close menu
This website uses cookies to store your accessibility preferences. No personal / identifying information is stored. More info.

City Manager

RetouchMe_20231017123653303 (1)
           Vicki L. Vivian, CMC
                City Manager
                101 E. 6th Street
                PO Box 2223
                Benson, AZ   85602
                520-586-2245
                Email: vvivian@bensonaz.gov

Welcome to the City of Benson, Arizona – Home of Kartchner Caverns State Park, the fourth largest of seven incorporated cities/towns in Cochise County; population 5,105.   The City is located 45 miles southeast of Tucson along several trade routes: I-10, State Routes 80 & 90, and the main line of the Union Pacific Railroad.  In the late 1800s and early 1900s Benson was the railroad hub of Southern Arizona – an image that characterizes the City’s culture today.

AMTRAK currently makes Benson it’s only station in Cochise County; providing passenger boarding and detraining.  The sheltered platform is located adjacent the Benson Visitor Center/Train Depot, a replica of the original depot from the late 1800s.

Recently, Benson, along with the unincorporated areas of Cochise County just outside the City limits, has been eyed by developers for large-scale master-planned communities.  Developers see Benson as a vital link between Tucson to the west and Sierra Vista/Fort Huachuca to the south.  The City of Benson recently approved a public finance agreement via the establishment of special taxing districts in anticipation of El Dorado Benson LLC’s 28,000 age-targeted and traditional home development.  The Villages at Vigneto will include commercial and recreational facilities on 12,167 acres and is scheduled to be built in the Benson area over the next few decades.   In addition, preliminary design and site layout is being prepared for a multi-family condominium development along with several single-family homes surrounding Benson’s San Pedro Golf Course’s greens and fairways.

Construction has been completed on the Chiricahua Community Health Center, a 19,000 sq ft health care facility, bringing an additional 8 physicians and 30 jobs to our community.  In addition, the Benson Hospital opened their Family Health Care Center, a primary care facility in late 2017. 

The City of Benson is particularly proud of it’s designation as the Home of Kartchner Caverns State Park. Located on 550 acres at the foothills of the Whetstone Mountains just south of Benson on State Highway 90, which offers picnicking, camping, hiking, and tours of the magnificent “still-living” caverns.

Residents and visitors of Benson also enjoy the following City amenities: Cochise Community College Benson Center, San Pedro Golf Course/Benson City Grille, Benson Municipal Airport, Benson Area Transit System, Lions Park and Ball Fields, the Benson City Pool, the Benson Public Library, the Historical Museum, the Benson Community Center and 20 area RV Parks.

If you are looking to relocate your business or family, you will find the City of Benson warm and welcoming while maintaining our small-town feeling.  I consider our City a treasure of breathtaking mountains, sunsets that transform the skies, and friendly, courteous people who wave and say hello.  I am proud of our connected community and hope you too, will feel at home while you are here.