Does Southern Indiana not get the recognition it deserves? (living, towns)

[censusdata]

Originally Posted by warren zee

I've been in Southern Indiana on business, for two weeks. People are very, very friendly. Food is inexpensive. But there really isn't much in Charlestown, with the exception of churches (mostly Baptist) Dollar Stores and fast food.
Nearby New Albany is a nicer town, with more amenities. Same with Jeffersonville.

Mostly everything anyone could want is in nearby Louisville. The traffic from here to there is pretty intense.

Charlestown does not seem to be a suburb of Louisville. There is a lot of flat land, an Amazon wearhouse, but I haven't really seen farms. So, I wonder where people work. It also seems a lot more southern than I'd expected. In food, dialect and religiousness.

Nice climate this time of year, but the allergy factor is driving my wife crazy.

Was Charlestown settled by people from the Appalachians or the Ozarks? I'm curious.

A lot of the people in this part of Southern Indiana are from Kentucky, many from Appalachia. The warehouses you see was once an enormous army powder factory that employed 40k people at its peak, many of those workers were from rural Kentucky. They are turning the site into a huge warehousing hub. My wife's family moved from Eastern Kentucky to Salem Indiana in the 1970s. They worked in Louisville factories but liked the rural feel and cheap land.

[kpl1228]

Originally Posted by Ivory Lee Spurlock

It's every bit as modern as Fishers. Actually, now that I think about it, West Memphis is essentially Fishers, only with better food.

Ok, that's funny! And partly true.

[redsfanindiana]

You get an award for one of the best comments I've seen in a long time. I live in Southern Indiana near Louisville and most of the rest of it really is close to being Southern rather than Midwestern. I just don't handle speaking hick very well and I'm not a flag waving Confederate even though I grew up in Southern Indiana in a place that could be termed as redneck country. I've never understood why in Indiana which was a northern state during the war, we have idiots that think the Confederacy was also in the north. Now maybe they moved here from their southern hovels but they should keep their Southern mentalities and sensibilities in the South. Just because their great great great great great grandpappy fought for the Confederacy doesn't mean that we native Hoosiers want to hear all about their outhouse humor and backwoods Southern mentality.

[Rbbi1]

Originally Posted by Serious Conversation

My girlfriend and I went to Holiday World this weekend and I was quite surprised at how pretty most of southern Indiana is. It was hilly, forested, and there was a lot more to do outdoors-wise than up here around in Indy. Still, it felt like a bit of a hidden gem and seemed sparsely populated. You'd think a lot more people would be attracted to it.

Why do you think southern IN seems to fly under the radar?

Because the politicians think Indianapolis stands for Indiana-poli-ticians homes only matter.

[GreyGoddess]

I personally love living here as it provides calming fields and quaint towns, which bring you to a relaxed state of mind. I personally find it rather scenic here, especially near the Ohio River, but don't let my opinion influence yours.

[JohnCroucher]

Originally Posted by Peter1948

Come on Toxic...Louisville's S Indiana suburbs are the SAME size as Evansville, around 300k. And they are infinitely more important to IN. There is also much more to do...better restaurants, better casino, nicer hotels and meeting spaces. There is also much better insterstate connectivity which is currently getting better.

[URL="http://www.wdrb.com/story/28191720/river-ridge-commerce-center-has-5-deals-in-the-works"]River Ridge Commerce Center has 5 deals in the works - WDRB 41 Louisville News[/URL]

This article predicts 50,000 jobs at River Ridge in the next 20 years. Louisville has an exposive economy these days.

Why is River Ridge such a big deal? The reason is there is no city/site anywhere in the region or the Midwest or South with that much land within 5 miles of a top 50, major metro area. The logistics potential is huge.

Comparing Clark and Warrick county IN? No comparison. Clark has twice the population, twice the shopping, three times the retail, and probably 10 times the restaurants. As Census noted, the growth is substantial.

RRDA is front loaded. The future is grim. 40,000 to 50,000 lower than average wage workers will be devastating to the Region. The State Average labor rate is $18.00 per hour. RRDA is paying $12.00. There currently is a need for low income housing because potential employees cannot afford to commute to the jobs that are available.



I live 1 mile from the center of the RRDA facility. Yes, in the rolling hills of Southern Indiana. I like it until winter rolls around. Great motorcycle riding.

[JohnCroucher]

Originally Posted by warren zee

I've been in Southern Indiana on business, for two weeks. People are very, very friendly. Food is inexpensive. But there really isn't much in Charlestown, with the exception of churches (mostly Baptist) Dollar Stores and fast food.
Nearby New Albany is a nicer town, with more amenities. Same with Jeffersonville.

Mostly everything anyone could want is in nearby Louisville. The traffic from here to there is pretty intense.

Charlestown does not seem to be a suburb of Louisville. There is a lot of flat land, an Amazon wearhouse, but I haven't really seen farms. So, I wonder where people work. It also seems a lot more southern than I'd expected. In food, dialect and religiousness.

Nice climate this time of year, but the allergy factor is driving my wife crazy.

Was Charlestown settled by people from the Appalachians or the Ozarks? I'm curious.

French Fur Traders and Drunk Indian's. Springville was the first County Seat west of the City Square about 1-1/2 miles on High Jackson Road. Mostly Eastern Kentucky. Many people migrated to Charlestown in 1942 and later to fill the jobs at the Indiana Army Ammunition Plant operated by DuPont Corp. 1,000's of temporary homes were built in Jeffersonville by a company called Gunnison. Sent by barge up the river, unloaded onto traincars and then located throughout the City. Recently, the Mayor, Bob Hall used illegal imminent domain practices to force families from these temporary housing units. A Judge stopped him and now the Mayor and several other politicians are facing criminal charges in Federal court. It is ugly.

[GWoodle]

Maybe the very new I-69 as it is finished between Evansville and Indy will help. Not that far from Nashville & interstate all the way.

[Isleofpalms85]

Southern Indiana ought to secede from the rest of the state of Indiana and join Kentucky, anything much South of about a Bloomington to Columbus line has more in common Weather and vegetation type wise with Kentucky and Tennessee than that area of Indiana has in common with the rest of the state of Indiana