New Buffalo

City in Berrien County, in the far southwest of Michigan; population (1990) 2,300. New Buffalo lies on Lake Michigan, 32 km/20 mi west of Niles and 3 km/2 mi north of the Indiana border.

New Buffalo lies in a region of farms and orchards, and was for a long period a popular resort centre, characterized by numerous summer camps, hotels, and cottages. Until the 1950s, it was frequented by holidaymakers from Chicago, Illinois, and Gary, Indiana, but its popularity waned during the 1960s and 1970s. Rejuvenation of the city and the adjacent Lake Michigan shoreline began in 1979, with the dredging of New Buffalo harbour. Since then, old hotels and rental cottages have been restored, and new vacation homes and apartment blocks constructed.