Benns Church, Virginia

Benns Church, Virginia
Census-designated place
Benns Church Benns Church
Coordinates: 36°56′15″N 76°35′11″W
Country	United States
State	Virginia
County	Isle of Wight
Area
• Total	4.2 sq mi (11 km2)
• Land	4.1 sq mi (11 km2)
• Water	0.08 sq mi (0.2 km2)
Elevation	43 ft (13 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	872
• Density	210/sq mi (80/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Area codes	757, 948
FIPS code	51-06712
GNIS feature ID	2584808

Benns Church is a census-designated place (CDP) in Isle of Wight County, Virginia, United States. It is located at the junction of U.S. Route 258 and State Routes 10 and 32, southeast of Smithfield. The population as of the 2010 census was 872.

The community is named for Benn's United Methodist Church, which lies at the intersection of Benn's Church Boulevard and Brewer's Neck Boulevard (US-258 with State Routes 10 and 32). The church was founded at that location by George Benn in 1789. Benn is buried in front of the church. The church bears a Virginia Historical Marker.

Benns Church is home to Benn's Grant, a 253-acre (102 ha) mixed-use development, which took almost a decade to be realized.

Geography

Benns Church is bordered to the north by the town of Smithfield and to the east by Carrollton. Hampton is 17 miles (27 km) east of Benns Church, across the James River, while Norfolk is 24 miles (39 km) to the southeast, and Suffolk is 16 miles (26 km) to the south.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Benns Church CDP has a total area of 4.2 square miles (10.8 km²), of which 4.1 square miles (10.6 km²) are land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²), or 1.92%, are water. The community drains westward to Cypress Creek, north to Jones Creek, and southeast to Brewers Creek, all of which become tidal inlets of the James River system.