Evansville is located in the far southwest portion of the state. This Ohio River port is the commercial and cultural hub of southwest Indiana and the nearby regions of Illinois and Kentucky. Downtown is modern and attractive with historic areas and a pedestrian mall near the waterfront. Most growth is spreading northeast along the I-164 connector to the east-west I-64. Evansville is one of the larger cities not to be directly served by an east-west or north-south interstate, with some good and some bad consequences.
Today the economy is supported by a varied mix of manufacturing and service businesses; there is no “heavyweight” employer. Crime and cost of living in particular are low. Evansville is a fairly quiet, sort of “all-American” place, used a lot by test marketers. There are some arts amenities, but downsides include isolation (Louisville is 100 miles east) and a general lack of things to do.
Located along the Ohio River, the terrain ranges from level to areas of rolling land and low hills near the river. The city itself is located on a flat valley sloping gently down to the river. Evansville lies in the path of moisture-bearing storm systems moving in from the western Gulf region northeastward up the Mississippi and Ohio valleys. Both temperature and precipitation are closely related to the air masses pulled by these storms.
Summers are hot and humid as the storm track becomes less active. Both summer and winter are highly variable. Storms and weather transitions bring high winds in all seasons and strong thunderstorms in summer. Snow does occur but Evansville is far enough south to make heavy accumulations uncommon. First freeze is late October, last is early April.