Benton Harbor is a city in Berrien County, in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located 46 miles southwest of Kalamazoo and 71 miles southwest of Grand Rapids, it had a population of 9,103 according to the 2020 census. It is the smaller of the two principal cities in the Niles–Benton Harbor Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a population of 156,813.
Benton Harbor and the nearby city of St. Joseph developed on opposite sides of the St. Joseph River and are commonly referred to as the "Twin Cities". Fairplain and Benton Heights are unincorporated areas adjacent to Benton Harbor. The population is more than 80 percent African American.
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. It was mainly wetlands bordered by the Paw Paw River, 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. The eastern end of the canal was deemed non-navigable in 1937 and most of the rest was in 1963.
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 1891, Benton Harbor was incorporated as a city.
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.
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-old named Cecil Hunt was killed in a drive-by shooting; suspects were arrested but the assault charge was later dismissed. Governor George W. Romney dispatched troops from the Michigan National Guard, who stood down on September 5 when the riot dissipated.
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.
A state task force produced a report about the incident later in 2003. Indirectly, the riot contributed to the Jimmy Carter Work Project's 2005 activities being held in Benton Harbor and Detroit.
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. 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. High levels of copper were also noted in the annual consumer confidence reports that have been required by Environmental Protection Agency. As a result, residents were supplied with free bottled water, including for use with brushing teeth and cooking, for residences and schools.
Ox Creek restoration
In the 2020s Benton Harbor began a project to improve the area around Ox Creek, a stream that flows through parts of the city including the downtown area and drains into the Paw Paw River. Contributing parties are the Southwest Michigan Planning Commission metropolitan planning organization and the University of Michigan.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of , of which is land and is water.
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 from June to August, but the apparent heat is normally moderated by mild nights.