Best Web Design in Coloma (Charter Township), MI (2026)

Web Design for Coloma (Charter Township), Michigan

Coloma sits in northern Berrien County at the heart of Michigan's Fruit Belt, where Lake Michigan tempers the climate enough to grow peaches, gladiolus, and wine grapes. The surrounding Coloma Charter Township wraps around the small city and takes in part of Paw Paw Lake, a onetime grand resort destination. Every August the community throws the Glad-Peach Festival, celebrating the flowers and fruit that built the local economy.

AppWT serves Coloma (Charter Township) and the surrounding Michigan area from Livonia, Michigan.

About Coloma (Charter Township)

Also known as. Shingle Diggins (former name). Dickerville (former name). Heart of the Fruit Belt.

History. First English settlers called the place 'Shingle Diggins' for its wood-shingle manufacturing; the timber ran out and the settlement was largely abandoned by 1838. It was next known as 'Dickerville' because cash-poor travelers between Paw Paw and St. Joseph would barter, or 'dicker,' for goods. When the town got a post office, residents renamed it Coloma after Coloma, California, the birthplace of the Gold Rush, a name brought back by local Forty-Niner Stephen R. Gilson. The City of Coloma incorporated as a village in 1893 and as a city in 1941; Coloma Charter Township surrounds it. The Coloma Interurban Station was built in 1910 to serve the Benton Harbor-St. Joseph Railway and Light Company and was recognized as a Michigan historic site in 2013.

Local economy. Anchored in Fruit Belt agriculture, with peaches and gladiolus as signature crops made possible by Lake Michigan's moderating climate. Lies within the Lake Michigan Shore American Viticultural Area, supporting wine-grape growing and area wineries. Paw Paw Lake tourism and second-home ownership are major economic drivers for the township.

Culture and community. The Coloma Glad-Peach Festival, held every August since the late 1940s, began as a celebration of locally grown gladiolus and expanded in the 1970s to honor the peach crop, with a parade, food, and contests. The North Berrien Historical Museum at 300 Coloma Avenue preserves and interprets the area's fruit-farming and resort history. Paw Paw Lake's lakeside pavilions once hosted nationally known musical acts during the resort heyday.

What makes Coloma (Charter Township) distinct. Coloma owes its name to the California Gold Rush: a local prospector stayed in Coloma, California, and the name stuck when the Michigan town needed one for its post office. The town went through three names, Shingle Diggins, Dickerville, then Coloma, before settling on the current one. Paw Paw Lake was a genuine destination resort in the early 1900s, drawing Chicago crowds and touring performers until the pavilion era ended in 1965. Deer Forest's abandoned storybook figures became a well-known piece of West Michigan roadside lore after the park closed.

Coloma (Charter Township) Landmarks and Local Life

• Paw Paw Lake - a resort lake within Coloma Charter Township popular with vacationers and cottage owners
• The Coloma Interurban Station (1910) - a state-recognized historic railway depot
• Deer Forest - a fairytale-themed park with a petting zoo, Storybook Lane, and rides that operated on 32 acres from 1949 until it closed in 2015
• The North Berrien Historical Museum in downtown Coloma.