South Bend is located in Pacific County in the southwestern corner of the Evergreen State and is surrounded by mountains and water, which have offered food and riches to Native Americans, including the Chinook and Lower Chehalis, since the area's settlement in the 1860's.
In addition to timber mills, canneries and processors that bring oysters, clams, salmon, and crab to market have existed in South Bend, which is located on the Willapa River just upstream from its mouth on Willapa Bay. It was founded in 1890 by a railroad-fueled boom, but the town had a slump in 1893 that was followed by a longer-lasting stable trend based on manufacturing, oystering, fishing and the town's new status as county seat (they have one of the most beautiful county courthouses in the state).
The majority of the manufacturers left South Bend in the 1930's, and the salmon canneries are now long gone, but the oyster sector has survived and thrived. 
Aside from bragging about its status as the "Oyster Capital of the World," South Bend has turned to hiking, boating, and birding as ways to attract visitors and rebuild its economy on a more sustainable base.
Listen now to learn more about this wonderful southwest Washington town!

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