ZIP Code 49022

Benton Harbor is a city in Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. According to the 2020 census, its population was 9,103. It is the smaller, by population, of the two principal cities in the NilesBenton Harbor Metropolitan Statistical Area, an area with 156,813 people. Benton Harbor and the city of St. Joseph are known locally as the "Twin Cities" Fairplain and Benton Heights are unincorporated areas adjacent to Bent on Harbor. The city has a humid continental climate (Köppen: Dfa) that has very warm summers for the type and less cold winters than many climates of the classification. In 2018, higher-than-acceptable levels of lead were found in Benton Harbour's tap water. This was due to lead-based water service lines. In September 2021, $10 million was budgeted to replace the lead service lines in the city. The House of David religious group was founded there and once ran a local amusement park. The first Benton harbor riots occurred in 1966 and 2003, the first following a fatal shooting, the second a fatal police pursuit. In 1891 it was incorporated as a city. In 2010, the city has an area of 4.68 square miles (12.12 km²), of which 4.43 sq miles (11.47 km²) is land and 0.25sq miles (0.65 sq km) is water. It was named after Thomas Hart Benton, a Missouri Senator who helped Michigan achieve statehood.

History

Benton Harbor was mainly wetlands bordered by the Paw Paw River, through which a canal was built. In 1860, the village was laid out by Brunson, Morton, Hull and others, and given the name Brunson Harbor. 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. The House of David religious group was founded there and once ran a local amusement park. In 2018, higher-than-acceptable levels of lead were found in the city's tap water. This was due to lead-based water service lines. As a result, residents were supplied with free bottled water, including for use with brushing teeth and cooking, for residences and schools. In September 2021, $10 million was budgeted to replace the lead service lines, which will be replaced in September 2021. The city is now under a state of emergency, and the water supply has been turned off for the time being. The town has been the site of two major riots, in 1966 and 2003. The first followed a fatal shooting, the second a fatal police pursuit. Several other riots also occurred in the intervening periods, including one in which a man was killed by a stray bullet from a passing car, and another where a woman was beaten to death by a group of men in a car. The mayor of the city has called for the city to be incorporated as a city in 1891, when it was first proposed.

Geography

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. 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. 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. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has an area of 4.68 square miles (12.12 km²), of which 4.43 sq miles (11.47 km²) is land and 0.25sq miles (0.65 km²") is water. The city has a population of 3,816. The population of Benton Harbor was 3,715 in the 2010 Census. The town is located on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay, which is a tributary of the Potomac River, which flows into the Gulf of Mexico. It is located in the eastern part of the state and has an elevation of 4,822 feet (1,723 meters) above sea level. It has a latitude of 38.5°S and a longitude of 40.7°S. It was founded in 1836. The area was once known as "Benton Harbor" or "Benton Island" and is now known as Benton Harbour.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 10,038 people, 3,548 households, and 2,335 families residing in the city. The per capita income for the city was $8,965, the lowest in Michigan. The median household income was $17,471, and the median family income is $19,250. The gender makeup of the city is 46.5% male and 53.5 percent female. The city has a population of 11,182, with 4,492 people living in 4,329 housing units. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.41. The age distribution was 39.6% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 16.5%, and 8.2% who were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 83.3 males, and for every 100 males there were 72.7 males. The U.S. Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race. The 2020 census will be held in Michigan and will be the first time the city has been included in the US Census since it was part of the state in the 1940s. It will also be the city's first time in the state since the 1950s, when it was a part of Michigan.

Government and politics

The city of Benton Harbor is located in Michigan. The city was underfunded in its pension fund and had increasing budget deficits. Joseph Harris was appointed Emergency Financial Manager in April 2010. Harris suspended the decision-making powers of elected city officials in April 2011. On January 11, 2013, the Emergency Financial Assistance Loan Board (ELB) voted to replace Harris with Tony R. Saunders II. The town has a police department and a public library, which is run by the Benton Harbour Public Library, which also has its own police department. In May 2012, Occupy PGA held protest marches on the golf course during the Senior PGA Championship, but did not disrupt the tournament. The ELB appointed Saunders II as the youngest Successor-Emergency Financial Manager for the city on February 1, 2013. It is the first time the ELB has appointed an emergency financial manager in the state of Michigan in more than 30 years. The ElB was formed in 2008 to address the state's financial crisis. It was the first state-run emergency financial management agency to be created in over 20 years. It has been in existence since the early 1980s. The state of the city is in the same state as the city of Detroit, which was once the largest city in the U.S. and had a population of 1.2 million. The current Emergency Financial manager is Tony Saunders II, who was previously the chief financial officer for the City of Detroit. He was appointed to the post in April 2012.

Education

The city is served by two institutions, Benton Harbor Area Schools within the Berrien Regional Education Service Agency, and Lake Michigan College, a two-year community college. The city is located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It is located on the shores of Lake Michigan, which is just east of the city. The town has a population of about 2,000. It has an estimated population of 3,000, according to the city's 2010 census. The population of the town is about 3,500. The area's population is about 1,000 people. The U.S. Census estimates the city has a resident population of 2,200. It also has a number of non-residents, such as a handful of Native Americans, who live in the area. The number of people living in the city is about 4,500, the highest in the state. The rate of growth in the town has been about 1.5 percent per year since the early 1990s. The average age of the residents is about 40 years old, and the average height is about 5 feet, 7 inches (150 m). The city's population has been growing at a rate of 1.7 percent per decade. The current population is around 3,200 people (as of the 2010 census). It has a total population of 4,300 people (or 1,200 residents) and a population growth rate of 0.8 percent (or 0.9 percent in the past 10 years).

Economy

Whirlpool Corporation, the world's largest manufacturer of major home appliances, has its corporate headquarters in nearby Benton Charter Township. Whirlpool also has a new Riverview campus near the St. Joseph River in Benton Harbor and the Technical Center in St.Joseph. The company is based in McPherson, Pennsylvania, but has offices in several U.S. cities, including Washington, D.C., New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. It was founded in 1847 and is now based in San Diego, California, with offices in San Francisco and Los Angeles. It is the largest home appliance manufacturer in the world, with a workforce of more than 100,000 people. Its products include washing machines, dryers, dishwashers, washers and dryers as well as kitchenware and other home appliances. It also makes the majority of its products in the U.N. headquarters in San Fransisco, California. It has a plant in Bent on Harbor, Michigan, and a factory in St Joseph, Missouri, which employs about 1,200 people. It's the largest manufacturing plant in the United States, and one of the largest in Europe, with more than 1,000 employees in Europe and more than 30,000 in Asia. The U.K. has the largest number of home appliance factories, with about 2,500 employees in the state of New Jersey. The world's second-largest home appliance maker is the Swedish-based Electrolux, which makes washing machines and other household appliances.

Community organizations

The Black Autonomy Network Community Organization (BANCO) is a political and social justice coalition working in Benton Harbor. BANCO is a social and political coalition working for social and economic justice. The organization was founded in 2007. B ANCO is part of the Black Autonomous Network Community Organisation (B ANCO) which is based in Washington, D.C. and works for social justice in Washington state. BANNCO is also a member of the Washington State Democratic Party (WSPD) and the Washington City Council (WMC). BANco is also an affiliate of the National Organization for Women (NOMW), which works for women's rights and equality in Washington. It is also part of a coalition of other social justice organizations, such as the Black Women's Network (BWW), which fights for equal rights for women and girls in Washington and Washington, DC. It also works to improve the quality of life for all residents of Washington and its environs. It was formed in 2007 by a group of women and men who were concerned about the lack of equal rights and opportunities for women in the U.S. and around the world. In 2008, it was expanded to include a number of other community groups, including the NAACP, the ACLU, and the Center for American Progress. In 2009, it became the largest social justice organization in the United States, with more than 1,000 members. It has been in existence since the 1970s and is still in operation today.

Transportation

I-94 bypasses the city to the east and south, connecting with Kalamazoo and Detroit. M-63 serves as a loop route connecting with I-196 at the north and running through downtown St. Joseph. A freeway connection directly to I-94 is under construction as of 2022. Twin Cities Area Transportation Authority (TCATA) provides bus transit throughout Benton Harbor and Benton Township. Southwest Michigan Regional Airport provides non-commercial air service. Amtrak's Pere Marquette passenger train serves the city daily. The Charles Freeman Joseph bridge on Whitwam Drive, is named for Bent on Harbor's first black mayor, opened in late 2005. The Amtrak station in St.Joseph is served daily by Amtrak's Paw Paw River passenger train, which crosses the Paw Paw River to the city's east. The city is home to a number of commercial ports that receive bulk goods from lake freighters. It is also home to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is based in the city. It has a base at the Benton County Airport, which opened in the 1950s. The airport is located near the city and is currently the site of the Michigan State Police's West Michigan Division. It also serves as the base for the U-S Air Force Auxiliary, which has bases in Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois. The U.N. World Trade Center is located in nearby Port Huron, where it is the only major international hub for the region.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Benton Harbor, Berrien County, Michigan = 57.6. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 36. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 10. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Benton Harbor = 3.8 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 9,103 individuals with a median age of 27.4 age the population dropped by -5.94% in Benton Harbor, Berrien County, Michigan population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 2,077.84 residents per square mile of area (802.27/km²). There are average 2.82 people per household in the 3,644 households with an average household income of $19,385 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 13.20% of the available work force and has dropped -8.92% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 8.96%. The number of physicians in Benton Harbor per 100,000 population = 187.1.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Benton Harbor = 36 inches and the annual snowfall = 73.4 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 126. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 175. 84 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 17.6 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 49, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Benton Harbor, Berrien County, Michigan which are owned by the occupant = 29.83%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 55 years with median home cost = $58,110 and home appreciation of -14.53%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $11.63 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $5,429 per student. There are 16.5 students for each teacher in the school, 2058 students for each Librarian and 686 students for each Counselor. 3.42% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 2.10% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 2.35% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).