Location
On the eastern shore of beautiful Lake Michigan, South Haven is part of the wider Kalamazoo-Portage Metropolitan region. While this district lies in Michigan’s northern Van Buren County, part of South Haven spills over the county border into neighboring Allegan County.
Geography/Terrain
Covering only about 4 square miles, South Haven is small enough to maintain its charming character and sense of neighborliness. Built on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Black River, the community is 618 feet above sea level. Woods and farms surround the settlement, and Van Buren State Park and the Van Buren Trail are only a short distance away.
Distance to 3 closest major cities
Downtown Kalamazoo is about 45 miles west of South Haven and South Bend, Indiana is about 45 miles south. Chicago, Illinois is about 110 miles east of South Haven traveling around the lakeshore.
Jobs
While some South Haven locals choose to commute to Kalamazoo and surrounding centers to work, the community has a steady local economy, based largely in agriculture, tourism, and manufacturing. South Haven has the world’s largest blueberry industry, and other industrial sectors are developing an increasing presence here, spurred by the town’s convenient location half way between Chicago and Detroit, and assisted by the South Haven Economic Development Board, who offers various programs and incentives for new and relocating businesses. This range of employment options guarantees the low local unemployment rate.
While the average annual income is on the low side here, housing and other costs are in sync, and the superb lakeside lifestyle more than makes up for it. Many of the new housing developments on the lake are catering to the higher end and this, along with the increase in industry, is changing the demographic of the region.
Recent success stories include the burgeoning Lake Michigan College, Spencer Manufacturing and Elbe & Sohn.
Housing
Home buyers can find an exciting range of choice in South Haven homes. You can choose a charming historic home in the well established part of town, or a moderately priced home in a quiet residential neighborhood; a modern beachfront condominium or an elegant country estate on the outskirts of town. New subdivisions include affordable and estate homes, a retirement village, and senior citizen apartments. Many homes have lake or ravine views, and many are surrounded by woods.
With a current median sale price of about $200,000, homes in South Haven are still highly affordable in terms of their aesthetic and lifestyle value.
Parks/Sports/Recreation/Golf
Thanks to its superb location, South Haven is a recreational paradise. On the banks of Lake Michigan and surrounded by two beautiful wooded state parks, South Haven is well placed to provide its locals with the ultimate in summer and winter recreation and sports.
With one of the best harbors on the lake (the Black River Harbor) and 4 well appointed marinas providing 229 boating slips, South Haven is a boater’s paradise. Pleasure boating, sailing, and sport fishing are all enjoyed. The Great Lakes are well stocked with trout, salmon and perch, and fishing may be enjoyed from the pier as well as by boat. Ice-fishing and ice-skating are both popular here in winter.
Swimmers and sunbathers have 7 public beaches and almost a mile of coastline to choose from; South Beach has an excellent children’s playground and the town’s iconic big red lighthouse.
There are 8 pretty neighborhood parks in South Haven and 3 additional wilderness areas just outside of town. The western end of the Kal-Haven Trail ends nearby, popular with hikers, horseback riders, and mountain bikers in summer and cross-country skiers and snowmobilers in winter. This 33 mile long trail passes through some of Van Buren County's most scenic spots on its way south towards Kalamazoo. The Van Buren Trail is another similar spot. Also nearby is the stunning Van Buren State Park, a beautiful wilderness area of wooded dunes that open on to a mile of beach. Ideal for camping, hiking, paddlesports, swimming and boating in summer, the park provides top cross-country skiing in winter.
Scenic South Haven is a golfing enthusiasts dream, with 3 attractive local courses in town and literally dozens more within a 25 minute drive. The local Glenn Shores public course covers rolling terrain and has pretty tree-lined fairways, and South Haven Country Club (also a public course) is a popular and challenging course built around ravines. The private Hawks Head Resort is a superb Scottish-style links course covering 240 acres, with feathered fairways.
Special Attractions/Events
South Haven is a lovely lakeside town, rich in charm and home to a relaxed outdoor lifestyle. Unsurprisingly popular with artists, the town has a thriving local arts scene, supported by the superb South Haven Center for the Arts. The Legend Theater is a great community resource, performing drama, comedy, cabaret, and puppet shows for visitors, and Ascensions in the Blue Star Theatre offers live concerts, arts classes, and healing arts. Blue Star’s Music Camp is a superb option for teenagers, who learn contemporary music, voice, and theatre skills from professional musicians, including Grammy-winning artists. Thanks to the flourishing summer tourist trade here, South Haven has many unique shops, top restaurants, funky cafes, and one of the finest Maritime Museums on the Great Lakes, and the Liberty Hyde Bailey botanical museum. The countryside has many small farm markets and antique stores to browse through.
Winner of the American Sail Training Association's Port of the Year award in 1998, South Haven’s beautifully developed port has a “HarborWalk”, which runs between the South and North piers, passing through the downtown shopping district, Old Harbor Village, Michigan Maritime Museum, Stanley Johnston Park, and the Historic Monroe Cottage District en route. The downtown harbor also serves as a backdrop to the Riverfront Concert Series held outdoors each summer on the lawn at Riverfront Park.
Locals enjoy several additional festivals and events together, including the “Ice Breaker winter festival in February, Harborfest in June, Independence Day in July, the popular Blueberry Festival in August, an All Crafts Fair each Labor Day Weekend and the Antique Engine and Tractor Show each September. The town’s Gingerman Raceway holds a range of car and motorcycle rallies and races throughout the year.
Interesting Facts/Historic Buildings and Places
Known as “Ni-Ko-Nong” or “beautiful sunsets” in pre-European days, the South Haven region was long the home of the Potowatami, who traded in the area. Early European settlers cleared the forests for farming and established South Haven as a distribution port with connections to Chicago and other lake centers.
Incorporated as a Village in 1869, South Haven had become a popular resort destination for big city dwellers by the early nineteen-hundreds, growing large enough to be incorporated as a City in 1902. Many of the town’s charming historic homes were built during this time. Well known botanist Liberty Hyde Bailey was born here, and his childhood home is now an excellent museum.
South Haven’s charming South Pier Lighthouse was constructed at South Beach in 1872 and is still operational to this day.
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