Community Profile
View the full Niles City Profile here
Location
Located in the southwest corner of Michigan. Major cities easily accessible to Greater Niles area are:
- South Bend, IN: 9
- Benton Harbor, MI: 25
- Kalamazoo, MI: 60
- Chicago, IL: 90
- Grand Rapids, MI: 100
- Lansing, MI: 130
- Toledo, OH: 150
- Indianapolis, IN: 160
- Detroit, MI: 190
- Cleveland, OH: 256
Population
2020 U.S. Census
Niles City (5.5 square miles) | 11,986 |
Niles Township | 14,314 |
Howard Township | 6,288 |
Bertrand Township | 2,605 |
Milton Township | 3,235 |
49120 Zip Code (All Areas Listed Above) | Approximately 37,700 |
Berrien County | 154,320 |
Transportation
Air:
Jerry Tyler Memorial Airport (Niles) - Private and Charter
South Bend Regional Airport - Served by US Air Express, Nashville Eagle, United Express, Allegheny, Comair, Continental Express, Northwest, Trans World Express, American Eagle, Delta
Rail: Norfolk-Southern freight; Historic Niles Amtrak Station, South Shore Railroad passenger service
Bus: United Limo
Local Transit: Niles Dial-A-Ride Transportation System
Motor Freight: 17 lines
Highways: Served by Interstate 94, Interstate 80-90 (Indiana Toll Road), U.S. 31, U.S. 12, M-60, M-140 and M-51
Water: Lake port - St. Joseph-Benton Harbor - 25 miles, Deep water port - Port of Indiana - 50 miles
Parcel Service:
Freight Carries To: | Chicago | Detroit | New York | Los Angeles |
By UPS | 1 day | 1 day | 2 days | 3-4 days |
By Rail | 2 hours | 3.5 hours | 20 hours | 2 days |
By Truck | 3 Hours | 4 hours | 16 hours | 28 hours |
Public Utilities
Electric: City of Niles Utilities Department; American Electric Power Company
Natural Gas: SEMCO Energy
Water and Sewer: City of Niles Utilities Department
Water Source: 6 wells - Total capacity is 7.6 million gallons per day. Elevated storage: 2.2 million gallons
Sanitation: Treatment plant - Activated Sludge; capacity: 10.8 MGPD sustained maximum flow. Present load 2 - 2.4 MGPD
Labor Market
Annual Average - 2012
Civilian Labor Force | Employed | |
Berrien County | 77,561 | 68,609 |
Niles City | 5,389 | 4,565 |
Niles Township | 6,975 | 6,525 |
Area Businesses
Brandywine Public Schools- employs 205
French Paper Company - employs 100
Lakeland Regional Medical Center - employs 505
National-Standard Company - specialty wire, wire products; employs 250
Niles Community Schools - employs 575
Industrial Park
Niles Industrial Park: 418 acres within the city limits. Served by Conrail and is within three miles of major highways. Fifty-five acres are fully developed with industrial capacity utilities in place. Wireless internet and fiber services available. Industrial sites are available. Several major industrial firms that are presently located in the park are:
Indeck Niles Energy Center, Spartan Tool, Modineer, Toefco Engineered Coatings, Specialty Products, Kamps Pallets & Boxes, Niles Steel Tank, Paragon Tempered Glass, French Enterprise, Tru Blu Enterprises, Baby Well LLC, W Haas LLC, Innovated Products, Cut-Tech, Ducarra Aviation, B.A.R.T. Supply, Davis Cartage Company, Patriot Tool & Die, Pelley Excavating, D & G Supply, Treadstone LLC
Tax
Property Tax Values:
Original Taxable Value 2018 Berrien & Cass County : $187,073,438
Original SEV value 2017 Berrien & Cass County: $214,180,238
Tax (Millage) Rates 2019
Niles City (Berrien County)
*PRE (Homestead) = 37.3752 mil + 1% administration fee
Non PRE = 55.3752 mil + 1% administration fee + $20.00 fee per property for Ambulance
For Multi Family dwellings the $20.00 fee is based on how many families live in the dwelling.
*PRE = Principal Residence Exemption
Financial Institutions
Niles Area Banks:
Huntington National Bank, Fifth Third Bank, First Source Bank, Chemical Bank, Standard Federal Bank and others.
Niles Area Credit Unions:
United Federal Credit Union, Greater Niles Community Federal Credit Union, Berrien Teachers Credit Union and others.
Communication
Radio: WNIL-AM, WAOR-FM, WSMK-FM, WNDV-FM, WNSN-FM, WAUS-FM (National Public Radio), WGTC-FM,
Television: WSBT-TV (CBS), WNDU-TV (NBC), WSJV (FOX), WBND (ABC), WNIT (PBS), WHME (Religious) NOTE: Comcast Xfinity and AT&T U-verse serve the Greater Niles Area
Newspaper: The Niles Daily Star, The South Bend Tribune, Herald-Palladium, Detroit Free Press, Chicago Tribune, Wall Street Journal, Berrien County Record
Climate
Average temperatures: Summer - 83.20 F, Winter - 34.4o F
Average precipitation: Rainfall - 39.14", Snowfall - 71.1"
Housing (2020)
Residential Properties | 4,496 |
Commercial Properties | 560 |
Industrial Properties | 94 |
Agricultural Properties | 0 |
Government Services and Facilities
Form of Government
Council / Administrator form of government - A full time city administrator manages day to day operations.
Niles City Police Department
16 full time police officers, 2 part time officers and 33 support personnel including reserve officers.
Niles City Fire Department
12 full time firefighters and 23 support personnel including reserve firefighters.
Community Facilities
Health:
Lakeland Community Hospital, Niles, is part of Lakeland HealthCare, a not-for-profit, community-owned health system that includes three hospitals, an outpatient surgery center, long-term care, rehabilitation, and home health services. An 89-bed facility serving Niles and southwestern Michigan with primary and specialty care services, the Niles location provides all general community hospital services, including obstetrics, surgery, emergency care, radiology, laboratory services, and outpatient oncology.
Southwestern Michigan Community Ambulance Service (Niles) - Non-profit governmental authority staffed by a full-time director and fully trained paramedics.
Nursing Homes: three licensed in Niles, seven additional in the area.
Educational:
Niles Community School System - enrollment 3,933 K-12. Six elementary schools, one junior high school, one senior high school
Brandywine Community Schools - enrollment 1,403 K-12. One middle school, one senior high school
St. Mary's Catholic School - enrollment 90 K thru 6
Seventh Day Adventist School - enrollment 60 K thru 8
Community Colleges - Lake Michigan College (Small Business Services Center- Niles) and (Niles Extension); Southwestern Michigan College (Niles Extension)
Colleges/Universities - University of Notre Dame (10 miles); St. Mary's College (10 miles); Holy Cross College (10 miles), Davenport College (10 miles), Indiana University - South Bend (10 miles), Bethel College (12 miles), Andrews University (12 miles); extensions of Michigan State University and Western Michigan University (25 miles).
Parks and RecreationThe City of Niles maintains several parks including Island Park, Plym Park, and Riverfront Park. Riverfront Park is located along the St. Joseph River downtown and boasts a 2.2 mile walking trail along the beautiful and scenic river from Plym Park through Riverfront Park and to the city limits. Riverfront Park contains an amphitheater where free outdoor concerts and other events are held, boating docks and a large children's playscape area. Riverfront Skate Park is located within this public park and draws kids from the entire area. The Niles area maintains 10 parks, soccer, football, and softball fields, as well as tennis and basketball courts. The YMCA offers complete facilities and family oriented programs. Also available are opportunities for boating, canoeing, tubing, fishing, water-skiing, bowling, ice skating, golf, racquetball and cross-country skiing. For more park information click here.
Cultural
Thirteen Antique Malls and Shops, Art Gallery, Fort St. Joseph Museum, Fernwood Botanical Gardens, South Bend Symphony, Niles Performing Arts Association.
Area Annual Activities- Hunter Ice Festival
- Family Carnival & Bluegrass Festival
- Michigan's Longest Garage Sale
- Summer Concert Series
- Apple Festival
- Haunted House Scream Park
- Thanksgiving Day Run - 5 and 10 K
- Downtown Lighting Ceremony
- Fort St. Joseph Open House Weekend
- Fort St. Joseph Museum and Chapin Mansion Christmas Open House
Religion
Forty-six churches, representing 24 denominations.