A Northern Indiana city with a unique industrial and rural blend
Just south of the Michigan state line, Goshen is a Northern Indiana city where many different worlds come together. Along with Elkhart, 10 miles to the northwest, Goshen is a national manufacturing leader in the recreational vehicle industry with Keystone RV as the city’s largest private employer. The city is also a gateway to Northern Indiana’s Amish Country as nearly 20,000 Amish living in the rural communities east and south of Goshen. Further, Goshen College, the nation’s largest school affiliated with the Mennonite Church, has also played a significant role in the city’s culture since opening in 1904. Goshen is also a multicultural community with its Spanish-speaking population topping 30%. Though Goshen’s population of around 34,000, about 20,000 less than Elkhart’s, Goshen is the Elkhart County seat thanks to its central location.
Goshen has homes with expansive properties in rural areas.
Nearly 20,000 Amish folks live around Goshen, often traveling into the city.
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Goshen's historic downtown district has a vibrant shopping and dining scene
Approximately 180 small businesses and restaurants, many in buildings dating to the 1870s and 1880s, anchor Goshen’s well-preserved downtown. Goshen Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Nick Kieffer describes the downtown area and brick crosswalks, as “quaint, vibrant and full.” Some of Goshen’s trademark eateries have given the town a surprisingly wide reach. Olympia Candy Kitchen, first opened in 1912, has served chocolates to four sitting presidents. In the Parkside neighborhood, South Side Soda Shop’s vintage 1940s setting has been featured on “Diners, Drive-In and Dives” as well as a 2005 movie directed by Steve Buscemi. “People come in and are in awe of the authenticity of the soda shop,” says owner Nick Boyd, who has run the diner since moving to Goshen from Philadelphia in the 1980s. The shopping and dining scene also reflects Goshen’s growing Hispanic population with more than a dozen Mexican restaurants and grocery stores contributing to the city’s culinary culture. A Wal-Mart on the city’s south side accommodates its Amish customers with a stable to park their horses.
Olympia Candy Kitchen in downtown Goshen has served chocolates to four sitting presidents.
South Side Soda Shop in Goshen has a classic 1940s diner setting.
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U.S. Route 33 forms a key connection with Elkhart
U.S. Route 33, originally part of the Lincoln Highway system that connected the east and west coasts, was instrumental to Goshen’s growth in the early 20th century. Although Interstate 90’s completion 10 miles to the north changed things, U.S. 33 is still the main artery connecting Goshen to Elkhart. I-90, locally known as the Indiana Toll Road, leads 25 miles west to South Bend and 120 miles west to Chicago. Indianapolis is about 150 miles south of Goshen, and Kalamazoo is 55 miles to the north.
Public transit is accessible on the Interurban Trolley, a bus line that runs between Goshen and Elkhart. Goshen has a municipal airport, but South Bend International is the nearest commercial airport.
Goshen’s official nickname, “The Maple City,” is most evident in its tree-lined residential neighborhoods. The city’s ubiquitous tree shades many Victorian-era houses in Historic Southside, mid-century ranch-style homes in West Goshen and New Traditional houses near Black Squirrel Golf Course.
The median home price in Goshen is around $245,000, around $30,000 higher than in Elkhart and $60,000 higher than in South Bend. Homes within city limits can range between $120,000 and $450,000. In unincorporated Goshen, larger houses with acreage can sell from around $400,000 to just over $1 million.
Victorian homes are found near the historic downtown area of Goshen.
Mid-century ranch-style homes line the streets of suburban Goshen.
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Goshen College and school choices for younger students
Goshen Community Schools receives a B-rating from Niche and ranks fourth best among the 13 districts in the South Bend area. Its five elementary schools feed into Goshen Intermediate School for grades 5 and 6 then Goshen Junior High and Goshen High School.
Students can also attend A-minus rated Bethany Christian School, which is the top-ranked private private school in the South Bend area.
While it holds the distinction of being the country’s largest Mennonite college, Goshen College’s enrollment is just around 850 students, almost all of whom live in campus housing. Goshen College's athletic teams play at the NAIA level of college sports. The Goshen College Music Center, renowned for its acoustics, has drawn artists such as Wynton Marsalis and the Indigo Girls to play here.
Goshen College is the country’s largest Mennonite college.
Goshen High School offers the neighborhoods of Goshen a dynamic learning environment.
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Multiple parks and miles of trails enhance natural setting
Goshen’s natural setting is further enhanced by more than two dozen city parks and 30 miles of pedestrian and bike paths and trails. The longest trail, the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail, runs 3 miles through Goshen and is part of a 17-mile-long system that connects westward to Elkhart and eastward to Shipshewana.
At 90 acres, Shanklin Park is Goshen’s largest recreational area. It features lighted baseball and softball diamonds, a public swimming pool and an elaborate playground known as Tommy’s Castle. Shanklin Park connects to nearby Powerhouse Park and Millrace Park via the Shanklin Millrace Canal Trail, which extends nearly 3 miles along its namesake canal.
Goshen also has a pair of golf courses: Black Squirrel Golf Club a public course on the city's southwest side and members-only Maplecrest Country Club on Goshen's northeast side.
The Pumpkinvine Nature Trail runs three miles through Goshen.
The Black Squirrel Golf Club in Goshen has an indoor golf simulator.
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Events range from First Fridays to Indiana's biggest county fair
Downtown Goshen comes to life during monthly First Fridays. Local businesses stay open late, and food vendors and merchants set up along the sidewalks on the first Friday of each month. The January Fire and Ice Festival, featuring ice sculptors and fire dancers, is often the most well-attended First Friday of the year.
The Elkhart County 4-H Fair is Goshen’s biggest event. Held in late July, the county fair is Indiana’s most highly attended annual event behind only the Indiana State Fair and the Indianapolis 500. More than 200,000 people attend the fair each year.
Goshen’s Hispanic Heritage Festival is also growing into a major annual event. In 2024, more than 12,000 people attended the one-day festival at Powerhouse Park.
Crime rate, Elkhart River flooding among local concerns
The Elkhart River has been an instrumental part of life in Goshen since its founding. Access to the river helped settlers from New England build the town from scratch in the 1830s. But the river can also be a destructive factor. A record flood in February 2018 left standing water as deep as 4 feet in parts of Goshen’s west side, and three of the city’s five river crossings were impassable. In 2022, the city adopted a new flood resilience plan to help prepare for and mitigate future major flooding events.
Goshen also has a citywide system of tornado warning sirens. An F4 tornado struck the city in 1942, and two of the most devastating tornadoes in American history severely damaged communities between Goshen and Elkhart during the 1965 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak.
Crime is also a concern in Goshen. Property and violent crime rates exceeded national averages in 2022 and 2023. Both rates were below the national averages in the two previous years.
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