South Bend, Texas
Encyclopedia
South Bend is an unincorporated community
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...

 in Young County
Young County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 17,943 people, 7,167 households, and 5,081 families residing in the county. The population density was 20 people per square mile . There were 8,504 housing units at an average density of 9 per square mile...

, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. According to the Handbook of Texas
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 .-History:...

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

Geography

South Bend is located at 33°00′16"N 98°40′06"W (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
Brazos River
The Brazos River, called the Rio de los Brazos de Dios by early Spanish explorers , is the longest river in Texas and the 11th longest river in the United States at from its source at the head of Blackwater Draw, Curry County, New Mexico to its mouth at the Gulf of Mexico with a drainage...

. 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.

Education

Public education in the community of South Bend is provided by the Graham Independent School District
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....

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