South Bend, Indiana
If you’re thinking of moving to South Bend, you’re not the first person to consider it. This is a city that still celebrates the cultural influence of the Polish Catholic immigrants who began moving cross-country to Indiana in the late 19th-century. For example, if you come to South Bend on the Catholic holiday of Fat Tuesday (also known as Mardi Gras), you will find locals celebrating the holiday with their own old-fashioned traditions, including the traditional Polish pączki pastries.
But pączki aren’t the only thing that South Bend has to offer. This is a modern city with all of the amenities: a solid economy, a thriving arts center and a beautiful historic downtown. Before you begin calling around for South Bend moving companies, take a few minutes to learn more about the city you’ll soon call home.
Economy:
South Bend, Indiana is first and foremost a college town. The University of Notre Dame contributes many jobs to the area, but it also benefits South Bend by helping to create a well-educated workforce. In addition, Notre Dame’s top-notch research and development facilities are a boon to local businesses. Notre Dame is also an important tourist attraction; each year, its university football team draws hundreds of thousands of visitors who spend 10 of millions of dollars in the local economy.
The health care industry is also a strong player in the local economy, with the Memorial Health System leading the way in medical care and research. Retail establishments are another important source of local income, because South Bend’s retail centers are the second-largest in Indiana (after Indianapolis).
History:
The first European to explore the area around the future city of South Bend was probably the French explorer Robert Rene Cavalier Sieur de La Salle, who sailed up banks of the Saint Joseph River in 1679. La Salle went on to negotiate the important Miami Treaties with the local Native American tribes. (The enormous “Council Oak” where the treaties took place was an important South Bend landmark until 1992, when disease and lightning killed the tree.)
It wasn’t until 150 years after La Salle’s explorations that a settler named Pierre Navarre built a cabin on what is now the site of the north end of the Michigan Street Bridge in South Bend. Navarre was followed by Alexis Coquillard, who built a fur trading post near Navarre’s cabin. The city of South Bend grew up around the trading post. Immigration was slow until the Very Reverend Edward Sorin brought a group of Catholic monks to found the University of Notre Dame. This famous institution was soon joined by the Mother House of Sisters of the Holy Cross and Saint Mary’s College. Together they formed the foundation of South Bend’s rapid growth and helped it to become the thriving city that it is today.
Tourism:
One of the best ways to experience South Bend’s attractive downtown area is to take a Dream Coach Carriage Ride. The carriage rides are available every Friday evening, and they take visitors past many of the beautiful historic homes in the area, including the homes of the entrepreneurs who played a vital role in South Bend’s early manufacturing efforts: the Studebakers, the Olivers and the Birdsells.
If you prefer to experience South Bend’s charms on foot, consider spending an afternoon strolling along the East Bank Riverwalk, which is a wide paved path that stretches for five miles along the Saint Joseph River. The river offers many other adventures as well, including one of the few manmade whitewater rafting areas in the United States. If inclement weather discourages outdoor activities, there’s still plenty to do in South Bend; start by checking out the schedule at the historic Morris Performing Arts Center, which features concerts, comedians and touring Broadway performances.
Colleges and Universities:
• University of Notre Dame
• Indiana University—South Bend
• Ivy Tech State College—North Central
• Michigan College
Interesting Facts:
• More than 3,000 pounds of chocolate are produced each week at the South Bend, Indiana factory of the South Bend Chocolate Company.
• South Bend’s Potawatomi Zoo opened in 1902, which makes it Indiana’s oldest zoo.
• Each year, more than 10,000 trout and salmon migrate through the South Bend Fish Ladder on the Saint Joseph River.
Helpful Links:
• South Bend Real Estate
• South Bend Storage Facility
• South Bend Insurance
• South Bend Dental Offices
• South Bend Moving Guide