Welcome to Niles ...
The city of Niles is primarily located in Berrien County<1>. A portion of Niles extends into Cass County.
Niles was established in 1827.
The origin (or the toponymy) of Niles: 1924:linhwy1924
When the people of Niles refer to themselves (known as a demonym), they frequently use Nilesite<2>
From the Census Estimates for 2019, Niles has a population of 11,150 people<3> (see below for details).
The community of Niles is 690 feet [210 m] above sea level.<4>.
Time Zone: Niles lies in the Eastern Time Zone (EST/EDT) and observes daylight saving time
Note: If you travel west from Niles (for example, toward Michiana Shores (IN)), you will leave Eastern Time and cross into the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT).
Niles is within the boundaries of the (269) area code.
The ZIP codes for Niles: 49120-49121<5>
Websites for Niles ...
Official Website: www.ci.niles.mi.us/
Chamber of Commerce: www.nilesmi.com/
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Niles had an population of 11,150 people. This is a decrease of 3.88% since the 2010 Census (or a decrease of 8.64% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, Niles had a population of 11,600 people (or 7.4% of the total population of Berrien County). This makes Niles the county's most populous community.
The population of Niles represents 0.12% of the population of Michigan (which has 9,883,640 people), making it the state's 78th most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 11,600 people, the population of Niles decreased 4.95% from the 2000 Census (which had a count of 12,204 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for Niles.
Communities Also Named Niles ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are two Michigan communities named Niles: This one is located in Berrien County and the other is located in Oakland County.
Beyond Michigan, there are 17 communities that are also named Niles - they are located in Florida, Illinois, Iowa (2), Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, North Dakota, Ohio (2), Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas (2) and Wisconsin.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Niles.
Communities near Niles ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Niles.
- South Bend
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Bend
- South Bend is located in Saint Joseph County (IN)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 101,868 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for South Bend <6>
- Elkhart
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhart
- Elkhart is located in Elkhart County (IN)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 52,172 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elkhart <6>
- Mishawaka
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mishawaka
- Mishawaka is located in Saint Joseph County (IN)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 50,312 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mishawaka <6>
- Dowagiac
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)- 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>
- Osceola
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Osceola have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osceola
- Osceola is located in Saint Joseph County (IN)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,486 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Osceola <6>
- Bridgman
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)- 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>
- New Carlisle
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Carlisle have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Carlisle
- New Carlisle is located in Saint Joseph County (IN)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,150 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Carlisle <6>
- Berrien Springs
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)- 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>
- Cassopolis
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cassopolis have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cassopolis
- Cassopolis is located in Cass County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,698 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cassopolis <6>
- Three Oaks
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Three Oaks have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Three Oaks
- Three Oaks is located in Berrien County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,540 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Three Oaks <6>
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 Niles. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Niles.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Niles. 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 Niles.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Niles. Our list includes 27 papers. See our Newspapers Page for Niles.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Niles ...
Looking for more information about Niles? 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 Niles, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Niles.
Adding Niles to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Niles 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 Niles was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<8>
From that list, the Niles post office opened in 1829.
We also found Niles in the book titled U.S. Post Offices (Oct. 1846).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Niles.
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Niles: www.ci.niles.mi.us/
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 Niles 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 Niles 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 Niles. |
| <4> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Niles - 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 Niles). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Niles or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). Our list of ZIP Codes for Niles includes: 49120 & 49121. |
| <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/ |