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The
City
Owensboro, originally known as “Yellowbanks” in reference to the color
of the soil along the Ohio River banks, was first settled in 1797. By
1810, David Morton had opened a general store and population of the settlement
grew to 100 by 1815. An 1817 Act of the Kentucky Legislature incorporated
the town as “Owensborough”, later shortened to “Owensboro”.
The Owensboro area has grown steadily,
while retaining the “small
town quality” of a friendly city of warm-hearted and hospitable people.
Owensboro ranks as Kentucky’s third largest city in terms of population
and is the industrial and cultural capital of western Kentucky.
Location
Owensboro
is the county seat of Daviess County, Kentucky, and lies on the southern
banks of the Ohio River, one of the nation’s major waterways, in the western
Kentucky coal field region. Owensboro is located 32 miles southeast of
Evansville, Indiana, 123 miles north of Nashville, Tennessee, and 109
miles southwest of Louisville, Kentucky. A long awaited new bridge from
Owensboro into southern Indiana
that will afford a direct route to Interstate 64 in Indiana, providing
a link from St. Louis to Louisville, will be completed this summer.
Industry and Economic Development
The Owensboro area has emerged as an industrial hub
of western Kentucky, attracting major manufacturing and processors in
aluminum, distilling, coal mining, steel and natural gas transmission
corporations. Locally produced commodities include electrical products,
chewing tobacco, paper products, tubes, office furniture, wire, plastic,
small electric motors, spaghetti sauce, truck frames, and many others.
The City is active in promoting economic development, as new developmental
job growth is necessary to ensure the continued stability of the City’s
revenue base. Economic indicators and trends reflect stabilization in
the area’s economy compared to the previous year. As of April 2002, area
employment was approximately the same as during the prior 12-month period
and averaged approximately 47,133. The April 1, 2002, unemployment rate
was 5.39%, about the same as both state and national rates. Active electric
and water meters showed slight growth for the year.
An aggressive annexation policy is being pursued to insure continued growth
and development for the City of Owensboro. Much of the City’s long-term
growth potential lies in the Carter Road/Airport Corridor, anchored by
the 400-acre Mid-America Airpark. The City of Owensboro has coordinated
with Industry, Inc., to complete Mid-America AirPark, which includes AirPark,
Tamarack, and Unifirst Drives. The Mid-America AirPark is a valuable tool
for attracting new industry to Owensboro. The Owensboro-Daviess County
Regional Airport recently completed a $40 million expansion. The overall
outlook for the area’s economy continues to remain bright.
Communications
The Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer provides daily newspaper service to the
citizens of Owensboro and surrounding counties, and sponsors a website
at http://www.messengerinquirer.com/.
Nine radio stations serve the Owensboro area. The area is also served
by the four Evansville-based television networks (WEHT, WTVW, WFIE, and
WEVV). Cable television service is provided by Adelphia Communications.
Public Safety
The City of Owensboro is committed to excellence from its Police and Fire
Departments. The Police Department maintains a 3.5-minute emergency response
time. The Fire Department maintains a 4-minute emergency response time,
in accordance with the National Fire Protection and United States Insurance
Service Offices recommendation.
Public safety is such a priority for the citizens of Owensboro that in
1997 they voted to tax themselves for certain capital projects, two of
those projects being a new Police Administration Building and a new fire
station (architect renderings below). These projects were constructed
under the Decision 2002 Capital Plan.
Education
Quality education is a priority for the City of Owensboro. Education facilities
in the area abound. The city, county and parochial school systems provide
elementary, middle and secondary school students with quality education.
The average student-teacher ratio for these systems is between 20-and
25-to-1.
On May 3, 2000, President Clinton honored the City of Owensboro with a
personal visit to acknowledge the accomplishments of the Daviess Country
School System. President Clinton chose to make Audubon Elementary School
his first stop on a four-city tour promoting Education Reform. The teachers
and students at Audubon Elementary School turned a low-performing school
into a school ranked 28th in the state. Students at Audubon Elementary
exceeded state standards in writing by 57%, in reading by 70%, and moved
from 0% to 70% in science.
The Longfellow Education Center provides adult education programming for
the citizens of Owensboro. Vocational education is available at the Owensboro
Vocational-Technical School and Daviess County State Vocational-Technical
School.
Brescia University and Kentucky Wesleyan College are four-year education
institutions offering Bachelor of Science and Arts degrees. Owensboro
Community College, another institute of higher learning, offers two-year
Associate of Arts and Science degrees, and several doctoral degree programs
via telecommunications. The Owensboro Junior College of Business is a
private two-year accredited business school. Adding further dimension
to post-secondary educational opportunities in the Owensboro area are
graduate programs offered through Brescia and Wesleyan by Western Kentucky
University and Murray State University. These programs provide area residents
with the opportunity to earn post-graduate degrees without leaving the
city. Each year more than 1,500 students participate in graduate programs
for credit hours. Another 500 per year utilize short courses for adult
education workshops.
Owensboro also takes pride in The Wendell H. Ford Government Education
Center, which is located at the Owensboro Area Museum of Science of History.
Senator Wendell H. Ford, a hometown product, donated memorabilia from
his long political career to the Center. The Center also includes a replica
of his Senate office, a rotunda, and a 70-seat “Senate chamber” that is
used for community and school meetings and lectures. The Ford Center is
equipped with computer and television connections to Washington, D.C.
and Frankfort, KY.
Medical Facilities
The Owensboro area is blessed with an excellent, well-staffed hospital
- Owensboro Mercy Health System. This organization serves eight counties
in Kentucky and southern Indiana, and is licensed for 469 beds. Several
rest and nursing homes are located throughout the city, as well as a state-maintained
county health department. Other medical facilities include RiverValley
Behavioral Health, helping children and adults with emotional, mental
and behavioral problems, the Owensboro Ambulatory Surgical Center, and
the EmergiCenter. Approximately 130 physicians and 50 dentists serve the
medical and dental needs of Owensboro citizens.
Recreation and Culture
Owensboro offers wide ranges of recreational and cultural activities to
its citizens. Everything from fishing on a nearby lake to live performances
of the Owensboro Symphony Orchestra, one of the finest in the state, are
enjoyed by our citizens. Municipal parks provide areas for picnicking,
golf, tennis, softball, football and just plain relaxing. State-maintained
Carpenter and Kingfisher lakes offer a fine arena for the fisherman, and
other water sports may be enjoyed on the Ohio River.
During the summer months, the City maintains two swimming pools and the
Kendall Perkins Water Park, a shallow water play area specially built
for small children. In October 2000, the Owensboro Parks Department dedicated
a new “Sprayground” for its citizens at Legion Park. The Sprayground addition
was an enhancement to a beautiful park located in the center of Owensboro
that already features basketball courts, a walking trail, playground equipment,
and covered shelters. In fiscal year 2001-2002, further enhancements were
made to our city parks.
Community activities include music, theatre and art. Cultural activities
play a major role in the everyday lives of Owensboro’s residents. Owensboro
RiverPark Center, a performing arts and civic center, boasts a 1,500 seat
multi-purpose auditorium, and experimental theatre, a riverfront plaza,
an open-air courtyard, meeting/reception rooms, and the International
Bluegrass Museum. Each year the RiverPark Center hosts over 150 performance
events and 900 civic events. Many cultural agencies are funded in part
by the City of Owensboro.
The Owensboro-Daviess County Library serves the community well, with a
collection of over 150,000 books and 13,000 audiovisual items. Interest
in the natural sciences and area history is maintained by the Owensboro
Area Museum. Art lovers are enjoying the recent expansion of the Owensboro
Museum of Fine Art, which now features an Atrium Sculpture Court, a restored
Civil War-era mansion, the Kentucky Spirit Galleries, and a priceless
collection of German stained glass windows. These institutions are recognized
as among the finest in western Kentucky.
Owensboro hosts three major summer festivals. Each festival is unique
and designed for the whole family. The International Bar-B-Q Festival
is hosted on the Ohio River front each year. Daviess County has over 150
years of barbecuing experience and boasts of being the Bar-B-Q Capital
of the World. The Bar-B-Q Festival is packed with food, music, dance,
and more food.
The Fourth of July weekend ushers in the next Owensboro celebration --
the Owensboro Summer Festival, billed as the July 4th extravaganza. This
festival is filled with countywide competition in softball, soccer, volleyball,
running and much more. The 1998 Owensboro Summer Festival was highlighted
by the presence of internationally known women’s soccer player, Mia Hamm.
Mia Hamm played on the U.S. Gold Medal Team at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta,
and as a United States National Team member was voted Most Valuable Player
in the 1995 and 1997 U.S. Women’s Cup victories. Musical entertainment
and a major fireworks display are a big part of the festival.
A third festival is held each year in Owensboro’s beautiful English Park
overlooking the Ohio River.
The Owensboro Youth Hockey Association, Inc., is open to youth ages 5-18
from November to the end of March. The Owensboro Youth Soccer League involves
youth ages 6-19 during spring and fall seasons. Owensboro Youth Baseball
develops young people ages 6-18 in baseball.
Recent renovations have been made to the Owensboro Sportscenter, a 5,000-seat,
air-conditioned auditorium/arena. The Sportscenter is home to local high
school and college basketball, and has several times hosted the NCAA Division
II Men’s “March Madness” Basketball Tournaments. In the past year, the
Sportscenter has hosted the Kenny Rogers Christmas Show and the 2001 Kentucky-Indiana
Boys’ and Girls’ High School Basketball Series, sponsored by the Kentucky
Lions Eye Foundation. In March 2001, the Sportscenter hosted ESPN2’s “Friday
Night at the Fights”. The title fight featured Kentucky’s Clarence “Bones”
Adams, who defended (and retained) his World Boxing Association Bantamweight
Title.
Owensboro high schools participate in all major team sports offered by
the Kentucky High School Athletic Association, and often at least one
of these schools is in serious contention for state champion for various
sports. The Kentucky Wesleyan College basketball team has been referred
to as the “UCLA of Small College Basketball”. The Panthers are a perennial
powerhouse in NCAA’s small college basketball ranks, and won their 8th
NCAA II National Tournament in March 2001.
The Government
Owensboro operates under a City Manager form of government. The Board
of Commissioners is made up of a Mayor and four Commissioners. The citizens
on a non-partisan ballot elect the Commissioners at large. The Mayor is
elected for a four-year term and the Commissioners for two-year terms.
The Mayor and Commissioners have equal voting power. The Commission sets
the policies that govern the City. It appoints citizen advisory groups
that help in the decision-making process. The City Manager is appointed
by the Board and is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the City’s
employees. The department managers are responsible for their various departments
and report to the City Manager.
