Benton Harbor is a city in Berrien County in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

. It is 46 miles southwest of

Kalamazoo Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in the southwest region of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Kalamazoo County. At the 2010 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 74,262. Kalamazoo is the major city of the Kalamazoo-Portage Metropoli ...

and 71 miles southwest of

Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...

. According to the 2020

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

, its population was 9,103. It is the smaller, by population, of the two principal cities in the Niles–Benton Harbor

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...

, an area with 156,813 people. Benton Harbor and the city of St. Joseph are separated by the St. Joseph River and are known locally as the "

Twin Cities Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in sta ...

". Fairplain and Benton Heights are

unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

s 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 wetlands bordered by the

Paw Paw River The Paw Paw River is located in the U.S. state of Michigan in the southwest portion of the lower peninsula. It is formed by the confluence of the north and south branches at in Waverly Township in the northeast of Van Buren County. It flows ap ...

, through which a canal was built, hence the "harbor" in the city's name. In 1860, the village was laid out by Brunson, Morton, Hull and others, and given the name Brunson Harbor. 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 wide but expanded to in 1868, led to the town's becoming a shipping and manufacturing center for the area. 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. In 1836, Benton Harbor was organized as a village and in 1891 it was incorporated as a city. The House of David religious group was founded there and once ran a local amusement park.

21st century

The

Benton Harbor riots The city of Benton Harbor, Michigan, U.S., has had two major riots. 1966 On August 30, 1966, a riot began after a meeting discussing recreational facilities and police relations with respect to black residents. During the riot, a black 18-year ...

occurred 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.

Water state of emergency

As with the 2014–2019

public health crisis A health crisis or public health crisis is a difficult situation or complex health system that affects humans in one or more geographic areas (mainly occurred in natural hazards), from a particular locality to encompass the entire planet. Health cr ...

involving the

drinking water Drinking water is water that is used in drink or food preparation; potable water is water that is safe to be used as drinking water. The amount of drinking water required to maintain good health varies, and depends on physical activity level, a ...

Flint Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Flint was widely used historically to make stone tools and start fir ...

, in 2018 higher-than-acceptable levels of

lead Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...

were found in Benton Harbor's

tap water Tap water (also known as faucet water, running water, or municipal water) is water supplied through a tap, a water dispenser valve. In many countries, tap water usually has the quality of drinking water. Tap water is commonly used for drinking, ...

. Water was starting to appear "bubbly and white" to "brown", with a "horrible" taste and poor smell. This was due to lead-based water service lines. Testing found the samples returned lead levels of 22 parts per billion, greater than the 20 parts per billion in

and the federal lead action level of 15 parts per billion. High levels of copper were also noted in the annual consumer confidence reports that have been required by

Environmental Protection Agency A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scale f ...

. Concerns were with the health impacts of lead poisoning. As a result, residents were supplied with free

bottled water Bottled water is drinking water (e.g., well water, distilled water, mineral water, or spring water) packaged in plastic or glass water bottles. Bottled water may be carbonated or not. Sizes range from small single serving bottles to lar ...

, 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.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the city has an area of , of which is land and is water.

Climate

Benton Harbor has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

: 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 from June to August, but the apparent heat is normally moderated by mild nights.

Demographics

2020 census

''Note: the US 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.''

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 10,038 people, 3,548 households, and 2,335 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was . There were 4,329 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 89.2%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 7.0%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 0.3% Native American, 0.1%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.8% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 2.6% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

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

, there were 11,182 people, 3,767 households and 2,557 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 4,492 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 92.40%

, 5.48%

, 0.15% Native American, 0.13%

, 0.04%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.14% from

, and 1.65% from two or more races.

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 The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two equal groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of ...

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 Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

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 The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, 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." The city was $10 million underfunded in its pension fund and increasing budget deficits. In April 2010, Democratic Governor

Jennifer Granholm Jennifer Mulhern Granholm (born February 5, 1959) is a Canadian-American lawyer, educator, author, political commentator, and politician serving as the 16th United States secretary of energy since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, she pre ...

appointed Joseph Harris as Emergency Financial Manager. City staff was reduced by 30 to 70. Harris was given expanded powers under a new law signed in March 2011 by

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Governor

Rick Snyder Richard Dale Snyder (born August 19, 1958) is an American business executive, venture capitalist, attorney, accountant, and politician who served as the 48th governor of Michigan from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, Snyder previo ...

. Harris was previously the chief financial officer for the city of

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

. 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. The Michigan

AFL–CIO The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL–CIO) is the largest federation of unions in the United States. It is made up of 56 national and international unions, together representing more than 12 million ac ...

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. On January 4, 2012,

city commissioner City commission government is a form of local government in the United States. In a city commission government, voters elect a small commission, typically of five to seven members, typically on a plurality-at-large voting basis. These commissione ...

s 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 The Senior PGA Championship, established in 1937, is the oldest of the five major championships in men's senior golf. It is administered by the Professional Golfers' Association of America and is recognized as a major championship by both PGA ...

in May, an " Occupy PGA movement should sit in on the golf greens and driving ranges in protest." Occupy PGA did hold protest marches on multiple days during the tournament, but did not disrupt the tournament. 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. Library service for the city is provided by the Benton Harbor Public Library. The town has a police department.

Education

The city is served by two institutions,

Benton Harbor Area Schools Benton Harbor Area Schools is a school district in Benton Harbor, Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of near ...

within the Berrien Regional Education Service Agency, and

Lake Michigan College Lake Michigan College is a public community college in Berrien County, Michigan. The main campus is in Benton Township, Michigan with regional campuses in Niles and South Haven. The Welch Center for Wine & Viticulture opened on the main campu ...

, a two-year community college just east of Benton Harbor.

Economy

Whirlpool Corporation The Whirlpool Corporation is an American multinational manufacturer and marketer of home appliances, headquartered in Benton Charter Township, Michigan, United States. The Fortune 500 company has annual revenue of approximately $21 billion, ...

, the world's largest manufacturer of major home appliances, has its corporate headquarters in nearby Benton Charter Township, along with a new Riverview campus near the St. Joseph River in Benton Harbor and the Technical Center in St. Joseph.

Community organizations

Black Autonomy Network Community Organization The Black Autonomy Network Community Organization (BANCO) is a political and social justice coalition working in Benton Harbor, Michigan, US. It was founded by Edward Pinkney to protest the June 16, 2003 death of a 28-year-old African-American, Ter ...

(BANCO) is a political and social justice coalition working in Benton Harbor.

Transportation

Major highways

* bypasses the city to the east and south, connecting with

and

to the east and with Michigan City, Indiana, and

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, to the south and southwest. * travels through the downtowns of both Benton Harbor and St. Joseph. It mostly follows the former route of US 12. * begins nearby in Benton Township and continues northerly toward

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th c ...

, ending at

. * is currently a freeway (the St. Joseph Valley Parkway) from the

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

border north, until merging with a five-lane road (Napier Avenue) to a brief connection with I-94. A freeway connection directly to I-94 is under construction as of 2022. * serves as a loop route connecting with I-196 at the north and running through downtown St. Joseph. M-63 continues on to I-94 and then to M-139, where it ends. M-63 follows the former route of US 33. * begins at US 12 near Niles and terminates at BL I-94 on the Benton Harbor–Benton Township border (the northbound direction terminates wholly within Benton Township). M-139 follows a former route of US 31 south of I-94. Spanning the

and providing an additional connection to St. Joseph, the Charles Freeman Joseph bridge on Whitwam Drive, is named for Benton Harbor's first black mayor, opened in late 2005.

Rail

The

Amtrak station This is a list of train stations and Thruway Motorcoach stops used by Amtrak (the National Railroad Passenger Corporation in the United States). This list is in alphabetical order by station or stop name, which mostly corresponds to the city ...

in St. Joseph is served daily by Amtrak's '' Pere Marquette'' passenger train.

Bus

Twin Cities Area Transportation Authority (TCATA) provides bus transit throughout Benton Harbor and the surrounding areas. Originally strictly a dial-a-ride service, it has recently expanded to include three fixed routes—Red Route, Green Route and Blue Route. Red Route serves Benton Harbor, St. Joseph, St. Joseph Charter Township, Lincoln Township, and Royalton Township. Blue and Green routes operate throughout Benton Harbor and Benton Township.

Air

Southwest Michigan Regional Airport Southwest Michigan Regional Airport is a public use airport located two nautical miles (4 km) northeast of the central business district of Benton Harbor, a city in Berrien County, Michigan, United States. The airport is owned by the c ...

provides non-commercial air service.

Shipping

Both Benton Harbor and neighboring St. Joseph are commercial ports that receive bulk goods from

lake freighter Lake freighters, or lakers, are bulk carrier vessels that operate on the Great Lakes of North America. These vessels are traditionally called boats, although classified as ships. Since the late 19th century, lakers have carried bulk cargoes of ma ...

Media

Benton Harbor is served by ''

The Herald-Palladium ''The Herald-Palladium'' is a newspaper distributed in the Southwest Michigan region serving all or part of Berrien, Cass, Van Buren, and Allegan Counties. History The ''Herald-Palladium'' is a merger of many former local newspapers in the t ...

'' newspaper, whose offices are in nearby St. Joseph Township, and is part of the South Bend/Elkhart television market. The ''Benton Spirit'' community newspaper has also served the community for the past 10 years. The paper was acknowledged by former Governor Granholm's 2003 Benton Harbor Task Force Report as a key communications stakeholder that "proactively assists in the total development of Benton Harbor". Benton Harbor is served by sister radio stations

WCXT WCXT (98.3 FM, "The Coast") is a radio station broadcasting an adult contemporary format, serving the southwestern Michigan area. WCXT is licensed to Hartford, Michigan and focuses on the cities of St. Joseph, Benton Harbor and South Haven. The ...

WCSY-FM WCSY-FM (103.7 MHz) is a radio station broadcasting a classic hits format. Licensed to South Haven, Michigan, the station serves the Benton Harbor-Saint Joseph area. WCSY-FM has filed a construction permit to move its community of license from ...

WQLQ WQLQ (99.9 FM) is a radio station licensed to Benton Harbor, Michigan targeting the South Bend, Indiana market. WQLQ is owned by Mid-West Family Broadcasting. Its signal is regularly heard as far as Chicago, Illinois, and as far east as Battle ...

WIRX WIRX (107.1 FM, "Rock 107 WIRX") is a mainstream rock radio station owned by Mid-West Family Broadcasting located in Benton Harbor, Michigan. The station's city of license is St. Joseph, Michigan broadcasting in HD from a tower at the edge of Ben ...

WQYQ WQYQ (1400 AM) is a radio station broadcasting an alternative rock format. Licensed to St. Joseph, Michigan, it first began broadcasting in 1956 as WSJM. Programming is simulcast on a local translator on 106.1 FM (W291DK). Through the late 1980 ...

WSJM-FM WSJM-FM is a radio station broadcasting a News/ Talk format. Licensed to Benton Harbor, Michigan, the station formerly simulcasted with WSJM except for Fox Sports Radio programming on AM and for most weekend programs. The simulcast ended in la ...

, and

WYTZ WYTZ (97.5 FM, "97.5 Y-Country") is a radio station broadcasting a country music format. Licensed to Bridgman, Michigan Bridgman is a city in Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,291 at the time of the 2010 cen ...

, as well as WHFB and some in the South Bend market. Additionally, most of the Chicago market TV and

radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...

stations are available from across the lake.

Points of interest

Sites of interest in Benton Harbor are Shiloh House, built in 1910, which 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;

Jean Klock Park Jean Klock Park is a historic city park along Lake Michigan in Benton Harbor, Michigan, United States. In 1917, John Nellis Klock and his wife, Carrie, bought a significant stretch of lakeshore including tall dunes and of shoreline from E. K. W ...

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that o ...

; and

the Golf Club at Harbor Shores The Golf Club at Harbor Shores is a golf club located in Benton Harbor, Michigan, part of the Harbor Shores development on Lake Michigan. History All 18 holes of the course were opened on July 1, 2010. The course held its Grand Opening on July 1 ...

. In neighboring Benton Township is a large fruit market that replaced the fruit market in the "flats" area of Benton Harbor, which was torn down during an

urban renewal Urban renewal (also called urban regeneration in the United Kingdom and urban redevelopment in the United States) is a program of land redevelopment often used to address urban decay in cities. Urban renewal involves the clearing out of blighte ...

project in 1967. The main shopping center is

The Orchards Mall The Orchards Mall is an enclosed shopping mall near Benton Harbor, Michigan. Opened in 1979, the mall originally featured Sears and JCPenney as its anchor stores, with Elder-Beerman (later in 2011 known as Carson's) being added in the 1990s. All t ...

Sports

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major men's professional basketball league from 1967 to 1976. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger, American Basketball Association–National Basketball Association merger in 1976, ...

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. Another ABA team, the Lake Michigan Admirals, began play in 2009. The Admirals switched from the ABA to join the Premiere Basketball League for the 2012 season.

Jack Dempsey William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey (June 24, 1895 – May 31, 1983), nicknamed Kid Blackie and The Manassa Mauler, was an American professional boxer who competed from 1914 to 1927, and reigned as the world heavyweight champion from 1919 to 1926. ...

defended his

heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the Wo ...

title on September 6, 1920, in Benton Harbor, defeating Billy Miske. The city hosts the Maytag Ironman 70.3 Steelhead triathlon, a qualifying event for the

Ironman 70.3 An Ironman 70.3, also known as a Half Ironman, is one of a series of long-distance triathlon races organized by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC). The "70.3" refers to the total distance in miles (113.0 km) covered in the race, consisting o ...

World Championship. The city is the birthplace of

Iris Kyle Iris Floyd Kyle (born August 22, 1974) is an African-Indian American professional female bodybuilder. She is currently the most successful female professional bodybuilder ever with seventeen titles including ten overall Ms. Olympia wins (the m ...

, the most successful professional bodybuilder ever, with ten overall

Ms. Olympia The IFBB Ms. Olympia is both the highest ranking professional female bodybuilding competition and the title of the winner of the competition. It was first organized in 1980, and was held as part of the Joe Weider's Olympia Fitness & Performance ...

wins and two heavyweight wins, along with seven

Ms. International The Ms. International female bodybuilding contest was considered to be the second-most prestigious competition for female bodybuilders (second only to the Ms. Olympia competition), from its inception in 1986 through 2013. It was first held in 1 ...

wins and one heavyweight win.

Festivals

Benton Harbor co-hosts the annual Blossomtime Festival with St. Joseph.

Notable people

Vearne C. Babcock Vearne Clifton Babcock (28 April 1887 - 15 February 1972) was an American aeronautical engineer and aircraft designer in the first half of the twentieth century. He was one of the 598 aviators who were members of the Early Birds of Aviation. Biogr ...

– member of the

Early Birds of Aviation Gallery The Early Birds of Aviation is an organization devoted to the history of early pilots. The organization was started in 1928 and accepted a membership of 598 pioneering aviators. Membership was limited to ...

Joique Bell Joique Dewayne Bell Jr. (born August 4, 1986) is a former American football running back. He played college football at Wayne State. Bell was signed by the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent in 2010. He has also been a member of the Phila ...

– NFL football player for

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

* Bill Berry – jazz trumpeter *

Bobo Brazil Houston Harris (July 10, 1924 – January 20, 1998) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Bobo Brazil. Credited with breaking down barriers of racial segregation in professional wrestling, Harris is considered one ...

– professional wrestlerRoyce, Julie Albrecht (2007)
''Traveling Michigan's Sunset Coast''
p. 37. Dog Ear Publishing. *

Wilson Chandler Wilson Jamall Chandler (born May 10, 1987) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the NBA for 13 seasons, mainly with the New York Knicks and the Denver Nuggets. He has also played for Zhejiang Guangsha of the Chines ...

– NBA player for

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eas ...

Don Griffin Donald Frederick Griffin (born March 17, 1964 in Pelham, Georgia) is a former professional American football player who was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the sixth round of the 1986 NFL Draft. A 6'0", 176-lb. cornerback from Middle Te ...

– professional football player *

Gene Harris Gene Harris (born Eugene Haire, September 1, 1933 – January 16, 2000) was an American jazz pianist known for his warm sound and blues and gospel infused style that is known as soul jazz. From 1956 to 1970, he played in The Three Sounds tri ...

(Haire) – jazz pianist * Niki Haris – singer and daughter of Gene Harris *Clara Edmunds Hemingway – poet, singer, composer, editor * Don Hopkins (baseball), Don Hopkins – MLB player for Oakland A's * Ernie Hudson – actor, ''Ghostbusters (franchise), Ghostbusters'' * Arte Johnson – actor and comedian, ''Laugh-In'' * Julie Krone – jockey, first woman to win horse racing's Belmont Stakes *

– International Federation of BodyBuilding & Fitness, IFBB professional bodybuilder * Bud Mahurin, Walker "Bud" Mahurin – U.S. Air Force officer * Jim "Dandy" Mangrum – lead vocalist, Black Oak Arkansas * Anthony Miller (basketball), Anthony Miller – professional basketball player * Charles Willard Moore – architect and AIA Gold Medal winner * Rome (musician), Rome (Jerome Woods) – R&B singer * Sinbad (entertainer), Sinbad (David Adkins) – actor and comedian * Ruth Terry – singer and actress * Robert L. Van Antwerp Jr. - U.S. Army Lieutenant general (United States), Lieutenant General and Chief of Engineers * Chet Walker – NBA basketball player for

and Chicago Bulls, 7-time All-Star, 2012 inductee in Basketball Hall of Fame * Lyman M. Ward – Union Army brigadier general * Wally Weber – U-M football player, assistant coach, University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor, Hall of Honor inductee * Robert Whaley – NBA basketball player

References

External links

*
''History of Benton Harbor and tales of village days''
(by James Pender. Chicago: The Braun Printing Co., 1915)
Benton-Michigan Spirit Community Newspaper
{{Authority control Benton Harbor, Michigan, Cities in Berrien County, Michigan Michigan populated places on Lake Michigan 1860 establishments in Michigan