Owensboro is a home rule-class city in

Daviess County, Kentucky Daviess County ( "Davis"), is a County (United States), county in Kentucky. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 103,312. Its county seat is Owensboro, Kentucky, Owensboro. The county was formed from part of Ohio ...

, United States, of which it is also the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

. It is the fourth-most populous city in the state. 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 General Booth Bouleva ...

and Interstate 165 about southwest of

Louisville Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...

, 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 th ...

. 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 The Shawnee ( ) are a Native American people of the Northeastern Woodlands. Their language, Shawnee, is an Algonquian language. Their precontact homeland was likely centered in southern Ohio. In the 17th century, they dispersed through Ohi ...

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 river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its river mouth, mouth on the Mississippi Riv ...

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

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 with ...

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

distiller Distillation, also classical distillation, is the process of separating the component substances of a liquid mixture of two or more chemically discrete substances; the separation process is realized by way of the selective boiling of the mixt ...

s, mainly of

bourbon whiskey Bourbon whiskey (; also simply bourbon) is a Aging (food), barrel-aged American whiskey made primarily from corn (maize). The name derives from the Kingdom of France, French House of Bourbon, although the precise source of inspiration is uncerta ...

, 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 Disti ...

, now owned by the

Sazerac Company Sazerac Company, Inc. is a privately held American alcoholic beverage company headquartered in Metairie in the metropolitan area of New Orleans, Louisiana, but with its principal office in Louisville, Kentucky. The company is owned by William ...

. The other distillery, Green River Distilling Company, started in 1885 and is also Owensboro based. It is still in operation today. On August 14, 1936, downtown Owensboro was the site of the last public

hanging Hanging is killing a person by suspending them from the neck with a noose or ligature strangulation, ligature. Hanging has been a standard method of capital punishment since the Middle Ages, and has been the primary execution method in numerou ...

in the United States. A 26 year old African American man,

Rainey Bethea Rainey Bethea ( – August 14, 1936), was the last person publicly executed in the United States. Bethea, who confessed to the rape and killing of a 70-year-old woman named Lischia Edwards, was convicted of her rape and publicly hanged in Owen ...

, 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, 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.

Manufacturing

As of 1903, Owensboro was home to several stemmeries. Pinkerton Tobacco produced Red Man (now

America's Best Chew America's Best Chew (formerly Red Man) is an American brand of chewing tobacco introduced in 1904.Swedish Match Swedish Match AB is a Swedish multinational tobacco company headquartered in Stockholm. It has been owned by the American Philip Morris International since 2022. The company manufactures snus, nicotine pouches, moist snuff, tobacco- and nicotine ...

continues to make America's Best Chew in a plant outside city limits. The Owensboro Wagon Company, 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 Washington, also known as Little Washington to distinguish it from the District of Columbia, is a city in Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. The population was 13,176 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 censu ...

, 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 AMES, short Air Ministry Experimental Station, was the name given to the British Air Ministry's radar development team at Bawdsey Manor (afterwards RAF Bawdsey) in the immediate pre-World War II era. The team was forced to move on three occasion ...

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 Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

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 the Ford Motor Company from October 1, 1908, to May 26, 1927. It is generally regarded as the first mass-affordable automobile, which made car travel available to middle-class Americans. Th ...

. 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 Electric light is an artificial light source powered by electricity. Electric Light may also refer to: * Light fixture, a decorative enclosure for an electric light source * ''Electric Light'' (album), a 2018 album by James Bay * Electric Light ( ...

manufacturing company was in 1899; it eventually was acquired by Kentucky Radio Company (Ken-Rad) in 1918 and later acquired by

General Electric General Electric Company (GE) was an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in 1892, incorporated in the New York (state), state of New York and headquartered in Boston. Over the year ...

in 1945 and in 1987 acquired by MPD, Inc., created the light bulbs that illuminated the first

night game A night game, also called a nighter, is a sporting event that takes place, completely or partially, after the local sunset. Depending on the sport, this can be done either with Floodlights (sport), floodlights or with the usual low-light conditio ...

in the history of

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

on May 24, 1935, between the Reds and

Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

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) a ...

. The Owensboro plant was a major part of General Electric's

vacuum tube A vacuum tube, electron tube, thermionic valve (British usage), or tube (North America) is a device that controls electric current flow in a high vacuum between electrodes to which an electric voltage, potential difference has been applied. It ...

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 Welding is a fabrication (metal), fabrication process that joins materials, usually metals or thermoplastics, primarily by using high temperature to melting, melt the parts together and allow them to cool, causing Fusion welding, fusion. Co ...

supply stores located in Kentucky and

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

. 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 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 Evansville is a city in Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 118,414 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is Indiana's List of cities in Indiana, third-most populous city after India ...

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, 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 subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

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

tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the ...

es, 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 Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 26,072 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 87.5%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 7.3%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.9% Asian, 0.1% Native American, 0.01%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.55% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino 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 Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

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 th ...

includes Daviess, Hancock, and McLean counties.

Economy

Top employers

According to Owensboro's 2023 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, the top employers in the city were:

Arts and culture

Owensboro was named an

All-America 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 stron ...

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

Owensboro and Daviess County are served by many churches. According to statistics from U.S. Religion Census data from 2020, collected by The Association of Religion Data Archives, approximately 63.9% of the county population is affiliated with a religious organization. Evangelical Protestants make up the largest contingent at 35.1%, with Southern Baptists being the largest single denomination in the county in terms of both number of congregations and adherents. Catholics are the second largest single denomination in number of adherents, representing 22.1%. The following is a breakdown of measurably significant 2020 statistics: Owensboro and Daviess County are home to several historic churches. Bethlehem Methodist Church on the east side of the county was organized in 1806, making it the oldest in the county. Nearby Yelvington Baptist Church dates back to 1813, making it the second oldest church in the county. Bethabara Baptist in Philpot dates back to 1825, while Pleasant Grove Baptist in Sorgho traces its origins back to 1835. First Baptist Church in Owensboro also dates back to 1835, as does Fourth Street Baptist Church. St. Lawrence Parish in eastern Daviess County dates to 1822, making it the oldest Catholic parish in the county. St. Stephen Parish dates to 1839, and is the oldest parish in Owensboro. In 1937,

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

established the Roman Catholic Diocese of Owensboro, which spans approximately the western third of the state. It includes 32 counties and covers approximately 12,500 square miles (32,000 km²). Th
Daviess-McLean Baptist Association
dating back to 1844, is the regional hub for 50+ Southern Baptist churches in Daviess, McLean, and northern Ohio County. Owensboro is also home to Temple Adath Israel. Organized in 1858 and built in 1877, it is among the oldest Jewish synagogues in the United States. Owensboro is also the location of the Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary.

Music

Owensboro is home to th
Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum
(Previously known as the International Bluegrass Music Museum). The museum is dedicated to the history and preservation of

Bluegrass music Bluegrass music is a genre of American roots music that developed in the 1940s in the Appalachian region of the United States. The genre derives its name from the band Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys. Bluegrass has roots in African America ...

, as well as hosting the Bluegrass Hall of Fame to celebrate the best of Bluegrass musicians. The venue also hosts many music events throughout the year. Th
Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum
won the Governor's Award for Community Arts in 2013

Events

*Owensboro is the "Barbecue Capital of the world"; it holds its International Bar-B-Q Festival 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 that developed in the 1940s in the Appalachian region of the United States. The genre derives its name from the band Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys. Bluegrass has roots in African America ...

festival. ROMP has grown to 25,000 visitors a year. *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, which resumed after a pandemic break. *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. *Owensboro Multicultural Festival is held each year to celebrate diversity.

Points of interest

* Ben Hawes Golf Course and Park * Daviess County Public Library * Owensboro Bridge *

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 ''Sassafras'' is a genus of three extant and one extinct species of deciduous trees in the family Lauraceae, native to eastern North America and eastern Asia.Wolfe, Jack A. & Wehr, Wesley C. 1987. The sassafras is an ornamental tree. "Middle Eo ...

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 * William H. Natcher Bridge

Sports

The Owensboro Oilers 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 the council–manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are referred to as the chief executive officer (CEO) or chief administ ...

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, and the Diocese of Owensboro's Catholic School System oversee K-12 education in and around Owensboro. Owensboro is home to two private, four-year colleges,

Brescia University Brescia University is a private Catholic college in Owensboro, Kentucky, United States. It was founded as a junior college for women and is now a coeducational institution, offering undergraduate and master's programs. History Brescia Universit ...

(Catholic) and

Kentucky Wesleyan College Kentucky Wesleyan College (KWC) is a private Methodist college in Owensboro, Kentucky. Fall 2018 enrollment was 830 students. History Kentucky Wesleyan College was founded in 1858 by the Kentucky Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church. It ...

, and one public

community college A community college is a type of undergraduate higher education institution, generally leading to an associate degree, certificate, or diploma. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an open enr ...

, Owensboro Community and Technical College. A campus of

Daymar College Daymar College was a For-profit higher education in the United States, for-profit college based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1963 and operated as Owensboro Business College until 2001, Daymar College offered more than 35 car ...

is also located in Owensboro, and

Western Kentucky University Western Kentucky University (WKU) is a public university in Bowling Green, Kentucky, United States. It was founded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1906, though its roots reach back a few decades earlier. It operates regional campuses in Glas ...

has
regional campus
there. In 2006, plans were announced for a research center operated by the

University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public university, public research university in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. Chartered in 1798 as the Jefferson Seminary, it became in the 19t ...

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 Human papillomavirus infection (HPV infection) is caused by a DNA virus from the ''Papillomaviridae'' family. Many HPV infections cause no symptoms and 90% resolve spontaneously within two years. In some cases, an HPV infection persists and r ...

vaccine A vaccine is a biological Dosage form, preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a particular infectious disease, infectious or cancer, malignant disease. The safety and effectiveness of vaccines has been widely studied and verifi ...

, called

Gardasil Gardasil is an HPV vaccine for use in the prevention of certain strains of human papillomavirus (HPV). Text was copied from this source which is copyright European Medicines Agency. Reproduction is authorized provided the source is acknowledg ...

, from tobacco plants. U of L researcher Dr Albert Bennet Jenson and Dr Shin-je Ghim discovered the

in 2006. If successful, the

would be made in Owensboro. Owensboro has a lending library, the Daviess County Public Library.

Media

Print and online

The daily newspaper is the '' Messenger-Inquirer'', owned by Paxton Media Group of

Paducah, Kentucky Paducah ( ) is a List of cities in Kentucky, home rule-class city in the Upland South, and the county seat of McCracken County, Kentucky, United States. The most populous city in the Jackson Purchase region, it is located in the Southeastern Unit ...

. ''The Owensboro Times'' is a local online news site.

Radio

Radio stations include WBIO, WXCM, WLME, WOMI, WVJS (AM), WVJS and WBKR broadcasting from Owensboro. One, WSTO (FM), WSTO-FM, is actually licensed to Owensboro, although its studios are now located in Evansville.

Television

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, NBC affiliate 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

, Owensboro, Kentucky, and Henderson, Kentucky.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Interstate 165 (Kentucky), I-165, U.S. Route 60 in Kentucky, US 60, and U.S. Route 431 in Kentucky, US 431 serve Owensboro, with US 431 terminating at the former US 60 Bypass (now signed US 60). U.S. Route 231 in Kentucky, US 231 and U.S. Route 60 in Kentucky, US 60 form a partial beltway around Owensboro. KY 81, Kentucky Route 56, KY 56, Kentucky Route 331, KY 331, Kentucky Route 298, KY 298, Kentucky Route 54, KY 54, and Kentucky Route 144, KY 144 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, former director of the United States Secret Service * Wendell H. Ford, former Kentucky governor and U.S. senator * Steve Henry (politician), Steve Henry, former lieutenant governor of Kentucky * Albert S. Marks, former governor of Tennessee * Suzanne Miles, member of the Kentucky House of Representatives from the 7th District * Wilbur Kingsbury Miller, federal judge * William Rosenbaum, member of the Arizona House of Representatives * John M. Spalding, World War II hero, politician

Sports

* Chris Brown (defensive back), former NFL player * Bruce Brubaker (baseball), Bruce Brubaker, former

player * Vince Buck, former NFL player * Rex Chapman, former National Basketball Association, NBA player * Wayne Chapman (basketball), Wayne Chapman, former NBA and American Basketball Association, ABA player * David Green (NASCAR), David Green, Jeff Green (NASCAR), Jeff Green and Mark Green (NASCAR), Mark Green, NASCAR drivers * Cliff Hagan, former NBA player * Nicky Hayden, motorcycle racer, 2006 MotoGP champion * Roger Lee Hayden, motorcycle racer * Tommy Hayden, motorcycle racer * Kenny Higgs, former NBA player * Mark Higgs, former NFL player * Jeff Jones (basketball coach), Jeff Jones, collegiate basketball coach * Tommy Kron, professional basketball player * Thanh Le, mixed martial arts * Jeremy Mayfield, former NASCAR driver * Justin Miller (American football), Justin Miller, NFL player * Eugene Oberst, Olympic bronze medalist in the javelin throw * Bo Smith, Canadian Football League cornerback * Larry Vanover, Major League Baseball, MLB umpire * Nick Varner, billiards, pool champion * Darrell Waltrip, three-time NASCAR champion and Hall of Fame inductee; FOX sports commentator * Michael Waltrip, retired NASCAR driver/team owner and FOX sports commentator * Dave Watkins (baseball), Dave Watkins,

player * Bobby Watson (basketball player), Bobby Watson, former NBA player * B. J. Whitmer, professional wrestler * Brad Wilkerson, MLB player * Ken Willis, former NFL player

Entertainers

* Monica Beverly Hillz, drag queen * Johnny Depp, 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 * Tom Powers, actor * Christine Johnson Smith, opera singer and Tony Award-nominated Broadway actress * Mark Stuart (musician), Mark Stuart, vocalist for Audio Adrenaline * William Booth Wecker, showman of the 1930s and 1940s

Authors and journalists

* Terry Bisson, author * Kody Keplinger, author * Stephen F. Cohen, Russian studies scholar * Craig Crawford, political commentator * Jesse Edward Grinstead author of Western fiction * Marcus Rediker, historian and activist * Moneta Sleet, Jr., Pulitzer Prize-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, noted Boy Scouts of America member and Scoutmaster * Hadley Duvall, reproductive freedom advocate * Lawrence W. Hager, publisher and owner of the '' Messenger-Inquirer'' * Dudley W. Morton, U.S. naval commander * David Sharpe (artist), David Sharpe, American painter

Sister cities

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

References

External links

City of Owensboro official website

Owensboro City Guide

1821 Advertisement for an auction for land around Owensboro, Kentucky
from the Library of Congress {{Authority control Owensboro, Kentucky, 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

Manufacturing

Geography

Climate

Demographics

Metropolitan area

Economy

Top employers

Arts and culture

Religion

Music

Events

Points of interest

Sports

Government

Education

Media

Print and online

Radio

Television

Infrastructure

Transportation

Notable people

Politicians

Sports

Entertainers

Authors and journalists

Others

Sister cities

See also

References

External links