Farms, festivals and lakes shape life in Berrien Springs
Warm weather in Berrien Springs means a fresh harvest of fruits and boating on the lakes. Andrews University and local restaurants give the Village of Berrien Springs the feel of a small city, but the rest of the area is more rural with farms and vineyards. “Southwest Michigan is a great place to raise your family and to enjoy peace while living here,” says Jan Luke, a Realtor with Red Shoe Realty and resident of the area for over 70 years. Berrien Spring creates a sense of community with many annual events, including its Pickle Festival on the Fourth of July. Festivities include a relish-eating contest, and vendors will have special pickle-themed items.
Single-family homes average 2,000 square feet on quarter-acre lots
The median sale price of a single-family home is around $360,000, lower than the national median price of around $420,000. Bungalows, ranch-style houses and raised ranches range from around $108,000 to $565,000. Meanwhile, larger homes over 3,000 square feet can go as high as about $1.5 million. Many new homes are priced between about $329,000 to about $430,000.
The average square footage of a single-family home is around 2,000 square feet, on par with the national average. The median lot size is just over a quarter of an acre, but homes tend to be more spread out further from the city’s center. Some properties on Lake Chaplin have private docks to access the water. Certain areas in Berrien Springs have a major flood risk.
Students attend multiple schools with varied Niche ratings
Berrien Springs Public Schools earns a C-plus grade from Niche. Students may attend B-plus-rated Mars Elementary for kindergarten through second grade, then continue to B-minus-rated Sylvester Elementary. Berrien Springs Middle has a B score, while Berrien Springs High receives an A-minus. The high school offers career and technical education classes, including business management and firefighting.
Andrews University is a private, Seventh-day Adventist university with a B-plus grade from Niche. They operate Griggs International Academy, an A-rated online school option for kindergarten through Grade 12. “Andrews University brings people from all over the world,” Luke says. Other private school options in the area include Ruth Murdoch Elementary, which does not have a rating on Niche, and A-rated Andrews Academy, which both follow a Seventh-day Adventist curriculum.
Recreation includes kayaking, riverside parks and community fitness
Summers in Berrien Springs can be spent boating on one of the many lakes or fishing in the St. Joseph River. The Berrien Springs Boat Club allows the general public to use their kayak and canoe launch, but boat ramps are for members only. Rotary Park offers some quiet greenery and benches along the river, and Memorial Park has a playground.
Grove Park was one of the more well-known parks in the area, but it is currently closed until further notice due to extensive storm damage. Shamrock Park is a campground owned by the Village of Berrien Springs, but the boat launch can be used for a fee. “One of our great area attributes is our local YMCA,” Luke says. “It’s very busy and we have people from Berrien Springs, South Bend and Mishawaka, Indiana.”
Downtown Berrien Springs has casual eats and coffee spots
Most of the shopping and dining in Berrien Springs is going to be downtown in the Village. Revive Coffee and More serves a variety of beverages, including smoothies and refreshers, as well as bakery items. Town Hall Pizza has unique rotating flavors of the month. Sammy Arepas is a food truck with gluten-free arepas and empanadas. For grocery shopping, there’s Harding’s Friendly Markets and Apple Valley Natural Foods. More shopping and dining options exist around 15 miles away in St. Joseph, including an outlet mall. Berrien Springs has a few stops along the Southwest Michigan Makers Trail, including Lemon Creek Winery and Domaine Berrien Cellars. Visitors can pick their own fruits and vegtables at Stovers Farm Market & U-Pic and Bixby Farms.
Walkable village center contrasts with rural, car-dependent areas
Many homes in the Village of Berrien Springs are within walking distance of restaurants and stores, and most streets have sidewalks. The rest of Berrien Springs is more rural and car-dependent. Anyone living in the rural communities of Berrien County can reserve the Berrien Bus for a fee.
U.S. Route 31 runs north to south from Interstate 75 near Mackinaw City to Berrien County. M-139 runs through Berrien Springs and connects to Interstate 94, which leads to Detroit and Chicago. The nearest Amtrak station is about 10 miles away in Niles. South Bend International Airport is about 20 miles away.
