Benton has small-town charm about 10 miles from Kentucky Lake
Benton is a rural city about 10 miles from the shorelines of Kentucky Lake. When not spending time on the water, residents dine at local barbecue restaurants and attend community events like the annual Tater Day. “I love the small-town feel,” says Realtor Sherra Riley, owner of Feels Like Home Realty, comparing it to Mayberry from ‘The Andy Griffith Show.’ She has lived in the city for about 15 years. While the city’s rural setting means big-box stores are farther away, major roads like Interstate 69 make the 30-mile drive to Paducah easy.
Kentucky Lake and the Land Between Lakes offer recreation
Kentucky Lake spans over 160,000 acres. “The lake was built for transportation purposes, for barges,” Riley says. “But now, bigger than that transportation is the recreational side of it.” Boating and fishing are popular pastimes, with popular catches like largemouth bass and crappie. Marinas like Moors Resort and Marina and boat launches dot the shore. Every year, restaurants, parks and marinas participate in the lake’s Fourth of July celebration. Activities include fireworks, live music and a guided canoe trip. On the eastern shores is the Land Between Lakes National Recreation Area, which has over 260 miles of hiking trails, including a 50-mile backpacking trail. The park attracts campers and hunters, with game like deer, wild turkeys and squirrels.
Within the city, locals head to HH Lovett Park, which has a dog park, and Mike Miller County Park. The latter has a splash pad, horseshoe pit and lighted athletic fields for soccer, baseball and softball. Both have playgrounds, walking paths and disc golf courses.
Mix of homes includes ranch-style houses and modern farmhouses
Grassy lawns dotted with oak trees line Benton’s residential streets, where most homes are on half an acre or less. Farther from the city’s center, properties often exceed an acre. Most residences are from the early to mid-1900s, including cottages and ranch-style houses. There are also modern farmhouses and New Traditional styles from the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Most homes range from $140,000 to $400,000, although larger properties can cost $400,000 to $720,000. Investment properties start at $20,000.
Barbecue restaurants make up most of Benton’s restaurants
Benton has a small selection of restaurants, and most of them serve barbecue. Riley’s favorite is Deaton’s Four Little Pigs Restaurant, but locals can also choose from Bad Bob’s BBQ, which has several locations in the region, and the longstanding Hutchens, which opened in 1947. “For a town of about 4,500 to have three barbecue restaurants, that’s a lot,” Riley says. Sizzlin’ Sisters Lakeside Grill has waterfront views, but it is only open on weekends from April through September. Locals find fresh produce at Harvest Time. “I love to go in the spring and get plants, and they have fruits and vegetables all the time, too,” Riley says. Otherwise, they get groceries from Price Less IGA and Walmart Supercenter.
Students attend public and private schools in Marshall County
Benton students attend Marshall County Public Schools. Benton Elementary earns a B from Niche, while South Marshall Middle and Marshall County High both receive a C-plus. The high school offers 26 career pathways, including carpentry and biomedical science. Following Kentucky’s guidelines, the district has school choice through open enrollment and inter-district transfers. Private education options include Titus Christian Prep School, which serves kindergarten through 12th grade and is unrated by Niche.
Tater Day is a popular event celebrating sweet potatoes
Benton residents look forward to Tater Day, a spring celebration themed around sweet potatoes. Besides having carnival rides and vendors, there are one-off programs like a pie-eating and pie-baking contest, as well as fireworks and a parade. Even the local churches get involved, like the Classic Auto Show at First Baptist Church. Riley says that food trucks start rolling in a week before the rest of the festivities begin. “There will be thousands of people at Tater Day,” she says. Other events include the annual Farm to Fork dinner, which celebrates local agriculture, and the Benton Partnership’s Concert & Car Cruise, which is once a month from May to September.
Benton residents rely on cars to access nearby cities like Paducah
Most residents rely on cars to get around, with U.S. Route 641 and Interstate 69 going through the city. The latter leads about 30 miles to Paducah. However, Paducah Area Transit System does have a bus service that connects Benton to the surrounding communities of Paducah, Mayfield and Murray. Barkley Regional Airport is in Paducah and offers direct flights to Charlotte, North Carolina. Riley says that locals will make the 130-mile drive to Nashville International Airport for most trips. While Marshall County Hospital has an emergency room in Benton, Riley says that residents are more likely to visit Murray-Calloway County Hospital, located 20 miles away, or Baptist Health in Paducah.
