About Owensboro
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. The William H. Natcher Bridge, a long awaited new bridge from Owensboro into southern Indiana, provides a direct route to Interstate 64 in Indiana, providing a link from St. Louis to Louisville. The Natcher Bridge opened in October of 2002.
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 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 and Technical College, another institute of higher learning, offers two-year Associate of Arts and Science degrees, and several doctoral degree programs via telecommunications. Daymar College 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. Located on the main campus of Owensboro Community and Technical College, Western Kentucky University offers Junior and Senior level college courses, as well as Graduate programs, at their Owensboro Extended Campus. 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 and 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 Medical 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.
