South Bend is a city in and the county seat of Pacific County, Washington, United States. It sits on the Willapa River near Willapa Bay in the Pacific Northwest, and the town takes its name from a bend where the river's channel swings south for nearly a mile before turning north again. The city covers about 2.01 square miles, of which 1.63 are land and 0.38 water, at an elevation of roughly 10 feet. The population was 1,746 at the 2020 census.
The settlement began in 1869, when brothers Valentine and John Riddell built a sawmill about four miles up the Willapa River; a post office followed in 1875, and the town was incorporated on September 9, 1890. South Bend boomed in the early 1890s, with its assessed valuation reaching about $2.58 million by the end of 1891 before collapsing to $414,320 by 1895 after a promised Northern Pacific Railway terminal failed to materialize. South Bend became the county seat in 1892 after a disputed election with Oysterville. The railroad reached the city in 1893 but was never extended east, ending hopes of a major inland port.
South Bend is widely known for oyster production and scenery and calls itself the "Oyster Capital of the World," with a shellfish industry centered on oysters from Willapa Bay; the industry was revitalized in the 1930s by the introduction of the Japanese oyster. The economy also draws on farming, fishing, forestry and healthcare. Notable sights include the historic Pacific County Courthouse, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the roadside attraction known as the World's Largest Oyster, and the Pacific County Historical Society Museum. Highway 101 serves the city.