New Buffalo, Michigan
Encyclopedia
New Buffalo is a city in Berrien County
in the U.S. state
of Michigan
. The population was 2,200 at the 2000 census
. This city is within New Buffalo Township
, but is politically autonomous.
, the city has a total area of 2.5 square miles (6.4 km²), of which, 2.4 square miles (6.3 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (2.02%) is water. The city is located on Lake Michigan
at the mouth of the Galien River
. This forms a natural harbor, which is part of the current pleasure-boat harbor drawing summer residents and boaters.
of 2000, there were 2,200 people, 947 households, and 603 families residing in the city. The population density
was 910.4 per square mile (351.0/km²). There were 1,426 housing units at an average density of 590.1 per square mile (227.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.64% White, 0.41% African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.50% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.27% from other races
, and 0.91% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.86% of the population.
There were 947 households out of which 24.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.8% were married couples
living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.3% were non-families. 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.89.
In the city the population was spread out with 20.8% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 27.0% from 45 to 64, and 18.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 98.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $41,658, and the median income for a family was $52,639. Males had a median income of $35,076 versus $22,227 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $24,440. About 4.3% of families and 6.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.0% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.
Metropolitan Area. As a result, tourism is the primary industry.
The Four Winds Casino Resort opened on August 2, 2007 and brought more than 2,000 jobs to the New Buffalo area. The casino includes over 3,000 slot machines and 100 gaming tables. The Four Winds will be the main competition for the Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City, Indiana
.
, the national passenger rail system, provides six trains per day to New Buffalo at New Buffalo (Amtrak station)
with the and . US-12 and I-94 provide freeway access to Detroit and Chicago. A harbor, both natural and man made, is present at the mouth of the Galien River. This harbor is used by pleasure boats and is accessible to all Lake Michigan ports and beyond, but has little to no commercial traffic other than the occasional charter sailboat.
The Middle/High school also has a "Smart Lab", one of the most sophisticated student labs in the country. At the Smart Lab, students from New Buffalo and neighboring municipalities have access to EKG machines, flight simulators, and video production equipment.
The New Buffalo Bison compete in the Red Arrow Conference in sports. The 1999 Mens Cross Country Team won the Class D State Title in the Mens Cross Country Championships, and the 2005 Mens Baseball Team won the Class D State Title in the Mens Baseball Championships.
Berrien County, Michigan
Berrien County is a county located in the extreme southwest of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is included in the Niles-Benton Harbor, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 156,813. The county seat is St. Joseph....
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. The population was 2,200 at the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
. This city is within New Buffalo Township
New Buffalo Township, Michigan
New Buffalo Township is a civil township of Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 2,468....
, but is politically autonomous.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 2.5 square miles (6.4 km²), of which, 2.4 square miles (6.3 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (2.02%) is water. The city is located on Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
at the mouth of the Galien River
Galien River
The Galien River is a stream in the southwest region of the U.S. state of Michigan. The river begins at the outlet of Dayton Lake and flows in a predominantly westerly direction until it enters southeastern Lake Michigan at New Buffalo...
. This forms a natural harbor, which is part of the current pleasure-boat harbor drawing summer residents and boaters.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 2,200 people, 947 households, and 603 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 910.4 per square mile (351.0/km²). There were 1,426 housing units at an average density of 590.1 per square mile (227.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.64% White, 0.41% African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.50% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.27% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.91% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.86% of the population.
There were 947 households out of which 24.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.8% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.3% were non-families. 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.89.
In the city the population was spread out with 20.8% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 27.0% from 45 to 64, and 18.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 98.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $41,658, and the median income for a family was $52,639. Males had a median income of $35,076 versus $22,227 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $24,440. About 4.3% of families and 6.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.0% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
New Buffalo is a popular resort town due to its location along the Lake Michigan shoreline and its proximity to the ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
Metropolitan Area. As a result, tourism is the primary industry.
The Four Winds Casino Resort opened on August 2, 2007 and brought more than 2,000 jobs to the New Buffalo area. The casino includes over 3,000 slot machines and 100 gaming tables. The Four Winds will be the main competition for the Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City, Indiana
Michigan City, Indiana
Michigan City's origins date to 1830, when the land for the city was first purchased by Isaac C. Elston. Elston Middle School, formerly Elston High School, located at 317 Detroit St., is named after the founder....
.
Transportation
AmtrakAmtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
, the national passenger rail system, provides six trains per day to New Buffalo at New Buffalo (Amtrak station)
New Buffalo (Amtrak station)
The New Buffalo Amtrak station is a train station in New Buffalo, Michigan, United States, served by Amtrak, the national railroad passenger system. The and stop here twice daily in each direction...
with the and . US-12 and I-94 provide freeway access to Detroit and Chicago. A harbor, both natural and man made, is present at the mouth of the Galien River. This harbor is used by pleasure boats and is accessible to all Lake Michigan ports and beyond, but has little to no commercial traffic other than the occasional charter sailboat.
New Buffalo Area Schools
The New Buffalo Area Schools system is composed of an elementary school, and a joined middle/high school. The New Buffalo Middle/High School, located off of Clay Street, was built in 2001. It has a performing arts center, multiple computer labs, indoor and outdoor running tracks, and is designed symmetrically for the middle and high school sections. The elementary school's gym was also recently rebuilt.The Middle/High school also has a "Smart Lab", one of the most sophisticated student labs in the country. At the Smart Lab, students from New Buffalo and neighboring municipalities have access to EKG machines, flight simulators, and video production equipment.
The New Buffalo Bison compete in the Red Arrow Conference in sports. The 1999 Mens Cross Country Team won the Class D State Title in the Mens Cross Country Championships, and the 2005 Mens Baseball Team won the Class D State Title in the Mens Baseball Championships.
Notable summer residents (Past & Present)
- James L. ZiemerJames L. ZiemerJames L. Ziemer is the current Chief Executive Officer and President of Harley-Davidson Motor Company. Before assuming his position, Mr. Ziemer had previously served as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the Company from December 1990 to April 2005 and President of The Harley-Davidson...
, CEO of Harley-DavidsonHarley-DavidsonHarley-Davidson , often abbreviated H-D or Harley, is an American motorcycle manufacturer. Founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, during the first decade of the 20th century, it was one of two major American motorcycle manufacturers to survive the Great Depression... - Dennis FarinaDennis FarinaDennis Farina is an American actor of film and television and former Chicago police officer. He is a character actor, often typecast as a mobster or police officer. His most known film roles are those of mobster Jimmy Serrano in the comedy Midnight Run and Ray "Bones" Barboni in Get Shorty...
, actor - Kyle KorverKyle KorverKyle Elliot Korver is an American basketball player, who currently plays for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association...
, NBA player - Ronnie James DioRonnie James DioRonald James Padavona , better known as Ronnie James Dio, was an American heavy metal vocalist and songwriter. He performed with, amongst others, Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell, and his own band Dio, which means God in Italian. Other musical projects include the collective fundraiser...
, musician - Roger EbertRoger EbertRoger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
, film critic (nearby) - Louis FarrakhanLouis FarrakhanLouis Farrakhan Muhammad, Sr. is the leader of the African-American religious movement the Nation of Islam . He served as the minister of major mosques in Boston and Harlem, and was appointed by the longtime NOI leader, Elijah Muhammad, before his death in 1975, as the National Representative of...
, head of the Nation of IslamNation of IslamThe Nation of Islam is a mainly African-American new religious movement founded in Detroit, Michigan by Wallace D. Fard Muhammad in July 1930 to improve the spiritual, mental, social, and economic condition of African-Americans in the United States of America. The movement teaches black pride and... - Andrea BarthwellAndrea BarthwellAndrea Grubb Barthwell, M.D., worked in the White House under President of the United States George W. Bush as Deputy Director for Demand Reduction at the Office of National Drug Control Policy....
, former deputy drug czarDrug CzarDrug Czar is an informal name for the person who directs drug-control policies in the United States, following the U.S. use of the 'czar' term. The 'drug czar' title was first published in a 1982 news story by United Press International which reported that “Senators... voted 62–34 to establish a... - Steve DahlSteve DahlSteven Robert Dahl has been an American radio personality and humorist for more than thirty years. He is currently podcasting, and releases the podcasts for download daily from his own website as well as the iTunes store...
, Chicago radio legend - Richard M. DaleyRichard M. DaleyRichard Michael Daley is a United States politician, member of the national and local Democratic Party, and former Mayor of Chicago, Illinois. He was elected mayor in 1989 and reelected in 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003, and 2007. He was the longest serving Chicago mayor, surpassing the tenure of his...
, Mayor of ChicagoChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
(Family estate located outside of town) - Common, Chicago based rapper
- Jonathan ToewsJonathan ToewsJonathan Bryan Toews is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who plays for and is captain of the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League . He is currently the youngest captain in the NHL, having been appointed in 2008....
, NHL player - Roger BrownRoger Brown (artist)Roger Brown was an American artist who was a member of the Chicago Imagists, a group in the 1960s and 1970s who turned to representational art. His paintings are owned by many of the most important art museums in the US.He was born in Hamilton, Alabama and raised in Opelika...
, Famous Chicago PainterChicago ImagistsThe Chicago Imagists is the name of a group of representational artists associated with the School of the Art Institute of Chicago who exhibited at the Hyde Park Art Center in the late 1960s. Their work was known for grotesquerie, surrealism and complete uninvolvement with New York art world trends...