Map of Paw Paw Lake CDP

Paw Paw Lake is an unincorporated community in Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a census-designated place (CDP) for statistical purposes, without legal status as a municipality. The community is located within areas of both Coloma Charter Township and Watervliet Township in the area surrounding Paw Paw Lake and Little Paw Paw Lake, excluding the cities of Watervliet and Coloma. The population of the CDP was 3,511 at the 2010 census.

Paw Paw Lake CDP overview:
Name:	Paw Paw Lake CDP
LSAD Code:	57
LSAD Description:	CDP (suffix)
State:	Michigan
County:	Berrien County
Elevation:	653 ft (199 m)
Total Area:	6.79 sq mi (17.59 km²)
Land Area:	5.13 sq mi (13.29 km²)
Water Area:	1.66 sq mi (4.29 km²)
Total Population:	3,323
Population Density:	647.51/sq mi (250.00/km²)
Area code:	269
FIPS code:	2663020
GNISfeature ID:	634490

Online Interactive Map

Click on to view map in "full screen" mode.

Paw Paw Lake online map. Source: Basemap layers from Google Map, Open Street Map (OSM), Arcgisonline, Wmflabs. Boundary Data from Database of Global Administrative Areas.

Paw Paw Lake location map. Where is Paw Paw Lake CDP?

Paw Paw Lake location on the U.S. Map. Where is Paw Paw Lake CDP. — Paw Paw Lake location on the U.S. Map.

Paw Paw Lake location on the Michigan map. Where is Paw Paw Lake CDP. — Location of Paw Paw Lake in Michigan.

History

The area which became the CDP was the site of a tourist area in the early 20th century. An 1894 Chicago newspaper article was the catalyst in making the shore a resort area, and a rail line extension from nearby Coloma in 1896 started the building boom. Pavilions, hotels, and cottages soon followed, with nationally known acts performing at the pavilions. Most of these buildings are no longer extant.

Deer Forest

The nearby Deer Forest animal park in Coloma Township opened at the end of the heyday of the resort area. Though many of its assets were auctioned off on September 26, 2009, the park continued to operate through the 2014 season. It closed permanently at the end of that season and animals were dispersed to various other locations. The property itself was auctioned off on June 29, 2015. It was auctioned again in 2021 and sold in March 2022.

Paw Paw Lake Road Map

Paw Paw Lake city Satellite Map

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 6.8 square miles (17.5 km), of which 5.1 square miles (13.3 km) is land and 1.7 square miles (4.3 km), or 24.47%, is water, consisting primarily of Paw Paw Lake and Little Paw Paw Lake. The Paw Paw River, outlet of the lakes, forms most of the southern boundary of the CDP. North Coloma Road forms the western edge of the CDP, Hagar Shore Road the north edge, and highway M-140 the eastern edge. The cities of Watervliet and Coloma touch the CDP at its southeast and southwest corners, respectively.