South Bend, Indiana

DetroitSky · #1 Posted: **Aug 2, 2012, 11:45 PM**

South Bend is a city of 101,168 (2010 census) located in northern Indiana. It is the center of what is known as the Michiana region of northern Indiana and southwestern Michigan. The city was once home to the auto manufacturer Studebaker and just to the north of the city is the University of Notre Dame. The population peaked at roughly 132,500 in the 1960 census. These were taken on a sunday, I'm sure the city is more lively during the week.

Enjoy

Thanks!

Centropolis · #2 Posted: **Aug 2, 2012, 11:53 PM**

nice bones!

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...2/DSC04854.jpg

man who doesnt have one of these long lines buildings??

ColDayMan · #3 Posted: **Aug 3, 2012, 12:32 AM**

It has some stunning theaters.

musicmix96 · #4 Posted: **Aug 3, 2012, 12:35 PM**

Great photos

Echoes · #5 Posted: **Aug 3, 2012, 5:21 PM**

I've never heard of South Bend before. Beautiful theatres, great heritage, and some sizable office buildings for a city of 100,000!

Private Dick · #6 Posted: **Aug 3, 2012, 5:37 PM**

The downtown looks to be in good shape... seems to have weathered the industrial collapse much better than other cities in this area.

I assume having Notre Dame/major Catholic church influence there and its proximity to Chicago are reasons why.?

Surrealplaces · #7 Posted: **Aug 3, 2012, 8:54 PM**

Nice photo tour!

DetroitSky · #8 Posted: **Aug 3, 2012, 9:24 PM**

Thanks everyone!

Yankeebiscuitfan · #9 Posted: **Aug 3, 2012, 11:54 PM**

I love these "small" town USA threads. South Bend, home of the SilverHawks, the A affiliate of the Diamondbacks. Sorry, but there is always some baseball relation for me to see.

mobyhead · #10 Posted: **Aug 4, 2012, 12:29 AM**

I grew up in Chicago and Valparaiso, IN. Been in Indianapolis for almost 20 years. Never been to South Bend.

Thanks for the tour!

Robert Pence · #11 Posted: **Aug 4, 2012, 12:49 AM**

Well done!

Downtown South Bend has a vacant feel even on a weekday. I think it comes from the extremely wide streets created during the Urban Renewal era to accomodate traffic generated by heavy industries that no longer exist. Downtown has some very good features like the East Race, possibly the best downtown water feature in any Midwestern city. They just need to do something about the vast emptiness created by those streets. As a starter I'd suggest median planters, and then wide sidewalks also with plantings, and physically separated bike lanes. I haven't seen much cycling activity in South Bend, but perhaps an effort to be more accomodating would bring it. (Build it and they will come.)

South Bend Chocolate Company (Chocolate Cafe, 18th photo) makes some seriously good candies. Their chocolate-coated English toffee is indisputably wonderful.

South Bend once was Indiana's third-largest city. It has slipped to fourth place, replaced by Evansville.

Indianapolis > Fort Wayne > Evansville > South Bend

Thundertubs · #12 Posted: **Aug 4, 2012, 3:06 PM**

Despite driving by on I-90 about a million times, and the fact that I'm the kind of person who stops everywhere, I've somehow never been to South Bend. Heck, I've been to Elkhart and LaPorte.

Looks like there are some very nice individual pieces downtown that don't quite cohere.

Thanks for the tour. I'll make it there someday.

le_brew · #13 Posted: **Aug 5, 2012, 2:50 PM**

Not to mention the commuter transit to Chicago: Southshore (NICTD) trains go all the way to the S. Bend airport (90 miles from Chi Loop). Nice getaway for $11.75 one-way.

Xing · #14 Posted: **Aug 5, 2012, 5:00 PM**

Awesome!

shivtim · #15 Posted: **Aug 7, 2012, 3:21 PM**

Nice pics. I lived in South Bend for 3 years. It's a sleepy little city but pretty in places.

Phil McAvity · #16 Posted: **Aug 7, 2012, 4:24 PM**

I figured South Bend must have one of the best skylines in the world if it's population is only 101,168 people but that's just the city proper, the metro population is 316,663.

10023 · #17 Posted: **Aug 7, 2012, 4:48 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Private Dick

The downtown looks to be in good shape... seems to have weathered the industrial collapse much better than other cities in this area.

I assume having Notre Dame/major Catholic church influence there and its proximity to Chicago are reasons why.?

Don't worry, it's much more deserted than it looks.

I once stopped driving through South Bend, looking for a coffee (any coffee) at about 9pm on a Saturday night. No dice.

Private Dick · #18 Posted: **Aug 7, 2012, 5:30 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by 10023

Don't worry, it's much more deserted than it looks.

I once stopped driving through South Bend, looking for a coffee (any coffee) at about 9pm on a Saturday night. No dice.

Yeah, I don't doubt that it's not a very vibrant place... just seems to look much less shabby and falling-apart than other smaller cities of the region.

No Saturday Night Fever going on in South Bend doesn't surprise me though -- any place associated with Notre Dame can't be very cool at all.

woodrow · #19 Posted: **Aug 8, 2012, 3:34 PM**

"It sounds like dancing, doesn't it?"

BnaBreaker · #20 Posted: **Aug 8, 2012, 9:01 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by 10023

Don't worry, it's much more deserted than it looks.

I once stopped driving through South Bend, looking for a coffee (any coffee) at about 9pm on a Saturday night. No dice.

I agree that it leaves a lot to be desired, but I'm guessing you just didn't know where to look. For a small city it does have some pretty good pockets of activity, relatively speaking. Also, while it is technically a college town, people forget that size wise UND is nowhere near as large as a U of Michigan or U of Wisconsin. There aren't nearly enough students to support the type of college town atmosphere that you see in Madison or Ann Arbor.