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South Bend is a city in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total of 107,789; its metropolitan area had a population of 316,663. It is the fourth largest city in Indiana. The city is the county seat of St. Joseph County. It is the economic and cultural hub of the region commonly known as Michiana. History
South Bend officially began as South Hold as designated by the United States Postal Service in 1829. The Post Office changed the name to South Bend in 1830. The name was changed in order to ease confusion as several other communities called South Hold existed at the time. In 1831 South Bend was laid out as the county seat and as one of the four original townships of St. Joseph County. Around 128 people lived in the area at the time, mostly fur traders, merchants, and innkeepers. South Bend was organized as a town in 1835 and was incorporated as a city in 1865. During the late 1830s through the 1850s, much of South Bend's development centered around the industrial complex of factories located on the two races (man-made canals along the St. Joseph River in South Bend). Of the two, only the East Race remains as a visible reminder of the past. The East Race was converted to an artificial whitewater course in 1984. The West Race, was purchased in 1903 by the Oliver Chilled Plow Company and utilized to produce power for numerous structures throughout South Bend. Currently only parts of this plant and dam remain, as the Century Center converted it into a tourism and business venture. On October 4, 1851, the first steam locomotive entered South Bend. This led to great interest in the possibility of transportation throughout South Bend by locomotives, and in 1882 the South Bend Street Railway Company attempted the first service of electrified streetcars anywhere in the world. Initially a failure, electric current problems were fixed in late 1882 to connect Mishawaka and South Bend.
These industrial connections and developments soon led the brothers Studebaker to take up shop in the city of South Bend. Founded by Henry and Clem Studebaker, the Studebaker Manufacturing Company was one of a handful of wagon making companies in the world to successfully transfer their business from the building of wagons to the building of automobiles. Being a major automobile manufacturing company, it often outsold in terms of numbers the Ford Motor Company in the first few decades of the 20th century. Their connection with South Bend industry was massive, leaving a permanent imprint on the skyline of western South Bend. However, due to economic difficulties, the Studebaker Company closed its automotive manufacturing plants in South Bend in December of 1963. Other companies involved in the development of South Bend include the Oliver Corporation, the Birdsell Manufacturing Company, the Bendix Corporation, Honeywell, AlliedSignal, the Robert Bosch GmbH, Uniroyal, Singer Sewing Machine Company, the O'Brien Paint Corp. and the South Bend Toy Company. During World War II, the South Bend Blue Sox All-American Girls Professional Baseball League team was formed in South Bend. The team participated in all the league's seasons from 1943-1954. Current companies to note that have developed in the area are Tire Rack and Woodwind & Brasswind. Research Tips
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