Berrien

Formed October 29, 1829 (18^th county)

Berrien County (154,320), Saint Joseph (7,862), Niles (11,986)

The governmental Modern courthouse, on Court Street at Church Street, was built in 1964.  Interstate Highway 94 Business is one block west.  Niles was the first county seat.  There was an 1896 courthouse in Saint Joseph and an 1839 version in Berrien Springs.  Shaw, Metz, & Associates are the architects of the current concrete and glass courthouse.  Berrien County was created on October 29, 1829 from Native American Territory as the 18^th county.  Its namesake is United States Attorney General John M. Berrien.  The county seat is named for the river.  The river is also the namesake of Saint Joseph County. 

Berrien County government consists of a sheriff, an administrator, an attorney, a treasurer and a clerk (executive).  It has 12 Commissioners (legislative.)  Thirteen Circuit Court Judges, Eleven District Court Judges, Eleven Probate Court Judges and court clerk serve Berrien County (judicial.) Berrien County is in the southwest corner of the state.  Lake Michigan is its western coast.  The county center is in Lake Michigan 12 miles Southwest of Saint Joseph nearer Stevensville.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Van Buren and Cass counties and Indiana and Illinois. 

The area of the county is 1581 square miles.  It is 19 out of 83 in the state.  It ranks 16 out of 83 in population in the state.  It has a density of 97.6 persons per square mile making it 30 out of 83 in the state.  Berrien County has 31.1% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 94 goes northeast to southwest in the county from Van Buren County to Indiana.  Interstate Highway 196 comes in from Van Buren County, north, and terminates.  United States Highway 12 crosses east to west from Cass County to Indiana.  United States Highway 31 enters joined with Interstate Highway 196 from Van Buren County, splits and exits south into Indiana.  The county is shaped like a plow.  St. Joseph is on the northwest coast although geographically it is east of center.  Niles is in the southeast corner of the county and extends into Cass County.  Saint Joseph is the county seat and Niles is the largest city.  Saint Joseph is 5.1% of the county population while Niles is 7.8% of the county population.  The county is pronounced BER-EE-EN.  This county is in the Niles-Benton Harbor Metropolitan Statistical Area.