south bend Indiana
south bend Indiana
ABOUT (brief history)
Native Americans had long before lived in the St. Joseph Valley. The Miami tribe was one of the earliest known peoples to live in what would eventually become northern Indiana. Later, the Potawatomi settled in the area and made use of the abundant natural resources and food that could be found nearby. Up until the majority of them were forcibly evacuated in the 1840s, the Potawatomi lived in this area of Indiana. Because the portage from the St. Joseph River to the Kankakee River in the South Bend region was the quickest overland route, it was well-liked. The Native Americans were the first to travel this path hundreds of years ago, followed by French explorers, missionaries, and commerce.
This portage was used by the French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle in December 1679, making him the first white European to step foot in what is now South Bend.
Fur traders who built trading posts in the region were the first permanent white residents of South Bend. Pierre Frieschutz Navarre, a representative of John Jacob Astor's American Fur Company (AFC), came in 1820. He chose to settle close to South Bend's current downtown. Another AFC agent named Alexis Coquillard founded the Big St. Joseph Station, a trading post.
Lathrop Minor Taylor founded a post in 1827 for Samuel Hanna and Company, whose documents referred to it as St. Joseph's, Indiana. The town was expanding by 1829, and Coquillard and Taylor were becoming influential figures. They made a post office application. Southold, Allen County, Indiana, was chosen as the location of the post office, and Taylor was appointed postmaster.
The Ku Klux Klan's past
A letter from the KKK threatening to kill an African American man being held in the municipal jail and hurt the rest of the African American community was delivered to the African American owner of a soda fountain in 1923. Over a thousand African Americans left the city in a short period of time.
The local Ku Klux Klan chapter at 230 S. Michigan St. hosted a meeting and organized a march in 1924. Klan members were stationed all throughout the town to direct traffic as a precaution. Because of the vehement protests from Notre Dame students who were aware of the Klan's anti-Catholic ideology, all of the Klansmen traffic directors were “unmasked and unrobed” before midday.
All of the Klansmen traffic directors had been “unmasked and unrobed” by noon as a result of the nts' vehement protests against this incursion, which were in response to their knowledge of the Klan's anti-Catholic bent. Numerous Notre Dame students gathered in front of the Klan offices to protest, throwing rocks and breaking windows as the fight continued. They were eventually persuaded to return to school by local police as well as Notre Dame officials. According to rumors, even the late football coach Knute Rockne took part in the effort to calm the students down.
GEOGRAPHY and CITYSCAPE
Around equal distances from Illinois and Ohio, South Bend is situated 5 miles (8.0 km) from the Michigan border. From Chicago, the city is 150 kilometers (93 mi) away. 20 miles (32 km) separate you from Lake Michigan's shore.
South Bend has a total area of 41.877 square miles (108.46 km2), of which 41.46 square miles (107.38 km2) (or 99%) is land and 0.417 square miles (1.08 km2) (or 1%) is water, as of the 2010 Census.
South Bend gets its name from the river bend where the St. Joseph River comes from the east end of the city and turns north close to the city center. The river flows northwest into Lake Michigan, and South Bend is situated on the continental divide. The north-central region of the city, along the St. Joseph River, is where the downtown is situated. To the north is directly adjacent to Notre Dame, Indiana. The city's western edge extends further north, mostly housing manufacturing and distribution operations close to the South Bend International Airport. Indiana's Mishawaka is close to South Bend's eastern side.
Ethnicity of south bend Indiana
African-American ancestry was reported to be 26%, German ancestry was 14.8%, Irish ancestry was 10.4%, Polish ancestry was 8.2%, English ancestry was 5.0%, American ancestry was 3.3%, Italian ancestry was 2.6%, Hungarian ancestry was 2.4%, French ancestry was 2.0%, Dutch ancestry was 1.4%, Swedish ancestry was 1.1%, and Belgian ancestry.
TECHNOLOGICAL INITIATIVES AND INNOVATIVE PARKS
Technology initiatives are being made to boost South Bend's economy. Strong telecommunications connectivity is made possible by the St. Joe Valley Metronet, an 80-kilometer (50-mile) dark fiber optic network that encircles South Bend and Mishawaka. More high-tech businesses are moving to the city of South Bend and its environs thanks to the Zing Metronet. As a hub linking Chicago, Indianapolis, Detroit, and Cincinnati, South Bend now has a number of data centers because to this telecommunications network. The East Bank and downtown neighborhoods of South Bend will now have free wireless internet connection according to a decision made by the city in 2015.
The largest data center in Northern Indiana is currently located at the Union Station Technology Center, which was purchased from the city in 1979. In the former Studebaker “Ivy Tower” assembly plant next door, there are currently plans to expand the data center into a fully operational high-tech data hub, establishing what will be known as the Renaissance District.
Technology companies have been drawn to South Bend by the dual-certified technology parks Innovation Park and Ignition Park. Innovation Park, which was finished in 2009 and is across the street from the University of Notre Dame, houses creative researchers from businesses and the university. 3 million square feet (280,000 m2) of high-tech space will be housed in Ignition Park, a location just south of the downtown area, on 140 acres (570,000 m2) of land that was formerly owned by the Studebaker Corporation. In the fall of 2012, Data Realty became the property's first tenant. A partnership between the city, General Electric, Great Lakes Capital, Indiana Michigan Power, University of Michigan, and the new park's second structure, a research, and testing facility for large turbo gear, the University of Notre Dame, and the state of Indiana.
What makes South Bend, Indiana unique?
- The University of Notre Dame has the oldest continuously existing college band in the nation.
When Notre Dame played football for the first time against Michigan in 1887, the Notre Dame Marching Band was already celebrating its 41st birthday. - The University of Notre Dame's Main Building has a “Golden Dome” with 1,250 thin strips made out of 8 oz. of 23-karat gold
- The Studebaker National Museum houses the largest Presidential carriage collection, including the carriage that took President Lincoln to the Ford Theatre the night he was killed.
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