Michiana

Michiana ( ) is a region in northern Indiana and southwestern Michigan centered on the city of South Bend, Indiana. The Chamber of Commerce of St. Joseph County, Indiana defines Michiana as St. Joseph County and "counties that contribute at least 500 inbound commuting workers to St. Joseph County daily." Those counties include Elkhart, La Porte, Marshall, St. Joseph, and Starke in Indiana, and Berrien and Cass in Michigan. As of the 2020 census, those seven counties had a population of 867,747 (661,842 in Indiana and 205,905 in Michigan).

The name is a portmanteau of "Michigan" and "Indiana" and was chosen as the winning entry, purportedly submitted by Indiana politician Thurman C. Crook, Note: Video not available online See also: among others, in a contest to name the area held by the Associated South Bend Merchants in 1934. The term is frequently used throughout the area, particularly by local radio and television stations based in South Bend-Mishawaka that serve the entire area, but also by businesses that seek to draw customers from Indiana into Michigan or vice versa. A 2016 report stated that residents in the Michigan portion are particularly fond of the term because it contains part of the state name as opposed to generic terms for the area such as "the South Bend region."

Government The Michiana Area Council of Governments (MACOG) is the official Metropolitan Planning Organization for north central Indiana and the South Bend-Mishawaka metropolitan area. MACOG conducts planning for transportation, water quality, and economic development. Currently, 22 cities and towns as well as 29 townships participate in MACOG. Despite the Michiana name, none of these participants are currently from the state of Michigan,"What is MACOG?". Michiana Area Council of Governments. Retrieved on 2009-09-14. although Berrien and Cass Counties were until they along with Van Buren County were combined into their own MPO, what is now called the Southwest Michigan Planning Commission."History of the Southwest Michigan Planning Commission". Southwest Michigan Planning Commission (revised 2009-05-13). Retrieved on 2009-09-14.

Counties

2020 rankCountyStateSeat2020 Census2010 CensusChangeEstimated PopulationHighest Population (Year)1St. JosephIndianaSouth Bend272,861 (2025)262,912 (2020)2ElkhartIndianaGoshen208,774 (2025)207,047 (2020)3BerrienMichiganSt. Joseph152,444 (2025)171,276 (1980)4LaPorteIndianaLaPorte111,294 (2025)112,417 (2020)5CassMichiganCassopolis51,677 (2025)52,293 (2010)6MarshallIndianaPlymouth46,599 (2025)47,051(2010)7StarkeIndianaKnox23,425 (2025)23,556 (2000)

Largest cities

2020 rankCityCountyState2020 Census2010 CensusChangeEstimated PopulationHighest Population (Year)1South BendSt. JosephIndiana103,201 (2025)132,445 (1960)2ElkhartElkhartIndiana54,092 (2025)53,923 (2020)3MishawakaSt. JosephIndiana51,226 (2025)51,063 (2020)4GoshenElkhartIndiana34,525 (2025)34,517 (2020)5Michigan CityLaPorteIndiana31,338 (2025)39,369 (1970)6GrangerSt. JosephIndiana—30,465 (2010)7LaPorteLaPorteIndiana22,600 (2025)22,471 (2020)8NilesBerrien and CassMichigan11,665 (2025)13,842 (1960)9PlymouthMarshallIndiana11,081 (2025)10,214(2020)10Benton HarborBerrienMichigan8,803 (2025)19,136(1960)

Greater Michiana

Greater Michiana includes the following 15 counties in Indiana and Michigan:

Berrien County, Michigan Cass County, Michigan St. Joseph County, Michigan Van Buren County, Michigan Elkhart County, Indiana Fulton County, Indiana Kosciusko County, Indiana LaGrange County, Indiana Lake County, Indiana La Porte County, Indiana Marshall County, Indiana Noble County, Indiana Porter County, Indiana St. Joseph County, Indiana Starke County, Indiana

Michiana's borders overlap with those of the Chicago metropolitan area, and the two regions have significant cultural ties. South Bend in particular has strong ties to Chicago: it is home to the last stop on the South Shore Line, a commuter rail line connecting Chicago's downtown and south side to Indiana, and the nearby University of Notre Dame is noted for its strong connection with Chicago. Berrien County, Michigan, is known as a common summer vacation destination for wealthy Chicagoans; The Wall Street Journal called the area "the Hamptons of the Midwest".

Economy Throughout the twentieth century, the economy of Michiana was based on heavy industry, especially as connected to the automobile industry centered in nearby Detroit. In 1960, 41% of the employment was in manufacturing, followed by 17% in hospitality 8% in business services, 6% in transportation, 5% in education, and 5% in agriculture, with healthcare at 4% and government at 2%. Deindustrialization had a major impact after 1970, and by 2013, only 27% of the employment was in manufacturing, 20% was in hospitality, 12% in healthcare, 11% in government, 8% in business services, 5% in transportation, and 4% in education. In 2013, three of the top 10 Michiana employers were in the Elkhart area and focused on recreational vehicles, trailers, and related products, including Forest River with 7600 employees, Thor Industries with 7500, and Drew industries with 4700. Many hospitals were consolidated, as health spending doubled and tripled. By 2013 three health systems were among the top 10 employers: Beacon Health System (7000 employees; based in Elkhart and South Bend); Lakeland Regional Health System (4100 employees; based in St. Joseph and Niles), and Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center (2700; based in Mishawaka and Plymouth). The University of Notre Dame had 5700 employees in the educational sector, and the South Bend Community School Corporation had 3000. Whirlpool Corporation, the appliance maker, with 3400 employees, is based in Benton Harbor. Martin's Super Markets operated 21 grocery stores in the region with 3100 employees.Kevin Allen, "South Bend and the Modern Economy," South Bend Tribune Oct 26, 2014. With the loss of manufacturing, per capita income in Michiana has declined from 105% of the national average in 1960 to 82% in 2013.Kevin Allen, "Can we dream big?" South Bend TribuneSee also "Can we dream big?" South Bend Tribune 2015 stories

Education Colleges and universities Andrews University (Berrien Springs, Michigan) Bethel University (Mishawaka, Indiana) Goshen College (Goshen, Indiana) Holy Cross College, (Notre Dame/South Bend, Indiana) Indiana Tech (Mishawaka, Indiana) Indiana University School of Medicine - South Bend (South Bend, Indiana) Indiana University South Bend (South Bend, Indiana) Ivy Tech Community College (multiple locations including; Elkhart, LaPorte, Michigan City, and South Bend, Indiana) Lake Michigan College (multiple locations including; Benton Harbor and Niles, Michigan) Marian University - Plymouth — formerly Ancilla College (Plymouth, Indiana) University of Notre Dame (Notre Dame/South Bend, Indiana) Purdue University Northwest (Westville, Indiana) Saint Mary's College (Notre Dame/South Bend, Indiana) Southwestern Michigan College (multiple locations including Dowagiac and Niles, Michigan) Twin City Beauty College (St. Joseph, Michigan)

Transportation Airports Commercial use South Bend International Airport (SBN)

Public use Andrews University Airpark Dowagiac Municipal Airport Elkhart Municipal Airport (EKI) Goshen Municipal Airport (GSH) Jerry Tyler Memorial Airport La Porte Municipal Airport (LPO) Michigan City Municipal Airport (MGC) Mishawaka Pilots Club Airport Nappanee Municipal Airport Starke County Airport Plymouth Municipal Airport (PLY) Southwest Michigan Regional Airport Watervliet Municipal Airport

Train stations South Shore Line 11th Street/Michigan City Station Carroll Avenue Station Hudson Lake Station South Bend Airport Station (Terminus)

Amtrak Dowagiac Station Elkhart Station New Buffalo Station Niles Station St. Joseph Station South Bend Station

Former stations Ardmore Station, St. Joseph County (South Shore) Chain O’Lakes Station, St. Joseph County (South Shore) Hillside Station, LaPorte County (South Shore) Lake Park Station, LaPorte County (South Shore) Lake Shore Station, LaPorte County (South Shore) LaLumiere Station (South Shore) Liberty Bell Station, LaPorte County (South Shore) Lydick Station, St. Joseph County (South Shore) Michigan City Station (Amtrak) Nappanee Station (Amtrak) New Carlisle Station (South Shore) Olive Station, St. Joseph County (South Shore) Rolling Prairie Station (South Shore) Sagunay Station, LaPorte County (South Shore) Smith Station, LaPorte County (South Shore) South Bend Station (South Shore) Springfield Station, LaPorte County (South Shore) Tee Lake Station, LaPorte County (South Shore) Willard Avenue (South Shore)

Points of interest

For more information and other points of interest not listed below, see the articles on the individual communities in the region.

Historical sites The History Museum (South Bend, Indiana)

Museums Fort St. Joseph Museum (Niles, Michigan) LaPorte County Historical Society Museum (LaPorte County, Indiana) Old Lighthouse Museum (Michigan City, Indiana) Studebaker National Museum (South Bend, Indiana) (R.V. Museum) (Elkhart, IN) Mishawaka Historical Museum (Mishawaka, Indiana)

Parks Indiana Dunes National Park Kingsbury Fish and Wildlife Area (Indiana) Potato Creek State Park (Indiana) Warren Dunes State Park (Michigan) Warren Woods State Park (Michigan)

Michiana

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