Welcome to the Official Web Site of
St. Joseph County, Indiana.
There are thirteen Townships in the County, nine
municipalities, six school districts, four library districts, and two special
districts. There is also a Circuit Court with one judge and two magistrates, a
Unified Superior Court with eight judges and two magistrates, and a Probate
Court with one judge and three magistrates.
Established in 1830, St. Joseph County is a regional
center for higher education. The
County is home to the University of Notre Dame, one of the nation’s leading
private universities, and several other private colleges: Bethel College, Holy
Cross College and St. Mary’s College. Indiana University also has a campus in
South Bend with a Purdue extension.
St. Joseph County is served by two
major hospitals, one community hospital and three outpatient Medical Clinics and
Surgicenters staffed by more than four hundred doctors.
Natural gas utility service is
provided by Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO). Electricity is
provided by NIPSCO, American Electric Power (AEP) and several rural electrical
cooperatives from Marshall County, Kankakee Valley, Walkerton, Mishawaka,
and New Carlisle.
The St. Joseph County Library and
the Mishawaka-Penn Public Library, are the two major public libraries.
There are 1,656 miles of road
within the County, of which about 69% are County roads. Bus services provided by
the South Bend Public Transportation Corporation (TRANSPO).
Several modes of travel are provided by twenty-five motor carriers, four
mainline railroads and the Michiana Regional Transportation Center in South
Bend, which is an intermodal facility with air, bus, and train services,
including the South Shore Railroad to Chicago, Illinois.
Potato Creek State Park (3,840
acres) is the largest recreational facility in the County with camping, horse
trails, boating, cross-country skiing, a nature center, and a swimming beach.
Five County and over one-hundred municipal parks provide 2,040 acres of
parkland with many lakes and several rivers in the County.
