South Bend is a city in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

Pacific County Pacific County is a county in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, the population was 23,365. Its county seat is South Bend, and its largest city is Raymond. The county was formed by the government of Oregon Territory in Febru ...

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

, United States. The population was 1,746 as of the 2020 census. The town is widely-known for its oyster production and scenery.

History

South Bend was officially incorporated on September 27, 1890. The name of the city comes from its location on the

Willapa River The Willapa River is a river on the Pacific coast of southwestern Washington in the United States, approximately long. It drains an area of low hills and a coastal plain into Willapa Bay, a large estuary north of the mouth of the Columbia River ...

.Washington Place Names Index
. Retrieved on 2007-05-30. The county seat was relocated from Oysterville to South Bend in 1893. The Pacific County Courthouse is on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. The old South Bend Courthouse was the site of the first and only execution carried out in Pacific County, when convicted murderer

Lum You Lum You (c. 1861 – January 31, 1902)—sometimes spelled Lum Yu—was an immigrant Chinese laborer and convicted murderer in the Pacific Northwest. He is famous for being the only person to have been legally executed in Pacific County, Washin ...

was hanged in 1902.

Geography

South Bend is located on the Willapa river. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which, is land and is water.

Climate

South Bend has a borderline

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''Csb'')/

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...

(

''Cfb'') characterised by pleasant summers and cool, very wet winters.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 1,637 people, 684 households, and 414 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 780 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 72.2%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.2%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 3.4% Native American, 5.5% Asian, 13.3% from other races, and 5.4% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 19.4% of the population. There were 684 households, of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.3% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.5% were non-families. 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.93. The median age in the city was 43.9 years. 22.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.7% were from 25 to 44; 26.8% were from 45 to 64; and 21.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.3% male and 49.7% female.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 1,807 people, 702 households, and 471 families living in the city. The

was 999.4 people per square mile (385.5/km²). There were 815 housing units at an average density of 450.7 per square mile (173.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 83.45%

, 9.24%

or Latino, 4.93% Asian, 3.71% Native American, 0.17%

, and 0.17%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

. 3.76% identified themselves as some other race and 3.82% as two or more races. 17.7% were of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, 11.6%

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

, 9.1% Irish and 7.7%

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

ancestry according to Census 2000. Of the 702 households, 52.3% consisted of

living together, 32.9% were non-family households, 29.5% contained children under the age of 18, 26.9% were made up of individuals only, 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older, and 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.02. In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.4% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 23.6% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 18.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $29,211, and the median income for a family was $35,221. Males had a median income of $35,069 versus $23,906 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $14,776. About 12.8% of families and 18.3% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 25.5% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.

Notable natives

Helen Kleeb Helen Kleeb (January 6, 1907 – December 28, 2003) was an American film and television actress. In a career covering nearly 50 years, she may be best known for her role from 1972 to 1981 as Miss Mamie Baldwin on the family drama ''The Walto ...

– Actress who played Miss Mamie Baldwin in ''

The Waltons ''The Waltons'' is an American historical drama television series about a family in rural mountainous Western Virginia of the Appalachian Mountains / Allegheny Mountains / Blue Ridge Mountains chain, during the economic hardships and mass unemp ...

'' *

Pat Paulsen Patrick Layton Paulsen (July 6, 1927 – April 25, 1997) was an American comedian and satirist notable for his roles on several of the Smothers Brothers television shows, and for his satirical campaigns for President of the United States between ...

– Comedian and satirist

References

External links

Official City Website

South Bend Public Schools
{{Authority control Cities in Washington (state) County seats in Washington (state) Cities in Pacific County, Washington 1890 establishments in Washington (state)