2019 Best Places to Live in the South Bend AreaAbout this List

Granger

• Town in Indiana
• 131

Current Resident: Granger is one of the richer towns in St. Joseph County. Where I live, it´s always pretty busy and full of character. With a population of 30,465 and businesses around every corner, there are many opportunities to get involved and make a living. Living in Granger is a pretty safe environment. In my neighborhood, there are around 3 cops living nearby and ready to help when needed. Overall, Granger is a beautiful and safe area to live in.
Read 131 Reviews

• A+

• B+

• 30,717 Population

Osceola

• Town in Indiana
• 11

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 11 Reviews

• A-

• A

• 2,712 Population

Goshen

• Town in Indiana
• 87

Former Resident: I grew up in Goshen and since then I've moved around a lot. Its a great place to grow up because nothing is too far from where you are, so commuting and getting place to place is not a problem. Hugely diverse since it is a there is a Liberal Arts college in Goshen, (Goshen College).
Its located in Elkhart County, RV capital of the world. It employs so much of the people in the town and the surrounding areas. Its a growing community, its still not a city by any means, but the community aspect of Goshen gives the town and the people in it a sense of safety and care.
Read 87 Reviews

• B+

• B

• 33,583 Population

Nappanee

• Town in Indiana
• 7

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 7 Reviews

• B+

• A-

• 6,927 Population

Mishawaka

• Town in Indiana
• 107

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 107 Reviews

• B+

• B

• 48,582 Population

Bremen

• Town in Indiana
• 28

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 28 Reviews

• B+

• B+

• 4,548 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-

• 6,110 Population

South Bend

• City in Indiana
• 263

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 263 Reviews

• B

• C-

• 101,928 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

• 3,831 Population

Simonton Lake

• Town in Indiana
• 4

• B

• C+

• 4,615 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-

• 13,925 Population

Bertrand Township

• Town in Michigan

• B

• C+

• 2,621 Population

Elkhart

• Town in Indiana
• 73

Current Resident: Great community with many opportunities, both for jobs and education. The city is not too numerous, but not too small either, just the right amount of people, which means not too much traffic typically unless the main roads are taken during the times people normal get out of work. There are plenty of things to do and places to eat, all of which are actually really good. Elkhart is a place that is rather close to most interesting places, such as Notre Dame, Mishawaka, St. Joseph Beach, Chicago (2-3 hours away), Indianapolis, Ohio and much more.
Read 73 Reviews

• B

• B-

• 52,662 Population

Buchanan Township

• Town in Michigan
• 3

• B

• B-

• 3,509 Population

Bristol

• Town in Indiana
• 11

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 11 Reviews

• B

• B-

• 1,706 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-

• 6,092 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-

• 2,511 Population

New Paris

• Town in Indiana
• 15

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 15 Reviews

• B-

• A-

• 1,456 Population

Edwardsburg

• Town in Michigan
• 12

Current Resident: A small little town that is a great for a break from the city. You are close to every small city. Edwardsburg is surrounded by Granger, IN; Mishawaka, IN; Elkhart, IN; Niles, MI; and Kalamazoo, MI. There are many adventures to take in less than 30 minutes of anything you would want to do.
Read 12 Reviews

• B-

• B

• 1,297 Population

Niles

• Town in Michigan
• 29

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 29 Reviews

• B-

• B-

• 11,332 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

• 2,908 Population

Buchanan

• Town in Michigan
• 7

Current Resident: I love living in Buchanan, Michigan! I love the culture that the community upholds. My only complaint is the lack of restaurants.
Read 7 Reviews

• C+

• B-

• 4,359 Population

Harris Township

• Town in Indiana

• A+

• A+

• 23,693 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-

• 33,205 Population

Penn Township

• Town in Indiana
• 73

Niche User: Living here is great. Notre Dame adds a lot. Amish Acres is a fun place to visit. Be prepared for snow and thunderstorms. But if you are looking for a relaxed place to live, northern Indiana is the place. It's close enough to Chicago to have a day trip and football reigns supreme here.
Read 73 Reviews

• A

• A

• 66,603 Population