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| Official name | City of Evansville |
|---|---|
| Settlement type | City |
| Nickname | Eville, Epatch, the Ville, River City, Pocket City, Crescent City |
| Image seal | Evansvilleseal.png |
| Website | http://www.evansvillegov.org |
| Map caption | Location in the state of Indiana |
| Coordinates region | US-IN |
| Subdivision type | Country |
| Subdivision type1 | State |
| Subdivision type2 | Regions |
| Subdivision type3 | County |
| Subdivision type4 | Townships |
| Subdivision name | |
| Subdivision name1 | |
| Subdivision name2 | Tri-State Area, SW Indiana |
| Subdivision name3 | Vanderburgh |
| Subdivision name4 | Center, German, Knight, Perry, Pigeon |
| Leader title | Mayor |
| Leader name | Jonathan Weinzapfel (D) |
| Established title | Founded |
| Established date | 1812 |
| Established title1 | Incorporated |
| Established date1 | 1819 |
| Established title2 | City Charter |
| Established date2 | 1847 |
| Area magnitude | 1 E8 |
| Area total km2 | 105.6 |
| Area land km2 | 105.4 |
| Area water km2 | 0.2 |
| Area total sq mi | 40.8 |
| Area land sq mi | 40.7 |
| Area water sq mi | 0.1 |
| Area metro sq mi | 2367 |
| Elevation m | 118 |
| Elevation ft | 387 |
| Coordinates display | display=inline,title |
| Population as of | 2010 |
| Population total | 117429 |
| Population density km2 | 1153.4 |
| Timezone | CST |
| Utc offset | -6 |
| Timezone dst | CDT |
| Utc offset dst | -5 | |
| Postal code type | ZIP codes |
| Postal code | 47701-47706, 47708, 47710 47711-47716, 47719-47722 47724-47728, 47730-47741 47744-47750, 47755, 47777 |
| Twin1 | Osnabrück |
| Twin1 country | |
| Twin2 | Tochigi-Shi |
| Twin2 country | |
| Area code | 812 |
| Blank name | FIPS code |
| Blank info | 18-22000 |
| Blank1 name | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 info | 0434258 |
| Blank2 name | Demonyms |
| Blank2 info | Evansvillian |
| Blank4 name | Interstates |
| Blank4 info | I-64, I-69, I-164 |
| Blank5 name | Waterways |
| Blank5 info | Ohio River |
| Blank6 name | Airports |
| Blank6 info | Evansville Regional Airport |
| Blank7 name | Public transit |
| Blank7 info | METS |
| Footnotes | | |
Settled in 1812, the city is situated on a gentle horseshoe bend on the Ohio River and often referred to as "River City." One of the most popular attractions in the region is Casino Aztar, the first riverboat casino in the state of Indiana. Evansville is also home to both the University of Evansville and the University of Southern Indiana.
The broad economic base of the region has helped to build an economy which is known for its stability, diversity, and vitality. In 2004 Evansville was named an "All-America City" by the National Civic League. In 2008 it was voted the best city in the country in which "to live, work, and play" by the readers of Kiplinger, and in 2009 the 11th best.
Evansville soon became a thriving commercial town, with an extensive river trade. It was incorporated in 1819 and received a city charter in 1847. The building of the Wabash and Erie Canal, which connected the Great Lakes to the Ohio River, greatly accelerated the city's growth. The canal was finally completed in 1853, the same year that Evansville's first railroad, Evansville & Crawfordsville Railroad, was opened to Terre Haute.
The first highway bridge to cross the Ohio River and connect Evansville with Henderson, Kentucky was built in 1932. After the devastating Ohio River flood of 1937, the city established the Evansville-Vanderburgh Levee Authority District. It built a system of earth levees, concrete walls, and pumping stations designed to protect the city.
During World War II, Evansville was the largest inland producer of LSTs (Tank Landing Ships). Evansville also produced a specific version of the P-47 Thunderbolt known as the P-47Ds, which were assembled at a former Whirlpool applicance factory. These planes were also produced in Farmingdale on Long Island, New York. The Evansville craft were given the suffix "-Ra" while the Farmingdale planes were given the suffix "-Re". Evansville produced a total 6,242 P-47s,almost half of the P47s made during the war, and 167 LSTs during the war.
In the early 1950s, industrial production in the city expanded at a rapid pace. Culturally, Evansville evolved in the 1950s with the construction of subdivisions on the outer reaches of the community. This shift in population led to other developments as shopping started to shift from the downtown area into suburban shopping centers. In 1963, Washington Square Mall became the first enclosed mall in the state of Indiana.
During the final third of the 20th century, Evansville became the commercial, medical, and service hub for the tri-state region. A 1990s economic spurt was fueled by the growth of the University of Southern Indiana, which now has 10,000 students. The arrival of giant Toyota and AK Steel plants, as well as Casino Aztar, Indiana's first gaming boat, also contributed to the growth of jobs.
On November 6, 2005, an F3 tornado struck the Evansville area and killed 25 people. The tornado began in Kentucky and crossed the Ohio River. It struck Ellis Park Racecourse, East Brook Mobile Home Park, and then Newburgh, leaving a of path of destruction for more than . Nearly $85 million in damage was done. Following the Evansville Tornado of November 2005, the coordinating officer for the Federal Emergency Management Agency noted, "I don't think I've ever seen a community of people come out so quickly to help each other. All communities come together after a disaster, but this one is exceptional."
The city faces the Ohio River along its southern boundary. Most of the city lies in a shallow valley surrounded by low rolling hills. The west side of the city is built on these rolling hills and is home to Burdette Park, Mesker Amphitheatre, and Mesker Park Zoo. The eastern portion of the city developed in the valley with the Pigeon Creek flowing from downtown and is protected by a series of levees that closely follow the path of Interstate 164. Notable landmarks on the east side are the Wesselman Woods Nature Preserve and the Angel Mounds State Historic Site, located just southeast of Evansville, between Evansville and Newburgh. Angel Mounds is a burial site, believed to be abandoned a few hundred years ago.
The Evansville Metropolitan Area, the 142nd largest in the United States, includes four Indiana counties (Gibson, Posey, Vanderburgh, and Warrick) and two Kentucky counties (Henderson, and Webster). The metropolitan area does not include Owensboro, Kentucky, which is an adjacent metropolitan area about southeast of Evansville. This area is sometimes referred to as "Kentuckiana", although "Tri-State Area" or "Tri-State" are more commonly used by the local media.
There were 52,273 households out of which 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.8% were married couples living together, 13.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.6% were non-families. 35.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.7% under the age of 18, 11.5% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 88.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,963, and the median income for a family was $41,091. Males had a median income of $30,922 compared to $21,776 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,388. About 10.1% of families and 13.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.0% of those under the age of 18 and 8.4% of those 65 and older.
A wide variety of concerts, plays, and other special events are held at the 2,500-seat auditorium at The Centre downtown. Outdoor concerts and special events are held at the 8,500-seat Mesker Amphitheatre on the city's west side. Larger concerts, sporting events, and special events are held at the 12,500-seat Roberts Stadium, where the University of Evansville Division I basketball team has played since Robert's opening on the city's east side.
The New Harmony Theatre is a professional theatre created by the University of Evansville in the late '60s / early '70s in alliance with the area's commercial and arts communiity to spotlight the strong theatre tradition in southwestern Indiana. The University of Evansville managed NHT for two decades in the summer along with its other theatre productions on its main stage Shanklin Theatre on The University of Evansville campus during the Fall, Winter and Spring terms. Once the branch campus of Indiana State University at Evansville was chartered as an independent institution (University of Southern Indiana) the production was passed to the University of Southern Indiana and operates under an agreement with the Actors Equity Association. Well known actors such as Polly Holliday and Louis Zorich have appeared on the NHT stage, which presents a three play season every summer. The University of Southern Indiana also features a robust theatre program with a professional repertory season in the Fall.
Evansville Civic Theatre is Southern Indiana's longest running community theater, dating from the 1920s when the community theater movement swept across the country. From its humble beginnings at the old Central High School auditorium, Evansville Civic Theatre has had many homes – Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Coliseum, Bosse High School, the Rose Room of the McCurdy Hotel, the Elks Ballroom, and the Evansville Museum of Arts and Sciences. In 1974, Evansville Civic Theatre acquired the historic Columbia Movie Theater as its permanent home.
The University of Evansville maintains a prestigious theater program - one of the top rated programs in the nation, which features four mainstage and two studio productions a year. The University of Evansville has been honored more times at The Kennedy Center than any other theatre institution. The University is the only institution, along with Yale, which has been asked to perform at the Kennedy Center without first going through competition. It also leads the nation in the top awards for its students as awarded by The Broadway Theatre Wing and other governing bodies of serious theatre. A small independent music scene can also be found with local bands playing nightclubs such as Club 1123 and Boney Junes.
.]]Each July the city plays host to the Evansville Freedom Festival. The United States Navy's Blue Angels have been an added attraction in recent years along with the Canadian Forces Snowbirds.
Evansville used to host Thunder on the Ohio . Thunder on the Ohio was a hydroplane boat race in the H1 Unlimited season. The race was typically held during the Freedom Festival on the Ohio River in downtown Evansville. Evansville hosted Thunder on the Ohio from 1979 to 2009. The winner of Thunder on the Ohio received the Four Freedoms Trophy, which was named after the nearby Four Freedoms Monument which rests along the Ohio River. The race had frequently been broadcasted on ESPN and the SPEED television network.
Each summer, Vanderburgh County is host to the Hoosier Nationals, a BMX National Series race sanctioned by the National Bicycle League. The Hoosier Nationals take place on the BMX course at Vanderburgh County's Burdette Park. The National Series races are the highest level of racing in the USA for BMX.
The Germania Männerchor Volksfest is a three day German heritage festival which takes place every August in the historic Germania Mannerchor building on the city's west side. The festival includes food, drink, dance and music. Many of the city's residents with German ancestry also wear historic German attire.
On the last weekend of August, the popular Frog Follies takes place, when over 4,000 street rods converge on the Vanderburgh County 4-H fairgrounds north of the city.
The Evansville Museum of Arts, History and Science is home to one of southern Indiana's most established and significant cultural centers. It holds the Koch Planetarium, the oldest in Indiana. Also on the campus is the Evansville Museum Transportation Center, which features transportation in southern Indiana from the latter part of the Nineteenth Century through the mid-Twentieth Century.
The Reitz Home Museum is Evansville's only Victorian House Museum. It is noted as one of the country's finest examples of Second French Empire architecture. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
In October 2005 the USS LST 325 moored in Evansville and was turned into a museum (USS LST Ship Memorial) in recognition of the city's war effort. During World War II, Evansville produced 167 LSTs (and 35 other craft), making it the largest inland producer of LSTs in the nation. The USS LST 325 is the last navigable tank landing ship in operation.
The new Children's Museum of Evansville opened its doors to the public in September 2006. The museum is the result of two years of planning and was constructed in the historic Central Library downtown. The Art Deco building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The museum offers visitors three floors of interactive exhibits and galleries.
Located on nearly of rolling hills in western Vanderburgh County well outside of the city limits, Burdette Park features an aquatic center with water slides, three pools, and a snack bar. It also offers a BMX racing track, batting cages, softball diamonds, miniature golf, tennis courts, and locations for fishing. It should be noted that Burdette Park is in no way associated with the Evansville Parks Department as it is run by Vanderburgh County.
Evansville's Mesker Park Zoo opened in 1928. Set on a spacious park, the zoo features over 700 animals roaming freely in natural habitats surrounded by exotic plants, wildflowers, and trees. An estimated 3 million people visit the zoo between April and august every year.
Wesselman Woods Nature Preserve is a National Natural Landmark with nearly of virgin bottomland hardwood forest. It is the largest tract of virgin forest located inside any city limits within the United States. The Nature Center features exhibits, events, wildlife observation areas, meeting rooms, library, and gift shop.
Although high school athletics are a constant source of local patronage, the University of Evansville and University of Southern Indiana (USI) regularly draw millions of spectators to NCAA Division I, and Division II sporting events, respectively. The University of Evansville's basketball program is well regarded nationally and has the distinction of having won five National NCAA titles in the late 1950s and the early 1960s. It was one of the first institutions to achieve this milestone in a six-year period. The University of Evansville's basketball team has regularly drawn over 10,000 spectators to its at-home games. This is one of the largest draws in the NCAA Division 1 based upon the size of the university's student body- it is the second-smallest university in the Division 1 category ( UE has approximately 2,500 students compared to USI's 10,000 students. USI is a Division II institution). The University of Evansville basketball currently plays at Roberts Stadium, but is set to move to a new downtown arena in 2011. USI plays on campus at the USI PAC.
The Evansville Otters minor league professional baseball team has played at historic Bosse Field in the Frontier League since 1995. Bosse Field opened in 1915 and is the third oldest baseball stadium still in use in the United States and was the principal filming location for the movie A League of Their Own.
The Evansville IceMen minor league professional ice hockey team has played at Swonder Ice Arena since 2008. They began play in the All American Hockey League and remained in that league for their first two seasons. They moved to the Central Hockey League in 2010 and play in the nine team Turner Conference. It is commonly misconceived that the Icemen in fact folded at the end of the 2009 season and were replaced by the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the International Hockey League (IHL). This, however, is not the case. The Lumberjacks actually moved down a league to the USHL and the Icemen moved up to the CHL. While there are several former Lumberjacks on the 2010-11 roster, the Muskegon team did not replace the Evansville franchise.
The Evansvile Enforcers semi-professional American football team has played at the Goebel Soccer Complex in the Great Midwest Football League since 2011. The Evansville Crush semi-professional soccer team has played at Metro Sports Center since 2010.
Evansville is home to two Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) leagues: the Demolition City Roller Derby, and Rollergirls of Southern Indiana. In the WFTDA, member leagues create "travel" teams who play against each other in regional matches, although some leagues that are not WFTDA members have independently arranged their own travel teams and inter-league bouts. The Evansville travel teams for the Demolition City Roller Derby are the Dynamite Dolls and the Destruction Dames. The Evansville travel team for the Rollergirls of Southern Indiana is the Rollergirls of Southern Indiana.
Evansville used to play host to the top tier boat racing circuit of H1 Unlimited when it hosted Thunder on the Ohio along the Ohio River in downtown Evansville. Evansville hosted Thunder on the Ohio continuously from 1979 to 2009. Evansville had previously hosted Thunder on the Ohio from 1938 to 1940.
In the summer months, Vanderburgh County is host to the Hoosier Nationals, a BMX National Series race sanctioned by the National Bicycle League. The Hoosier Nationals take place on the BMX course at Vanderburgh County's Burdette Park. The National Series races are the highest level of racing in the USA for BMX.
Evansville offers modern sports facilities for both soccer and ice skating events. The Goebel Soccer Complex is a $3.4 million project that opened in the spring of 2004 on of land and features nine Olympic-size irrigated Bermuda grass fields and one Olympic-size AstroPlay turf field. Additionally, EVSC Fields provide twin soccer fields and stadium seating for high school regular season and postseason matches. Swonder Ice Arena is a $12.5 million double-rink facility that opened in the fall of 2002 and features a fitness center, a skate park, and party rooms. The schools of the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation use Lloyd Pool for all of their swimming and diving meets in the Southern Indiana Athletic Conference.
The city has 32 radio stations that include adult contemporary, big band, classical, inspirational, jazz, rock, country, oldies, pop, and easy listening formats. The University of Evansville's WUEV FM is a non-commercial station that plays a variety of alternative, classical, and jazz music. WUEV has been chosen repeatedly as one of the premier university and jazz stations in the nation over the past two decades. Other notable radio stations include alternative/hard rock station 103 GBF (also known as "the River City Rocker") and pop music station 106.1 Kiss FM.
Evansville is, as of the 2010-11 rankings, the 103rd-largest television market in the United States according to Nielsen Media Research. The designated market area consists of 30 counties in Southeastern Illinois, Southwestern Indiana, and Northwestern Kentucky. The 2007 population estimate of this 30-county region is nearly one million people.
The major local broadcast television stations are:
The Public-access television cable TV channels are:
Vanderburgh County's delegation to the Indiana State House of Representatives comprises four representatives: Ron Bacon (District 75), Trent Van Haaften (District 76), Phil Hoy (District 77), and Suzanne Crouch (District 78). Evansville and Vanderburgh County are represented by two state senators. In general, the southern third of the county and Armstrong Township are part of District 49, currently held by Jim Tomes. The county's west side is also in District 49. Most of the county is in District 50, which extends to the east, a seat held by Vaneta Becker.
The region is located in the 8th District of Indiana (map) and served by U.S. Representative Larry Bucshon.
On November 4, 2008 voters approved a $149 million bond issue for the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation. A long list of projects includes a new $58.2 million high school for 2,000 students and an adjacent $27 million middle school for 1,000 students.
{| class="wikitable sortable" border="1" style="text-align:center;font-size: 100%" |- ! School ! Type ! Enrollment ! Mascot (I/A) ! Colors (I/A) ! Class (I/A) ! Athletic Conference |- | Benjamin Bosse High School | Public | 873 | Bulldogs | | AAA(A) | Southern Indiana Athletic Conference |- | Central High School | Public | 1,754 | Bears | | AAAA(A) | Southern Indiana Athletic Conference |- | North High School | Public | 1,661 | Huskies | | AAAA(A) | Southern Indiana Athletic Conference |- | Francis Joseph Reitz High School | Public | 1,495 | Panthers | | AAAA(A) | Southern Indiana Athletic Conference |- | William Henry Harrison High School | Public | 1,414 | Warriors | | AAAA(A) | Southern Indiana Athletic Conference |- | Southern Indiana Career & Technical Center * | Trade School | 788 | None | None | None | None |- | Signature School | Charter | 302 | Fedolfins | | A | Independent |- | Francis Joseph Reitz Memorial High School | Catholic | 791 | Tigers | | AAA(A) | Southern Indiana Athletic Conference |- | Mater Dei High School | Catholic | 613 | Wildcats | | AA(A) | Southern Indiana Athletic Conference |- |Evansville Day School ** | Private | 69 | Eagles | | A | Independent |}
Corporate headquarters include Accuride, Atlas Van Lines, Berry Plastics, Mead Johnson, Old National Bank, Shoe Carnival, and Vectren. The city is also home to Springleaf Financial Services, formerly a division of AIG. Major manufacturing operations around the city include AK Steel in Rockport, Alcoa in Newburgh, SABIC in Mount Vernon, and Toyota in Princeton.
The city's economy was expanded by Casino Aztar's entertainment facility in 1995. The main complex consists of a 2,700 passenger riverboat casino, a 250-room hotel, a 1,660 vehicle parking garage, and pavilion housing pre-boarding facilities, retail shops, restaurants, and lounge area. An adjacent entertainment district features a 96-room boutique hotel and additional restaurants.
The economic downturn beginning in 2008 hurt Evansville with contractions by some of the area's largest employers. Toyota laid off all temporary workers and offered a buyout to its permanent employees. The company temporarily shut down its production lines as production of the Tundra pickup truck was transferred to Texas and the Highlander production was moved to Princeton. On August 28, 2009 Whirlpool Corporation announced they are moving operations from Evansville to Mexico, laying off 1,100 hourly employees. The city was able to retain 300 salaried positions for a production design center.
The City of Evansville offers a pro-business tax structure for companies locating inside the Evansville Urban Enterprise Zone. Established in 1984 as one of only five enterprise zones in the State of Indiana, the Evansville Urban Enterprise Zone offers inventory tax credits and other tax credits to eligible businesses.
All exterior shots on the 1988-1997 sitcom Roseanne are still photographs taken in and around Evansville. The Connors' house is located at 619 South Runnymeade Avenue, and the Lobo Lounge is a pizzeria located at the corner of Edgar and Louisiana Streets. Matt Williams, one of the show's producers, is a native of Evansville and a graduate of The University of Evansville theatre program. He is a co-founder of Wind Dancer Productions and has been involved with numerous sitcoms such as 'Home Improvement', movies and dramatic plays for Broadway.
The Daily Show has featured Evansville in two episodes. The first featured a story about comedian Carrot Top's reopening the historic Victory Theatre. The second poked fun at former mayor Russel Lloyd Jr. for skipping out on a city meeting to attend Cher's Farewell Tour concert being performed on the same night at Roberts Stadium.
Evansville was also featured in Alton Brown's series Feasting on Asphalt. Alton and his crew visited the historic Greyhound Bus station for its vending machines, the YWCA tea room for lunch, and the Hilltop Inn for a brain sandwich and burgoo. Other shows have included Ghost Hunters which investigated Willard Library's "Gray Lady" ghost and Storm Stories on The Weather Channel documented the devastating tornado that struck the city in 2005.
The city was briefly featured on the Prison Break episode "Chicago" in which Sara Tancredi meets up with Michael Scofield and Lincoln Burrows in Evansville. The episode premiered on February 5, 2007.
Universal Records Michael Barber uses an image from Evansville on all of his album covers. His Motion Picture Mayhem series all feature back grounds from his childhood city.
On March 17, 2011, Evansville was ranked by a Gallup Survey as the most obese metro area (out of 188 surveyed) in the United States, with an overall obesity percentage of 37.8.
Osnabrück, Germany Tizimín, Mexico Tochigi-Shi, Japan
Category:Populated places established in 1812 Category:Cities in Indiana Category:Populated places in Vanderburgh County, Indiana Category:Communities of Southwestern Indiana Category:Evansville metropolitan area Category:County seats in Indiana
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