Benton Harbor, Michigan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Benton Harbor is a city in Berrien County in the U.S. State of Michigan.
The population was 11,182 at time of the 2000 census. It is the lesser populated of two principal cities of and included in the Niles-Benton Harbor, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is the administrative home of Whirlpool Corporation which acquired the Maytag Corporation in 2006, making it the world's largest producer of home appliances. Sites of interest are Shiloh House, built in 1910 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; nearby Sarett Nature Center, a 300-acre wildlife sanctuary which offers trails, an interpretative building, and classes, and Jean Klock Beach Park on Lake Michigan. Near Benton Harbor is a large fruit marketwhich replaced the prior fruit market located in the "flats" area of Benton Harbor which was torn down during an urban renewal project.
Benton Harbor and the City of St. Joseph (which is located across the St. Joseph River) are known locally as the "Twin Cities." Fairplain and Benton Heights are unincorporated areas adjacent to Benton Harbor.
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[edit] History
Benton Harbor was founded by the following three men: Henry C. Morton, Sterne Brunson and Charles Hull, who all now have or have had schools named after them[1][2]. Benton Harbor was mainly swampland bordered by the Paw Paw River, through which a canal was built, hence the "harbor" in the city's name)[3]. In 1863, the settlement was given the name of Brunson Harbor. In 1865 the name of the settlement was changed to Thomas Hart Benton who was a Missouri Senator who helped Michigan achieve statehood. In 1866, Benton Harbor was organized as a village and in 1891 was incorporated as a city.
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.6 km² (4.5 mi²). 11.4 km² (4.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (1.79%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 11,182 people, 3,767 households, and 2,557 families residing in the city. The population density was 983.5/km² (2,545.7/mi²). There were 4,492 housing units at an average density of 395.1/km² (1,022.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 5.48% White, 92.40% African American, 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 out 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.
In the city the population was spread out with 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 income for a household in the city was $17,471, and the median income for a family 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. 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.
[edit] Education
The city is served by the Berrien County Intermediate School District [4].
Benton Harbor High School [5] is the only high school in Benton Harbor. Benton Harbor's High School's basketball team won a few state championships during the mid-1960s. The school's football field is called Fillstrip Field where the annual graduations were also held. Bernard Kuschel was the band director of the high school's varsity marching and concert bands for several decades. For years a popular student gathering place was the Tiger Den restaurant across the street from the high school before it was torn down.
[edit] Sports
An American Basketball Association (ABA), the Twin City Ballers will begin play in November 2006 in Benton Harbor.
Jack Dempsey defended his heavyweight title September 6, 1920 in Benton Harbor defeating Billy Miske.
[edit] Notable residents
- Arte Johnson - Actor/comedian
- Ernie Hudson - Actor
- Rome (Jerome Woods) - R&B singer
- Sinbad (David Adkins) - Actor / comedian
- Gene Harris - Jazz pianist
- Chet Walker - Professional basketball player
- Bobo Brazil - Professional wrestler
- Anthony Miller - Professional basketball player
- Robert Whaley - Professional basketball player
- Julie Krone - Female Horse Jockey/Belmont Stakes Winner
- Quacy Barnes - Robert Whaley's sister, former WNBA player
- Diane Gordon - R&B singer
- By Chance - R&B group (Gary Neal, Elquin Rice, Terry Rice, and Rod Sutton)
[edit] Trivia
- Benton Harbor Blues is the name of a song by the alternative rock band The Fiery Furnaces
