Welcome to Benton Harbor ...
The city of Benton Harbor is located in Berrien County<1>.
While we don't have a date for the founding of Benton Harbor, you might consider that their post office opened in 1865.
When the people of Benton Harbor refer to themselves (known as a demonym), they frequently use Benton Harborite<2>
A typical abbreviation for Benton Harbor: Benton Hbr. (or less commonly used: Benton Harb. or Benton Hrbr.)
From the Census Estimates for 2019, Benton Harbor has a population of 9,735 people<3> (see below for details).
Benton Harbor is 600 feet [183 m] above sea level.<4>.
Time Zone: Benton Harbor lies in the Eastern Time Zone (EST/EDT) and observes daylight saving time
Note: If you travel south from Benton Harbor (for example, toward Hamlet (IN)), you will leave Eastern Time and cross into the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT).
The telephone area code for Benton Harbor: (269)
The ZIP codes for Benton Harbor: 49022-49023<5>
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Benton Harbor had an population of 9,735 people. This is a decrease of 3.02% since the 2010 Census (or a decrease of 12.94% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, Benton Harbor had a population of 10,038 people (or 6.4% of the total population of Berrien County). This makes Benton Harbor the county's 2nd most populous community.
The population of Benton Harbor represents 0.1% of the population of Michigan (which has 9,883,640 people), making it the state's 93rd most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 10,038 people, the population of Benton Harbor decreased 10.23% from the 2000 Census (with a count of 11,182 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for Benton Harbor.
Communities Also Named Benton Harbor ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found another community named Benton Harbor - it's located in Georgia.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Benton Harbor.
Communities near Benton Harbor ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Benton Harbor.
- Dowagiac
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dowagiac
- Dowagiac is located in Cass County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,565 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dowagiac <6>
- Hartford
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartford
- Hartford is located in Van Buren County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,572 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hartford <6>
- Bridgman
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgman
- Bridgman is located in Berrien County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,200 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bridgman <6>
- Berrien Springs
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Berrien Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berrien Springs
- Berrien Springs is located in Berrien County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,718 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Berrien Springs <6>
- Watervliet
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watervliet
- Watervliet is located in Berrien County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,635 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Watervliet <6>
- Coloma
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coloma
- Coloma is located in Berrien County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,402 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Coloma <6>
- Stevensville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stevensville
- Stevensville is located in Berrien County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,127 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stevensville <6>
- Baroda
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Baroda have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baroda
- Baroda is located in Berrien County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 879 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Baroda <6>
- Eau Claire
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eau Claire have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eau Claire
- Eau Claire is located in Berrien County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 591 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eau Claire <6>
- Shoreham
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Benton Harbor. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Benton Harbor.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Benton Harbor. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Benton Harbor.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Benton Harbor. Our list includes 12 papers. See our Newspapers Page for Benton Harbor.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Benton Harbor ...
Looking for more information about Benton Harbor? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
In addition to the Tourism page for Benton Harbor, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Benton Harbor.
Adding Benton Harbor to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Benton Harbor in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Benton Harbor was on a map titled Road Map for Michigan (from Shell Oil, 1956).
We also found Benton Harbor in the book titled .<8> From that list, the Benton Harbor post office opened in 1865.
For more details, see References and Mentions for Benton Harbor.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Benton Harbor. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for State of Michigan: https://www.michigan.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of Michigan's counties, including Berrien, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | A demonym is the name for a resident of a community which is usually derived from (or is related to) the name of that community. In other words, it's how the residents of Benton Harbor refer to themselves. It's important to note that there aren't any rules for taking a city's name and turning it into a demonym. A demonym is informal and while the majority of Benton Harbor may use one name, keep in mind that others may use something different. |
| <3> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Benton Harbor. |
| <4> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Benton Harbor - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <5> | ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a city (such as Benton Harbor). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Benton Harbor or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). Our list of ZIP Codes for Benton Harbor includes: 49022 & 49023. |
| <6> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <7> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <8> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |