Best Web Design in South Haven Charter Township, MI (2026)

Web Design for South Haven Charter Township, Michigan

This Van Buren County charter township wraps around the resort city of South Haven, fronting Lake Michigan while stretching inland across 17.5 square miles of fruit country. It sits in one of the densest blueberry-growing regions on earth, where cleared forest gave way to peaches, apples, and the highbush blueberries that define the area. Its Crystal Beach lakeshore and neighboring Van Buren State Park draw summer crowds to the dunes and sand.

AppWT serves South Haven Charter Township and the surrounding Michigan area from Livonia, Michigan.

About South Haven Charter Township

Also known as. Part of South Haven's 'Blueberry Capital' region (area descriptor rather than a formal township nickname).

History. A charter township of Van Buren County along the Lake Michigan shore, with a 2020 population of 4,041 over 17.5 square miles, all land. The neighboring city of South Haven grew out of and annexed portions of township land but is administratively autonomous. Forests cleared in the region were turned over to fruit farmers who grew peaches, apples, and especially blueberries. The northern portion of the township is drained by the Black River, which reaches Lake Michigan at South Haven.

Local economy. Fruit agriculture, above all highbush blueberries, in a county that grows more highbush blueberries than anywhere else in the country. The South Haven area holds one of the largest concentrations of blueberry growers in the world. Family farms in and around the township, including DeGrandchamp Farms, Bumbleberry Acres, Leduc Blueberries, and Better Way Farms, run u-pick and commercial operations. Lake Michigan tourism and a seasonal/second-home market centered on the Crystal Beach shoreline. Highway commerce along the I-196/US-31 corridor that skirts the township.

Culture and community. Deep blueberry-country identity; blueberry season runs roughly July through mid-August. The National Blueberry Festival, held in adjacent South Haven since 1963 on the second weekend of August, celebrates the crop the surrounding township helps grow. U-pick farm culture and farm stands draw visitors each summer. Lake Michigan beach recreation, with dune-backed sand at Crystal Beach and the neighboring state park.

What makes South Haven Charter Township distinct. The city of South Haven annexed land out of the township over time, so the township effectively wraps around the city while governing itself. Despite fronting Lake Michigan, the township's 17.5 square miles are counted as entirely land, with no inland water area. It lies within a region billed as a blueberry capital, backed by Van Buren County leading the nation in highbush blueberry acreage. Living there is described as a sparse-suburban setting with high homeownership.

South Haven Charter Township Landmarks and Local Life

• Crystal Beach - a Lake Michigan shoreline development in the township south of the city and just north of Van Buren State Park
• Van Buren State Park (adjacent) - about 400 acres with a mile of sandy Lake Michigan beach backed by towering dunes and woodland trails
• The Black River - which drains the northern township and meets Lake Michigan at South Haven
• Maple Grove Corners - an inland unincorporated community at roughly 682 feet elevation
• The I-196/US-31 - M-140, and M-43 road network