South Bend is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in Young County,

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, United States. According to the

Handbook of Texas The ''Handbook of Texas'' is a comprehensive encyclopedia of Texas geography, history, and historical persons published by the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). History The original ''Handbook'' was the brainchild of TSHA President Wal ...

, the community had an estimated population of 140 in 2000.

Geography

South Bend is located at (33.0045619, -98.6683934) in south central Young County. It is situated at the junction of State Highway 67 and FM 701.

History

The area was settled in the late 1890s. The first storekeeper in the vicinity was J.N. Smith, who named the community Arkansas. When a post office was established, the name had changed to South Bend, after its location at a bend on the Clear Fork of the

Brazos River The Brazos River ( , ), called the ''Río de los Brazos de Dios'' (translated as "The River of the Arms of God") by early Spanish explorers, is the 11th-longest river in the United States at from its headwater source at the head of Blackwater Dr ...

. Oil discoveries in the 1920s led to a brief boom in the local economy. In 1929, an oil well drilled to 4,250 feet began flowing with 130 °F mineral water, leading to the development of Stovall Hot Wells health resort. It remained in operation through 1994, when it was destroyed in a fire. South Bend had approximately 500 residents in 1940, but soon suffered the same post war decline felt by other rural communities. By 1990, the number of inhabitants had fallen to 100. That figure rose to around 140 in 2000. Although South Bend is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 76481.Zip Code Lookup
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Education

Public education in the community of South Bend is provided by the

Graham Independent School District Graham Independent School District is a public school district based in Graham, Texas, United States. Located in Young County, a very small portion of the district lies in Stephens County. In 2009, the school district was rated "academically ...

References

External links

* * Unincorporated communities in Texas Unincorporated communities in Young County, Texas {{YoungCountyTX-geo-stub