2018 Best Places to Live in the South Bend AreaAbout this List

Granger

• Town in Indiana
• 125

Current Resident: Granger is small but collective community that works to better its education, activism, and sense of unity on a regular basis. With thanks to PHM elementary schools and Granger Christian school, the education in this area strives! Granger Community church and Prairie Vista bring many service opportunities, and the great local business make this a one of a kind town.
Read 125 Reviews

• A+

• B

• 30,819 Population

Goshen

• Town in Indiana
• 82

Current Resident: I moved to Goshen when I was 13, and quickly noticed it is a heavily Latino populated community. Especially with everything occurring in our politics currently, I admire the determination of our community to not only embrace, but continue to grow in diversity. Overall, this has helped me become an open-minded student.
Being the band student that I am, I am defensive about appreciation of the arts. In Goshen, while there is an effort, there is a clear preference over sports. As both a musician and athlete I'm aware of both perspectives and it's caused a tension that even students are aware of.
Read 82 Reviews

• A-

• B+

• 33,385 Population

Osceola

• Town in Indiana
• 10

Current Resident: Osceola is overall a very quiet, family friendly town. It is located in a nice school district. You will hardly come in contact with any crime. Your neighbors will be very kind and cooperative with you! Everyone supports each other here in Osceola.
Read 10 Reviews

• B+

• A

• 2,468 Population

Nappanee

• Town in Indiana
• 5

Current Resident: I love the small town feeling of Nappanee, Indiana. It has came along way as it is improving itself little by little. The town has great attractions, for example, Amish Acres.
Honestly, I do not think I would change anything about the town. It is a great country family setting, making it a perfect place to grow up!
Read 5 Reviews

• B+

• A-

• 6,767 Population

Mishawaka

• Town in Indiana
• 99

Current Resident: I love that Mishawaka is close to practically anything you could ever need. It is not too far from Chicago and Indianapolis. There are a ton of really great places to eat here! I wish there was more to do regarding fun activities! In Mishawaka, there is a great mall to shop at! Really though, my friends and I find it difficult to find something to do other than go to the movies or miniature golf. I love that Mishawaka is near South Bend, as that is where Notre Dame is and that attracts a lot of people to the area for football games and tailgating! There are also some great colleges in the area, like Bethel, IUSB, Saint Mary's, and Holy Cross, in addition to Notre Dame of course.
Read 99 Reviews

• B+

• B

• 48,234 Population

Bremen

• Town in Indiana
• 25

Current Resident: Bremen is a great town with great, loving people. Everyone is always right there to lend a helping hand at a moments notice. The small town of Bremen has shown me so much love and support, simply by being a great community. You can feel the love by all the smiling faces and out pour of serenity in the people just walking down the streets!
Read 25 Reviews

• B+

• B

• 4,577 Population

South Bend

• City in Indiana
• 239

Current Resident: South Bend has a mix of beautiful architecture throughout the city--Art Deco, Gothic Revival, Queen Anne style homes and many bungalow and Cape Cod style homes from the 1940s.

River Park is an up-and-coming, walkable neighborhood with houses for sale that can accommodate almost any budget or taste. The main street has a maker space, a non-profit coffee house, a zoo (!) a library, and several other shops and eateries, specialty food stores, plus a fantastic farmers' market just west on Mishawaka Avenue that has been running since the early 20th century.

You could do much worse than to live here. River Park is affordable, relaxed and friendly, but with so many family-friendly activities either within walking distance or a short, ten minute-drive.
Read 239 Reviews

• B+

• C-

• 101,037 Population

Niles Township

• Town in Michigan
• 24

Former Resident: It is a nice quiet town with excellent local amenities, it is definitely a town where you can peacefully raise a family or live comfortably in retirement. Also, you can enjoy the beauty of living in the country side, with the option to escape to bigger cities less than an hour away.
Read 24 Reviews

• B

• B-

• 13,950 Population

Dunlap

• Town in Indiana
• 26

Current Resident: Large stores are conveniently located, but the endless trains can be very annoying and inconvenient.
Read 26 Reviews

• B

• B

• 6,206 Population

Buchanan Township

• Town in Michigan
• 3

• B

• B-

• 3,498 Population

Bertrand Township

• Town in Michigan

• B

• B-

• 2,631 Population

Milton Township

• Town in Michigan
• 1

Niche User: I would choose to live here again even with the cold it is still a nice play to live because we get all four season and it is very beautiful. The worst thing about this area is one day it could be 80 degrees and the next it could be 45 degrees. I see Niles growing in the future with more jobs in the area and with the community helping to improve on things in our area as well.
Read 1 Review

• B

• B

• 3,862 Population

Simonton Lake

• Town in Indiana
• 4

• B

• C+

• 4,573 Population

Elkhart

• Town in Indiana
• 68

Current Resident: Family friendly environment with a diverse community and currently open to many occupation opportunities. If you want to work, there is a job here for you somewhere.
Read 68 Reviews

• B

• B-

• 52,378 Population

Niles

• Town in Michigan
• 28

Current Resident: I have lived here all of my life. It is has that nice "small-town" feeling. Our downtown area is great! We have a lot of historical buildings that are quite attractive to looks at. I have a lot of good memories of going to the Niles Community Library growing up and having loads of fun there. Even though things do change around Niles, some of the good things stay the same.
Read 28 Reviews

• B

• B

• 11,379 Population

Buchanan

• Town in Michigan
• 6

Current Resident: It's a small, quiet town. Very peaceful. The people here are friendly and helpful whenever they can.
Read 6 Reviews

• B

• B-

• 4,388 Population

Howard Township

• Town in Michigan
• 12

Niche User: There isn't a whole lot to do where I live, but I love being with my family and friends and its not to far of a drive in order to go do something fun. I love all the nature and being able to experience all four seasons of the year.
Read 12 Reviews

• B

• B

• 6,168 Population

New Paris

• Town in Indiana
• 14

Niche User: The town of New Paris can be a little bit unsafe to walk about at night. However, if you keep safe and enjoy the outdoors during the day, it is a great town to live in. There are a few great resutrants and stores that help make daily living more fun and enjoyable. I feel that the crime rate has gone up and may continue to go up, however, I think that the quality of living has gone up in the sense of attractions. The people in the town are very great and if I had to pick a place to live again, I would pick New Paris. However, compared to other towns in the country, it would be lower on the scale on the quality of life. In the future, I think that the town could defiantly increase in its quality and safety.
Read 14 Reviews

• B-

• B

• 1,368 Population

Jefferson Township

• Town in Michigan
• 6

Niche User: If I could choose where I would live, I would still pick this area. Living on the Michigan/Indiana border has way more positives than negative attributes. This area is different than anywhere else in the country because it has 4 different seasons with 4 different temperatures. Summer is accompanied by an ocean-like lake and winters are filled with mountainous skiing. The area is full of things for all to partake in without a hiccup. Being only 30 minutes away from the Great Lakes and a city like South Bend is perfect placement for me. Every single school in the Edwardsburg school district is a "Blue Ribbon" school and is known for being the best of the best in the area. There was a teaching position open two years ago and 275 teachers applied for it! That right there shows just how badly people want to be involved in the Edwardsburg community. Just since I have been away at college, the town has opened a new grocery store, 2 new restaurants, and a fitness gym. For a town of only 6,000 honest residents, that is really impressive. The culture is so connected saying 'everybody knows everybody,' is an understatement. The high school just had a school donor that recently died because of cancer and we held an assembly where almost 1,000 people showed up to show respects. I'm proud to say I am from that town and to have grown up an Eddie of Edwardsburg.
Read 6 Reviews

• B-

• B-

• 2,539 Population

Mason Township

• Town in Michigan
• 8

Current Resident: The thing I love the most about our town is that it small. There are also lots of pizza places to go to and who doesn't love pizza.
Read 8 Reviews

• B-

• B

• 2,911 Population

Bristol

• Town in Indiana
• 10

Current Resident: I have lived in Bristol my entire life! And I have loved every moment. It is a small town, but that doesn't mean there isn't anything to do! One thing I love and hope to never see change about Bristol is our main street that has all the old historical buildings. There is the Museum, the opera house, a cafe, and other old buildings with history. The people in town are all very nice. I am a runner, so when I go on runs I see many people and a lot of them wave or give me a positive comment that makes my runs so much better. I love being able to say hi to strangers and get a warm smile back. It makes my day, and I hope it makes theirs too!
Read 10 Reviews

• B-

• B-

• 1,651 Population

Edwardsburg

• Town in Michigan
• 11

Current Resident: Edwardsburg is a town filled with pride, passion and purpose. Everyone in the town is very caring and always try to improve are community as much as possible. The best part about Edwardsburg is the great public school we have. Edwardsburg goes by the model "no child left behind". With all of that being said Edwardsburg is the greatest town in the state of Michigan.
Read 11 Reviews

• B-

• B+

• 1,269 Population

Harris Township

• Town in Indiana

• A+

• A

• 23,634 Population

Clay Township

• Town in Indiana
• 48

Current Resident: Some of the roads have a lot of potholes due to the weather conditions and the salt that has to be put on the road during the winter. Otherwise, I love my township and I'm disappointed to have to be leaving it for university!
Read 48 Reviews

• A-

• C-

• 33,121 Population

Elkhart Township

• Town in Indiana
• 13

Niche User: Goshen is a wonderful place to live. Although Goshen seems like a quiet, small city, it is hopping with energy. First Fridays, a downtown celebration that occurs on the first Friday of every month, is a fun event. This event is fun for the entire family. An annual cultural celebration is also held on one First Friday. The environment of Goshen is beautiful and the school systems are fantastic.
Read 13 Reviews

• A-

• B+

• 37,277 Population