South Bend Wedding

South Bend (IPA: [sa bnd]) is a city in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population 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 CountyGR6. It is the economic and cultural hub of the region commonly known as Michiana.

South Bend was initially laid out in 1831 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 (now converted to an artificial whitewater course) remains as a visible reminder of the past.