Everything about Benton Harbor Michigan totally explained
Benton Harbor is a city in
Berrien County in the
U.S. State of
Michigan.
The population was 11,182 at time of the 2000 census. It is the lesser populated of the two principal cities included in the
Niles-Benton Harbor, Michigan
Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is the administrative home of
Whirlpool Corporation which acquired the Maytag Corporation in 2006, making it the world's largest producer of home appliances. Sites of interest are
Shiloh House
, built in 1910 served as the administration building and men's dormitory for the
House of David colony, a communal religious group;
Morton House (on Morton Hill) built in 1849 by Eleazar Morton, which now houses a museum; nearby
Sarett Nature Center, a 300-acre wildlife sanctuary which offers trails, an interpretative building, and classes, and
Jean Klock Beach Park on Lake Michigan. Near Benton Harbor is a large
fruit market which replaced the prior fruit market located in the "flats" area of Benton Harbor which was torn down during an urban renewal project during the 1960's.
Benton Harbor and the City of
St. Joseph (which is located across the
St. Joseph River) are known locally as the "
Twin Cities."
Fair Plain and
Benton Heights are unincorporated areas adjacent to Benton Harbor.
History
Benton Harbor was founded by Henry C. Morton, Sterne Brunson and Charles Hull, who all now have or have had schools named after them. Benton Harbor was mainly swampland bordered by the
Paw Paw River, through which a canal was built, hence the "harbor" in the city's name. In 1863, the settlement was given the name of Brunson Harbor. In 1865 the name of the settlement was changed to Benton Harbor in honor of
Thomas Hart Benton who was a
Missouri Senator who helped Michigan achieve statehood. In 1866, Benton Harbor was organized as a village and in 1891 was incorporated as a city.
Riots of 1966 and 2003
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.5
square miles (11.6
km²), of which, 4.4 square miles (11.4 km²) of it's land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (1.79%) is water.
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, there were 11,182 people, 3,767 households, and 2,557 families residing in the city. The
population density was 2,545.7 per square mile (983.5/km²). There were 4,492 housing units at an average density of 1,022.7/sq mi (395.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.40%
African American, 5.48%
White, 0.15%
Native American, 0.13%
Asian, 0.04%
Pacific Islander, 0.14% from
other races, and 1.65% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 0.58% of the population.
There were 3,767 households out of which 42.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 20.8% were
married couples living together, 42.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.1% were non-families. 26.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.91 and the average family size was 3.53.
In the city the population was spread out with 39.6% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 16.5% from 45 to 64, and 8.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25 years. For every 100 females there were 83.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 72.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $17,471, and the median income for a family was $19,250. Males had a median income of $27,154 versus $20,105 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $8,965. About 39.6% of families and 42.6% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 52.5% of those under age 18 and 29.7% of those age 65 or over.
The demographics of Benton Harbor contrast sharply with those across the river in St. Joseph.
| |
White |
Black |
Household Income |
| Benton Harbor |
5.49% |
92.40% |
$17,471 |
| St. Joseph |
90.31% |
5.11% |
$37,032 |
Transportation
Major Highways
- I-94 is an important interstate freeway that begins at the Canadian border at Port Huron and ends near Billings, Montana. It courses through several major cities: Minneapolis, Saint Paul, Milwaukee, Chicago and Detroit.
- I-94 Business Loop routes through both Benton Harbor & St. Joseph and follows the former route of old US 12.
- I-196 begins just outside of St. Joseph. Northbound traffic continues to Holland and ends at Grand Rapids & I-96.
- US 31 is currently a freeway from the Indiana border north, until merging with a two lane road to a brief connection with I-94. Construction is under way to build a freeway connection directly to I-94 & i-196.
- M-63 Serves as a business loop of sorts by connecting with I-196 at the north and coursing through Benton Harbor & St. Joseph. M-63 continues on to I-94 and then to M-139, where it ends. M-63 follows much of the route of old US 33.
- M-139 Is another link of sorts, from US 31 to M-63 and then to I-94 and BL 94 in Benton Harbor. M-139 largely follows the route of old US 31.
Rail
The nearby St. Joseph (Amtrak station) is serviced daily by Amtrak's Pere Marquette (passenger train)
Shipping
Both Benton Harbor & neighboring St. Joseph are commercial ports that receive bulk goods from lake freighters.
Education
The city is served by the Benton Harbor Area Schools within the Berrien County Intermediate School District.
The public schools district serves the city of Benton Harbor and surrounding areas. For years a popular student gathering place was the Tiger Den restaurant across the street from the high school before it closed. The school district has one high school, seven elementary schools, and two middle schools. In 2007, the district hired a new superintendent. Carole Schmidt replaced Dr. Paula Dawning. The hiring of Schmidt was notable because she left her job as superintendent of the St. Joseph Public School District. Schmidt is the first white superintendent of the Benton Harbor School District in decades.
The school board governs the school district, the current president is Mr. Dan McGinnis. There are three charter schools in the city of Benton Harbor, Benton Harbor Charter School, Countryside Academy, and Mildred C. Wells Academy.
Until the consolidation done in the mid-1960's certain out-lying areas, such as Fairplain, had their own independent school districts.
Media
Benton Harbor is served by The Herald-Palladium newspaper, whose offices are in nearby St. Joseph Township, is part of the, and is served by sister radio stations WCXT, WCSY, WHIT, WIRX, WSJM, WSJM-FM, and WYTZ as well as some in the . Additionally, most of the Chicago market TV and radio stations are available from 60 miles across the lake.
Sports
An American Basketball Association team (ABA), the Twin City Ballers played in Benton Harbor for a few games in November 2006, but left the city due to poor attendance at games.
Jack Dempsey defended his heavyweight title September 6, 1920 in Benton Harbor defeating Billy Miske.
Notable Residents or Former Residents
Quacy Barnes - former WNBA player for Sacramento, Seattle, and Phoenix, and assistant basketball coach at Eastern Illinois University
Bobo Brazil - professional wrestler
Vivica A. Fox - actress
Gene Harris - jazz pianist
Ernie Hudson - actor
Arte Johnson - actor/comedian
Julie Krone - horse jockey and first woman to win the Belmont Stakes
Anthony Miller - professional basketball player
Charles Willard Moore, architect and AIA Gold Medal winner
Benjamin Purnell, leader of the House of David religious sect
Rome (Jerome Woods) - R&B singer
Sinbad (David Adkins) - actor / comedian
Chet Walker - NBA basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers and Chicago Bulls
Wally Weber - U-M football player, assistant football coach and Hall of Honor inductee
Robert Whaley - NBA basketball player
Iris Kyle- Ms. Olympia 2005
Wilson Chandler - NBA basketball player for the New York Knicks 1st round draft pick in the 2007 NBA draft #23.
Notable Companies
Whirlpool Corporation
HeathkitFurther Information
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