Area Information
Benton Harbor is a city in Berrien County in the state of Michigan which is located west of Kalamazoo, and northwest of South Bend, Indiana. In 2010, the population was 10,038 according the census.

Benton Harbor and the City of St. Joseph are separated by the St. Joseph River and are known locally as the "Twin Cities". Both Benton Harbor and St. Joseph are commercial ports that receive bulk goods from lake freighters.

Benton Harbor was founded by Henry C. Morton, Sterne Brunson and Charles Hull, who all now have or have had schools named after them. 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. In 1860, the village was laid out by Brunson, Morton, Hull and others, and given the name of Brunson Harbor. In 1865 the name of the settlement was changed to Benton Harbor in honor of Thomas Hart Benton, a Missouri Senator who helped Michigan achieve statehood. In 1869, Benton Harbor was organized as a village and in 1891 was incorporated as a city.

Sites of interest in Benton Harbor are Shiloh House, built in 1910, which 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;

In 1986 Benton Harbor became the focus of state government attention and was designated as an enterprise zone. This program provides substantial incentives for business location and has become the basis for the renewal of Benton Harbor.
Resources
City of Benton Harbor
Wikipedia

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