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So I am looking at both Evansville and Owensboro now too. We are looking for a nice suburb of a decent city with low crime and economic opportunity. Can you recommend the best places to live nearby either city that would put you close to civilization yet still give you the country feel that we so like.
Owensboro has a lot of suburban-like areas just off the Wendell Ford Expressway (US 60 Bypass). The major roads include KY 144, Leitchfield Road, New Hartford Road, and Parrish Avenue. Some nice but really small towns surrounding Owensboro include Hawesville, Whitesville, West Louisville (really smaller), Hartford, Livermore, Calhoun, and Rockport, IN.
Evansville has a lot of unincorporated suburban areas in eastern and northern Vanderburgh County b/t US 41 and I-164. I guess the closest thing to a real Evv. suburb is Newburgh. Other small towns around there include Darmstadt, Princeton, Mt. Vernon, Rockport, and Chandler.
The cities only have 54,000 and 120,000 residents, respectively, so don't expect to find a quintessential large American suburb like White Plains, Katy, or Oakland County.
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We prefer hilly terrain compared to flat, and prefer being near a forest or at least lots of trees! We will be looking for a house with at least a 1/2 acre in the $180,000-$225,000 zone. Top priority is local excellent public school system for elementary through high school! You know the usual family requirements. Any advice you can give in advance will be appreciated! Thanks!
Owensboro is closer to hills than Evv. Both cities are close to rural woods and the Hoosier National Forest.
You can score a very nice home on 1/2 acre in both cities for that price. Owensboro's property taxes are (almost guaranteed) cheaper, though; Indiana passed a tax "reform" that nearly doubled the price of property taxes in many of its counties.
I'm weary about Evansville-Vanderburgh School Corporation, although I've heard that Reitz is a decent school. There are two public school systems in Owensboro, Owensboro Ind. and Daviess County; you want Daviess County. Deer Park Elementary and Daviess Co. High are consistently among the highest of the high in terms of state test scores.
And, to boot, Deer Park and DCHS are on New Hartford Rd. in SE Owensboro. That is not a really "ritzy" part of town, just average Joe middle- and upper-middle-class folks. What that tells me, in a nutshell, is that Daviess Schools, especially those two, teach curriculum and prepare students for testing, not just teach the test.
McLean and Hancock Counties in KY also have great public schools, according to test scores.
I've spent loads of time in Evansville and it basically is one of those industrial cities from years ago that was at one time booming but since many jobs have been lost, there are numerous warehouses and buildings that sit abandoned. The east side and north side of Evansville are great, but "central Evansville" (ie- the old city) is a complete dump. Most new construction is on the east side (Eastland Mall, Evansville Pavillion, etc). Vanderburgh County schools are decent. My mom attended North High there and from my understanding, Reitz, Memorial, and North High are all good public schools. Evansville itself is flat except right around Mt. Auburn Road where the television broadcast centers are. If you want "hilly" and in Indiana, go for Warrick County (Newburgh or Boonville), Posey County (Poseyville), or Monroe County (Bloomington).
Just for clarification purposes; Memorial High School in Evansville is a private school.
Hello! Well after lots of trips and now over a year of research we had narrowed down our search to east of Louisville in Oldham County. But now do to this economy and my job opportunities shrinking, I need to give my family some options. So I am looking at both Evansville and Owensboro now too. We are looking for a nice suburb of a decent city with low crime and economic opportunity. Can you recommend the best places to live nearby either city that would put you close to civilization yet still give you the country feel that we so like. We prefer hilly terrain compared to flat, and prefer being near a forest or at least lots of trees! We will be looking for a house with at least a 1/2 acre in the $180,000-$225,000 zone. Top priority is local excellent public school system for elementary through high school! You know the usual family requirements. Any advice you can give in advance will be appreciated! Thanks!
I have lived in Owensboro for 12 years and currently live and have lived in Evansville for 4 years. Owensboro is a great small town and a very safe place to raise a family. The people are very nice in Owensboro. However, there is not much economic opportunity. Evansville provides more economic and social opportunities. Based on your criteria, I would suggest the Newburgh area which is right outside of Evansville. This is approximately 10-15 minutes from downtown Evansville and has a country feel you are after. The homes are also within your range. I am not sure about the school system as I do not have children school age. The people are not as nice in Evansville as in Owensboro. They tend to have a touch of the "northern" flair. Other options in this area is Louisville and Nashville. Both are great cities! I was raised in Louisville and definitely would recommend it to anyone. If I moved from Evansville, I would move to Louisville.
I'm not going to bash either city (or any other for that matter), but here's something to consider regarding Evansville: it is a growing city for the most part. It is true that factory positions have reduced (just like everywhere else), but their white collar jobs are on the rise. Plus, you can live in Henderson and Evansville is just a short commute away. I would recommend visiting the cities to see what "feels" like home to you. I am a transplant from Indiana and really enjoy life here. Also, I am proud to be a HOOSIER!!!!
I have worked in both cities and each has different things to offer. The people in Owensboro are much nicer and friendlier, more southern I think. The schools in Owensboro are better unless you opt for private schools in Evansville. Evansville offers much more in the way of shopping, healthcare, entertainment, restaurants, but you can always just drive over there in about 30 minutes or so. The biggest difference is culturally. It was always so funny to me that just crossing that river made a huge difference in the people and culture. If you want friendly, more laid back people opt for Owensboro, if that doesn't matter to you look at Evansville. I agree with the Newburg recommendation. The city is very German Catholic from what I have been told, but Owensboro has a large Catholic population also.
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Any advice you can give in advance will be appreciated! Thanks!
I need to give my family some options. So I am looking at both Evansville and Owensboro now too. We are looking for a nice suburb of a decent city with low crime and economic opportunity. 
Proud to be a Hoosier
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