Dig Deeper on Sacramento
An industrial and agricultural center on the Ohio River, Owensboro is the third-largest city in Kentucky. It serves the retail and service needs for a large part of western Kentucky. It is known for a favorable small-business and manufacturing climate.
The city has a diverse industrial base, strong employment, and reasonably high income relative to the low cost of living, giving moderately high buying power. The downtown area has a nicely refreshed historic feel, and there is a new riverfront redevelopment in progress. But despite some locally flavored amenities—a bluegrass music museum and an annual barbecue festival—there isn’t much to do.
Owensboro is located on a river plain of the Ohio River, with mostly level terrain of mixed agriculture and wooded areas. The climate is continental with effects from local storm tracks. Summers are hot and humid. Both summer and winter are highly variable, alternating between cold northwesterly winds and warm southerly ones. Storms and weather transitions bring high winds in all seasons and strong thunderstorms in summer. Snow does occur, but large and lengthy accumulations are uncommon. First freeze is late October, last is early April.