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Benton Harbor is a city in Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 11,182 at the 2000 census. It is the home of Whirlpool Corporation. 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 built in 1849 by Eleazar Morton, which now houses a museum; and nearby Sarett Nature Center, a 300-acre wildlife sanctuary which offers trails, an interpretative building, and classes. Benton Harbor also has a large fruit market.
Benton Harbor and St. Joseph are locally collectively known as the "Twin Cities."
History
Benton Harbor was founded by three men Henry C. Morton, Sterne Brunson and Charles Hull, who all now have or have had schools named after them*." target="_blank" > Benton Harbor was mainly swampland bordered by the Paw Paw River, through which a canal was built, producing the harbor from which the city received its name (originally it was Brunson Harbor)[http://www.berriencounty.org/econdev/pdfs/Benton%20Harbor%20City%202005.pdf.
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.
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.
Notable Natives
- Arte Johnson - actor / comedian
- Ernie Hudson - Actor
- Rome (Jerome Woods) - R&B Singer
- Sinbad (David Adkins) - actor / comedian
- Gene Harris - jazz pianist
- Bobo Brazil - Professional wrestler
- Anthony Miller - Professional basketball player
- Robert Whaley - Professional basketball player
- Quacy Barnes, Robert Whaley's sister, former WNBA player
External links
"Benton Harbor, Michigan"