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Michiana

Geographic region in Indiana and Michigan, United States

Wikipedia contributorsAdapted for Fathomly · View authors
7 min read
Source updated August 29, 2026
Image credit is listed at the end of this article.

Michiana (/ˌmɪʃiˈænə/ MISH-ee-AN-ə) 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, 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."

01Government

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, 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.

The St. Joseph River flows through the heart of Michiana, southwest from Michigan to Indiana, west through Mishawaka (shown), turning north at South Bend, back into Michigan through Niles to Lake Michigan at St. Joseph.
The St. Joseph River flows through the heart of Michiana, southwest from Michigan to Indiana, west through Mishawaka (shown), turning north at South Bend, back into Michigan through Niles to Lake Michigan at St. Joseph.

02Counties

2020 rank County State Seat 2020 Census 2010 Census Change Estimated Population Highest Population (Year)
1 St. Joseph Indiana South Bend 272,912266,931+2.24% 272,861 (2025) 262,912 (2020)
2 Elkhart Indiana Goshen 207,047197,559+4.80% 208,774 (2025) 207,047 (2020)
3 Berrien Michigan St. Joseph 154,316156,813−1.59% 152,444 (2025) 171,276 (1980)
4 LaPorte Indiana LaPorte 112,417111,467+0.85% 111,294 (2025) 112,417 (2020)
5 Cass Michigan Cassopolis 51,58952,293−1.35% 51,677 (2025) 52,293 (2010)
6 Marshall Indiana Plymouth 46,09547,051−2.03% 46,599 (2025) 47,051
(2010)
7 Starke Indiana Knox 23,37123,363+0.03% 23,425 (2025) 23,556 (2000)

03Largest cities

2020 rank City County State 2020 Census 2010 Census Change Estimated Population Highest Population (Year)
1 South Bend St. Joseph Indiana 103,453101,168+2.26% 103,201 (2025) 132,445 (1960)
2 Elkhart Elkhart Indiana 53,92350,949+5.84% 54,092 (2025) 53,923 (2020)
3 Mishawaka St. Joseph Indiana 51,06348,252+5.83% 51,226 (2025) 51,063 (2020)
4 Goshen Elkhart Indiana 34,51731,719+8.82% 34,525 (2025) 34,517 (2020)
5 Michigan City LaPorte Indiana 32,07531,479+1.89% 31,338 (2025) 39,369 (1970)
6 Granger St. Joseph Indiana 30,33730,465−0.42% , 30,465 (2010)
7 LaPorte LaPorte Indiana 22,47122,053+1.90% 22,600 (2025) 22,471 (2020)
8 Niles Berrien and Cass Michigan 11,98811,600+3.34% 11,665 (2025) 13,842 (1960)
9 Plymouth Marshall Indiana 10,21410,033+1.80% 11,081 (2025) 10,214
(2020)
10 Benton Harbor Berrien Michigan 9,10310,038−9.31% 8,803 (2025) 19,136
(1960)

04Greater Michiana

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

The Chamber of Commerce of St. Joseph County (Indiana) defines Greater Michiana as "counties within a 60-mile [97 km] driving distance to St. Joseph County" that are not included in the seven counties making up Michiana "proper." However, the driving distance presumably refers to the distance between the metropolitan South Bend area and significant population centers in outlying areas, since a strict definition allowing for 60 miles from any point in St. Joseph County would add even more counties to the Greater Michiana area. For example, Walkerton in southwestern St. Joseph County is located approximately 30 miles (48 km) from Monterey in northeastern Pulaski County, yet Pulaski is not included in the Chamber's list of Greater Michiana counties.

Because Michiana is not a legal or political entity, opinions differ about what counties and communities constitute the region. Some definitions of the entire Michiana area include fewer than 15 counties; others include Pulaski County and exclude some other outlying counties, notably, those in extreme Northwest Indiana, whose residents identify more closely with Chicago than with the South Bend area.

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".

05Economy

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. With the loss of manufacturing, per capita income in Michiana has declined from 105% of the national average in 1960 to 82% in 2013.

06Education

Colleges and universities

07Transportation

Airports

Commercial use

Public use

Train stations

South Shore Line

Amtrak

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)

08Points 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

Museums

Parks

Watch videos about MichianaExplainers and documentaries on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Michiana”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

Images, from Wikimedia Commons:

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