Evansville, Oakland City, Princeton, Newburgh (Indianapolis, Bloomington: appointed, apartments, lofts)
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Evansville, Oakland City, Gibson County, Princeton, Newburgh
I'm looking at a few jobs around Oakland City and Princeton.
I'm not a fan of living where there isn't a Target... but I have worked in rural areas before and enjoyed it immensely (and just decided to commute the 45 minutes or so from a larger community.)
There's some questions I have because I haven't been to the Evansville area in quite some time. I've been able to find the "easy" answers and a lot of positive reasons to consider this job/relocation on the other forum posts... which just leaves me with the harder questions. I LIKE what I'm reading about this area, and I'm hoping that the things on my list (my worries and concerns) won't ruin it.
1. Number one is about winter weather and driving conditions. How would the commute be in January/February from Evansville to Gibson County? Are the highways in good shape, and maintained well in snow for safe early morning commutes?
2. Next, I saw that Oakland City has a Baptist university. I haven't heard much of them, but I am wondering how extreme they are in their views. I'm hoping that they're nice people who look for common ground (such as Valparaiso University and the Lutherans in Northern Indiana) instead of being divisive. If they are extreme or divisive, I'm hoping their people aren't firmly entrenched in the elected bodies in that area. Can anyone tell me more?
3. How bad is the meth problem in Gibson County?
4. Can I rely on the USI area for cheap, somewhat decent apartments of the college housing variety?
5. It sounds like there are some great areas of Evansville including downtown, and some nice areas around USI. Are there any suburbs, neighborhoods, in particular that you can name that would be a great fit for a creative younger person? I love parks/natural amenities, coffee shops, bookstores (even if they are chain ones) and its nice to have a few 24 hour grocery stores and fast food restaurants. An up-and-coming neighborhood where artists gather, or a downtown loft... these are places I would consider if they exist in or around Evansville. Suburbs... walkable suburbs... are fine too.
I'm willing to drive an hour, or even an hour and a half (I've done it before) to have a home that I can really love. Any good options across the state line in Kentucky?
But -- the catch is I can only drive that type of commute, if its a safe commute, and not too terrifying on winter mornings. I wish I could take all of January and February off and just hide under the covers, but thats not an option, so I have to think about how to deal with that situation now. In the Chicago area, in the past I was able to do a 70 minute commute but thats only because they have so many plows and do so much salting on the interstates, 24 hours a day. I'm spoiled by being originally from a state with big budgets for such things. (I get frustrated with Indiana's low taxes but low services way of doing things.)
I know one solution would be living in a small town halfway inbetween Evansville and work... but that would be a compromise I would really have some mixed feelings about.
Again, there's LOTS of positives about this relo... nice midwestern people, low cost of living, a good job opportunity, the chance to be closer to Bloomington and Louisville for weekend trips... thanks for helping me think this through.
I'll only address the points I'm familiar with. Some things I don't know about.
Quote:
Originally Posted by summer22
How would the commute be in January/February from Evansville to Gibson County? Are the highways in good shape, and maintained well in snow for safe early morning commutes?
US 41 and IN 57 (in the process of being rebuilt as I-69) are both pretty well maintained in the winter. Ice is more of a problem here than snow.
Quote:
Originally Posted by summer22
How bad is the meth problem in Gibson County?
Probably no worse than most places, which is to say it's growing. Some of the young people I work with say it's easily available. Every other day on the news there's a meth lab busted, often a rolling lab.
Quote:
Originally Posted by summer22
Can I rely on the USI area for cheap, somewhat decent apartments of the college housing variety?
USI is in a rural area. Nothing walkable except on-campus housing. It's mostly a commuter campus. Most of the students are from the area, and USI does have on campus apartments, so there aren't the number of apartments you'd find in a typical college area. There are several, nice complexes in the area though. But to communte to Gibson County, you'd have to drive the width of Evansville, or at least to 41, which would entail driving downtown. It's a hilly area, so ice can be a problem on those few days he have bad winter storms.
Quote:
Originally Posted by summer22
It sounds like there are some great areas of Evansville including downtown, and some nice areas around USI. Are there any suburbs, neighborhoods, in particular that you can name that would be a great fit for a creative younger person? I love parks/natural amenities, coffee shops, bookstores (even if they are chain ones) and its nice to have a few 24 hour grocery stores and fast food restaurants. An up-and-coming neighborhood where artists gather, or a downtown loft... these are places I would consider if they exist in or around Evansville. Suburbs... walkable suburbs... are fine too.
There are a lot of great areas in Evansville. It's not a big enough city where the neighborhoods each have a distinct flavor. You mentioned Louisville.. if you're familiar with Louisville, it sounds as if you're looking for somewhere like the Highlands or Crescent Hill/Clifton Ave. Sadly, there aren't any areas like that here. Haynie's Corner (search city data for threads on "Haynie's Corner" and you'll get more specifics) is seeking to become the "arts" center of the city, but it's not walkable at night. Most of the things you mention are more prevelant on the East Side. West Franklin Street is a great walkable area, but far from hip and artsy. U of E's area (Weinbach from Lloyd X-way south to Lincoln) has some nice housing and a vibrant feel. Downtown is making great strides (first wi-fi downtown in Indiana) and there are old buildings which have been turned into beautiful lofts. Biggest drawback to Downtown is lack of grocery stores. You can't grocery shop Downtown. As to 24-hour groceries, there's Wal-Mart and convenience stores.
You might look into Warrick County (Newburgh, Boonville) although it's growing quickly and traffic is beming more of a bother.
I'm afraid I'm sounding negative. I don't mean to. It sounds as if you're used to a much bigger area. Evansville's a great place, but not a particularly exciting one. But it's far from the stick-in-the-mud reputation it sometimes gets. Here's an excerpt from an earlier post of mine which might be of interest.
Quote:
Originally Posted by erickp
Evansville, as most cities of its size, lacks more than a smattering of fine dining, Broadway-type shows, upscale shopping and hip nightlife. Not that they can't be found, but you have to look hard. If these are daily necessities for you, you'll be disappointed. If these are only occassional needs, be glad we have St, Louis, Indianapolis, Louisville, and Nashville all within a two to three hour drive.
Over that past decade, we've made many strides in fixing the urban decay. We got rid of the mayor who was trying to force a baseball stadium down our throats to the exclusion of any other project, and got on the stick with wireless technology, the new downtown arena, and the highway infrastructure.
So take it for what you will. I love it, but I can't give a lot of honest criticism to anyone who's bored silly, except to say see you in 20 years, because you may be back.
BTW, as to New Madrid, if it blows, everyone from Evansville to St.Louis to Memphis is screwed,
Sorry to ramble on so. I hope you can find what you're looking for in Evansville. It's here, may just take a little digging.
I'm looking at a few jobs around Oakland City and Princeton.
I'm not a fan of living where there isn't a Target... but I have worked in rural areas before and enjoyed it immensely (and just decided to commute the 45 minutes or so from a larger community.)
There's some questions I have because I haven't been to the Evansville area in quite some time. I've been able to find the "easy" answers and a lot of positive reasons to consider this job/relocation on the other forum posts... which just leaves me with the harder questions. I LIKE what I'm reading about this area, and I'm hoping that the things on my list (my worries and concerns) won't ruin it.
1. Number one is about winter weather and driving conditions. How would the commute be in January/February from Evansville to Gibson County? Are the highways in good shape, and maintained well in snow for safe early morning commutes?
2. Next, I saw that Oakland City has a Baptist university. I haven't heard much of them, but I am wondering how extreme they are in their views. I'm hoping that they're nice people who look for common ground (such as Valparaiso University and the Lutherans in Northern Indiana) instead of being divisive. If they are extreme or divisive, I'm hoping their people aren't firmly entrenched in the elected bodies in that area. Can anyone tell me more?
3. How bad is the meth problem in Gibson County?
4. Can I rely on the USI area for cheap, somewhat decent apartments of the college housing variety?
5. It sounds like there are some great areas of Evansville including downtown, and some nice areas around USI. Are there any suburbs, neighborhoods, in particular that you can name that would be a great fit for a creative younger person? I love parks/natural amenities, coffee shops, bookstores (even if they are chain ones) and its nice to have a few 24 hour grocery stores and fast food restaurants. An up-and-coming neighborhood where artists gather, or a downtown loft... these are places I would consider if they exist in or around Evansville. Suburbs... walkable suburbs... are fine too.
I'm willing to drive an hour, or even an hour and a half (I've done it before) to have a home that I can really love. Any good options across the state line in Kentucky?
But -- the catch is I can only drive that type of commute, if its a safe commute, and not too terrifying on winter mornings. I wish I could take all of January and February off and just hide under the covers, but thats not an option, so I have to think about how to deal with that situation now. In the Chicago area, in the past I was able to do a 70 minute commute but thats only because they have so many plows and do so much salting on the interstates, 24 hours a day. I'm spoiled by being originally from a state with big budgets for such things. (I get frustrated with Indiana's low taxes but low services way of doing things.)
I know one solution would be living in a small town halfway inbetween Evansville and work... but that would be a compromise I would really have some mixed feelings about.
Again, there's LOTS of positives about this relo... nice midwestern people, low cost of living, a good job opportunity, the chance to be closer to Bloomington and Louisville for weekend trips... thanks for helping me think this through.
I am just going to add a couple of points:
1) Regarding snow; if you are used to Chicago type road cleaning of the snow, you are going to be disappointed. I came from Michigan to the Evansville area; and I was shocked at how little effort they make with cleaning the roads in Evansville.
4) Regarding campus area housing, you might be better off looking at the area around UE than USI. USI is growing, and things are changing out there; it is still pretty isolated.
As far as Kentucky, I did the commute from Henderson to Evansville for a while. I would not recommend it. Henderson has a Wal-Mart and will soon have a movie theater; and that is it.
Thanks for the responses. Its only a 6-month job, but it begins January 1 (the middle of winter) and I'd be five hours away from my nearest friends/family... so thats why its a harder decision. If I like the area, I'm sure I could find something after the 6-month job is over and could make the move a permanent one.
erickp -- your "rambling" is most appreciated.
Toxic Toast -- yep, Michigan does a good job with snow too (was working there last winter). I am definitely used to Chicago-style snow plowing. At least I have a front-drive car, but it sounds like a 4x4 would be pretty useful.
I will add, that on the west side, many of the USI students who live off campus live along and near Franklin Street, west of St. Joe Ave. There are even some USI frat houses over in that area. There is frat house over on Wabash Ave of the Flags as well.
I overloooked your coffee question; Evansville has really only one local coffee house of note, Penny Lane; which is located at 600 SE Second St in the aformentioned Haynie's Corner area. If you have not checked out that neighborhood, I recomend it. Though it has not developed quite as much as originally hoped, these things take time. My neighborhood in Indianapolis has taken a similar slow ascent, I think in time, Haynie's Corner is going to make that same slow ascent. If I was going to live in Evansville again, my first choice would be Haynie's Corner.
Barnes and Noble on the east side at the corner of Lincoln and Green River is huge. I spent many a night over there doing homework and conducting study groups.
For a point of refence, when I attended USI, one place I lived was a rented duplex off of Stringtown Road north of Diamaond Ave. You might investigate that area. It is not a young crowd attracting area; but there is a Target 2 minutes away.
Evansville has a great Convention and Visitors bureau. Request a copy of their magazine (not the vistors brochure -- although that's nice -- but the actual magazine they publish. You may have to call them for that) and you'll get a good idea of arts goings on.
Home - Evansville Convention & Visitors Bureau (http://www.evansvillecvb.org/index.tpl - broken link)
Thanks! Anyone have any impressions of, or experience with, OCU? The university is right in the area where I would be working, so I'm anxious to hear about what they are like. Its a stereotype, but sometimes religious colleges cause a lot of divisiveness in a community and are polarizing because of unbending/strict dogma or opinions. Maybe no news is good news.
Thanks! Anyone have any impressions of, or experience with, OCU? The university is right in the area where I would be working, so I'm anxious to hear about what they are like. Its a stereotype, but sometimes religious colleges cause a lot of divisiveness in a community and are polarizing because of unbending/strict dogma or opinions. Maybe no news is good news.
The only experience I have with OCU is this.
My step sister went there for a semester, maybe a year; I don't remember. She said it is common knowledge that you do not drink the water on campus. Why? I have no idea.
Beyond that, I have never heard anything about OCU.
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In the Chicago area, in the past I was able to do a 70 minute commute but thats only because they have so many plows and do so much salting on the interstates, 24 hours a day. I'm spoiled by being originally from a state with big budgets for such things. (I get frustrated with Indiana's low taxes but low services way of doing things.)
