South Bend, IN is a vibrant city located in the northern part of Indiana. With a variety of activities and attractions to explore, the city offers something for everyone. South Bend is known for its bustling downtown area with shops, restaurants, and entertainment venues. There are also plenty of leisure activities available such as hiking trails, golf courses, museums, and more. The University of Notre Dame is also located in South Bend and has many athletic and cultural opportunities for visitors to take advantage of. Reviews of South Bend are generally positive with visitors noting that there are plenty of things to do in the area while still maintaining its small-town feel. People praise the community's hospitality and friendliness while enjoying all that South Bend has to offer. From its natural beauty to its lively atmosphere, South Bend makes for an enjoyable visit no matter what your interests may be.
based on 25 ReviewsGet to know South Bend with the latest comments and reviews from people who live in or have visited South Bend
South Bend is a good city for cheapskates and Notr - 11/7/2012
South Bend has affordable rent, Notre Dame, the Chocholate Cafe, and the Football Hall of Fame. Other than these things, South Bend is very boring and it is slowly becoming a ghost town! For a city it's size I think the crime is bad, but we do have a nice public library downtown! (I had to throw something nice in there!) LOL It's an o.k. place if your'e ready to settle down with the grandkids, and dust off the old rocking chair! It does not feel like a college town to me. It feels more like a retirement community. The attractions that I mentioned above are the only things that are keeping this place afloat, with the exceptiopn of the Morris Performing Arts Center. If you plan to visit, bring something to read because this place is like a long boring car ride with no music! I'm sorry but that's the way I feel, I live here and deal with this place every day! And yes peope, I do plan to move soon to Atlanta! I'm saving money right now as we speak! That's my story and I'm sticki'n too
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Quality of Life - 10/30/2012
The costs are not bad here. Crime is high especially against women and domestic violence is out of control. There is a "no fault" divorce here which means someone always gets messed over. Laws are sloppy not well enforced.
Hospitals are not real good. Quality is average. Doctor visits take care of one issue at a time so if you have more than one issue you need to make back to back appointments paying a deductible for each one. Mental Health services are backlogged.
Homeless Shelter is one of the best in the country but overloaded also. Notre Dame rules here, unfortunately unless you have money that will hurt you not help you. (I can't say they follow Catholic principles of helping the poor.)
Housing costs are more than reasonable but property taxes high. Sales tax is about average, city license on pets is reasonable. They have bus transport but only in a limited area. Crime is on the rise here. Certain parts of town you cannot
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Moving to South Bend - 9/14/2012
Hello I am moving to South Bend in a few months and would like to know where the best part of south bend is to live with a 6 year old and how are the schools? Is it better to home school or are the schools secure? What kind of security is in the schools? Im very nervous about the move and would like to know all of this before I move if you have any information you can help me with I would appreciate an email. Thank you all.
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Interesting case study - 9/15/2011
Plan to immerse yourself in work or school, otherwise don't come here.
Most people are friendly enough, although they blather too much to convey their point. Excellent Market for mediocre restaurant. Area residents unable to differentiate good or bad establishments. Either will be profitable. Among the numerous examples is a popular Mexican chain serving disgaceful microwaved food. TV dinner would be far better.
Asking for service seems to violate an unspoken code of conduct. Customers quietly stand in long lines at stores without politely requesting manager open second register.
Many drivers tailgate here. Often it is necessary to change into the fast lane to allow the driver tailgating to pass in the slow lane. Yes this is true when only two cars on road.
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Overall living in South Bend - 4/15/2010
I am a born and raised native of SB, for the last thirty-five years. I have lived on the West Side, Southside, and the Southeast side. South Bend was once a great place to raise a family, but I have seen my hometown slowly go downhill over the last fifteen years. My husband is an active person and enjoys going on walks, but he has since stopped since being mugged/jumped four times over a three-month period in 2008! I spoke with a police officer in March of 2010, and SB currently has 250 officers on payroll to police a city of over 100,000 residents. This could be part of the problem.
The school corp is doing what they can to increase the quality of our education, and we do have a few awesome schools due to the curriculuum and the staff: Tarkington Traditional, Kennedy Academy and possibly Marquette Montessori. Marquette is a new publically-funded Montessori program and are still working out the bugs. They are building a new schoool which should be open for the
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Northern Indiana Climate - 6/14/2009
Though not as tough as WI, MN, or MI, the winters here are long and cold. Lake effect snow lasts until April, short sketchy springs and fall, and hot and humid summers. The annual temp swing is around 120 degrees. I sometime wonder why the native tribes and early settlers picked this
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It just keeps rising - 8/7/2008
South Bend in the area I am in used to be a safer place to live. You didn't have to worry so much about locking your door at night, and could feel safe sitting outside on your patio at any time of night. I live in the county are of South Bend, which is typically set away from the crime that occurs in the city. It's now even reaching out into the county. I do not feel as safe as I once did, and with the city talking about making cuts, I fear that the protection factor is going to dwindle-leaving behind the rising crime sprees. It seems that at least a few murders happen weekly-just down the street. I am relocating in October, and this has become a main factor in my decision. I hope they do something for people living here so they don't have to be so
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The livin's easy - but not enjoyable: it depends.. - 12/15/2007
Wow, Joanna, if I didn't see your picture here I could have sworn I wrote this piece. I felt EXACTLY like you. My point of view changed after having a kid, who is now 2.5 years old. As a couple without kids, my husband and I felt the same as you. After we had our son it is not that our opinion on the place changed much, but our focus in life and point of view changed. I still think that night life here sucks, cultural events (with the exception of "The Morris") are slim to non, crime rates are high (dang, four branches of the bank I work for, were robbed in the last 3 weeks, one of them twice!)and restaurants are ridiculously and unjustly expensive, BUT - as a parent, anyhow all the night life I get is checking up on my son when he is crying, and the area is kids friendly, lots of parks to take walks at, lots of nice playgrounds, wonderful (and free) public library system, free admission to museums (just pick up a pass at the library), close to Lake Michigan (we go there whenever we
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The livin's easy, but not enjoyable - 10/15/2007
South Bend - what is there to say? This town is Notre Dame-saturated; if you like the college scene and more sports bars than you can handle, you'll like the area. If you're a fan of Wal-Mart and NASCAR, you'll like the area. If you're a gangbanger wannabe who'd rather spend your money on car rims and pit bulls than decent food and clothing besides sweatpants, you'll like the area.
The preceding isn't really overly pessimistic - that's the general vibe this area gives off. Geographically, the area is nice - great beaches close enough to spend an afternoon, nice woods and preserves, decent distance from Chicago.
And we do have the Morris Civic Performing Arts Center that attracts some big names, a minor league baseball town, and plenty of history because of our stopover distance between Detroit and Chicago.
But the town itself isn't much. There's either the poor vibe of gritty, smoky bars incessently playing Guns n' Roses, or the
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Nothing to get excited about - 10/12/2007
South Bend. This area, geographically, is very nice, but culturally, it's nothing. It seems to be a lot of gang wannabes and NASCAR folk, with the community of Granger to the northeast providing the "Please don't breathe on me" aspect of high so-sigh-ettee.
The preceding, of course, is a bit of a generalization, but it's not terribly far off. If you're me, a 23-year old with no interest in drinking, smoking, or sports, it's not the place to be. The only non-sports-oriented bar in the area seems to be Fiddler's Hearth, a refreshing breath of Celtic air to the stuffy and overwhelming football presence. Of course, I can always move somewhere that isn't saturated in every aspect of Notre Dame.
There is also the Morris Civic Performing Arts Center, which attracts some big names. Some very good restaurants can be found, but there's just not much to DO.
If you're thinking of moving, check out New Buffalo and St. Joseph on the lake; they have a nice marina feel to them
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