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() is a city located in Elkhart County, Indiana, United States. The city is located east of South Bend, east of Chicago, and north of Indianapolis. Elkhart has the larger population of the two principal cities of the Elkhart-Goshen Metropolitan Statistical Area, which in turn is part of the South Bend-Elkhart-Mishawaka Combined Statistical Area, in a region commonly known as Michiana. According to a 2008 estimate, the city has a population of 52,700. Despite the shared name, the city of Goshen, Indiana, located about south of Elkhart, is the county seat of Elkhart County.
At the beginning of the 19th Century, the area now known as Elkhart was mainly inhabited by the Ottawa, Chippewa, and Potawatomi Indian Tribes. In 1829, the Village of Pulaski was established as Post Office, mill and a few houses on the north side of the St. Joseph River. Two years later, Dr. Havilah Beardsley moved westward from Ohio and purchased one square mile of land from Pierre Moran, a half French, half Native American Potawatomi Chief to establish a rival town named Elkhart. In 1839, the Pulaski Post Office was officially changed to Elkhart.
By the late 19th century and early 20th century, Musical Instrument factories, Miles Medical Company, and numerous mills set up shop and became the base of the economy. In 1934, the first trailer factory opened up shop in Elkhart. Similar companies followed suit for the remainder of the decade and growth continued to grow until the rationing of materials in World War II. After the war, growth picked back up and by 1949, Elkhart was officially dubbed the "Trailer Capital of the World."