Evansville, city in southwestern Indiana, seat of Vanderburgh County, and a port on the Ohio River. Evansville is an important transportation hub and a regional cultural and industrial center. Manufactures include appliances, nutritional products, pharmaceuticals, and prepared foods. Industries in the city also process aluminum sheets and metal castings, and the manufacture of plastic products, resins, and pellets is important. Additionally, the Evansville region produces coal and oil, and farms in the surrounding area grow corn, soybeans, and wheat. The city has two barge terminals on the Ohio River and facilities for transferring cargo between barges and rail or truck transports. Air service is provided through Evansville Regional Airport.
Educational institutions in the city include the University of Evansville (1854), the University of Southern Indiana (1965), the Evansville Center for Medical Education (1972), and a technical college. Among the cultural institutions are the Evansville Museum of Arts and Science, with a reproduction of a late 19th-century river town, and a zoo. Evansville is home to a philharmonic orchestra and several theatrical organizations. On the Ohio River is Angel Mounds State Historic Site, which contains a partial recreation of a Native American Mound Builders village. Each year the city hosts the Evansville Freedom Festival, which begins on Flag Day, June 14, and ends on the Fourth of July.
