Bennett is an unincorporated town in southwestern Chatham County in the U.S. state of North Carolina that was once an incorporated municipality, beginning in 1915[1]. The community is located just off NC 22/42 and stretches into nearby is Randolph County. The community's estimated population is 1,986[2]
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School controversy
In 2006, the Chatham County Board of Education announced that they were repealing a decision that allowed students that lived in the Randolph County portion of Bennett to attend Bennett School, the local K-8 school, free of charge. For years students from both counties that lived in "Bennett" were allowed to attend the school free under a memorandum of understanding between the two counties made many years ago. The announcement that the memorandum was being repealed stirred a firestorm of controversy, since the Randolph County students would be considered out-of-district students and could therefore be charged hundreds of dollars each year to attend school in Chatham County. The commute to the nearest Randolph County school was also a problem since it is located many miles from Bennett. To date, the Chatham County board has stood by its decision despite numerous complaints from residents.
Phone service
Bennett is located in Area code 336 instead of the Area code 919 like the rest of Chatham County. The community is in the 336 area code because of its proximity to Randolph County (which is entirely in the 336 district) and because phone service is provided by a company based in Randolph County.[3]
Points of interest
- The Devil's Tramping Grounds is located a few miles north of Bennett in the Harper's Crossroads community.
- The Southern Supreme Fruitcake factory is located just outside of Bennett.
External links and references
- My Community: Bennett
- Bennett School - Our Town: Bennett
- Maps, Weather, and Airports for Bennett, North Carolina
- ^ Bennett School - Town of Bennett: Community/History
- ^ Places in North Carolina: Be
- ^ Hometown Locator Area Code Search - Bennett, NC
