Owensboro, Kentucky
Encyclopedia
Owensboro is the fourth largest city by population in the U.S. state
of Kentucky
. It is the county seat
of Daviess County
. It is located on U.S. Route 60
about 32 miles (51.5 km) southeast of Evansville, Indiana
, and is the principal city of the Owensboro, Kentucky, Metropolitan Statistical Area
. The city's population was 57,265 at the 2010 U.S. Census Estimate, with a metropolitan population of 114,752. The city was named after Colonel Abraham Owen
. Owensboro is the second-largest city in the Tri-State region of Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky
after Evansville.
culture in the locality dates back 12,000 years, though the last Shawnee Indians were forced to vacate the area before the end of the eighteenth century.
(Smothers) in 1797, for whom the riverfront park in downtown Owensboro is named. A Kentucky Historical Marker is erected in his honor at the park. The settlement was originally known as Yellow Banks
, a reference to the color of the banks of the Ohio River
. The Lewis and Clark Expedition
wintered at what is today's Owensboro prior to departing on their famous travels. In 1817, Yellow Banks was incorporated as a city under the name Owensborough, named after Colonel
Abraham Owen
. In 1893, the spelling of the name was shortened to its current Owensboro.
guerrillas from Tennessee
led by Captain Jack Bennett, an officer in Stovepipe Johnson's Partisan Rangers. Bennett's men rode into Owensboro, tried and failed to rob a local bank, took 13 Union soldiers of the 108th Coloured Infantry
prisoner, executed them, burned the bodies on a supply boat and escaped back to Tennessee having covered a total of 300 miles (482.8 km) on horseback inside six days. Another major battle occurred 8 miles (12.9 km) south of Owensboro and is today signified by a monument marking the battle located beside US Hwy 431.
There have been several distillers, mainly of bourbon whiskey, in and around the city of Owensboro. The major distillery still in operation is the Glenmore Distillery Company.
On August 14, 1936, downtown Owensboro was the site of the last public hanging
in the United States. Rainey Bethea
was executed for the rape and murder of 70-year-old Lischa Edwards. The execution was presided over by the first female Sheriff in Kentucky, whose surname was Thompson.
The end of the Second World War brought civil engineering projects, which helped turn Owensboro from a sleepy industrial town into a modern, expanding community by the turn of the 1960s. Many of the projects were set in motion by Johnson, Depp & Quisenberry, a firm of consulting engineers then engaged in a runway redesign at the County Airport; the 'Depp' in question was a member of an old and prodigious Kentucky
family which includes the town's most famous son, actor Johnny Depp
.
Frederick A. Ames came to Owensboro from Washington, Pennsylvania
in 1887. He started the Carriage
Woodstock Company to repair horse-drawn carriages. In 1910 he began to manufacture a line of automobiles under the Ames
brand name. Ames hired industrialist Vincent Bendix in 1912, and the company became the Ames Motor Car Company. Despite its product being called the "best $1500" car by a Texas car dealer, the company ceased production of its own model in 1915. The company then began manufacturing replacement bodies for the more widely sold Ford Model T
. In 1922, the company again remade itself and started to manufacture furniture under the name Ames Corporation. The company finally sold out to Whitehall Furniture in 1970.
1899 saw the start of the Kentucky Electrical Lamp Company
, a light bulb manufacturing company which eventually was acquired by Kentucky Radio Company (Ken-Rad) in 1918 and later acquired by General Electric
in 1945 and in 1987 acquired by MPD, Inc., created the light bulbs that illuminated the first night game in the history of Major League Baseball
on May 24, 1935,between the Reds and Phillies at Cincinnati's Crosley Field.
In June 1932, John G. Barnard founded the Modern Welding Company, Inc.
in a small building located near the Ohio River
at First and Frederica Streets where the Commonwealth of Kentucky office building sits today. Today, Modern Welding Company has 9 steel tank and vessel fabrication subsidiaries located throughout the United States and 5 welding supply stores located in Kentucky
and Indiana
. The company is an industry leader by being the country's largest supplier of Underwriters Laboratories
listed, underground and aboveground steel storage tanks for flammable and combustible liquids. Chemical storage tanks, ASME pressure vessels and structural steel fabrication are additional products manufactured by the company. The company celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2007.
Texas Gas Transmission Corporation was created in 1948 with the merger of Memphis Natural Gas Company and Kentucky Natural Gas Corporation and made its headquarters in Owensboro. Since that time, Texas Gas changed ownership four times. The company was bought by CSX Corp. in 1983; by Transco Energy Corp. in 1989; by Williams in 1995; and by Loews Corporation in 2003.
In 1961, engineers at the General Electric
plant in Owensboro introduced a family of vacuum tube
s called the Compactron
.
established the Roman Catholic Diocese of Owensboro
, which spans approximately the western third of the state. It includes thirty-two counties and covers approximately 12500 square miles (32,374.9 km²).
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 18.7 square miles (48.4 km²), of which 17.4 square miles (45.1 km²) is land and 1.2 square miles (3.1 km²) (6.59%) is water.
Owensboro is about 32 miles (51.5 km) east of Evansville, Indiana
.
estimate, there were 55,745 people, 22,659 households and 14,093 families residing in the city. The population density
was 3,102.9 per square mile (1,198.4/km²). There were 24,302 housing units at an average density of 1,394.7 per square mile (538.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.63% White, 6.90% African American, 0.51% Asian, 0.12% Native American, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.55% from other races
, and 1.28% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.03% of the population.
There were 22,659 households, of which 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.7% were married couples living together, 13.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.8% were non-families. 33.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.91.
24.1% of the population were under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 87.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.6 males.
The median household income
was $31,867 and the median family income was $41,333. Males had a median income of $33,429 versus $21,457 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $17,968. About 12.2% of families and 15.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.9% of those under age 18 and 12.4% of those age 65 or over.
, and McLean
counties.
Owensboro has operated under a City Manager form of government since 1954. Citizens elect a mayor and four city commissioners who form the Board of Commissioners. The Board of Commissioners is the legislative body of the city government and represents the interests of the citizens. The Board of Commissioners hires a city manager who administers the day-to-day operations of the city.
The mayor is elected for a term of four years. Each city commissioner is elected for a term of two years. The term of the city manager is indefinite and based on performance.
, Daviess County Public Schools
, and the Diocese
of Owensboro's Catholic School System oversee K-12 education in and around Owensboro.
Owensboro is home to two private, four-year colleges, Brescia University
and Kentucky Wesleyan College
, and one public community college, Owensboro Community and Technical College
. Campus of Daymar College
are also located in Owensboro, and Western Kentucky University Owensboro maintains an extended campus there.
In 2006, plans were announced for a research center operated by the University of Louisville
to be located at the Mitchell Memorial Cancer Center, a part of the Owensboro Medical Health System, to study how to make the first ever human papilloma virus
vaccine
, called Gardasil
, from tobacco
plants. U of L researcher Dr Albert Bennet Jenson and Dr Shin-je Ghim discovered the vaccine
in 2006. If successful, the vaccine
would be made in Owensboro.
US 60 and US 431 serve Owensboro, with US 431 terminating at the former US 60 Bypass (now signed US 60). US 231 and US 60 form a partial beltway around Owensboro. KY 81, KY 56, KY 331, KY 298, KY 54, and KY 144 also serve the city.
Owensboro-Daviess County Regional Airport
serves along with Evansville Regional Airport
as one of the region's commercial airports.
.
Radio stations include WBIO(FM), WOMI
(AM), WVJS (AM)
and WBKR broadcasting from Evansville. One, WSTO FM 96.1 Radio
, is actually licensed to Owensboro, although its studios are now located in Evansville. There is also a Bowling Green based Christian 91.7 Christian family radio
.
Although no television stations are based in the city, it is part of the Evansville television market, which is the 100th-largest in the United States according to Nielsen Media Research
. However, in early 2007, WFIE-TV opened a bureau in Owensboro which covers news in the market's Western Kentucky Counties. Many of the local television stations often promote themselves as serving Evansville, Henderson
and Owensboro.
Sports figures
Entertainers
Authors and journalists
Others
, as designated by Sister Cities International
:
Olomouc
, Moravia
, Czech Republic Nisshin, Aichi
, Japan
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
. It is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Daviess County
Daviess County, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 91,545 people, 36,033 households, and 24,826 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 38,432 housing units at an average density of...
. It is located on U.S. Route 60
U.S. Route 60
U.S. Route 60 is an east–west United States highway, running from the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast in Virginia to western Arizona. Despite the final "0" in its number, indicating a transcontinental designation, the 1926 route formerly ended in Springfield, Missouri, at its intersection...
about 32 miles (51.5 km) southeast of Evansville, Indiana
Evansville, Indiana
Evansville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Indiana and the largest city in Southern Indiana. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 117,429. It is the county seat of Vanderburgh County and the regional hub for both Southwestern Indiana and the...
, and is the principal city of the Owensboro, Kentucky, Metropolitan Statistical Area
Owensboro metropolitan area
The Owensboro Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of three counties in Kentucky, anchored by the city of Owensboro. As of the 2000 census, the MSA had a population of 109,875 In the 2010 Census the population was 114,752...
. The city's population was 57,265 at the 2010 U.S. Census Estimate, with a metropolitan population of 114,752. The city was named after Colonel Abraham Owen
Abraham Owen
Abraham Owen was born in Prince Edward County, Virginia in 1769. He moved to Kentucky in 1785.Owen served in the wars with the Indians under generals James Wilkinson and Arthur St. Clair in 1791, and served with colonel John Hardin....
. Owensboro is the second-largest city in the Tri-State region of Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky
Illinois-Indiana-Kentucky Tri-State Area
The Illinois–Indiana–Kentucky Tri-State Area is a tri-state area where the states of Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky intersect. The area is defined mainly by the television viewing area and consists of ten Illinois counties, eleven Indiana counties, and nine Kentucky counties...
after Evansville.
History
According to anthropological studies, Native AmericanIndigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
culture in the locality dates back 12,000 years, though the last Shawnee Indians were forced to vacate the area before the end of the eighteenth century.
Settlement
The first European descendant to settle in Owensboro was frontiersman William SmeathersWilliam Smeathers
William "Bill" Smeathers , also known as Smithers or Smothers, was a pioneer settler of Kentucky and later Texas....
(Smothers) in 1797, for whom the riverfront park in downtown Owensboro is named. A Kentucky Historical Marker is erected in his honor at the park. The settlement was originally known as Yellow Banks
Yellow Banks, Kentucky
Yellow Banks, Kentucky was the name of the rustic community founded by pionersman William Smeathers around 1790 on the banks of the Ohio River. The name was derived from the yellowish colored banks along the river. In 1817, Yellow Banks was incorporated as a city under the name Owensborough,...
, a reference to the color of the banks of the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
. The Lewis and Clark Expedition
Lewis and Clark Expedition
The Lewis and Clark Expedition, or ″Corps of Discovery Expedition" was the first transcontinental expedition to the Pacific Coast by the United States. Commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson and led by two Virginia-born veterans of Indian wars in the Ohio Valley, Meriwether Lewis and William...
wintered at what is today's Owensboro prior to departing on their famous travels. In 1817, Yellow Banks was incorporated as a city under the name Owensborough, named after Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Abraham Owen
Abraham Owen
Abraham Owen was born in Prince Edward County, Virginia in 1769. He moved to Kentucky in 1785.Owen served in the wars with the Indians under generals James Wilkinson and Arthur St. Clair in 1791, and served with colonel John Hardin....
. In 1893, the spelling of the name was shortened to its current Owensboro.
Civil War
In August 1865, Owensboro was subject to a raid by a band of ConfederateConfederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
guerrillas from Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
led by Captain Jack Bennett, an officer in Stovepipe Johnson's Partisan Rangers. Bennett's men rode into Owensboro, tried and failed to rob a local bank, took 13 Union soldiers of the 108th Coloured Infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
prisoner, executed them, burned the bodies on a supply boat and escaped back to Tennessee having covered a total of 300 miles (482.8 km) on horseback inside six days. Another major battle occurred 8 miles (12.9 km) south of Owensboro and is today signified by a monument marking the battle located beside US Hwy 431.
There have been several distillers, mainly of bourbon whiskey, in and around the city of Owensboro. The major distillery still in operation is the Glenmore Distillery Company.
On August 14, 1936, downtown Owensboro was the site of the last public hanging
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
in the United States. Rainey Bethea
Rainey Bethea
Rainey Bethea was the last person to be publicly executed in the United States. Bethea, who was a black man, confessed to the rape and murder of a 70-year-old white woman named Lischia Edwards, and after being convicted of her rape, he was publicly hanged in Owensboro, Kentucky...
was executed for the rape and murder of 70-year-old Lischa Edwards. The execution was presided over by the first female Sheriff in Kentucky, whose surname was Thompson.
The end of the Second World War brought civil engineering projects, which helped turn Owensboro from a sleepy industrial town into a modern, expanding community by the turn of the 1960s. Many of the projects were set in motion by Johnson, Depp & Quisenberry, a firm of consulting engineers then engaged in a runway redesign at the County Airport; the 'Depp' in question was a member of an old and prodigious Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
family which includes the town's most famous son, actor Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp
John Christopher "Johnny" Depp II is an American actor, producer and musician. He has won the Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild award for Best Actor. Depp rose to prominence on the 1980s television series 21 Jump Street, becoming a teen idol...
.
Manufacturing history
The Owensboro Wagon Company, established in 1884, was one of the largest and most influential wagon companies in the nation. With nearly eight styles or sizes of wagons, the company set the standard of quality at the turn of the 20th centuryFrederick A. Ames came to Owensboro from Washington, Pennsylvania
Washington, Pennsylvania
Washington is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States, within the Pittsburgh Metro Area in the southwestern part of the state...
in 1887. He started the Carriage
Carriage
A carriage is a wheeled vehicle for people, usually horse-drawn; litters and sedan chairs are excluded, since they are wheelless vehicles. The carriage is especially designed for private passenger use and for comfort or elegance, though some are also used to transport goods. It may be light,...
Woodstock Company to repair horse-drawn carriages. In 1910 he began to manufacture a line of automobiles under the Ames
Ames (automobile)
The Ames was an American automobile manufactured in Owensboro, Kentucky from 1910 to 1915. A beetle-backed "gentleman's roadster" and a five-passenger tourer were the first models offered for sale by the company....
brand name. Ames hired industrialist Vincent Bendix in 1912, and the company became the Ames Motor Car Company. Despite its product being called the "best $1500" car by a Texas car dealer, the company ceased production of its own model in 1915. The company then began manufacturing replacement bodies for the more widely sold Ford Model T
Ford Model T
The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by Henry Ford's Ford Motor Company from September 1908 to May 1927...
. In 1922, the company again remade itself and started to manufacture furniture under the name Ames Corporation. The company finally sold out to Whitehall Furniture in 1970.
1899 saw the start of the Kentucky Electrical Lamp Company
Kentucky Electrical Lamp Company
Kentucky Electrical Lamp CompanyFounded in 1899, The Kentucky Electrical Lamp Company began operations at 817 Lewis Street in Owensboro, Kentucky. The building was also home to the Kentucky Radio Corporation which later became known as Ken-Rad and from 1921 to 2006 served as home to Smith Machine...
, a light bulb manufacturing company which eventually was acquired by Kentucky Radio Company (Ken-Rad) in 1918 and later acquired by General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
in 1945 and in 1987 acquired by MPD, Inc., created the light bulbs that illuminated the first night game in the history of Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
on May 24, 1935,between the Reds and Phillies at Cincinnati's Crosley Field.
In June 1932, John G. Barnard founded the Modern Welding Company, Inc.
Modern Welding Company, Inc.
Modern Welding Company is the country's largest supplier of Underwriters Laboratories listed, underground and aboveground steel storage tanks for flammable and combustible liquids. Modern has eleven manufacturing subsidiaries nationwide offering regional and national service...
in a small building located near the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
at First and Frederica Streets where the Commonwealth of Kentucky office building sits today. Today, Modern Welding Company has 9 steel tank and vessel fabrication subsidiaries located throughout the United States and 5 welding supply stores located in Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
and Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
. The company is an industry leader by being the country's largest supplier of Underwriters Laboratories
Underwriters Laboratories
Underwriters Laboratories Inc. is an independent product safety certification organization. Established in 1894, the company has its headquarters in Northbrook, Illinois. UL develops standards and test procedures for products, materials, components, assemblies, tools and equipment, chiefly dealing...
listed, underground and aboveground steel storage tanks for flammable and combustible liquids. Chemical storage tanks, ASME pressure vessels and structural steel fabrication are additional products manufactured by the company. The company celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2007.
Texas Gas Transmission Corporation was created in 1948 with the merger of Memphis Natural Gas Company and Kentucky Natural Gas Corporation and made its headquarters in Owensboro. Since that time, Texas Gas changed ownership four times. The company was bought by CSX Corp. in 1983; by Transco Energy Corp. in 1989; by Williams in 1995; and by Loews Corporation in 2003.
In 1961, engineers at the General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
plant in Owensboro introduced a family of vacuum tube
Vacuum tube
In electronics, a vacuum tube, electron tube , or thermionic valve , reduced to simply "tube" or "valve" in everyday parlance, is a device that relies on the flow of electric current through a vacuum...
s called the Compactron
Compactron
Compactrons are electronic vacuum tube units which contain arrangements of diodes, triodes, or pentodes in multiple combination arrays, as well as high or low-voltage and power types.- History :...
.
Top employers
According to Owensboro's 2010 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city were:| # | Employer | # of Employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Owensboro Medical Health System Hospital Owensboro Medical Health System Hospital Owensboro Medical Health System is a 427 bed medical facility in Owensboro, Kentucky. Prior to the mid 1990s, it was known as "Owensboro Daviess County Hospital" until it merged with the nearby and much smaller Mercy Hospital. The hospital was renamed "Owensboro Mercy Health System" for the next... |
3,300 |
| 2 | U.S. Bank Home Mortgage | 1,261 |
| 3 | Owensboro Public Schools Owensboro Public Schools Owensboro Public Schools is a school district that manages the public schools inOwensboro, Kentucky, USA. This school system is independent of the county school system, Daviess County Public Schools.-Owensboro High School:... |
778 |
| 4 | Specialty Foods Group | 470 |
| 5 | Walmart | 541 |
| 6 | Unilever Unilever Unilever is a British-Dutch multinational corporation that owns many of the world's consumer product brands in foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products.... |
515 |
| 7 | City of Owensboro | 481 |
| 8 | Commonwealth of Kentucky Kentucky The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth... |
471 |
| 9 | Toyotetsu | 372 |
| 10 | Unifirst | 350 |
Religion
In 1937, Pope Pius XIPope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI , born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, was Pope from 6 February 1922, and sovereign of Vatican City from its creation as an independent state on 11 February 1929 until his death on 10 February 1939...
established the Roman Catholic Diocese of Owensboro
Roman Catholic Diocese of Owensboro
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Owensboro is a Roman Catholic diocese in Kentucky. It was founded on December 9, 1937. It is currently a suffragan see of the Archdiocese of Louisville...
, which spans approximately the western third of the state. It includes thirty-two counties and covers approximately 12500 square miles (32,374.9 km²).
Geography
Owensboro is located at 37°45′28"N 87°7′6"W (37.757748, −87.118390), at the crook of a bend in the Ohio RiverOhio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 18.7 square miles (48.4 km²), of which 17.4 square miles (45.1 km²) is land and 1.2 square miles (3.1 km²) (6.59%) is water.
Owensboro is about 32 miles (51.5 km) east of Evansville, Indiana
Evansville, Indiana
Evansville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Indiana and the largest city in Southern Indiana. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 117,429. It is the county seat of Vanderburgh County and the regional hub for both Southwestern Indiana and the...
.
Climate
Demographics
At the U.S. 2009 censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
estimate, there were 55,745 people, 22,659 households and 14,093 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 3,102.9 per square mile (1,198.4/km²). There were 24,302 housing units at an average density of 1,394.7 per square mile (538.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.63% White, 6.90% African American, 0.51% Asian, 0.12% Native American, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.55% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.28% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.03% of the population.
There were 22,659 households, of which 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.7% were married couples living together, 13.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.8% were non-families. 33.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.91.
24.1% of the population were under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 87.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.6 males.
The median household income
Median household income
The median household income is commonly used to generate data about geographic areas and divides households into two equal segments with the first half of households earning less than the median household income and the other half earning more...
was $31,867 and the median family income was $41,333. Males had a median income of $33,429 versus $21,457 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $17,968. About 12.2% of families and 15.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.9% of those under age 18 and 12.4% of those age 65 or over.
Metropolitan area
According to the 2007 census, the Owensboro Metropolitan Area includes Daviess, HancockHancock County, Kentucky
Hancock County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1829. As of 2000, the population was 8,392. It is included in the Owensboro, Kentucky, Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its county seat is Hawesville. The county is named for John Hancock...
, and McLean
McLean County, Kentucky
McLean County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky; its population was 9,938 in the 2000 Census. McLean County's county seat is at Calhoun....
counties.
Law and government
The mayor is elected for a term of four years. Each city commissioner is elected for a term of two years. The term of the city manager is indefinite and based on performance.
Education
The Owensboro Public SchoolsOwensboro Public Schools
Owensboro Public Schools is a school district that manages the public schools inOwensboro, Kentucky, USA. This school system is independent of the county school system, Daviess County Public Schools.-Owensboro High School:...
, Daviess County Public Schools
Daviess County Public Schools
Daviess County Public Schools is a school district that manages the public schools inDaviess County, Kentucky, USA; However within the city limits Owensboro Public Schools is an independent district from the county schools.-Apollo High School:...
, and the Diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
of Owensboro's Catholic School System oversee K-12 education in and around Owensboro.
Owensboro is home to two private, four-year colleges, Brescia University
Brescia University
Brescia University is a coeducational Catholic university located in Owensboro, Kentucky, in the United States. It was founded in 1950 by the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph as Brescia College. It attained university status in 1998 with the addition of Master's degree programs in...
and Kentucky Wesleyan College
Kentucky Wesleyan College
Kentucky Wesleyan College is a private Methodist college in Owensboro, Kentucky, a city on the Ohio River. KWC is just 40 minutes east of Evansville, Indiana, 2 hours north of Nashville, Tennessee, 2 hours west of Louisville, Kentucky, and 4 hours east of St. Louis, Missouri...
, and one public community college, Owensboro Community and Technical College
Owensboro Community and Technical College
Owensboro Community and Technical College , located in Owensboro, KY, is one of 16 two-year, open-admissions colleges of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System . It was formed in 1999 from the consolidation of Owensboro Community College and Owensboro Technical College...
. Campus of Daymar College
Daymar College
Daymar College is a for-profit career training school based in Owensboro, Kentucky, USA. Founded in 1963 and operated as Owensboro Business College until 2001, Daymar offers over 35 career tracks in 13 different academic programs...
are also located in Owensboro, and Western Kentucky University Owensboro maintains an extended campus there.
In 2006, plans were announced for a research center operated by the University of Louisville
University of Louisville
The University of Louisville is a public university in Louisville, Kentucky. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of the first universities chartered west of the Allegheny Mountains. The university is mandated by the Kentucky General...
to be located at the Mitchell Memorial Cancer Center, a part of the Owensboro Medical Health System, to study how to make the first ever human papilloma virus
Human papillomavirus
Human papillomavirus is a member of the papillomavirus family of viruses that is capable of infecting humans. Like all papillomaviruses, HPVs establish productive infections only in keratinocytes of the skin or mucous membranes...
vaccine
Vaccine
A vaccine is a biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease. A vaccine typically contains an agent that resembles a disease-causing microorganism, and is often made from weakened or killed forms of the microbe or its toxins...
, called Gardasil
Gardasil
Gardasil , also known as Gardisil or Silgard, is a vaccine for use in the prevention of certain types of human papillomavirus , specifically HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18. HPV types 16 and 18 cause an estimated 70% of cervical cancers, and are responsible for most HPV-induced anal, vulvar, vaginal,...
, from tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
plants. U of L researcher Dr Albert Bennet Jenson and Dr Shin-je Ghim discovered the vaccine
Vaccine
A vaccine is a biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease. A vaccine typically contains an agent that resembles a disease-causing microorganism, and is often made from weakened or killed forms of the microbe or its toxins...
in 2006. If successful, the vaccine
Vaccine
A vaccine is a biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease. A vaccine typically contains an agent that resembles a disease-causing microorganism, and is often made from weakened or killed forms of the microbe or its toxins...
would be made in Owensboro.
Transportation
Owensboro-Daviess County Regional Airport
Owensboro-Daviess County Regional Airport
Owensboro-Daviess County Airport is a public airport located three miles southwest of the central business district of Owensboro, a city in Daviess County, Kentucky, United States. It is owned by both the city and county...
serves along with Evansville Regional Airport
Evansville Regional Airport
Evansville Regional Airport is a public airport located three miles north of the central business district of Evansville, a city in Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. This airport is publicly owned by Evansville/Vanderburgh Airport Authority.It provides nearly 30 daily flights to and...
as one of the region's commercial airports.
Media
The daily newspaper is the Messenger-Inquirer, owned by the Paxton Media Group of Paducah, KentuckyPaducah, Kentucky
Paducah is the largest city in Kentucky's Jackson Purchase Region and the county seat of McCracken County, Kentucky, United States. It is located at the confluence of the Tennessee River and the Ohio River, halfway between the metropolitan areas of St. Louis, Missouri, to the west and Nashville,...
.
Radio stations include WBIO(FM), WOMI
WOMI
WOMI is a radio station broadcasting a News Talk Information format. Licensed to Owensboro, Kentucky, USA, the station serves the Owensboro area. The station is currently owned by Townsquare Media and features programing from ABC Radio , Premiere Radio Networks and Westwood One....
(AM), WVJS (AM)
WVJS (AM)
WVJS is a radio station in Owensboro, Kentucky. The station airs the "Timeless" format from Citadel Media.-Ownership:WVJS was originally the sister station to WSTO 96.1 FM, which was also owned by the Steele family of Owensboro. The station takes its callsign from the initials of its founder and...
and WBKR broadcasting from Evansville. One, WSTO FM 96.1 Radio
WSTO (FM)
WSTO is a heritage radio station that serves the Evansville, Indiana, Henderson, Kentucky, and Owensboro, Kentucky markets. It is licensed in Owensboro and broadcasts from a 1000-foot tower strategically located midway between these cities in the Kentucky town of Hebbardsville...
, is actually licensed to Owensboro, although its studios are now located in Evansville. There is also a Bowling Green based Christian 91.7 Christian family radio
Christian Family Radio
Christian Family Radio is a network of Christian radio stations based in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The network is owned by Bowling Green Community Broadcasting, a non-profit organization that is funded by listener contributions and underwriting grants from businesses.CFR operates its flagship...
.
Although no television stations are based in the city, it is part of the Evansville television market, which is the 100th-largest in the United States according to Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre films and newspapers...
. However, in early 2007, WFIE-TV opened a bureau in Owensboro which covers news in the market's Western Kentucky Counties. Many of the local television stations often promote themselves as serving Evansville, Henderson
Henderson
-People, families:*Henderson , description of the surname, and a list of people with the surname*Clan Henderson, a Scottish clan-New Zealand:*Henderson, New Zealand*Henderson , former parliamentary electorate...
and Owensboro.
Events of interest
- Owensboro considers itself the "BBQBarbecueBarbecue or barbeque , used chiefly in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia is a method and apparatus for cooking meat, poultry and occasionally fish with the heat and hot smoke of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of...
Capital of the world"; it holds its International BBQ festival and competition every second weekend in May.
- During the summer, the city offers "Friday After 5", a free 16-week series of outdoor concerts on the downtown riverfront. The festival includes live bands, events for families, and entertainment every Friday from 5:00 pm till 10:00 pm. An estimated 55,000 people attend the events.
- Owensboro holds the Annual Owensboro PumpkinFest each September at the Sportscenter/Moreland Park complex. The festival includes food vendors, crafts people, carnival rides, children and adult activities and games, and contests using pumpkins. Each year, the festival hosts a weekend-long concert series featuring some of the area's top bands, such as the Velvet Bombers, Sundown, Bad Kitty, and Mr. Nice Guy, to name a few. The event was started by the GlenmaryGlenmaryGlenmary Home Missioners was founded in 1939 by Father William Howard Bishop, a Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, to serve what he termed "No Priest Land, USA." Today, Glenmary priests, brothers and co-workers are Catholic missionaries who serve in over 40 Catholic missions and...
Sisters as a way to raise awareness and funds for their mission work in the southeastern United States. The festival, however, was handed over to New Beginnings Rape Crisis Center in October 2009.
- Owensboro is home of a unique annual fundraiser: Men Who Cook – Celebrity Chefs Gala & Auction. The first Men Who Cook was held in 2007 through the collaboration of Richard Remp-Morris, Deputy Chief David Thompson with the Owensboro Police Department and many dedicated volunteers. Men Who Cook features amateur chefs who display their culinary talents in a friendly competition for coveted Silver Spoon Awards. The event includes food, live music, as well as silent and live auctions. The event has received recognition from Kentucky's Governor Steven L. Beshear; State Representatives Tommy N. Thompson, Jim Gooch, and Jim Glenn; City Commissioner Al Mattingly; Mayors Tom Watson and Ron Payne; and Bishop John McRaith. All proceeds from the event support the mission work of the Glenmary Sisters. Since 1941 the GlenmaryGlenmaryGlenmary Home Missioners was founded in 1939 by Father William Howard Bishop, a Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, to serve what he termed "No Priest Land, USA." Today, Glenmary priests, brothers and co-workers are Catholic missionaries who serve in over 40 Catholic missions and...
Sisters have supported the poorest of Americans living in the rural south and Appalachia. The Sisters are funded almost entirely by donations from supporters who share an interest in reaching the unchurched, underserved, and oppressed. http://www.glenmarysisters.org
- During the summer, Owensboro is home of the Owensboro OilersOwensboro OilersThe Owensboro Oilers were a minor league baseball team in Owensboro, Kentucky. The team played in the Kentucky-Illinois-Tennessee League in 1936 to 1942 and 1946 to 1955. In 1952 the team was managed by former major league all-star Wally Berger...
, a baseball team in the collegiate wood bat KIT LeagueKIT LeagueThe Kentucky-Illinois-Tennessee League is a summer collegiate wooden bat league. The league's name is formed from the initials of the states that originally hosted the first iteration of the KIT League...
. The Oilers were the KIT LeagueKIT LeagueThe Kentucky-Illinois-Tennessee League is a summer collegiate wooden bat league. The league's name is formed from the initials of the states that originally hosted the first iteration of the KIT League...
's 2008 playoff champions and the 2006 KIT LeagueKIT LeagueThe Kentucky-Illinois-Tennessee League is a summer collegiate wooden bat league. The league's name is formed from the initials of the states that originally hosted the first iteration of the KIT League...
season champions. The team is named for the baseball minor league farm team 'Owensboro Oilers' which existed in the 1940s.
Points of interest
- Ben Hawes Golf Course and Park
- International Bluegrass Music MuseumInternational Bluegrass Music MuseumThe International Bluegrass Music Museum ) is a bluegrass music museum in RiverPark Center near downtown Owensboro, Kentucky, United States. The museum has inter-active exhibits, posters, costumes, live instrument demonstrations, and the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame. The museum has...
- Western Kentucky Botanical GardenWestern Kentucky Botanical GardenThe Western Kentucky Botanical Garden is a botanical garden in Owensboro, Kentucky. Its are open to the public year round, from sunrise to sunset. The entrance is just west of downtown on 2nd Street at Carter Road....
- Glover Cary BridgeGlover Cary BridgeThe Glover H. Cary Bridge is a continuous truss bridge that spans the Ohio River between Owensboro, Kentucky and Spencer County, Indiana. It was named for the late U.S. Congressman Glover H. Cary , and opened to traffic in September 1940...
- William H. Natcher BridgeWilliam H. Natcher BridgeThe William H. Natcher Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge that carries U.S. Highway 231 over the Ohio River. The bridge connects Owensboro, Kentucky to Rockport, Indiana and opened on October 21, 2002. It is named in honor of William Huston Natcher, a former United States Representative who served...
- Temple Adath Israel – one of the oldest synagogue buildingOldest synagogues in the United StatesThe designation of the oldest synagogue in the United States requires careful use of definitions, and must be divided into two parts, the oldest in the sense of oldest surviving building, and the oldest in the sense of oldest congregation...
s still standing in the United States. - Largest SassafrasSassafrasSassafras is a genus of three extant and one extinct species of deciduous trees in the family Lauraceae, native to eastern North America and eastern Asia.-Overview:...
tree (located on Fredrica Street next door to the Owensboro Public Library)
Notable natives
Politicians- W. Ralph BashamW. Ralph BashamWilliam Ralph Basham, Jr. is the former Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. He had held the role until February 28, 2009. He previously served as the 21st director of the United States Secret Service on January 27, 2003...
, former Director of the United States Secret ServiceUnited States Secret ServiceThe United States Secret Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency that is part of the United States Department of Homeland Security. The sworn members are divided among the Special Agents and the Uniformed Division. Until March 1, 2003, the Service was part of the United States... - William E. Berry, former Law Director of Louisville and federal judge
- Wendell H. FordWendell H. FordWendell Hampton Ford is a retired politician from the U.S. state of Kentucky. He served for twenty-four years in the U.S. Senate and was the 53rd Governor of Kentucky. He was the first person to be successively elected lieutenant governor, governor, and U.S. senator in Kentucky history...
, former Kentucky Governor and U.S. Senator - Steve HenrySteve Henry (politician)Steve Henry was a Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky from 1995 through 2003. He twice ran unsuccessfully in statewide elections, finishing third in Democratic primaries for the United States Senate in 1998 and for Governor of Kentucky in 2007....
, former Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky - Wilbur Kingsbury MillerWilbur Kingsbury MillerWilbur Kingsbury Miller was an American jurist who served as a Kentucky state court judge and as a federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit....
, federal judge - John M. SpaldingJohn M. SpaldingJohn M. Spalding was an officer in the U.S. 1st Infantry Division during World War II....
, World War II hero, politician
Sports figures
- Chris Brown (defensive back)Chris Brown (defensive back)Christopher Duke Brown is a former American football defensive back in the National Football League. He played for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1984 and 1985 seasons.-References:...
, former NFL football player - Bruce BrubakerBruce BrubakerBruce Ellsworth Brubaker Jr was a pitcher in Major League Baseball. He pitched in two Major League games, one for the Los Angeles Dodgers in and one for the Milwaukee Brewers in...
, former MLBMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
baseball player - Vince BuckVince BuckVincent Lamont Buck is a former American football safety in the National Football League for the New Orleans Saints. He played college football at Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio, where Buck was an NAIA All-American and NAIA Player of the Year in his senior year 1989...
, NFL player - Rex ChapmanRex ChapmanRex Everett Chapman is a retired American professional basketball player. Chapman was a college standout at the University of Kentucky and went on to play for four NBA teams through his 12-year career in the league...
, former NBANational Basketball AssociationThe National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
basketball player - Wayne ChapmanWayne ChapmanWayne G. Chapman is a retired American basketball player.He graduated from Daviess County High School and he played collegiately for the Western Kentucky University....
, former NBA and ABAAmerican Basketball AssociationThe American Basketball Association was a professional basketball league founded in 1967. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger in 1976.-League history:...
player - David GreenDavid Green (NASCAR)David A. Green is a NASCAR driver. He won the Nationwide Series championship in 1994. His two younger brothers, Jeff and Mark have also competed in the NASCAR circuit...
, Jeff GreenJeff Green (NASCAR)Jeffery Green is an American stock car driver in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. He currently drives part time in the Nationwide Series for Tri-Star Motorsports in their #44 entry and the Sprint Cup Series for Front Row Motorsports in their #55 entry.Green's 1990 Nashville Speedway USA championship...
and Mark GreenMark Green (NASCAR)Mark Green is a NASCAR driver. He currently drives the #49 Chevrolet for Jay Robinson Racing in the Nationwide Series on a part time basis. He is the brother of drivers, Jeff Green and David Green.- Beginnings :...
, NASCARNASCARThe National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
drivers - Cliff HaganCliff HaganClifford Oldham Hagan is an American former professional basketball player. A 6-4 forward who excelled with the hook shot, Hagan, nicknamed "Li'l Abner," played his entire 10-year NBA career with the St. Louis Hawks...
, former NBA basketball player - Joe Hardesty, roller skating national champion 1977 & 1978
- Jeff D. Hawn, National Pro Wiffle-Ball Hall Of Fame
- Nicky HaydenNicky HaydenNicholas "Nicky" Patrick Hayden , nicknamed the The Kentucky Kid, is an American professional motorcycle racer, who won the MotoGP World Championship in 2006.-Beginnings and AMA Championship:...
, motorcycle racer, 2006 MotoGP champion - Roger Lee HaydenRoger Lee HaydenRoger Lee Hayden is an American professional motorcycle racer, the younger brother of both 2006 MotoGP World Champion Nicky Hayden and AMA Superbike Championship rider Tommy Hayden.-Career:...
, motorcycle racer - Tommy HaydenTommy HaydenThomas "Tommy" Hayden , aka Tommy Gun, is an American professional motorcycle racer and oldest brother to racers Nicky and Roger Lee.-Biography:...
, motorcycle racer - Mark HiggsMark HiggsMark Deyon Higgs is a former American football running back in the National Football League who led the Miami Dolphins in rushing from 1991-1993.-Youth and college career:...
, former NFL football player - Jeff JonesJeff Jones (basketball coach)Jeffrey Allen Jones is an American college basketball coach and currently the head coach of the American University men's basketball team. Jones took the helm of American basketball on April 17, 2000, becoming the 17th coach in the school's history...
, collegiate basketball coach - Jeremy MayfieldJeremy MayfieldJeremy Allen Mayfield is a former NASCAR driver who last competed in 2009 due to legal troubles and an indefinite suspension by NASCAR. Prior to 2009, Mayfield drove cars for the Sadler Brothers, T.W. Taylor, Cale Yarborough, Michael Kranefuss, Roger Penske, Ray Evernham, Bill Davis, and Gene Haas...
, former NASCAR driver - Stuart KirbyStuart KirbyStuart Kirby is a race car driver. He has driven in ARCA, the Busch Series, and the NEXTEL Cup Series. A former apprentice funeral director for his family's funeral home, he drove the #51 Chevrolet owned by Competitive Edge Motorsports in 2005, but was released before the season could be concluded...
, NASCAR driver - Tommy KronTommy KronThomas M. "Tommy" Kron was an American former professional basketball player. A 6-5 guard, Kron, nicknamed "Tommy," played his rookie season with the St...
, professional basketball player - Justin Miller, NFL football player
- Eugene OberstEugene OberstEugene G. "Gene" Oberst was an American football player, track and field athlete, coach of football and basketball, and college athletics administrator. A native of Owensboro, Kentucky, he played football at the University of Notre Dame in the 1920s under coach Knute Rockne, and competed in track...
, Olympic bronze medalist in the javelin throw - Bo SmithBo SmithBo Smith is a defensive back who is currently a member of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the Canadian Football League. He signed with the British Columbia Lions of the CFL in 2007...
, Canadian Football LeagueCanadian Football LeagueThe Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
cornerback - Nick VarnerNick VarnerNick Varner is an American pool player and was inducted into the Billiard Congress of America in 1992.-Career:...
, poolBilliardsCue sports , also known as billiard sports, are a wide variety of games of skill generally played with a cue stick which is used to strike billiard balls, moving them around a cloth-covered billiards table bounded by rubber .Historically, the umbrella term was billiards...
champion - Darrell WaltripDarrell WaltripDarrell Lee Waltrip is a 3-time NASCAR Cup Series champion , 3-time runner-up , winner of the 1989 Daytona 500 and 5-time winner of the prestigeous Coca-Cola 600 ,...
, retired NASCAR driver and sports commentator - Michael WaltripMichael WaltripMichael Curtis Waltrip is a semi-former professional race car driver, co-owner of Michael Waltrip Racing, and a published author. He is the younger brother of three-time NASCAR champion and racing commentator Darrell Waltrip. Waltrip is a two-time winner of the Daytona 500; having won the race in...
, semi-retired NASCAR driver and presently a team owner - David WatkinsDavid WatkinsDavid Watkins may refer to:*David Watkins , Member of the Australian House of Representatives 1901–1935...
, MLBMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
baseball player - Bobby WatsonBobby Watson (basketball)Bobby Watson is a former guard who played in the National Basketball Association. Watson was drafted by the Milwaukee Hawks in the 1952 NBA Draft. He first played in the NBA with the Minneapolis Lakers in 1954 before being traded back to the Milwaukee Hawks for Lew Hitch.-References:...
, former NBA basketball player - BJ Whitmer, professional wrestler
- Brad WilkersonBrad WilkersonStephen Bradley "Brad" Wilkerson is a former American college and professional baseball player who was an outfielder and first baseman in Major League Baseball for eight seasons in the 2000s. Wilkerson played college baseball for the University of Florida, and was selected by the Montreal Expos...
, MLB baseball player - Ken WillisKen WillisRobert Kenneth Willis II is a former American football placekicker in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and New York Giants. He played college football at the University of Kentucky, where he majored in math...
, former NFL football player
Entertainers
- Johnny DeppJohnny DeppJohn Christopher "Johnny" Depp II is an American actor, producer and musician. He has won the Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild award for Best Actor. Depp rose to prominence on the 1980s television series 21 Jump Street, becoming a teen idol...
, actor, director, musician - Tom EwellTom EwellTom Ewell was an American actor.-Early life and career:Born Samuel Yewell Tompkins in Owensboro, Kentucky, where his family expected him to follow in their footsteps as lawyers or whiskey and tobacco dealers....
, actor - John FergusonJohn Ferguson (musician)John Roger Ferguson is an American musician. He is currently a member of The Apples in Stereo, and he was a founding member of Big Fresh. His father, Roger Ferguson, was an associate of underground DIY figure, R. Stevie Moore, and John appeared on Moore's recordings and radio shows by age three...
, member of The Apples in StereoThe Apples in StereoThe Apples in Stereo, styled The Apples in stereo, is an American indie rock band associated with The Elephant Six Collective, a group of bands also including Neutral Milk Hotel and The Olivia Tremor Control. The band is largely a product of lead vocalist/guitarist Robert Schneider, who writes the... - Florence HendersonFlorence HendersonFlorence Agnes Henderson is an American actress and singer. She is perhaps best known for her role of Carol Brady on the ABC sitcom The Brady Bunch from 1969 to 1974...
, of The Brady BunchThe Brady BunchThe Brady Bunch is an American sitcom created by Sherwood Schwartz and starring Robert Reed, Florence Henderson, and Ann B. Davis. The series revolved around a large blended family...
fame - Byron C. Miller, filmmaker and member of God ModuleGod ModuleGod Module is a United States-based Dark Electronic band founded in Orlando, Florida in 1999, relocating to western Washington in 2006. The band is currently signed to Metropolis Records in the U.S. and Out of Line Music in Germany. God Module's founding members were Jasyn Bangert and Andrew Ramirez...
- Tom PowersTom PowersTom Powers was an American stage and film actor. He was born in Owensboro, Kentucky, USA and died in Hollywood, California, of heart disease.- Career :...
, actor - Christine Johnson Smith, opera singer and Tony AwardTony AwardThe Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
nominated Broadway actress - Mark StuartMark Stuart (musician)Mark Allen Stuart is a Christian rock musician, and is best known for being the vocalist for the now-retired Christian rock band Audio Adrenaline.-Early life:...
, vocalist for Audio AdrenalineAudio AdrenalineAudio Adrenaline was a Christian rock band that formed in the late 1980s at Kentucky Christian University in Grayson, Kentucky. During the band's 17-year existence, they were awarded two Grammy awards, multiple Dove Awards and they released 17 number one singles. They were regular performers at the... - William Booth WeckerWilliam Booth WeckerWilliam Booth Wecker was an American entertainer and all around showman and was also the agent for his wife Bee Kyle the well known high diver....
, showman of the 1930s and 1940s
- Terry BissonTerry BissonTerry Ballantine Bisson is an American science fiction and fantasy author best known for his short stories...
, author - Stephen F. Cohen, Russian studies scholar
- Craig CrawfordCraig CrawfordCraig Crawford is a writer and television political commentator based in Washington, D.C., a columnist for Congressional Quarterly, and the author of Listen Up Mr...
, political commentator - Marcus RedikerMarcus RedikerMarcus Rediker is an American professor, historian, writer, and activist for a variety of peace and social justice causes. He graduated with a B.A. from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1976 and attended the University of Pennsylvania for graduate study, earning an M.A. and Ph.D. in history...
, author - Moneta Sleet Jr., Pulitzer prizePulitzer PrizeThe Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
-winning photographer
Others
- Beulah AnnanBeulah AnnanBeulah May Annan was a suspected American murderess.She is one of the subjects of Maurine Dallas Watkins's play Chicago in 1924...
, suspected murderess - Hazen A. DeanHazen A. DeanHazen A. Dean was the first Kentuckian to receive the "70 Continuous Years of Service Award" from the Boy Scouts of America in 1983. He was a Scoutmaster for over 50 years. He was Scoutmaster for Owensboro, Kentucky's oldest troop, Troop 24, for 35 years, from 1949 till his death in January 1984...
, noted Boy Scouts of America member and Scoutmaster - Dudley W. MortonDudley W. MortonDudley Walker Morton was a submarine commander of the United States Navy during World War II. He was commander of during its third through seventh patrols. Wahoo was one of the most-celebrated submarines of World War II, sinking at least 19 Japanese ships, more than any other submarine of the time...
, U.S. naval commander - Jon Brennan, cast member on The Real World Los Angeles
Sister cities
Owensboro has two sister citiesTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
, as designated by Sister Cities International
Sister Cities International
Sister Cities International is a nonprofit citizen diplomacy network that creates and strengthens partnerships between United States and international communities. More than 2,000 cities, states and counties are partnered in 136 countries around the world...
:
Olomouc
Olomouc
Olomouc is a city in Moravia, in the east of the Czech Republic. The city is located on the Morava river and is the ecclesiastical metropolis and historical capital city of Moravia. Nowadays, it is an administrative centre of the Olomouc Region and sixth largest city in the Czech Republic...
, Moravia
Moravia
Moravia is a historical region in Central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, and one of the former Czech lands, together with Bohemia and Silesia. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region...
, Czech Republic Nisshin, Aichi
Nisshin, Aichi
is a city located in Aichi Prefecture, Japan.As of July 1, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 83,120, with 32,471 households and a population density of 2,381.66 persons per km². Its total area is 34.90 km².The city was founded on October 1, 1994....
, Japan
See also
- Union Station (Owensboro)Union Station (Owensboro)The Union Station in Owensboro, Kentucky is a historic railroad station, built in 1905. Built mostly for the Louisville and Nashville Railroad, the station is made of limestone and slate, and currently is home to several businesses.-Description:...
- Owensboro metropolitan areaOwensboro metropolitan areaThe Owensboro Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of three counties in Kentucky, anchored by the city of Owensboro. As of the 2000 census, the MSA had a population of 109,875 In the 2010 Census the population was 114,752...
- International Bar-B-Q FestivalInternational Bar-B-Q FestivalThe International Bar-B-Q Festival is an event held in Owensboro, Kentucky, every second weekend in May since 1979. The festival provides an opportunity for sampling many varieties of barbecued meats, including chicken, mutton, and burgoo. Cooking teams compete for the Governor's Cup, awarded to...
- List of cities and towns along the Ohio River
External links
- Official website
- Entry about Owensboro from the Kentucky Atlas and Gazetteer, a University of KentuckyUniversity of KentuckyThe University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
website - Owensboro Chamber of Commerce
- 1821 Advertisement for an auction for land around Owensboro, Kentucky, from the Library of CongressLibrary of CongressThe Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
- Owensboro Daviess County Convention and Visitor Bureau
- A Kentucky City Reinvents a Faded Downtown, Owensboro, Ky. -- NY Times November 15, 2011