I am currently a 19-year-old living with my boyfriend in South Bend, Ind. I have never questioned living here. I had heard of people saying that South Bend was bad. I remember being asked in French class Sophomore year of high school what college i wanted to attend and in what town, I stated that I wanted to go to IU South Bend and live in South Bend. I immediately felt wrong for saying such a thing. Everyone seem shocked.

I have heard things like,"South Bend is so big and ghetto." I personally think that La Porte and Michigan City are far more "dangerous" then South Bend. I am from South Bend, I was born at Memorial Hospital. I was raised there.However, I moved to North Liberty, Indiana, for a short period of time in elementary school and then later I moved to La Porte, Indiana, while in middle school. I then attended La Porte High School and I hated it.

LaPorte was so little, everyone I met,even friends, were a bad influence. It seemed to be full of a lot of crime, drama, and drugs for such a little town. As soon as I graduated, in November of 2014, I moved back to this area. I actually lived with my mom in Mishawaka, Indiana, which is not far at all from South Bend. It was four minutes away from South Bend at max. I then moved out and now live back in South Bend, in an apartment complex with my boyfriend. This is simply by choice.

I like it here, I like the big city and all that things to do. I like being in town and being able to run to the store and be back in ten minutes. I know that some school systems are not the best here. I know that their are some very scary areas and neighborhoods that I wouldn't walk down the street at night. The thing is there are also some good schools and neighborhoods. It is a bigger city compared to cities like La Porte, because of that of course its going to have a bad part. There is a lot of crime here, yes. Just like a lot of big cities that also have good and bad areas. Take Chicago, Illinois for instance. Everyone loves Chicago and loves to go see all the sights and will go there for a weekend getaway. Many see no problem in it, but so many people die everyday in Chicago due to violence.

I think South Bend is a good town with a lot of potential to be better. That being said I do not think it is bad the way it is as of now. South Bend is a college town with many different people. It is hard to find a city where every single person in the community is involved, nice and safe. You should be aware of your surroundings and safety no matter what city you are currently in. I like my little home in South Bend and I plan on staying here for the remaining years of college at my beloved IUSB.