Owensboro, Kentucky
Encyclopedia : O : OW : OWE : Owensboro, Kentucky
Owensboro is a city in Daviess County, Kentucky, in the United States; it stands on U.S. Highway 60 about 30 miles southeast of Evansville, Indiana. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 54,067 and a metropolitan population of 91,545. Owensboro is the third largest city in Kentucky. It is the county seat of Daviess County6.
Owensboro considers itself the "BBQ Capital of the world"; it holds its [BBQ festival] and competition every second weekend in May.
Owensboro is home to [the International Bluegrass Music Museum], Brescia University, Kentucky Wesleyan College, and Owensboro Community & Technical College.
In 2006, plans were announced for a research center operated by the University of Louisville to be located at Kentucky Bioprocessing to study how to make the first ever human papilloma virus vaccine, called Gardasil, out of 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. [link]
History
Owensboro was first settled in the 1790s by frontiersman William "Bill" Smeathers and was known at that time as Yellow Banks.- 1806: The United States Post Office establishes the "Yellow Banks" post office.
- 1817: Yellow Banks is incorporated as the city of Owensborough, named after Colonel Abraham Owen (who is also the namesake of Owen County, Kentucky).
- 1893: The Owensborough post office becomes the Owensboro post office.
- 1910: The former Carriage Woodstock Company in Owensboro begins manufacturing the Ames automobile.
- 1934 Streetcars make their final trips through Owensboro.
- 1936: Downtown Owensboro was the site of the last public hanging in the United States. On August 14, 22-year-old Rainey Bethea was executed for the rape of 70-year-old Elischa Edwards, who was also murdered. He had confessed to her strangling but the Commonwealth indicted him only on the rape charge since that was the only capital crime for which the penalty was hanging.
- 1937: The western Kentucky Roman Catholic diocese of Owensboro is created by Pope Pius XI.
- 1961: The Compactron, a family of vacuum tubes designed by engineers from the General Electric plant in Owensboro, is introduced.
- 1994: Owensboro establishes a sister city relationship with Olomouc, Czech Republic.
- 2002: The William H. Natcher Bridge opens, allowing easier access to and from Southern Indiana.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 48.3 km² (18.7 mi²). 45.1 km² (17.4 mi²) of it is land and 3.2 km² (1.2 mi²) of it (6.59%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there were 54,067 people, 22,659 households, and 14,093 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,198.4/km² (3,102.9/mi²). There were 24,302 housing units at an average density of 538.6/km² (1,394.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.63% White, 6.90% African American, 0.51% Asian, 0.12% Native American, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.55% from other races, and 1.28% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.03% of the population.There were 22,659 households out of which 28.8% 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 24.1% 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 $31,867, 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 $17,968. About 12.2% of families and 15.9% 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.
Notable natives
- Terry Bisson, author
- Rex Chapman, NBA basketball player (born in Bowling Green, Kentucky, but raised in Owensboro)
- Chuck Clark, journalist
- Stephen Cohen, author, Russia expert (husband of The Nation editor Katrina vanden Heuvel)
- Johnny Depp, actor
- Tom Ewell, actor
- Wendell H. Ford, politician, former KY Governor and U.S. Senator (Majority Whip)
- Jeff Green, David Green, and Mark Green, NASCAR drivers
- Nicky Hayden, motorcycle racer
- Stuart Kirby, NASCAR driver
- Jeremy Mayfield, NASCAR driver
- Dudley W. Morton, U.S. naval commander
- John M. Spalding, WWII hero, politician
- Darrell Waltrip, NASCAR driver, FOX TV Sports Commentator
- Michael Waltrip, NASCAR driver
- Brad Wilkerson, MLB baseball player
- Mark Stuart, vocalist for Audio Adrenaline
- Justin Miller, NFL football player
- BJ Whitmer, professional wrestler
- Brian "beej" Jackson, radio/TV personality
Points of interest
- Western Kentucky Botanical Garden
- William H. Natcher Bridge
- [The International Bluegrass Music Museum]
See also
External links
- [Official website]
- [ROMP (River Of Music Party)]
- [Entry about Owensboro] from the Kentucky Atlas and Gazetteer, a University of Kentucky website
- [Messenger-Inquirer], the city's newspaper, with a special series of articles about the [20th century in Owensboro]
- [Owensboro Chamber of Commerce]
- [1821 Advertisement for an auction for land around Owensboro, Kentucky], from the Library of Congress
- [Bar-B-Q Festival]
- [Moonlite Bar-B-Q, an Owensboro tradition]
- [Owensboro Tourist Commission]
- [Summer Music Festival]
- [Brescia University]
- [Kentucky Wesleyan College]
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