families. 34.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.89.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.3% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 18.8% from 45 to 64, and 21.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 90.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $30,395, and the median income for a family was $36,953. Males had a median income of $30,054 versus $19,400 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,521. About 9.7% of families and 14.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.7% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over.
History
Photo of the car seat and muffler hit by the Benld meteorite with the meteorite inset.
On September 29, 1938 a meteorite landed in Benld, marking only the third meteorite landing in Illinois since records were kept. The meteorite was also one of the few known meteorites to strike a man-made object, punching a hole in the roof of Edward McCain's garage and embedding itself in the seat of his 1937 Pontiac Coupe. A neighbor, Mrs. Carl Crum, was standing about fifty feet from the impact and may be the individual who came closest to being struck by a meteorite in history up to that time.[5] The meteorite and portions of the car are now on display at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago.[6]
Notes and references
- ^ USGS GNIS: Benld, Illinois
- ^ Benld Chamber (Macoupin), accessed 2007-10-14
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "Three Point Landing", Time, 1939-01-23, http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,760632,00.html?promoid=googlep
- ^ Nuñez, Clarita; Irving L. Diamond. "Meteorites at the Field Museum" (pdf). Field Museum of Natural History. http://www.fieldmuseum.org/research_collections/geology/meteor_col.pdf. Retrieved 2007-10-14.
See also
