One day, while watching a remarkable presentation with my students given by a man who traveled the world taking pictures of animals with National Geographic, a student raised his hand and asked the man, “If you have all of this money, why live here?” The presenter politely smiled and simply answered, “You can travel around the world and see all of these exciting places, but Evansville is simply home.”

It is no secret that many people think that the town in which we live is not all that exciting. Often, I hear people nearly reciting the same lines over and over about how they are going to get out of this place and move to better places. We even have been named one of the worst cities to live in and one of the most obese groups of people.

However, I never was one to want to leave. I love it here for so many reasons:

Evansville is the Perfect Size
We have everything that a big city has, and we are still growing. However, we are not so big that you have to pack a cooler and spare clothes just to go to the other side of town.

It has the Appeal of the City and the Country
One minute, you are passing tractors and smelling cows, and then before you know it, you are feeling the rage of slow drivers in the fast lane and just hitting the red lights!
Seriously, you can enjoy the country side and relax without all of the noise and still have access to all things city.

Evansville is Within Hours of Major Cities
Indianapolis, Nashville, Louisville, Chicago, St. Louis, Cincinnati… It is the crossroads of the Midwest where three states meet. Come on, that is just cool!

Culture Around the Corner: Several Museums Call Evansville Home Too
We have the LST, The Reitz Home, and the African American Museum for the history buffs, CMOE for the young (or young at heart), and The Evansville Museum of Arts and Science complete with a planetarium.

Kids and Adults Can Enjoy Amazing Theater Programs
D’alto Studios is just one of many places where our youth can explore and learn about the world of theater. As they grow, they can become involved in our Civic Theater including our Underground Theater. Our schools put on fabulous productions, and our Public Education Foundation always puts on a show comparable to a professional traveling theater with their summer musicals. Finally, our two universities have fantastic departments that put on some really wonderful shows.

Evansville Offers a Lot of Opportunity for Achieving Dreams through Higher Education
You want to become a nurse? We have college programs for that! You want to become an actor? We have college programs for that! You want to design video games, teach, write, become a doctor, run a business? We have college programs for all of those! With two universities and three community colleges, we cater to almost any dream out there.

Evansville is Home to Mesker Zoo and Botanical Garden - Which is Growing
We may not have an elephant or a hippo anymore, but there are a lot of fun things that our zoo offers. They are always holding events like the Zoo Brew, Boo at the Zoo, and other events for the family or you and your significant other to enjoy.

Local Media

Not only do we excel in our TV and radio market, but we have our highly respected newspaper and our own magazines like Reach, Evansville Living, and the new digital magazine, Love It.

The Fall Festival Beats Out Every Other Fall Festival... Ever
Second to Mardi Gras, we supply anything you want deep fried, endless entertainment with rides, music, and mullet hunting, and good social fun!

Evansville Schools - Both Public and Private - Are Highly Regarded
I am pretty partial to the EVSC because I work in the school system, but they are the leader in so many areas in this state. Our teachers are working hard to create 21st Century schools and cater to all of the different needs of each child through differentiated instruction. We also have many private schools that top the charts with test scores, earning A’s for their schools, and our charter schools like the Joshua Academy and Signature School that go even further to take care of our youth and help make sure to create positive learning environments.

We can Cheer on Our Own Local Semi-Pro Teams
We love our Icemen and our Otters. The games are cheap to get in and a lot of fun for the family.

Evansville's Mayor is Forward-Thinking and a Good Sport
Our mayor, Lloyd Winnecke, has done so much to help move our little-big town forward and has even taken it in new directions. He is not afraid to get out there and take a stand. He even moved downtown to push others to do the same!

Finally, we are HAPPY

This video was produced by Evansville’s own The Best Day Ever group.

About 10 years ago, I was with a group of my classmates learning about digital media when a man who once worked for Oprah was asked the same question: “Why here?” He responded “You know, people talk a lot about how terrible this place is, but when you go and live somewhere else,you realize that this is actually a really great place to be.” I couldn’t agree more.

 

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