Scariest Neighborhood in the Midwest is in the Poorest Town in MI

What has been called “the scariest neighborhood in the midwest’ is also referred as being in ‘the poorest town in Michigan’.....just like the title of this article says.

We’re talking Benton Harbor...sitting in Berrien County, along Lake Michigan approximately 30 miles north of the Indiana state line.

Many of the neighborhoods here are abandoned, some sitting just a stone’s throw from a PGA golf course and a slew of big, ritzy mansions.

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Benton Harbor wasn’t always bad... during the '40s and '50s, steel manufacturing was prevalent, as was the Whirlpool Corporation. For those decades, employment was steady and families were living the good life.

When WWII ended, the decline slowly began to take hold. No plane parts were needed in abundance anymore, so factories closed, people were suddenly out of work, and even Whirlpool had enough and moved the company out of the country to save money. Even the Michigan Treasury Department revealed that Benton Harbor’s budget means nothing thanks to mismanagement.

Neighborhood crime rates and violence escalated in the 1980s – being halfway between Detroit and Chicago, Benton Harbor became the place to meet to get drugs.

The 1990s arrived, and with it came the title of ‘Michigan’s most violent place’. The government tried to help, but it was basically no use. The average person made $10,000 a year, meaning most lived at or under the poverty level.

The violent crime rate average was 1 in 38, bringing 4,000 crimes for 10,000 people. Carjacking, random shootings, killings, and property damage were excessive in the neighborhoods.

Despite all the problems, there are still many good and beautiful things to see and do in Benton Harbor – and solutions to the troubles and challenges are always top of mind.