“It’s small-town living and the churches are full on Sunday,” he said with a hearty laugh. “We enjoy easy living and the nice breezes off the Saline River.” Don’t let Gillis’ description lull you into thinking this is a sleepy town.

Just 30 miles southeast of Little Rock, Benton and its sister city, Bryant, are enjoying tremendous growth. For the past few years, thousands of drivers on Interstate 30, which flows through both towns, endured the expansion of the highway from a tight two lanes to a comfortable six lanes for the extensive traffic that frequents this connection to the state’s major interstates. To emphasize the need for the interstate expansion, Gillis talked about the painful commute thousands took each day into Little Rock. ”With the interstate complete, the drive to downtown Little Rock at rush hour has gone from two hours to 22 minutes.”

Obviously the lure south is great for new residents and businesses. “We’ve experienced 5 percent a year population growth when the interstate has been ripped up” Gillis bragged. The growth is substantial enough to spur the city to request a special census to see just how many folks are moving to the Benton/Bryant area. According to Gillis, Benton’s population during the 2000 census was 21,900. Current estimates place the number around 27,000.

Commercial developments are following the new residents. A new 36-acre shopping complex will cross the Benton/Bryant line featuring national shops such as Old Navy, PetSmart and Starbucks.

Any concerns about losing that small-town feel are dismissed. “We have the best municipal and county planners. The city of Bryant is working with Benton closely to keep the cities on track,” Gillis said.

Area subdivisions feature large lots at good prices. Homes in the more popular areas start at about $100,000 with luxury homes topping out at about half a million. Gillis also is quick to point out that a solid school district in each area is a nice attraction for families. Sports are big here and teams enjoy plenty of local support across the board.

Bryant has allowance for bragging rights on this topic. A regular at Little League championships, this year’s team just missed advancing to the Little League World Series.