Benton Charter Township, Michigan | |
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![]() Location within Berrien County (red) and the administered communities of Benton Heights and Fair Plain (pink) | |
Coordinates: 42°06′37″N86°24′58″W / 42.11028°N 86.41611°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Michigan |
County | Berrien |
Area | |
• Total | 32.8 sq mi (85.0 km2) |
• Land | 32.4 sq mi (83.8 km2) |
• Water | 0.5 sq mi (1.2 km2) |
Elevation | 633 ft (193 m) |
Population (2020) | |
• Total | 14,374 |
• Density | 440/sq mi (170/km2) |
Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
ZIP code(s) | 49022, 49126 |
Area code | 269 |
FIPS code | 26-07400 [1] |
GNIS feature ID | 1625918 [2] |
Website | Official website |
Benton Charter Township is a charter township of Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,374. [3]
The township was established on March 11, 1837, and was named after Thomas Hart Benton, U.S. senator from Missouri. [4] It remained attached to St. Joseph Township for administrative purposes until 1841. [5]
The commune of the House of David was located in the township.
In 1967, the Benton Harbor Fruit Market, established in 1860 in Benton Harbor, moved to the township. [6] The Benton Harbor city limits have since then extended to include the market. [7]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 32.8 square miles (85.0 km2), of which 32.4 square miles (83.8 km2) is land and 0.46 square miles (1.2 km2), or 1.36%, is water. [8]
The township is in the northwest portion of the county, with Lake Michigan to the west in the north of the township and Benton Harbor to the west in the south of the township. St. Joseph and St. Joseph Charter Township lie to the southwest. Hagar Township is to the north, Coloma Charter Township to the northeast, Bainbridge Township is to the east, Pipestone Township is to the southeast, and Sodus Township and Royalton Township are to the south.
I-94 traverses the township diagonally from northeast to southwest. The southern terminus of I-196 is at the junction with I-94. US 31 follows parts of I-196, I-94, Napier Avenue, and all of the completed portion of the St. Joseph Valley Parkway within the township. M-139 lies in the southwest of the township and runs from I-94 to a junction with Business Loop I-94 just east of Benton Harbor (the southbound direction begins on the Benton Harbor–Benton Township border).
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2010 [9] | Pop 2020 [10] | % 2010 | % 2020 |
---|---|---|---|---|
White alone (NH) | 5,858 | 5,490 | 39.72% | 38.19% |
Black or African American alone (NH) | 7,566 | 6,789 | 51.30% | 47.23% |
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 71 | 60 | 0.48% | 0.42% |
Asian alone (NH) | 47 | 59 | 0.32% | 0.41% |
Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 0 | 6 | 0.00% | 0.04% |
Some Other Race alone (NH) | 12 | 64 | 0.08% | 0.45% |
Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH) | 313 | 672 | 2.12% | 4.68% |
Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 882 | 1,234 | 5.98% | 8.58% |
Total | 14,749 | 14,374 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
At the 2000 census, [1] there were 16,404 people, 6,485 households and 4,221 families residing in the township. The population density was 503.6 inhabitants per square mile (194.4/km2). There were 7,082 housing units at an average density of 217.4 per square mile (83.9/km2). The racial makeup of the township was 44.11% White, 51.86% African American, 0.37% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.48% from other races, and 1.82% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.14% of the population.
There were 6,485 households, of which 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.9% were married couples living together, 24.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.9% were non-families. 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.05.
Age distribution was 30.0% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.8 males.
The median household income was $25,942, and the median family income was $30,899. Males had a median income of $31,563 versus $20,484 for females. The per capita income for the township was $14,137. About 22.5% of families and 27.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 42.3% of those under age 18 and 16.6% of those age 65 or over.
Whirlpool Corporation has its headquarters in the township. [11] [12] Whirlpool employs a total of 2,058 employees in the metropolitan area. [5]
Benton Charter Township is served by the Benton Harbor Public Library located within the Benton Harbor city limits.
Point O'Woods Golf & Country Club is located in the township, just northwest of Millburg.
Sarett Nature Center, a 300-acre (1.2 km2) wildlife sanctuary which offers trails, an interpretative building, and classes, is located in the northern portion of the township. It is named for Lew R. Sarett, father of Lewis Hastings Sarett. [13]
Berrien County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located at the southwest corner of the state's Lower Peninsula, located on the shore of Lake Michigan and sharing a land border with Indiana. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 154,316. The county seat is St. Joseph.
Bainbridge Township is a civil township of Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the township population was 2,682. It was organized in 1837. The name is a transfer from Bainbridge, New York.
Baroda Township is a civil township of Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the township population was 2,835.
Benton Harbor is a city in Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is 46 miles southwest of Kalamazoo and 71 miles southwest of Grand Rapids. According to the 2020 census, its population was 9,103. It is the smaller, by population, of the two principal cities in the Niles–Benton Harbor Metropolitan Statistical Area, an area with 156,813 people. Benton Harbor and the city of St. Joseph are separated by the St. Joseph River and are known locally as the "Twin Cities". Fairplain and Benton Heights are unincorporated areas adjacent to Benton Harbor.
Benton Heights is an unincorporated community in Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also a census-designated place (CDP) for statistical purposes without any legal status as an incorporated municipality. Per the 2020 Census, the population was 3,652. The community is a part of Benton Charter Township and is adjacent to the city of Benton Harbor.
Berrien Springs is a village in Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,910 at the time of the 2020 census. The village is located within Oronoko Charter Township.
Buchanan Township is a civil township of Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the township population was 3,436. The city of Buchanan is located in the southeast portion of the township.
Coloma Charter Township is a charter township of Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 5,051 at the 2020 census. The city of Coloma lies within the township.
Fair Plain is an unincorporated community in Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a census-designated place (CDP) for statistical purposes and has no legal status as a municipality. The population was 7,402 at the 2020 census.
Hagar Township is a civil township of Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the township population was 3,243.
Lake Charter Township is a charter township of Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,316 at the 2020 census. The township is located in the west central portion of the county. Lake Michigan and the city of Bridgman are to the west, Lincoln Township to the north, Baroda Township to the east, Weesaw Township to the south, and Chikaming Township to the southwest.
Lincoln Charter Township is a charter township of Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 14,929 at the 2020 census.
New Buffalo Township is a civil township of Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the township population was 2,455. It is the southwesternmost township on the Lower Peninsula of Michigan.
Oronoko Charter Township is a charter township of Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 9,226 at the 2020 census.
Pipestone Township is a civil township of Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,177 at the 2020 census. The township was organized on February 16, 1842.
Royalton Township is a civil township of Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan, a few miles southeast of the city of St. Joseph. The population was 5,141 at the 2020 census.
Sodus Township is a civil township of Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,995 at the 2020 census. There are no incorporated municipalities in the township. The unincorporated community of Sodus in the northwest of the township is its main settlement; the portion of the township just to the west is part of the Benton Harbor/St. Joseph urban area.
St. Joseph, colloquially known as St. Joe, is a city and the county seat of Berrien County, Michigan. It was incorporated as a village in 1834 and as a city in 1891. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 7,856. It lies on the shore of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the St. Joseph River, about 90 miles (140 km) east-northeast of Chicago. It is home of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers.
St. Joseph Charter Township is a charter township of Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 9,993 at the 2020 census. The township is on the shores of Lake Michigan in the west central portion of the county, south of and adjacent to the city of St. Joseph.
Texas Charter Township, officially named the Charter Township of Texas, is a charter township of Kalamazoo County, in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the township population was 17,691, up from 14,697 at the 2010 census. It encompasses the entire portion of the survey township T3S R12W.