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South Bend is a great place to live, when you wrote this South Bend was still struggling in it's decline, but in the modern days of 2013 South Bend is greater than it has ever been before. I used to think South Bend was just as bad as people said it was, which is probably was, but I had never really experienced South Bend before. Once I started visiting on a regular basis, I grew to love South Bend, and personally I would love to live there. I think it's safe to say all industrial cities have taken a huge hit, take Detroit and Gary for example. However, South Bend declined, but not nearly as hard. I think in 2013 under Mayor Pete Buttigieg, South Bend has made a huge comeback, and is headed in the right direction. Up until 2013, South Bend had a declining population and was stricken by high crime rates, mainly on the West Side. In 2013 South Bend saw it's first population growth since 2000, the SBPD has also been drastically cutting down crime and increasing patrols. Yes, there is still occasional crime usually from the West Side, but not nearly as much as there used to be, and hey all cities have some crime. South Bend is 2x larger then any other city in it's local "Michiana" area, so sure everyone around them can say South Bend has tons of crime don't move there it sucks, but in reality, the more residents, the more crime, you can't expect a mid-sized city with 100,000 residents to have the same crime rates as a small town with 1,000 residents. I mean, there's a neighboring city called Elkhart with 50,000 residents that has just as much crime as South Bend. So, if any of the cities around South Bend have a crime problem, it's Elkhart, not South Bend. I would consider South Bend's current crime rates normal for the size of South Bend. Moving on, this is the part that can compare to Detroit and Gary, all of the abandoned homes, and people sneaking into them. The Mayor proposed and got passed a plan to get rid of all of the abadoned houses in South Bend to make room for new homes to be built. This program has also managed to retrieve state funding, because apparently it's not a South Bend issue, it's a state-wide issue. Also, another important key to this project is how would you know if new homes will be built, simple. With South Bend's new growing population, and a study released earlier in 2013 stating that South Bend is ripe for new housing development, as in 3-4 thousand new residents per year, for the next few years. Lets say South Bend grows by 4,000 for the next 5 years, that would make their population about 120,000 by 2018, that's 2/3 of what they lost in their 40 year decline, regained in just half a decade. Not only would that put South Bend closer to having a new peak in population, making their decline history, but it would also jump South Bend from 4th largest city in it's state, to 3rd, over Evansville, assuming Evansville doesn't grow very much. Next, South Bend is modernizing itself, into a tech city, it's a cutting edge start into the new normal, and I am almost certain that is what is helping South Bend to grow once again, after all, South Bend did have 13+ new businesses open up in their downtown area in 2013 alone. I find that remarkable on just the first year of a comeback. Buidling on to the tech thing, South Bend is partnered with Notre Dame, technically Notre Dame is not part of South Bend, but most people consider it to be, I think of it as Manhattan and Brooklyn, and who knows maybe one day if South Bend gets big enough, Notre Dame might be a part of South Bend, but anywys to my point, South Bend has the most sensored sewer system in the world thanks to some of their partnerships, and it's saving them alot of money that they can put forth to more important things like cutting back on crime. Most people don't know about the city of Fort Wayne Indiana unless they live in Indiana or Ohio, but it is a quiet city, similar to South Bend, back in the late 1900s Fort Wayne was struggling like South Bend, so they put in place plans like South Bend is doing to help them grow, and it works and now Fort Wayne is the 2nd largest city in the state of Indiana, and has a growing population of 200,000+ I think South Bend will follow in that same direction, and personally I think South Bend has far more potential than Fort Wayne, Fort Wayne's only real connection is to Indianapolis, However the state of Indiana is working to create that same connection to South Bend, because the "Michiana" community is one of the largest economies in the state of Indiana, and once again neighboring city to South Bend, Elkhart happens to be the largest manufacturing hub in the state, and with South Bend being the core of it's local community, and having a strong connection to Chicago, I think South Bend has far more potential for growth than Fort Wayne. So, now that we've covered the big stuff, I'll talk about smaller things for residents, or potential residents. South Bend is the core of a community called "Michiana" because their local region is a group of counties on the Indiana Michigan border, within the two states of Michigan and Indiana, Michiana is unlike anything I've ever seen anywhere else, usually you have one mid-sized city and that's it, in Michiana there are several mid-sized cities all gathered up right next to each other, and plenty more a little further away. South Bend is not only in a vast community, but it is also at the crossroads of all major midwest cities, Chicago, Detroit, and Indianapolis. If you're thinking about moving to South Bend and commuting else where, the airport is great, it was the first airport of it's kind ever to be created, the buses, trains, and planes are all in the same place, and it only takes like an hour to get to Chicago from South Bend. If you're thinking about working in South Bend, that is another great choice. There are not a whole lot of corporate businesses in South Bend, but if you're an entreprenuer you could not ask for a better partner than the city of South Bend, there is plenty of office space in the recently sold Chase Tower, which is an icon to the South Bend skyline, there is also plenty of other space in other buildings throughout the city. There are also countless creative and local businesses throughout the city, there is also high class living, alot of it is being built right now, with the twin condo towers going up on the riverfront, and several other apartment projects, you are not at a loss for great housing, because it's cheap too, from my knowledge South Bend is one of the cheapest places in the US to live, what more could you ask for, high class living at a low price. So instead of explaining the rest, I'll simplify everyting to let you know what you have or could have in South Bend: Great housing at great prices, Magnificent local businesses that care and support the community, Tons of growth potential on several levels, Beautiful scenery on the riverfront and at Notre Dame, world class medical care via Memorial Hospital, or Neighboring St. Joe Regional in the twin city of Mishawaka, tons of fun things to do and see, some of the best sporting programs around, and an olympic quality white water rafting course in the river, a good police presense and department, a good government, and overall just a great city.
If you live in or around South Bend, and don't know what all is actually there, you should check it out, because I was amazed.
If you are considering moving to South Bend for any reason, DO IT, it is well worth it, and you will not regret it. It is a great place to live, and I want to live there myself.
Please cite your sources. There's a lot of highly questionable information in here, I suspect a lot of it is hyperbole because you are a homer. I would also remind you that any population figures for 2013 are purely speculative. The census is only taken once every ten years, any estimates are just that, estimates. Also, the growth figures you are talking about of 4,000 per year are greatly exaggerated. There is nothing in South Bend that would draw 4,000 new residents every year. South Bend will be lucky to see a growth of 4,000 by the 2020 census, however that is possible.
Don't get me wrong, I like South Bend, lived there for over 10 years and it has potential and is definitely not as bad as a lot of people make it out to be, but it is far from the wonderland Utopia that you are trying to make it out to be.
Last edited by ColdAilment; 12-07-2013 at 10:17 PM..
South Bend is a great place to live, when you wrote this South Bend was still struggling in it's decline, but in the modern days of 2013 South Bend is greater than it has ever been before. I used to think South Bend was just as bad as people said it was, which is probably was, but I had never really experienced South Bend before. Once I started visiting on a regular basis, I grew to love South Bend, and personally I would love to live there. I think it's safe to say all industrial cities have taken a huge hit, take Detroit and Gary for example. However, South Bend declined, but not nearly as hard. I think in 2013 under Mayor Pete Buttigieg, South Bend has made a huge comeback, and is headed in the right direction. Up until 2013, South Bend had a declining population and was stricken by high crime rates, mainly on the West Side. In 2013 South Bend saw it's first population growth since 2000, the SBPD has also been drastically cutting down crime and increasing patrols. Yes, there is still occasional crime usually from the West Side, but not nearly as much as there used to be, and hey all cities have some crime. South Bend is 2x larger then any other city in it's local "Michiana" area, so sure everyone around them can say South Bend has tons of crime don't move there it sucks, but in reality, the more residents, the more crime, you can't expect a mid-sized city with 100,000 residents to have the same crime rates as a small town with 1,000 residents. I mean, there's a neighboring city called Elkhart with 50,000 residents that has just as much crime as South Bend. So, if any of the cities around South Bend have a crime problem, it's Elkhart, not South Bend. I would consider South Bend's current crime rates normal for the size of South Bend. Moving on, this is the part that can compare to Detroit and Gary, all of the abandoned homes, and people sneaking into them. The Mayor proposed and got passed a plan to get rid of all of the abadoned houses in South Bend to make room for new homes to be built. This program has also managed to retrieve state funding, because apparently it's not a South Bend issue, it's a state-wide issue. Also, another important key to this project is how would you know if new homes will be built, simple. With South Bend's new growing population, and a study released earlier in 2013 stating that South Bend is ripe for new housing development, as in 3-4 thousand new residents per year, for the next few years. Lets say South Bend grows by 4,000 for the next 5 years, that would make their population about 120,000 by 2018, that's 2/3 of what they lost in their 40 year decline, regained in just half a decade. Not only would that put South Bend closer to having a new peak in population, making their decline history, but it would also jump South Bend from 4th largest city in it's state, to 3rd, over Evansville, assuming Evansville doesn't grow very much. Next, South Bend is modernizing itself, into a tech city, it's a cutting edge start into the new normal, and I am almost certain that is what is helping South Bend to grow once again, after all, South Bend did have 13+ new businesses open up in their downtown area in 2013 alone. I find that remarkable on just the first year of a comeback. Buidling on to the tech thing, South Bend is partnered with Notre Dame, technically Notre Dame is not part of South Bend, but most people consider it to be, I think of it as Manhattan and Brooklyn, and who knows maybe one day if South Bend gets big enough, Notre Dame might be a part of South Bend, but anywys to my point, South Bend has the most sensored sewer system in the world thanks to some of their partnerships, and it's saving them alot of money that they can put forth to more important things like cutting back on crime. Most people don't know about the city of Fort Wayne Indiana unless they live in Indiana or Ohio, but it is a quiet city, similar to South Bend, back in the late 1900s Fort Wayne was struggling like South Bend, so they put in place plans like South Bend is doing to help them grow, and it works and now Fort Wayne is the 2nd largest city in the state of Indiana, and has a growing population of 200,000+ I think South Bend will follow in that same direction, and personally I think South Bend has far more potential than Fort Wayne, Fort Wayne's only real connection is to Indianapolis, However the state of Indiana is working to create that same connection to South Bend, because the "Michiana" community is one of the largest economies in the state of Indiana, and once again neighboring city to South Bend, Elkhart happens to be the largest manufacturing hub in the state, and with South Bend being the core of it's local community, and having a strong connection to Chicago, I think South Bend has far more potential for growth than Fort Wayne. So, now that we've covered the big stuff, I'll talk about smaller things for residents, or potential residents. South Bend is the core of a community called "Michiana" because their local region is a group of counties on the Indiana Michigan border, within the two states of Michigan and Indiana, Michiana is unlike anything I've ever seen anywhere else, usually you have one mid-sized city and that's it, in Michiana there are several mid-sized cities all gathered up right next to each other, and plenty more a little further away. South Bend is not only in a vast community, but it is also at the crossroads of all major midwest cities, Chicago, Detroit, and Indianapolis. If you're thinking about moving to South Bend and commuting else where, the airport is great, it was the first airport of it's kind ever to be created, the buses, trains, and planes are all in the same place, and it only takes like an hour to get to Chicago from South Bend. If you're thinking about working in South Bend, that is another great choice. There are not a whole lot of corporate businesses in South Bend, but if you're an entreprenuer you could not ask for a better partner than the city of South Bend, there is plenty of office space in the recently sold Chase Tower, which is an icon to the South Bend skyline, there is also plenty of other space in other buildings throughout the city. There are also countless creative and local businesses throughout the city, there is also high class living, alot of it is being built right now, with the twin condo towers going up on the riverfront, and several other apartment projects, you are not at a loss for great housing, because it's cheap too, from my knowledge South Bend is one of the cheapest places in the US to live, what more could you ask for, high class living at a low price. So instead of explaining the rest, I'll simplify everyting to let you know what you have or could have in South Bend: Great housing at great prices, Magnificent local businesses that care and support the community, Tons of growth potential on several levels, Beautiful scenery on the riverfront and at Notre Dame, world class medical care via Memorial Hospital, or Neighboring St. Joe Regional in the twin city of Mishawaka, tons of fun things to do and see, some of the best sporting programs around, and an olympic quality white water rafting course in the river, a good police presense and department, a good government, and overall just a great city.
If you live in or around South Bend, and don't know what all is actually there, you should check it out, because I was amazed.
If you are considering moving to South Bend for any reason, DO IT, it is well worth it, and you will not regret it. It is a great place to live, and I want to live there myself.
I've lived in the South Bend-Elkhart area for 23 1/2 years. It's o.k., but not great. Except for the Lake Michigan beaches there isn't much to do if you want outdoor opportunities like hiking, etc. It's fun to travel out to the Amish areas. I was happy when we were able to get our children out of the South Bend schools and into the Penn district. In South Bend they were bussed out of our neighborhood for desegregation -- the school they were bussed to was right across from a drug house and they actually watched drug raids from their school room window. The teachers spent more time dealing with disciplinary problems than teaching. If you like to shovel snow there is no better place to live than South Bend -- you'll get to do lots of it. The area is so flat your kids are going to have to pay to get into a park to find a decent sledding hill. The summers are pleasant for the most part because of the natural air conditioning off the lake. I don't mind it here, but hope to be able to go to Southern Indiana if I ever get to retire.
I've lived in the South Bend-Elkhart area for 23 1/2 years. It's o.k., but not great. Except for the Lake Michigan beaches there isn't much to do if you want outdoor opportunities like hiking, etc. It's fun to travel out to the Amish areas. I was happy when we were able to get our children out of the South Bend schools and into the Penn district. In South Bend they were bussed out of our neighborhood for desegregation -- the school they were bussed to was right across from a drug house and they actually watched drug raids from their school room window. The teachers spent more time dealing with disciplinary problems than teaching. If you like to shovel snow there is no better place to live than South Bend -- you'll get to do lots of it. The area is so flat your kids are going to have to pay to get into a park to find a decent sledding hill. The summers are pleasant for the most part because of the natural air conditioning off the lake. I don't mind it here, but hope to be able to go to Southern Indiana if I ever get to retire.
Penn Harris Madison school district serves the wealthy suburbanites who have settled eastern Mishawaka, Granger, and the outlying areas. Because of this, they generate a higher tax base, the schools have more money, and children from more affluent families are more well behaved than those in more impoverished areas. South Bend has to integrate all of their schools equally, this is why there is a large influx of many races and backgrounds. In the Penn area it is mostly affluent white families, hence why they are the better school district.
Academically speaking, Marion and St. Joseph schools, the Catholic schools in this area, are the premier choices.
I have been sledding at Wilson Park off of Dragoon trail in Mishawaka several times. Admission is cheap, $2-$3 a person and you can sled all day AND borrow their innertubes, because those are actually more fun, IMO. Howard Park near downtown South Bend, and along the river has the ice skating rink, which is completely outdoors. It's a pretty decent skating rink, been there several times and I always have a good time.
The South Bend Chocolate Company in downtown offers AMAZING hot chocolate, and of course a huge variety of chocolates and other sweets and treats. It's growing into a regional enterprise, they have locations in Michigan, Circle Centre Mall in Indianapolis, Ft. Wayne, and several other cities.
South Bend-Mishawaka area is still probably the best area to be in if you're in northern Indiana. Better than Elkhart, better than the Northwest, better than Gary, better than Michigan City. Really it's not that bad, it's just not that spectacular either.
I've lived in the South Bend-Elkhart area for 23 1/2 years. It's o.k., but not great. Except for the Lake Michigan beaches there isn't much to do if you want outdoor opportunities like hiking, etc. It's fun to travel out to the Amish areas. I was happy when we were able to get our children out of the South Bend schools and into the Penn district. In South Bend they were bussed out of our neighborhood for desegregation -- the school they were bussed to was right across from a drug house and they actually watched drug raids from their school room window. The teachers spent more time dealing with disciplinary problems than teaching. If you like to shovel snow there is no better place to live than South Bend -- you'll get to do lots of it. The area is so flat your kids are going to have to pay to get into a park to find a decent sledding hill. The summers are pleasant for the most part because of the natural air conditioning off the lake. I don't mind it here, but hope to be able to go to Southern Indiana if I ever get to retire.
In defense for South Bend, it has it's problems but not all schools fit this stereotype. My children did
very well at Edison and Adams HS which is across the street from IU. From my personal experience,
South Bend has some of the best teachers in the area. Granted SB needs improvement and yes it
gets that lake effect snow but the city has always been well prepared for such storms.
As to being flat, afterall it is the midwest and that snow helps the water supply and crops. There are places for sledding and other outdoor activities.
South Bend-Mishawaka area is still probably the best area to be in if you're in northern Indiana. Better than Elkhart, better than the Northwest, better than Gary, better than Michigan City. Really it's not that bad, it's just not that spectacular either.
That was my point. It's o.k. If I didn't have to deal with the commute, I'd rather live in Middlebury, Bristol or Shipshewana. They have a really nice bike/hiking trail (Pumpkinvine) and the crime is minimal. They also have some nice rolling hills to enjoy!
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