Bennett Map
Bennett is an unincorporated community in Chatham and Randolph counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Incorporated in 1915 and since disincorporated, the community is located just off NC 22/42.
In 2006, the Chatham County Board of Education announced that they were repealing a decision allowing 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 The announcement that the memorandum was being repealed stirred a firestorm of controversy, since the Randolph County students would be considered out-of-district students and could therefore be charged hundreds of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.
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.
Nearby cities include Siler City, Seagrove, Ramseur, Franklinville, Carthage.