Berrien County is a county on the south line of Michigan, at the southwestern corner of the state. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 154,316.[2] The county seat is St. Joseph.[3]
As one of the Cabinet counties, Berrien County was named for John M. Berrien of Georgia, US Attorney General (1829–1831) under US President Andrew Jackson.[1] The county was founded in 1829, and was organized in 1831, before Michigan was accepted into the Union as a state.[4]
When Michigan Territory was established in 1805, the area of present Berrien County was included in the boundary of Wayne County.
About 1780, New Jersey resident William Burnett established a trading post at the mouth of the St. Joseph River (present-day site of St. Joseph) to serve indigenous peoples and French Canadian residents. Also during that time, Joseph Bertrand established a trading post on the river, in present–day Niles Charter Township.[5] In December 1822, missionary Isaac McCoy moved his family and 18 Indian students from Indiana to the St. Joseph River near present-day Niles, Michigan, to open a religious mission (the Carey Mission) to the Potawatomi Indians, 160km from the nearest White settlement.[6]
In 1827 St. Joseph Township was organized as part of Wayne County, It included all lands acquired from the Native Americans by the 1821 Treaty of Chicago.
The boundary of Berrien County was delineated by the Michigan Territory Legislature on October 29, 1829, with its present limits. For purposes of revenue, taxation and judicial matters, it was attached to Cass County, and was designated as Niles Township. This assignation was terminated in 1831 when Berrien County's government was organized and initiated.
Berrien County began with three townships:
Berrien Township – consisted of present-day townships of Berrien, Oronoko, Baroda and Lake plus a two-mile strip north of that territory
Niles Township – consisted of the area south of Berrien Township.[7]
In recent times, Berrien County, especially the coastal cities of New Buffalo and Lakeside, has received notice as a vacation destination for Chicago area residents and other Midwesterners. It has earned multiple nicknames in this capacity, including "Harbor Country" and "the Hamptons of the Midwest", with the latter recognized by the Wall Street Journal.[8][9]
Politics
Berrien County has favored a Republican Party candidate in all but six elections since 1884.
United States presidential election results for Berrien County, Michigan[10]
Year
Republican
Democratic
Third party
No.
%
No.
%
No.
%
2020
43,519
52.71%
37,438
45.34%
1,608
1.95%
2016
38,647
53.65%
29,495
40.95%
3,889
5.40%
2012
38,209
52.51%
33,465
45.99%
1,088
1.50%
2008
36,130
46.42%
40,381
51.88%
1,323
1.70%
2004
41,076
55.01%
32,846
43.99%
749
1.00%
2000
35,689
54.70%
28,152
43.15%
1,400
2.15%
1996
28,254
47.65%
24,614
41.51%
6,427
10.84%
1992
29,252
42.02%
25,840
37.12%
14,523
20.86%
1988
37,799
62.81%
21,948
36.47%
436
0.72%
1984
43,160
66.58%
21,228
32.75%
436
0.67%
1980
41,458
60.99%
22,152
32.59%
4,368
6.43%
1976
40,835
61.13%
25,163
37.67%
800
1.20%
1972
43,047
68.26%
18,597
29.49%
1,416
2.25%
1968
32,136
51.08%
21,266
33.80%
9,514
15.12%
1964
26,387
43.86%
33,653
55.94%
122
0.20%
1960
37,425
60.85%
23,837
38.76%
244
0.40%
1956
35,397
65.50%
18,454
34.15%
194
0.36%
1952
32,932
62.94%
19,088
36.48%
300
0.57%
1948
22,003
58.89%
14,516
38.85%
842
2.25%
1944
24,832
60.66%
15,886
38.81%
216
0.53%
1940
22,778
57.02%
16,961
42.46%
208
0.52%
1936
15,321
41.27%
20,822
56.09%
982
2.65%
1932
14,123
42.46%
18,447
55.46%
694
2.09%
1928
19,064
68.60%
8,555
30.78%
172
0.62%
1924
15,612
63.73%
4,445
18.15%
4,440
18.12%
1920
15,748
74.06%
4,855
22.83%
662
3.11%
1916
7,511
53.68%
6,054
43.27%
426
3.04%
1912
2,752
23.06%
4,225
35.40%
4,958
41.54%
1908
7,260
58.07%
4,598
36.78%
645
5.16%
1904
7,309
62.99%
3,819
32.91%
476
4.10%
1900
6,595
55.47%
4,960
41.72%
334
2.81%
1896
6,672
56.12%
4,792
40.31%
424
3.57%
1892
4,979
48.55%
4,716
45.98%
561
5.47%
1888
5,128
49.72%
4,689
45.46%
497
4.82%
1884
4,445
48.06%
4,458
48.21%
345
3.73%
Government
The county government operates the jail, maintains rural roads, operates the major local courts, records deeds, mortgages and vital records, oversees public health, and participates with the state in welfare and social services. The county board of commissioners controls the budget and has limited authority to make laws and ordinances. In Michigan, most local government functions — police, fire, building and zoning, tax assessment, street maintenance, etc. — are the responsibility of individual cities and townships.
1st District County Commissioner: David Vollrath (R-Coloma)
2nd District County Commissioner: Jon Hinkelman (R-Watervliet)
3rd District County Commissioner: James Martin (I-Benton Harbor)
4th District County Commissioner: Mamie Yarbrough (D-Benton Harbor)
5th District County Commissioner: Rayonte Bell (D-St. Joseph)
6th District County Commissioner: Julie Wuerfel (R-St. Joseph)
7th District County Commissioner: Bob Harrison (R-Stevensville)
8th District County Commissioner: Teri Freehling (R-Baroda)
9th District County Commissioner: Ezra Scott (R-New Buffalo)
10th District County Commissioner: Mac Elliot (R-Buchanan)
11th District County Commissioner: Jim Curran (R-Niles)
12th District County Commissioner: Michael Majerek (R-Niles)[18]
(information as of October 2022)
Geography
According to the US Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,581 square miles (4,090km2), of which 568 square miles (1,470km2) is land and 1,014 square miles (2,630km2) (64%) is water.[19]
The county borders the state of Indiana to the South and includes a portion of Lake Michigan to the West.
The St. Joseph River is a major geographical feature, flowing mostly north and west through the county from Niles to its mouth on Lake Michigan at St. Joseph. The southwest of the county is drained by the Galien River and its tributaries. Paw Paw Lake is in the north of the county, along with the Paw Paw River, which flows into the St. Joseph River just before it enters Lake Michigan. A tiny portion along the Indiana state line is drained by small tributaries of the Kankakee River, which ultimately flows into the Mississippi River. This is one of two areas of Michigan drained by the Mississippi River, the other being an area of Michigan's Upper Peninsula near the Wisconsin border.
Major highways
I-94 – runs north along the western edge of the county near Lake Michigan. Turns inland to skirt the St. Joseph/Benton Harbor urban area. Runs east to Kalamazoo. Business Loop 94 passes through downtown Benton Harbor and St. Joseph.
BL I-94 – runs through St. Joseph and Benton Harbor.
I-196 – from its intersection with I-94 east of Benton Harbor, runs north to Holland, then east to Grand Rapids.
US31 – running north from South Bend, Indiana, enters the southeast county as the St. Joseph Valley Parkway, near Niles, and continues north and west. A segment of the freeway was completed in August 2003, running from Berrien Springs north to Napier Avenue east of Benton Harbor. US31 follows Napier Avenue west to I-94 before branching off with I-196. A final segment is planned to continue the freeway from Napier Avenue north to the junction with I-94 and BL I-94 with a full cloverleaf interchange. The former route of US31 between Berrien Springs and St. Joseph was redesignated as M-139.
M-51 – enters from Indiana as a continuation of State Road 933. Runs north through Niles, then northeast toward Dowagiac, Michigan.
M-62 – from its intersection with M-140, runs east toward Dowagiac, Michigan.
M-63 – from its intersection with M-139 (formerly US31) in Scottdale, runs northwest into St. Joseph, then northeast to intersection with US31/I-196 near the county line.
M-139 – from its intersection with US12 southwest of Niles, runs northeasterly into downtown Niles, then follows the former route of US31 US33 northwesterly through Berrien Springs to Scottdale, then north near St. Joseph and Benton Harbor to an intersection with Business Loop I-94.
M-140 – from Niles, runs north through the eastern part of the county toward South Haven, Michigan.
M-239 – its 1.1 miles (1.8km) length links I-94 at Exit 1 near New Buffalo to State Road 39 north of LaPorte, Indiana.
A-2 – Berrien County's only signed county highway. Begins in Hagar Shores at M-63 and I-196. It follows the Lake Michigan shoreline and continues to South Haven, Michigan.
US Decennial Census[20] 1790-1960[21] 1900-1990[22] 1990-2000[23] 2010-2019[2]
The 2010 United States Census[24] indicates Berrien County had a 2010 population of 156,813. This is a decrease of 5,640 people from the 2000 United States Census, or a 3.5% population decrease. In 2010 there were 63,054 households and 41,585 families in the county. The population density was 276.2 per square mile (106.6 square kilometers). There were 76,922 housing units at an average density of 135.5 per square mile (52.3 square kilometers). 78.3% of the population were White, 15.3% Black or African American, 1.6% Asian, 0.5% Native American, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.8% of some other race and 2.4% of two or more races. 4.5% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race). 29.0% were of German, 7.4% Irish, 6.8% English and 5.5% American ancestry.[25]
There were 63,054 households, 29.6% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.8% were husband and wife families, 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.0% were non-families, and 28.7% were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.98.
The county population contained 23.4% under age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 23.2% from 25 to 44, 28.6% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.6 males.
The 2010 American Community Survey 1-year estimate[26] indicates the median income for a household in the county was $40,329 and the median income for a family was $51,305. Males had a median income of $26,745 versus $16,289 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,337. About 12.1% of families and 16.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.5% of those under the age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over.
The Pokagon reservation with underlying local municipal boundaries
The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians has a reservation occupying a portion of the southeastern corner of Berrien County. The tribe also occupies areas in Allegan, Cass, and Van Buren counties, as well as extending south into the state of Indiana. The reservation headquarters are located in neighboring Cass County in the city of Dowagiac.[27] The Berrien County reservation surrounds the entire portion of the city of Niles that lies within the county, as well as portions of Bertrand Township and Niles Charter Township along the St. Joseph River.[28]
See also
List of Michigan State Historic Sites in Berrien County, Michigan
National Register of Historic Places listings in Berrien County, Michigan
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