Does Southern Indiana not get the recognition it deserves? (Evansville: low income, hotels)

[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?

[MissingIndiana]

There isn't much more than flat open fields along most of the interstates which is what most people passing through see. You can glimpse some of the hills along southern sections of I-65, but not much. I-64 is fairly hilly and pretty, but it's probably the most lightly used of all the interstate routes across the state. A lot of people just haven't been exposed to it. But yes, I agree, there's a lot of scenic beauty to be found.

[RICKYY]

Mod cut: Quoted post deleted.

Southern Indiana is beautiful, the people are friendly and respectful, and it is a wonderful place to live. We do try to keep under the radar, hoping that people like this will not come here and ruin it.

[Dakshina]

OP: I agree with MissingIndiana. I think people fly through most of IN on I-65 heading north and don't take the time to explore So. IN. I used to live in Bloomington and drove all over the so. half of the state. It is beautiful and very diverse in topography. The history of the glaciers is interesting and explains the lovely hills, ridges and knobs down south. The hardiness zone is also different down there so plants and trees create a very different environment.

Currently I'm living in Indy. I like it but it is a very urban (and flatter) experience. I often miss southern IN for a certain quaintness it has and where I felt much closer to nature. I hope it remains "off the radar".

[censusdata]

I think Southern Indiana is well marketed by the state for tourism, much better than Kentucky does for more scenic areas. There are several major tourist destinations: French Lick is once again becoming a large draw, the theme park at Santa Claus, Brown County, Hoosier National Forest, Lake Patoka, and Lake Monroe, etc.


The main issue is there is no job center that compares with Indy, NWI, or Ft Wayne. That is starting to change across from Louisville KY, where an old army ammunitions factory has been torn down and new warehouses are being built everywhere. There could be 30k+ new jobs there, to date thousands have been added since 2010. New bridges improving access to Louisville will be totally done late this year and are already spurring growth. 10 years ago the Indiana side of the metro was mostly low income and industrial, today it is rapidly gentrifying. The urban areas are seeing large scale improvements with even bigger projects planned.


Logically NWI would be the sleeping giant in Indiana but I really think by far you'll see more population growth in the Louisville MSA counties. The metro area has had 2%+ annual job growth the past couple of years and you'll see more of those jobs on the more business friendly IN side in the future.


South Clarksville Redevelopment Plan - The Town of Clarksville, Indiana
http://www.bizjournals.com/profiles/...center/1757365

[Toxic Toast]

Originally Posted by censusdata

The main issue is there is no job center that compares with Indy, NWI, or Ft Wayne.

Evansville is doing well for its size.

[grmasterb]

Originally Posted by censusdata

Logically NWI would be the sleeping giant in Indiana but I really think by far you'll see more population growth in the Louisville MSA counties. ]

Probably. It doesn't help that we have stupid politicians in this state who have such a hard on for Chicago and, thus, treat NWI as the bastard stepchild. With the right infrastructure, NWI could be a thriving bedroom community for people with well-paying Loop jobs.

[censusdata]

Originally Posted by Toxic Toast

Evansville is doing well for its size.

It's a nice small city but there's very little population growth at all. I-69 will hopefully help. Clark Co alone had more population growth than the Evansville metro and NWI combined since 2010 and that growth should really increase once the bridges are done.

[Toxic Toast]

Originally Posted by censusdata

It's a nice small city but there's very little population growth at all. I-69 will hopefully help. Clark Co alone had more population growth than the Evansville metro and NWI combined since 2010 and that growth should really increase once the bridges are done.

Clark County is siphoning off of Louisville. Not comparable to Evansville.

Example, Clark County has grown 14% from 2000 to 2010. Warrick County, a similarly suburban county in the Evansville area was at 13%.

[Peter1948]

Originally Posted by Toxic Toast

Clark County is siphoning off of Louisville. Not comparable to Evansville.

Example, Clark County has grown 14% from 2000 to 2010. Warrick County, a similarly suburban county in the Evansville area was at 13%.

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.

River Ridge Commerce Center has 5 deals in the works - WDRB 41 Louisville News

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.