New Buffalo 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 so ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. The population was 1,708 during the 2020 census.

History

The area around the mouth of the Galien River was originally populated by Miami and Potawatomi peoples. Later, French missionaries visited the area on their search for the fabled

Northwest Passage The Northwest Passage (NWP) is the sea lane between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the Arctic Ocean, near the northern coast of North America via waterways through the Arctic Archipelago of Canada. The eastern route along the Arctic ...

. The area remained sparsely populated, even as Michigan Territory was petitioning for statehood. In 1834 a sea-captain from

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

—Wessel Whittaker—and his crew were shipwrecked on the Lake Michigan coast south of the Galien River outlet. As they headed back to Saint Joseph, MI to report the loss of their ship, Whittaker noticed the possibilities of the New Buffalo area as a potential harbor. He purchased the land around the river-mouth and with various family members in tow, returned and named his new settlement New Buffalo. Compared to larger harbors along the coast, New Buffalo wasn't a contender initially. However, the new Michigan Central Railway was being built across Michigan in the late 1830s. This new transportation route terminated for several years in New Buffalo, leading to explosive growth. Railway passengers would stop in town to wait for steamers to finish taking them to Chicago, creating a demand for hotels. Unfortunately, the rail line was completed directly to Chicago, which made New Buffalo just another stop along the route. The boom times were over. As the 19th century progressed, New Buffalo area became a popular vacation getaway spot for Chicagoans. It was easily reached by train and was miles away from the heavy industry of

Gary, Indiana Gary ( ) is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The population was 69,093 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it Indiana's List of municipalities in Indiana, eleventh-most populous city. The city has been historical ...

and the hustle and bustle of

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. New Buffalo area also preserved the sand dunes that are common along the Lake Michigan shore. In the early 20th Century, US Highway 12 was constructed through town, allowing autos to drive there directly. In the mid-20th century, Interstate 94 was constructed just east of town.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. The city is located on

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 depth () after Lake Superior and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the ...

at the mouth of the Galien River. This forms a natural harbor, which is part of the current pleasure-boat harbor drawing summer residents and boaters.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 1,883 people, 881 households, and 497 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

was . There were 1,692 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.4%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 1.6%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.5% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.2%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 2.6% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 4.4% of the population. There were 881 households, of which 21.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.7% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 43.6% were non-families. 38.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.80. The median age in the city was 48.4 years. 17.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 19.4% were from 25 to 44; 34.9% were from 45 to 64; and 21.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.3% male and 50.7% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 2,200 people, 947 households, and 603 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,426 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.64%

, 0.41%

, 0.23% Native American, 0.50% Asian, 0.05%

, 1.27% from other races, and 0.91% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 2.86% of the population. There were 947 households, out of which 24.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.8% were

living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.3% were non-families. 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.89. In the city, the population was spread out, with 20.8% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 27.0% from 45 to 64, and 18.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $41,658, and the median income for a family was $52,639. Males had a median income of $35,076 versus $22,227 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $24,440. About 4.3% of families and 6.2% 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 ...

, including 9.0% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

New Buffalo is a popular resort town due to its location along the Lake Michigan shoreline and its proximity to the

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Metropolitan Area. As a result, tourism is the primary industry. Four Winds Casino Resort New Buffalo opened on August 2, 2007, and brought more than 2,000 jobs to the New Buffalo area. The casino includes over 3,000 slot machines and 100 gaming tables. The Four Winds is the main competition for the Blue Chip Casino in

Michigan City, Indiana Michigan City is a city in LaPorte County, Indiana, United States. It had a population of 32,075 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located along Lake Michigan in the Michiana region, the city is about east of Chicago and is west o ...

Transportation

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

, the national passenger rail system, provides three trains per day at the station, with the and .

CSX Transportation CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad company operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Operating about 21,000 route miles () of track, it is the lead ...

provides freight service to the city. US 12 and I-94 provide freeway access to Detroit and Chicago. A harbor, both natural and man made, is present at the mouth of the Galien River. This harbor is used by pleasure boats and is accessible to all Lake Michigan ports and beyond, but has little to no commercial traffic other than the occasional charter sailboat.

Education

The New Buffalo Area Schools system is composed of an elementary school, and a joined middle/high school. The New Buffalo Middle/High School, located off of Clay Street, was built in 2001. It has a performing arts center, multiple computer labs, indoor and outdoor running tracks, and is designed symmetrically for the middle and high school sections. The elementary school's gym was also rebuilt. The middle/high school also has a "Smart Lab", one of the most sophisticated student labs in the country. At the smart lab, students from New Buffalo and neighboring municipalities have access to EKG machines, flight simulators, and video production equipment. In addition, an addition to the Athletic Wing was completed in 2010 with a brand new two-story weight room and auxiliary gymnasium. The New Buffalo High School Bison compete in the BCS Conference in sports. The 1963 Boys Basketball team won the Class C State title, boys baseball won the Class D State title in 1983 and 1995. The 1999 boys cross country team won the Class D State title, and the 2005 baseball team won the Division IV State title.

Notable people

* Roger Brown, Chicago

painter Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

Roger Brown in New Buffalo, Michigan - Roger Brown Resources at SAIC
/ref> * Laurent Novikoff, ballet master

References

External links

New Buffalo - Harbor Country ChamberCity of New Buffalo, MI Official WebsiteNew Buffalo Business AssociationNew Buffalo AlumniNew Buffalo Railroad MuseumNew Buffalo Historical Sites
{{Authority control Michigan populated places on Lake Michigan Cities in Berrien County, Michigan