What's Vincennes like? (Indianapolis, Evansville, Gary: real estate, to rent, crime)

[Sonja]

I am thinking of moving to Vincennes. Everything looks nice on the net, but what's it really like? I don't know a soul there. I'm a senior and will be house searching there. I grew up in NY and lived in CA. Not looking for excitement or entertainment, just a hometown atmosphere and friendly people. Sonja

[JJBrazil]

I've only been to Vincennes a few times, and never spent a whole lot of time there. It's an old town. In fact, it is one of Indiana's oldest towns (if not the oldest). It's not very fancy. A drive through downtown gives me the impression of being overall dirty. But like any town, there are the nice areas and the not-so-nice areas. Same with the town I live in.

Vincennes does have a university. It's about an hour from both Evansvile and Terre Haute, which really doesn't mean a whole lot. Hopefully someone who lives in Vincennes can give you more information.

[Steph]

I used to live in Vincennes. Its a wonderful town, I loved it. I went to college there and lived there about 2 years after wards. I enjoyed it

[drstrange53]

I grew up in Vincennes from 1958-1967 attending kindergarten thru 7th grades. It is the home of Red Skelton and has the same population since 1945 about 18,000. I haven't visited there since 1999 ,but little changes there. There are few movie theaters or places to shop ,but Evansville is just 55 miles south and has a downtown plus a nice mall on the East side of town.
What happens is there is no major job opportunities so when the kids graduate it's off to Indianapolis, St.Louis or Evansville. It is quiet and quaint , all 4 seasons and of course parks on the Wabash river.

[angelbach]

I grew up in Tennessee, but when my husband and I got out of the Navy, we came to Vincennes to be near his children (then 16 and 11). It was never supposed to be permanent, but as time goes by and my roots grow deeper, I just don't see us moving to Tennessee...ever.

Vincennes is a really friendly town, and it has its problems like any town with not enough money. It has Vincennes University, the oldest college in the oldest city of Indiana, founded by Wm. H. Harrison. Whether Conservative or Liberal, you will feel at home because I think this place is pretty evenly divided, leaning slightly left. At least for local government.

Knox County is the 2nd poorest county in the state...which means the dollar seems to go a *little* further, but there are LOTS of people on the dole. Meth problem...but that's true ALL OVER the midwest right now.

So...COL is quite low, and if you are willing to commute, there are some steals in real estate if you look hard enough, and it's even less expensive in the smaller towns around Vincennes.

Good luck!

[bowlman628]

went to college there, cheap rent and cheap cost of living. pretty much the simple life. However long drive t o anyplace decent(concerts, sporting events, etc)

[shell6718]

I have never lived in Vincennes, but I do live about 20 miles north of there. I attended Vincennes University and absolutely loved it. The only problem I have with the ares is that there isn't much here. There is some shopping, entertainment, ect. but for the most part you have to drive to Evansville, Terre Haute, or Indy. I was born and raised in the area and moved away for awhile but I came back. This is home. The majority of the people are wonderful.

[matalove]

Vincennes is a poorer area. I work in Evansville and had two co-workers who drove about 1 hour and 20 minutes from Vincennes everyday to make decent money. It is an older, historic town, but meth is a major problem in the Knox county area. It is a shame that more jobs aren't available in the area, or it could be a great area.

[indyhome]

Vincennes and the whole county is extremely poor. Most jobs are minimum wage or just a bit higher. How an average family can afford to rent a home at $800 a month plus all other living expenses since the per capita income is so low is beyond my comprehension. The last time I checked the county was second to last for personal income in the state. The county and city government are corrupt. Either there is too much crime or the police arrest more than necessary. For a county of less than 40,000 there really is no reason to have 4 to 20 arrests per hour - stats according to local sheriff. Not much here really for shopping, Walmart has driven out most competition.

[reeves73]

i FOR ONE LIKE vINCENNES. I have no roblem with shopping, i find what i need. Plus there is a Kohls that is going to be built as well as talk of a Target. The college is good, and as far as crime, you get that no matter where you live. It isnt like living in Gary, there isnt a murder every other week. As far as the meth problem, it is every where, we just tend to catch them and arrest them, so maybe it seems like we have alot, but at least we arrest alot of them. The people are friendly, and he weather is pretty pleasent, for the most part. Winters tend to be mild. High paying jobs arent everywhere but they are here. arent averages around 400 a month, which you can usually find a decent place to live for that. athere is cheaper, but you get what you pay for. There are 3 grocerie stores. THere is a nice downtown, on main street, it is being built back up. They have alot of activities going on, all the time. There are a ton of little shops lov\cated around town, and more opening this summer, one i now for sure.
It really is a decent town, you can send your kids to school and feel safe doing so.