South Bend, Indiana
South Bend is a city in, and the county seat of, St. Joseph County, Indiana, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total of 101,168 residents; its metropolitan statistical area had a population of 318,586 and its combined statistical area, 721,296. It is the fourth-largest city in Indiana, and is the economic and cultural hub of northern Indiana. The area was settled... Show more in the early 19th century by fur traders and was established as a city in 1865. The St. Joseph River shaped South Bend's economy through the mid-20th century. River access assisted heavy industrial development such as that of the Studebaker Corporation, the Oliver Chilled Plow Company, and other large corporations. The population of South Bend declined after 1960, when it peaked at 132,445. This was chiefly due to migration to suburban areas as...