Owensboro is a home rule-class

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

in and the county seat of Daviess County, Kentucky, United States. It is the fourth-largest city in the state by population. Owensboro is located on

U.S. Route 60 U.S. Route 60 is a major east–west United States highway, traveling from southwestern Arizona to the Atlantic Ocean coast in Virginia. The highway's eastern terminus is in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where it is known as Pacific Avenue, in the ...

and Interstate 165 about southwest of Louisville, and is the principal city of the

Owensboro metropolitan area The Owensboro Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of three counties in Kentucky, anchored by the city of Owensboro. As of the 2000 census, the MSA had a population of 109,875. In the ...

. The 2020 census had its population at 60,183. The metropolitan population was estimated at 116,506. The metropolitan area is the sixth largest in the state as of 2018, and the seventh largest population center in the state when including micropolitan areas.

History

Evidence of Native American settlement in the area dates back 12,000 years. Following a series of failed uprisings with British support, however, the last Shawnee were forced to vacate the area before the end of the 18th century. The first European descendant to settle in Owensboro was frontiersman

William Smeathers William "Bill" Smeathers ( 1767 – August 13, 1837), also known as Smithers or Smothers, was a pioneer settler of Kentucky and later Texas. Not much is known about his early days. He is believed to have been born in either Pennsylvania, Virginia ...

or Smothers in 1797, for whom the riverfront park is named. The settlement was originally known as " Yellow Banks" from the color of the land beside the

Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...

. In 1817, Yellow Banks was formally established under the name Owensborough, named after

Col. Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

Abraham Owen Abraham Owen or Abram Owen (1769–1811) was born in Prince Edward County, Virginia, in 1769. He moved to Kentucky in 1785. Owen served in the wars with the Indians under generals James Wilkinson and Arthur St. Clair in 1791, and served wit ...

. In 1893, the spelling of the name was shortened to its current Owensboro. Several distillers, mainly of

bourbon whiskey Bourbon () is a type of barrel-aged American whiskey made primarily from corn. The name derives from the French Bourbon dynasty, although the precise source of inspiration is uncertain; contenders include Bourbon County in Kentucky and Bourbo ...

, have been in and around the city of Owensboro. The major distillery still in operation is the

Glenmore Distillery Company Glenmore Distillery Company was a large distillery company based in Owensboro, Kentucky best known as a producer of bourbon whiskey. In 2009, the company was acquired by the Sazerac Company, and is still operated under the name "The Glenmore Dis ...

, now owned by the Sazerac Company. On August 14, 1936, downtown Owensboro was the site of the last public hanging in the United States. A 26 year old African American man, Rainey Bethea, was convicted and sentenced for the rape and murder of 70-year-old Lischa Edwards in a very short time (only 37 days lapsed between the crime and the execution). A carnival atmosphere was in place with vendors selling hotdogs, attended by a large crowd including children and many reporters. The execution was presided over by a female sheriff,

Florence Shoemaker Thompson Florence Katherine Shoemaker Thompson Riney (October 30, 1892 – April 13, 1961) was the first female sheriff in the United States of America to carry out an execution. Rainey Bethea, the last man to be publicly executed in the U.S., was convi ...

, who gained national media attention for her role in the process, although she declined to spring the trap. Before Bethea was dead, the crowd had already begun to tear at his clothes and even his body for souvenirs. The Kentucky General Assembly quickly abolished public executions after the embarrassment this caused. The end of the Second World War brought civil engineering projects which helped turn Owensboro from a sleepy industrial town into a modern, expanding community by the turn of the 1960s. Many of the projects were set in motion by Johnson, Depp & Quisenberry, a firm of consulting engineers then engaged in a runway redesign at the County Airport; the "Depp" in question was a member of an old and prominent Kentucky family which includes the town's most famous son, actor

Johnny Depp John Christopher Depp II (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor and musician. He is the recipient of multiple accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to nominations for three Academy Award ...

Manufacturing

As of 1903, Owensboro was home to several stemmeries. Pinkerton Tobacco produced Red Man chewing tobacco in Owensboro.

Swedish Match Swedish Match AB is a Swedish multinational tobacco company headquartered in Stockholm. The company manufactures snus, nicotine pouches, moist snuff, tobacco- and nicotine-free pouch products, chewing tobacco, chew bags, tobacco bits, cigars, ...

continues to make Red Man in a plant outside city limits. The

Owensboro Wagon Company Owensboro is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Daviess County, Kentucky, United States. It is the fourth-largest city in the state by population. Owensboro is located on U.S. Route 60 and Interstate 165 about southwest of Lou ...

, established in 1884, was one of the largest and most influential wagon companies in the nation. With eight styles or sizes of wagons, the company set the standard of quality at the turn of the 20th century. Frederick A. Ames came to Owensboro from Washington, Pennsylvania, in 1887. He started the Carriage Woodstock Company to repair horse-drawn carriages. In 1910, he began to manufacture a line of automobiles under the Ames brand name. Ames hired industrialist Vincent Bendix in 1912, and the company became the Ames Motor Car Company. Despite its product being called the "best $1500" car by a Texas car dealer, the company ceased production of its own model in 1915. The company then began manufacturing replacement bodies for the more widely sold

Ford Model T The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by Ford Motor Company from October 1, 1908, to May 26, 1927. It is generally regarded as the first affordable automobile, which made car travel available to middle-class Americans. The relati ...

. In 1922, the company remade itself and started to manufacture furniture under the name Ames Corporation. The company finally sold out to Whitehall Furniture in 1970. The start of the Kentucky Electrical Lamp Company, a

light bulb An electric light, lamp, or light bulb is an electrical component that produces light. It is the most common form of artificial lighting. Lamps usually have a base made of ceramic, metal, glass, or plastic, which secures the lamp in the soc ...

manufacturing company was in 1899; it eventually was acquired by Kentucky Radio Company (Ken-Rad) in 1918 and later acquired by General Electric in 1945 and in 1987 acquired by MPD, Inc., created the light bulbs that illuminated the first night game in the history of Major League Baseball on May 24, 1935, between the Reds and Phillies at Cincinnati's

Crosley Field Crosley Field was a Major League Baseball park in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was the home field of the National League's Cincinnati Reds from 1912 through June 24, 1970, and the original Cincinnati Bengals football team, members of the second (1937) an ...

. The Owensboro plant was a major part of General Electric's vacuum tube manufacturing operations, producing both receiving types and military/industrial ceramic types. In 1961, engineers at the General Electric plant in Owensboro introduced a family of vacuum tubes called the Compactron. In June 1932, John G. Barnard founded the Modern Welding Company in a small building located near the Ohio River at First and Frederica Streets where th
Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum
sits today. Today, Modern Welding Company has nine steel tank and vessel fabrication subsidiaries located throughout the United States, and five welding supply stores located in Kentucky and Indiana. The company is the country's largest supplier of underground and above ground steel storage tanks for flammable and combustible liquids. The company celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2007.

Texas Gas Transmission Texas Gas Transmission is a natural gas pipeline which brings gas from the Louisiana Gulf coast up through Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Kentucky, to supply gas to Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. It is owned by Boardwalk Pipelines. Its FER ...

Corporation was created in 1948 with the merger of Memphis Natural Gas Company and Kentucky Natural Gas Corporation and made its headquarters in Owensboro. Since that time, Texas Gas changed ownership four times. The company was bought by CSX Corp. in 1983, by Transco Energy Corp. in 1989, by Williams in 1995, and by Loews Corporation in 2003.

Geography

Owensboro is located at the crook of a bend in the

, southeast of Evansville, Indiana. According to the United States Census Bureau, Owensboro has a total area of , of which is land and , or 6.47%, is water.

Climate

Owensboro has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

which is characterized by hot, humid summers and moderately cold winters. Day-to-day temperature differences can be high during the winter. Summers, in comparison, are much more stable. Severe weather, including the threat of tornadoes, is not uncommon throughout much of the year, with several notable events occurring throughout the city's history. One such event occurred on December 9, 1952, when F3 tornado tore directly through the city, injuring three people.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 58,083 people and 23,380 households within the city. The population density was 2,999.1 people per square mile (1,198.4 per km²). There were 26,072 housing units at an average density of 1,394.7 per square mile (538.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.5% White, 7.3% African American, 0.9%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.1% Native American, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.55% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 3.2% of the population. There were 23,380 households, out of which 23.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.7% were married couples living together, 13.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.8% were non-families. 33.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.91. In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.7% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $37,289, and the median income for a family was $41,333. Males had a median income of $33,429 versus $21,457 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,183. About 12.2% of families and 18.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.9% of those under age 18 and 12.4% of those age 65 or over.

Metropolitan area

According to the 2007 census, the

Owensboro Metropolitan Area The Owensboro Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of three counties in Kentucky, anchored by the city of Owensboro. As of the 2000 census, the MSA had a population of 109,875. In the ...

includes Daviess, Hancock, and

McLean MacLean, also spelt Maclean and McLean, is a Goidelic languages, Gaelic surname Mac Gille Eathain, or, Mac Giolla Eóin in Irish language, Irish Gaelic), Eóin being a Gaelic form of Johannes (John (given name), John). The clan surname is an A ...

counties.

Economy

Top employers

According to Owensboro's 2021 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city were:

Arts and culture

Owensboro was named an

All-American City The All-America City Award is a community recognition program in the United States given by the National Civic League. The award recognizes the work of communities in using inclusive civic engagement to address critical issues and create stronge ...

in 2013. Owensboro placed fourth on Area Development's Top 20 Southern Cities, with a 9th-place ranking for its "recession busting factors" among the Top 25 Small Cities.

Religion

In 1937,

Pope Pius XI Pope Pius XI ( it, Pio XI), born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti (; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939), was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 to his death in February 1939. He was the first sovereign of Vatican City fro ...

established the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Owensboro The Diocese of Owensboro ( la, Dioecesis Owensburgensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Kentucky. , the diocese contained of 78 parishes and two Newman Centers in 32 counties of western Kentucky. ...

, which spans approximately the western third of the state. It includes 32 counties and covers approximately . Though the area has been considered by many to be predominately Catholic, evangelical denominations such as Southern Baptists have increased dramatically over the past several decades. The

Kentucky Baptist Convention The Kentucky Baptist Convention (KBC) is a state Baptist convention affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. Headquartered in Louisville, it is made up of nearly 2,400 churches and 71 local associations.

has many churches in the area. Owensboro is also home to Temple Adath Israel, which is among the oldest synagogues in the United States. Owensboro is also the location of

Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary The Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary (CBTS) is an unaccredited, reformed baptist seminary in Owensboro, Kentucky, on the premises of Grace Reformed Baptist Church and led by President Sam Waldron. CBTS trains people who hold to the 1689 ...

's campus.

Events

*Owensboro is the "Barbecue Capital of the world"; it holds its

International Bar-B-Q Festival The International Bar-B-Q Festival is an event held in Owensboro, Kentucky, every second weekend in May since 1979, except 2020 when it was cancelled. The festival provides an opportunity for sampling many varieties of barbecued meats, including ...

and competition every second weekend in May. *Owensboro hosts "ROMP", "River of Music Party", a

bluegrass music Bluegrass music is a genre of American roots music The term American folk music encompasses numerous music genres, variously known as ''traditional music'', ''traditional folk music'', ''contemporary folk music'', ''vernacular music,'' or ...

festival. ROMP has grown to 20,000 visitors a year, and won the Governor's Award for Community Arts in 2013. *Lanham Brothers Jamboree is an event held every second Saturday from April through September at the Diamond Lake Resort Theater in Owensboro. *During the summer, the city offers "Friday After 5", a free 16-week series of outdoor concerts on the downtown riverfront. *The "Owensboro PumpkinFest" is held each September at the Sportscenter/Moreland Park complex. The festival includes food vendors, crafts people, carnival rides, children and adult activities and games, and contests using pumpkins. The event was started by the Glenmary Sisters to raise awareness and funds.

Points of interest

Ben Hawes Golf Course and Park Ben Hawes Golf Course and Park (formerly Ben Hawes State Park) is a park located just outside Owensboro, Kentucky Owensboro is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Daviess County, Kentucky, United States. It is the fourth-largest ...

Daviess County Public Library Daviess may refer to: * Maria T. Daviess (1814–1896), American author * Maria Thompson Daviess (1872–1924), American artist, author * Hannah Daviess Pittman (1840–1919), American journalist; author of the first American comic opera * Daviess ...

Owensboro Bridge The Owensboro Bridge is a continuous truss bridge that spans the Ohio River between Owensboro, Kentucky and Spencer County, Indiana. Dedicated to the memory of the late U.S. Congressman Glover H. Cary (1885–1936) and often called the "Glover ...

International Bluegrass Music Museum The Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum is a bluegrass music museum in Owensboro, Kentucky, United States. The museum has interactive exhibits, posters, costumes, live instrument demonstrations, and International Bluegrass Music Association's ...

* Largest sassafras tree (located on Frederica Street next door to the Daviess County Public Library) * Owensboro Museum of Science and History * RiverPark Center * Smothers Park * Temple Adath Israel, one of the oldest synagogue buildings still standing in the United States *

Western Kentucky Botanical Garden The Western Kentucky Botanical Garden (WKBG) is a botanical garden in Owensboro, Kentucky. The garden contains several themed gardens, including a large collection of daylilies with an American Hemerocallis Society-recognized display garden. Oth ...

* William H. Natcher Bridge

Sports

The

Owensboro Oilers The Owensboro Oilers were a minor league baseball club, based in Owensboro, Kentucky, from 1936 until 1955. The team was a member of the class-D level Kentucky–Illinois–Tennessee League (or KITTY League). The team was originally formed in 193 ...

baseball team compete in the collegiate wood-bat Ohio Valley League. The Oilers were the KIT League's 2008 playoff champions and the 2006 KIT League season champions. The team is named for the baseball minor league farm team "Owensboro Oilers" which existed in the 1940s. Many of the city high schools produced talented college and professional athletes.

Government

Owensboro has operated under a City Manager form of government since 1954. Citizens elect a mayor and four city commissioners who form the Board of Commissioners. The Board of Commissioners is the legislative body of the city government and represents the interests of the citizens. The Board of Commissioners hires a

city manager A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city, in a "Mayor–council government" council–manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are sometimes referred to as the chief execu ...

who administers the day-to-day operations of the city. The mayor is elected for a term of four years. Each city commissioner is elected for a term of two years. The term of the city manager is indefinite and based on performance.

Education

The Owensboro Public Schools,

Daviess County Public Schools Daviess County Public Schools is a school district that manages the public schools in Daviess County, Kentucky, USA. However, within the city limits, Owensboro Public Schools is an independent district from the county schools. Apollo High School ...

, and the

Diocese of Owensboro The Diocese of Owensboro ( la, Dioecesis Owensburgensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Kentucky. , the diocese contained of 78 parishes and two Newman Centers in 32 counties of western Kentucky. ...

's Catholic School System oversee K-12 education in and around Owensboro. Owensboro is home to two private, four-year colleges, Brescia University (Catholic) and

Kentucky Wesleyan College Kentucky Wesleyan College (KWC) is a private Methodist college in Owensboro, Kentucky. The college is known for its liberal arts programs. Fall 2018 enrollment was 830 students. History Kentucky Wesleyan College was founded in 1858 by the Kent ...

, and one public community college,

Owensboro Community and Technical College Owensboro Community and Technical College (OCTC) is a public community college in Owensboro, Kentucky. It is part of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS). Owensboro Community College (est. 1986) and Owensboro Technical Col ...

. A campus of

Daymar College Daymar College is a for-profit college based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1963 and operated as Owensboro Business College until 2001, Daymar College offers more than 35 career tracks in 22 different academic programs. Daymar ...

is also located in Owensboro, and Western Kentucky University has
regional campus
there. In 2006, plans were announced for a research center operated by the University of Louisville to be located at the Mitchell Memorial Cancer Center, a part of the Owensboro Medical Health System, to study how to make the first ever human papilloma virus vaccine, called Gardasil, from tobacco plants. U of L researcher Dr Albert Bennet Jenson and Dr Shin-je Ghim discovered the vaccine in 2006. If successful, the vaccine would be made in Owensboro. Owensboro has a lending library, the Daviess County Public Library.

Media

The daily newspaper is the '' Messenger-Inquirer'', owned by Paxton Media Group of Paducah, Kentucky. ''The Owensboro Times'' is a local online news site. Radio stations include WBIO, WXCM, WLME, WOMI, WVJS and

WBKR WBKR (92.5 FM) is an American radio station broadcasting a country music format. The station is licensed to Owensboro, Kentucky. Its powerful 100,000-watt signal covers much of northwest Kentucky and southwest Indiana, including the Evansville ...

broadcasting from Owensboro. One, WSTO-FM, is actually licensed to Owensboro, although its studios are now located in Evansville. Although no television stations are based in the city, it is part of the Evansville television market, which is the 100th-largest in the United States, according to Nielsen Media Research. However, in early 2007, WFIE-TV opened a bureau in Owensboro which covers news on the Kentucky side of the market. Many of the local television stations often promote themselves as serving Evansville, Indiana, Owensboro, Kentucky, and Henderson, Kentucky.

Infrastructure

Transportation

I-165, US 60, and US 431 serve Owensboro, with US 431 terminating at the former US 60 Bypass (now signed US 60). US 231 and US 60 form a partial beltway around Owensboro.

KY 81 Kentucky Route 81 is a 39.961-mile (64.331 km) state highway in Kentucky that runs from U.S. Route 431 in South Carrollton to Kentucky Route 2831 and Kentucky Route 81 in Owensboro via Bremen, Sacramento, Rumsey, and Calhoun John C. Calh ...

, KY 56, KY 331, KY 298, KY 54, and

KY 144 Kentucky Route 144 (KY 144) is a state highway running northeast from KY 603 in Owensboro, Kentucky to US 31W in Radcliff near Fort Knox Route description Major intersections ...

also serve the city. Owensboro-Daviess County Regional Airport serves, along with Evansville Regional Airport, as one of the region's primary commercial airports. The Owensboro Transit System (OTS) offers bus transit to residents, and the Green River Intra-County Transit System (GRITS) offers specialized bus services to residents with disabilities who are not able to ride fixed-route public transportation buses.

Notable people

Politicians

W. Ralph Basham William Ralph Basham, Jr. (born November 17, 1943) is an American law enforcement official who served as commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, director of the United States Secret Service, director of the Federal Law Enforcement Tra ...

, former director of the United States Secret Service *

Wendell H. Ford Wendell Hampton Ford (September 8, 1924 – January 22, 2015) was an American politician from the Commonwealth of Kentucky. He served for twenty-four years in the U.S. Senate and was the 53rd Governor of Kentucky. He was the first person to be ...

, former Kentucky governor and U.S. senator *

Steve Henry Steve Henry (born October 8, 1953) is an American politician and orthopedic surgeon who was the 52nd Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky from 1995 through 2003. He twice ran unsuccessfully in statewide elections, finishing third in Democratic primar ...

, former lieutenant governor of Kentucky *

Albert S. Marks Albert Smith Marks (October 16, 1836November 4, 1891) was an American attorney, soldier and politician. He was the 21st governor of Tennessee from 1879 to 1881. Prior to that, he had served as a state chancery court judge. Marks fought for the ...

, former governor of Tennessee *

Suzanne Miles Suzanne Miles (born November 18, 1970) is a Republican politician from her native Owensboro, Kentucky, who represents the 7th District ( Daviess, Henderson, and Union counties) in the Kentucky House of Representatives. Early life and education M ...

, member of the

Kentucky House of Representatives The Kentucky House of Representatives is the lower house of the Kentucky General Assembly. It is composed of 100 Representatives elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. Not more than two counties can be joined to form ...

from the 7th District *

Wilbur Kingsbury Miller Wilbur Kingsbury Miller (October 9, 1892 – January 24, 1976) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Education and career Born in Owensboro, Kentucky, Miller attended the Un ...

, federal judge *

William Rosenbaum William George "Rosey" Rosenbaum (December 17, 1889 – January 12, 1949) was an American politician. Born in Owensboro, Kentucky, Rosenbaum moved to Arizona Territory, in 1911, because of health problems. He worked at a mine mill in Hayden, Ari ...

, member of the

Arizona House of Representatives The Arizona State House of Representatives is the lower house of the Arizona Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Arizona. The upper house is the Senate. The House convenes in the legislative chambers at the Arizona State C ...

John M. Spalding John M. Spalding (often misspelled ''Spaulding'' in official Army reports) (December 17, 1914 – November 6, 1959) was an officer in the U.S. 1st Infantry Division during World War II. Biography Spalding was a native of Owensboro, Kentu ...

, World War II hero, politician

Sports

Chris Brown (defensive back) Christopher Duke Brown (born April 11, 1962) is a former American football defensive back in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based i ...

, former NFL player *

Bruce Brubaker Bruce Brubaker is a musician, artist, concert pianist, and writer from the United States. Concepts Brubaker's work uses and combines Western classical music with postmodern artistic, literary, theatrical, and philosophical ideas. He is associat ...

, former Major League Baseball player * Vince Buck, NFL player *

Rex Chapman Rex Everett Chapman (born October 5, 1967) is an American former professional basketball player and social media influencer. Chapman was a high school phenom in Kentucky, winning numerous awards for his play. In two seasons at the University of ...

, former

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

player * Wayne Chapman, former NBA and

ABA ABA may refer to: Businesses and organizations Broadcasting * Alabama Broadcasters Association, United States * Asahi Broadcasting Aomori, Japanese television station * Australian Broadcasting Authority Education * Académie des Beaux- ...

player * David Green, Jeff Green and Mark Green, NASCAR drivers * Cliff Hagan, former NBA player * Nicky Hayden, motorcycle racer, 2006 MotoGP champion *

Roger Lee Hayden Roger Lee Hayden (born May 30, 1983) is an American professional motorcycle racer, the younger brother of both 2006 MotoGP World Champion Nicky Hayden and AMA Superbike Championship rider Tommy Hayden. Career In July 2007, Hayden made his MotoG ...

, motorcycle racer * Tommy Hayden, motorcycle racer *

Kenny Higgs Kenneth Lee Higgs Jr. (born January 31, 1955) is an American former professional basketball player who played three seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Denver Nuggets. He is a 6'0" (183 cm) 180 ...

, former NBA player *

Mark Higgs Mark Deyon Higgs (born April 11, 1966 in Owensboro, Kentucky) is a former American football running back in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles and Arizona Cardinals. He was drafted in the 8 ...

, former NFL player * Jeff Jones, collegiate basketball coach *

Tommy Kron Thomas M. Kron (February 28, 1943 – November 29, 2007) was an American former professional basketball player. A 6ft 5in guard, Kron, played his rookie season (1966–1967) with the St. Louis Hawks. He was drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics in ...

, professional basketball player * Jeremy Mayfield, former NASCAR driver * Justin Miller, NFL player *

Eugene Oberst Eugene G. Oberst (July 23, 1901 – May 30, 1991) was an American football player, track and field athlete, coach of football and basketball, and college athletics administrator. A native of Owensboro, Kentucky, he played football at the Universi ...

, Olympic bronze medalist in the javelin throw * Bo Smith, Canadian Football League cornerback *

Larry Vanover Larry Wayne Vanover (born August 22, 1955) is an American professional baseball umpire. Vanover worked in the National League from 1991 to 1999. He did not umpire in 2000 and 2001, and since 2002 has umpired across both major leagues. Vanover ha ...

, MLB umpire * Nick Varner, pool champion *

Darrell Waltrip Darrell Lee Waltrip (born February 5, 1947) is an American motorsports analyst, author, former national television broadcaster, and stock car driver. He raced from 1972 to 2000 in the NASCAR Cup Series (known as the NASCAR Winston Cup Series dur ...

, three-time NASCAR champion and Hall of Fame inductee; FOX sports commentator *

Michael Waltrip Michael Curtis Waltrip (born April 30, 1963) is an American former professional stock car racing driver, racing commentator, and published author. He competes full time in the Camping World Superstar Racing Experience. He is the younger brother o ...

, retired NASCAR driver/team owner and FOX sports commentator * Dave Watkins, Major League Baseball player * Bobby Watson, former NBA player *

B. J. Whitmer Benjamin Whitmer (born January 25, 1978), better known by the ring name B. J. Whitmer, is an American professional wrestler, producer, trainer, and color commentator. He is currently signed with All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a producer. He is bes ...

, professional wrestler *

Brad Wilkerson Stephen Bradley Wilkerson (born June 1, 1977) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and first baseman in Major League Baseball for eight seasons. Wilkerson played college baseball for the University of Florida, and was selected ...

, MLB player * Ken Willis, former NFL player

Entertainers

, actor, director, musician * Jon Brennan, country music artist, reality TV star MTV "The Real World" * Tom Ewell, actor * Florence Henderson, actress, singer, most notable of '' The Brady Bunch'' fame * Kevin Olusola, musician, beatboxer for

Pentatonix Pentatonix (abbreviated PTX) is an American a cappella group from Arlington, Texas, currently consisting of vocalists Mitch Grassi, Scott Hoying, Kirstin Maldonado, Kevin Olusola, and Matt Sallee. Characterized by their pop-style arrangements ...

* Tom Powers, actor * Christine Johnson Smith, opera singer and Tony Award-nominated Broadway actress * Mark Stuart, vocalist for Audio Adrenaline *

William Booth Wecker William Booth Wecker (December 17, 1892 – September 3, 1969) was an American entertainer and all around showman and was also the agent for his wife Bee Kyle the well known high diver. Will was born in Owensboro, Kentucky the son of a German imm ...

, showman of the 1930s and 1940s

Authors and journalists

* Terry Bisson, author *

Kody Keplinger Kody Keplinger (born August 8, 1991, in Owensboro, Kentucky) is an American author of young adult and middle grade books. She is best known for her debut novel ''The DUFF'', which she wrote when she was 17 years old. It was later turned into a ...

, author *

Stephen F. Cohen Stephen Frand Cohen (November 25, 1938September 18, 2020) was an American scholar of Russian studies. His academic work concentrated on modern Russian history since the Bolshevik Revolution and Russia's relationship with the United States. Co ...

, Russian studies scholar * Craig Crawford, political commentator *

Jesse Edward Grinstead Jesse Edward Grinstead (October 16, 1866 – March 8, 1948) was an American publisher, editor, poet and politician who in later life became a popular writer of Western fiction. Over his writing career Grinstead penned some 30 novels along with sc ...

author of Western fiction * Marcus Rediker, historian and activist *

Moneta Sleet, Jr. Moneta J. Sleet Jr. (February 14, 1926 – September 30, 1996) was an American press photographer best known for his work as a staff photographer for ''Ebony'' magazine. In 1969 he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography for his p ...

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...

-winning photographer

Others

* Beulah Annan, suspected murderer * Thomas Cruse, U.S. Army brigadier general who was a recipient of the Medal of Honor *

Hazen A. Dean Hazen A. Dean (1899–1984) was the first Kentuckian to receive the "70 Continuous Years of Service Award" from the Boy Scouts of America in 1983. He was a Scoutmaster for over 50 years. He was Scoutmaster for Owensboro, Kentucky's oldest troop, Tr ...

, noted Boy Scouts of America member and Scoutmaster *

Dudley W. Morton Dudley Walker Morton (July 17, 1907 – October 11, 1943), nicknamed "Mushmouth" or "Mush", was a submarine commander of the United States Navy during World War II. He was commander of the during its third through seventh patrols. ''Wahoo'' was ...

, U.S. naval commander * David Paul Nash, Vietnam War Medal Of Honor recipient * David Sharpe, American painter

Sister cities

Owensboro has two sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International: * Olomouc, Moravia, Czech Republic * Nisshin, Aichi, Japan

References

External links

City of Owensboro official website

from the Kentucky Atlas and Gazetteer, a University of Kentucky website
1821 Advertisement for an auction for land around Owensboro, Kentucky
from the Library of Congress {{Authority control Populated places established in 1797 Cities in Daviess County, Kentucky Cities in Kentucky County seats in Kentucky Owensboro metropolitan area Kentucky populated places on the Ohio River

History

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References

External links