Notre Dame is located next to South Bend, Indiana, the state's fourth-largest city and part of the South Bend-Mishawaka-Elkhart metropolitan area, with a population of more than 300,000 people, although the city of South Bend alone makes up only about 100,000 of those residents.
The St. Joseph River flows from the east end of the city turning north near the center, giving South Bend its name from the bend in the river. South Bend is also located at the north-south continental divide formed by the Saint Lawrence River Divide. The St. Joseph River flows northwest into Lake Michigan.
South Bend has four distinct seasons of weather, with the warmest months being June, July, and August. Lake Michigan exerts a heavy influence on the climate of South Bend, which experiences an average of 42 days with thunderstorms each year, and an average of 70" (179 cm) of total snowfall during the winter months.
If you are coming from a relatively warm climate (e.g. Taiwan, India, certain regions of South America), you may find the winters to be very cold and should anticipate finding proper winter clothing in the US. The CSLC can help you with this--read more in the pages ahead.