Niles, Michigan, known as the city "where history and nature live," is true to its town motto, with both history and nature around every corner. Located in Berrien and Cass Counties, Niles is the larger of the two cities that make up the Niles-Benton Harbor metro area, offering the feel of small-town living, with access to big city life, minus the big city rush. That's why so many people seek new homes for sale in Niles and choose to live and work in the area.
Niles is located on the banks of the St. Joseph River, at the French Fort St. Joseph site, built in 1697 to protect a Jesuit Mission established there in 1691. The British held the fort after 1761, and Native Americans captured it in 1763. Although the British ultimately retook the fort, it became a trading post. Spanish forces took the fort briefly during the American Revolution. Since four separate nations held the fort throughout history, the City of Niles earned the nickname "The City of Four Flags." Officially settled in 1827, the city was named for Hezekiah Niles, a Baltimore newspaper editor active in the Underground Railroad, having helped escaped slaves from as far south as New Orleans through the Heartland and into Canada.
The Niles Riverfront Park stretches for about a mile and a half along the St. Joseph River. The park and surrounding downtown serve as the backdrop for the city's many seasonal cultural events, including Niles Riverfest, the Niles Bluegrass Festival, the Hunter Ice Festival, and the Apple Festival Parade. This popular community park also features an Armed Forces Memorial, a public stage, a skateboard park, a playground, and sand volleyball courts. A trail runs through the park as part of the Indiana-Michigan River Valley Trail, a system of interconnected multi-use trails that connect the cities of Mishawaka, Indiana, South Bend, and Niles. Just to the northwest of the city is the 105-acre Fernwood Botanical Garden and Nature Preserve.
Niles is conveniently located in Southern Michigan, with easy access to major cities like Kalamazoo and Chicago, IL. It is just eleven miles to downtown South Bend, IN. Niles is about 25 miles from the shores of Lake Michigan. Niles continues to grow in popularity as 18 new home neighborhoods continue to draw families from around the region and the country to the area. There are 0 builders in the region, serving Niles and the surrounding cities and towns of Benton Harbor, Watervliet, and New Buffalo.
