Benton Harbor, Michigan
City
Main Street in Downtown Benton Harbor
Logo
Location within Berrien County
Benton Harbor Location within the state of Michigan Show map of Michigan Benton Harbor Location within the United States Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 42°07′00″N 86°27′15″W / 42.11667°N 86.45417°W / 42.11667; -86.45417
Country	United States
State	Michigan
County	Berrien
Incorporated	1837 (village) 1891 (city)
Government
• Type	Council–manager
• Mayor	Marcus Muhammad
Area [1]
• Total	4.63 sq mi (12.00 km2)
• Land	4.38 sq mi (11.35 km2)
• Water	0.25 sq mi (0.65 km2)
Elevation	591 ft (180 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	9,103
• Density	2,077.84/sq mi (802.27/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code(s)	49022, 49023
Area code	269
FIPS code	26-07520[2]
GNIS feature ID	0621144[3]
Website	bhcity.us

Benton Harbor is a city in Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is 46 miles southwest of Kalamazoo and 71 miles southwest of Grand Rapids. According to the 2020 census, its population was 9,103.^[4] It is the smaller, by population, of the two principal cities in the Niles–Benton Harbor Metropolitan Statistical Area, an area with 156,813 people.^[5] Benton Harbor and the city of St. Joseph are separated by the St. Joseph River and are known locally as the "Twin Cities".^[6] Fairplain 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.^[7] Benton Harbor was mainly wetlands bordered by the Paw Paw River, through which a canal was built, hence the "harbor" in the city's name.^[8] In 1860, the village was laid out by Brunson, Morton, Hull and others, and given the name Brunson Harbor.^[9]

Brunson, Morton, and Hull also donated land and solicited subscriptions for construction of the canal, which was completed in 1862. It had long been recognized that a canal would be crucial to the town's development, both to drain the marsh and to provide a berthing area for ships. The canal, originally 25 feet (7.6 m) wide but expanded to 50 feet (15 m) in 1868, led to the town's becoming a shipping and manufacturing center for the area.^[10]

In 1866, the settlement's name was changed to Benton Harbor in honor of Thomas Hart Benton, a Missouri Senator who helped Michigan achieve statehood.^[11] In 1836, Benton Harbor was organized as a village and in 1891 it was incorporated as a city.^[9]

Benton Harbor's retail establishments started relocating outside of the city starting in the 1950s, and the city experienced an economic downturn between 1970 and 1985.^[12]

The House of David religious group was founded there and once ran a local amusement park.

Riots

Benton Harbor has had two major riots, one in 1966 and one in 2003, with smaller ones occurring in 1960, 1967, and 1990.^[13]

1966

On August 30, 1966, a riot began after a meeting discussing recreational facilities and police relations with respect to black residents.^[14] During the riot, a black 18-year-old named Cecil Hunt was killed in a drive-by shooting; suspects were arrested but the assault charge was later dismissed.^[14][15] Governor George W. Romney dispatched troops from the Michigan National Guard, who stood down on September 5 when the riot dissipated.^[16]

2003

In June 2003, several citizens in Benton Harbor demonstrated for two days when black motorcyclist Terrance Shurn, being chased by a police officer, crashed into a building and died. As many as 300 state troopers and law enforcement personnel from neighboring communities were called to Benton Harbor.^{[13][17][18][19][20][21]}

Indirectly, the riot contributed to the Jimmy Carter Work Project's 2005 activities being held in Benton Harbor and Detroit.^[22] A state task force produced a report in 2003.^[23]

Water state of emergency

As with the 2014–2019 public health crisis involving the drinking water in Flint, in 2018 higher-than-acceptable levels of lead were found in Benton Harbor's tap water.^[24] Water was starting to appear "bubbly and white" to "brown", with a "horrible" taste and poor smell.^[25] This was due to lead-based water service lines.^[24] Testing found the samples returned lead levels of 22 parts per billion, greater than the 20 parts per billion in Flint and the federal lead action level of 15 parts per billion.^[25][26] High levels of copper were also noted in the annual consumer confidence reports that have been required by Environmental Protection Agency.^[26]

Concerns were with the health impacts of lead poisoning.^[27] As a result, residents were supplied with free bottled water, including for use with brushing teeth and cooking, for residences and schools.^[27][24][25] In September 2021, $10 million was budgeted to replace the lead service lines.^[24] All lead pipes had been replaced by December 1, 2023, per the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.^[28]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 4.68 square miles (12.12 km²), of which 4.43 square miles (11.47 km²) is land and 0.25 square miles (0.65 km²) is water.^[29]

Climate

Benton Harbor has a humid continental climate (Köppen: Dfa) that has very warm summers for the type and also less cold winters than many climates of the classification. Due to lake-effect snow there is very high snowfall relative to precipitation in winter, but far lower than some locations that are farther north in the state. Summer high temperatures range from 77 to 83 °F (25 to 28 °C) from June to August, but the apparent heat is normally moderated by mild nights.

Demographics

2020 census

2010 census

As of the census^[35] of 2010, there were 10,038 people, 3,548 households, and 2,335 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,265.9 inhabitants per square mile (874.9/km²). There were 4,329 housing units at an average density of 977.2 per square mile (377.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 89.2% African American, 7.0% White, 0.3% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.8% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.2% of the population.

There were 3,548 households, of which 44.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 17.0% were married couples living together, 43.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.2% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.41.

The median age in the city was 28.3 years. 35.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.5% were from 25 to 44; 22.2% were from 45 to 64; and 7.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.5% male and 53.5% female.

2000 census

At the 2000 census,^[2] there were 11,182 people, 3,767 households and 2,557 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,545.7 inhabitants per square mile (982.9/km²). There were 4,492 housing units at an average density of 1,022.7 per square mile (394.9/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, 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.

Age distribution was 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 household income was $17,471, and the median family income 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, the lowest in Michigan. 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.

Government and politics

The Michigan Treasury Department in 2009 sent a team to look into the city's finances. The team's report was a long list of mismanagement to the point that budgets were "effectively meaningless as a financial management tool."^[36] The city was $10 million underfunded in its pension fund and increasing budget deficits. In April 2010, Democratic Governor Jennifer Granholm appointed Joseph Harris as Emergency Financial Manager. City staff was reduced by 30 to 70.^[37]

Harris was given expanded powers under a new law signed in March 2011 by Republican Governor Rick Snyder.^[38] Harris was previously the chief financial officer for the city of Detroit.^[38] On April 14, 2011, Harris suspended the decision-making powers of Benton Harbor's elected city officials, who can hold meetings but are not allowed to govern.^[38] The Michigan AFL–CIO president called the move "sad news for democracy in Michigan", but at least one city official, City Commissioner Bryan Joseph, supported it, saying the city had been mismanaged for decades.^[38]

On January 4, 2012, city commissioners Marcus Muhammad and MaryAlice Adams held a press conference where they stated that if there was still an emergency financial manager administering the city when Benton Harbor hosted the Senior PGA Championship in May, an "Occupy PGA movement should sit in on the golf greens and driving ranges in protest."^[39] Occupy PGA did hold protest marches on multiple days during the tournament, but did not disrupt the tournament.^[40]

On January 11, 2013, the Emergency Financial Assistance Loan Board (ELB) voted to replace Harris as the Emergency Financial Manager (EFM) for the city. On February 1, 2013, the ELB appointed Tony R. Saunders II as the youngest Successor-Emergency Financial Manager for the city of Benton Harbor.^[41]

Library service for the city is provided by the Benton Harbor Public Library.

The town has a police department.^[42]

Mayors since 1971