South Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Most of the city is in Van Buren County, although a little portion extends into Allegan County. The population was 4,403 at the 2010 census.

Because of its position on Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Black River, South Haven has always been a harbor city. During settlement, major ship lines stopped there, both passenger and freight. In the upfront 1900s South Haven became a resort town, sometimes referred to as “The Catskills of the Midwest.” South Haven is a major regional tourist appeal because of its recreational harbor and beaches. It is the western terminus of the Kal-Haven Trail, popular taking into account bicyclists and snowmobilers. Nearby are Van Buren State Park and the Van Buren Trail State Park.

Noted botanist Liberty Hyde Bailey was born in South Haven. His childhood house was presented to the city in the 1930s, and is now a museum.

Prior to colonization by white settlers, the Place was inhabited at different time by Potawatomi and Iroquois indigenous people. In 1833, the U.S. government fixed Jay R. Monroe a land patent for 65 acres of home along the shore of Lake Michigan. In the 1850s the first long-lasting settlers arrived, and ahead of time in the decade the first steam sawmills were built on the Black River. About this time, the agreement gained its first merchant, physician, lawyer, and minister, and the first schoolhouse was built. The first bank was organized in 1867. South Haven was incorporated as a village in 1869, and as a city in 1902. South Haven was named just about nearby Grand Haven.