Possible relocation to Evansville area (low crime, houses, find a job)

[retired rat]

My wife and I are starting phase two. We're both retired military, No kids, just pets. I plan to work on the rivers for a tug and barge company, and she's in health care administration. We want to live on some acreage, not in town. We're coming from Norfolk, VA, ( waiting for TS Hanna to arrive right now).

Love to hear thoughts on,

Climate,
Economics,
Employment
Tax base.
Crime,
Folks in general

We're self-entertaining, so that's not an issue. If you'd be kind enough to list your age and gender when you post. I've found a 50 y/o has a far different perspective than a 21 y/o.

Thank You
Glenn & Bridget

[Toxic Toast]

Originally Posted by retired rat

My wife and I are starting phase two. We're both retired military, No kids, just pets. I plan to work on the rivers for a tug and barge company, and she's in health care administration. We want to live on some acreage, not in town. We're coming from Norfolk, VA, ( waiting for TS Hanna to arrive right now).

Love to hear thoughts on,

Climate,
Economics,
Employment
Tax base.
Crime,
Folks in general

We're self-entertaining, so that's not an issue. If you'd be kind enough to list your age and gender when you post. I've found a 50 y/o has a far different perspective than a 21 y/o.

Thank You
Glenn & Bridget

Since it seems my fellow Evansville boosters have disappeared, I will try to tackle this. I am 25 years of age, and don't live there anymore. I still have family and friends down there of all ages and visit frequently.

From my perspective:

Climate - it is very humid in the summer. The winters are relativly mild, but it does snow. We got 2 feet of snow right before Christmas a few years ago, it was crazy. Those events are rare. Just beware the traffic when it snows, people in Evansville are not up on their snow driving skills.

Economics - There is a low cost of living.

Employment - If you have the skills, you will find a job. Evansville seems, to me anyway, pretty middle of the road. There are alot of blue collar jobs in Evansville; but if you are looking for something else you should be able to find it.

Tax base - Evansville is a blue collar town, with some white collared sprinkled in. It isn't a wealthy place; but it isn't an entirely poor place either.

Crime - Evansville has historically low crime rate. However, and I do not know the stats, it does seem like robberies are on the rise in parts of Evansville. However, that should not be a deterent to living in Evansville. It is still a very safe city.

Folks in general - To me, the folks in Evansville are some of the nicest people I have ever met. I worked at Target in Evansville while I was in college, and it was much different from the time I spent in Michigan. The only thing that bothers me about people in Evansville is the incessant traffic complaints. People seem to think Evansville, the east side in particular, is a traffic nightmare. It is not. The only time I have had an issue with Evansville traffic is in December during the Christmas rush. That is it. Traffic is a breeze.

I hope this helps a little, maybe some of the other Evansville folks will chime in as well and help.

Oh, and if you are looking rural, there is no shortage of rural places to look. Northern Vanderburgh and most of Posey and Gibson are very rural. Northern Warrick County too.

[erickp]

Since it seems my fellow Evansville boosters have disappeared,

Naw, we're still here...just can't get around the orange barrels to post.

You'll understand that comment when you see Evansville... seems the whole road system is undergoing a makeover

Evansville is very much the town you can't wait to leave as a teenager, then looks a lot better when the kids start growing up. It's very generational...thus a young person can't go out drinking and carousing without the risk of running into someone who knows someone in his family. Works the other way when you become a parent.

Maybe this sums it up best: When they were filming the movie "A League Of Their Own" here, Madonna compared being here to being stuck in Prague. Of course, local officials jumped on that as an endorsement of the lifestyle... this is the kind of town where you needn't worry about having neighbors like Madonna.

Climate? Hide indoors in July and August unless you enjoy being drenched in perspiration and breathing ozone particles in high numbers, otherwise fine. Two to four good snows each winter; usually about 4-6 inches is the most we get, although the previous poster mentioned the 22-incher we got for Christmas in 2004. Spring is green and cool (stole that line from Steve Earle)

BTW, you asked about age...I'm in denial. Let's just say I graduated from high school when Nixon was President.

We had a very similiar thread earlier this year... here's what I wrote then, with a couple of changes for the individual posters.

Evansville gets trashed on this board periodically, often by people who haven't been here in a while. Yeah, it used to be desperate here. Imagine Detroit several years ago (decaying city center, abandoned houses, empty downtown) on a smaller scale, of course. But over the past decade, we've gone a long way towards removing our community head from the sand.

The area is getting more and more service-oriented industry to replace the factories which closed in the 70s and 80s. The city has commited to establishing citywide wi-fi availability. Evansville was the first city in Indiana to get its wi-fi net up and running (already much of the entire downtown is a wi-fi zone) and is attracting new companies such as American general (finance), Ameriqual (packaging MRE's for the military), Vectren (gas/electric services) and a new call center for AT&T. Our zoo (largest in the state) is undergoing a renovation and should be finished soon.

As to Evansville itself, we're at the northern tip of the Bible Belt, and the attitude is as much southern as typical midwestern. If you don't mind a lot of "Y'all aint from around here are you?" kind of questions, it should be fine. (yes, a lot of us here say "Y'all") It's a nice sort of inquisition, though. People here are great, and are looking for a common thread with you so you'll feel at home.

The big divide here is East/West. West side is more extended-family oriented, working class. It's not unusual to find grandma and grampa living right near the kids and grandkids. Wal Mart is the biggest shopping area on the West side, no big centers and only a few strip malls. And many on the west side are envious of the commercial growth the east has seen. I know some older West siders who refuse to go east of Highway 41 (unofficial dividing line) except for a funeral or a ball game.

Because the East side is flat, it is easier to develop. The East side has grown quickly since WWII. The mall and shopping centers are mostly east, and East siders, as a rule, are more affulent, less likely to be natives, and less likely to share a cup of coffee on their neighbor's back porch. Not that East siders are less friendly, but the West side life style seems more quaint in those areas where the families go back a few generations.

These are wide stereotypes, and of course there are exceptions. There are shoddy areas east of 41, and there are some magnificent homes on the west side.

We have major road contruction all over town, so ask any potential landlords about road conditions near the house.

One great resource is the website of the Vanderburgh County Clerk. Lots of info, Vanderburgh County : Home (County)

Newcomer information
Welcome to the Evansville Newcomers' website

Thanks... feel free to PM me if I can be any help..

[Capt. Dan]

First let me say that I like Evansville. The surrounding rolling hills and farm land look like a post card. But in the city of Evansville itself---THE BIGGEST DAMN COCKROACHES i have ever seen!!!!!!!!!!! You should have no problem finding a few acres to retire on. Good luck!