Welcome to Evansville!
Evansville is the largest city in Southern Indiana and the third-largest city in the state. It is the county seat of Vanderburgh County and the regional hub for the Indiana, Kentucky, and Illinois tri-state areas. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 117,429. In 2008 a population estimate put the Evansville Metropolitan Statistical Area at 350,261.
Evansville is a city in and the county seat of Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. The population was 117,429 at the 2010 census, making it the state's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the largest city in Southern Indiana, and the 232nd-most populous city in the United States. It is the central city of the Evansville metropolitan area, a hub of commercial, medical, and cultural activity in southwestern Indiana and the Illinois-Indiana-Kentucky tri-state area, which is home to over 911,000 people. The 38th parallel crosses the north side of the city and is marked on Interstate 69.
Situated on an oxbow in the Ohio River, the city is often referred to as the "Crescent Valley" or "River City". Early French explorers named it La Belle Rivière ("The Beautiful River"). The area has been inhabited by various indigenous cultures for millennia, dating back at least 10,000 years. Angel Mounds was a permanent settlement of the Mississippian culture from 1000 AD to around 1400 AD. The European-American city was founded in 1812.
Three NYSE companies (Accuride, Berry Global, and OneMain Financial) are headquartered in Evansville, and three companies traded on NASDAQ (Escalade, Old National Bank, and Shoe Carnival) are also headquartered in Evansville. The city is home to public and private enterprises in many areas, as Evansville serves as the region's economic hub.
Evansville is home to Bally's Evansville, the state's first casino, Mesker Park Zoo, and Botanic Garden, one of the state's oldest and largest zoos, and sports tourism industry. The city has several educational institutions. The University of Evansville is a private school on the city's east side, while the University of Southern Indiana is a larger public institution just outside the city's westside limits. The Indiana University School of Medicine also maintains a campus in Evansville. Other local educational institutions include the nationally ranked Signature School and the Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library. In 2008, Evansville was voted the best city in the country in which "to live, work, and play" by the readers of Kiplinger, and in 2009 as the 11th best.