What does Evansville do well? What could it do better? We polled a few residents who arenโt native to the River City but now call it home.
GREG BLAIR Greg is a Canadian native and art professor at the University of Southern Indiana who moved to Evansvilleโs North Side in August 2019 from Aberdeen, South Dakota.
ROGER KALIA Roger is a Manhasset, New York native. Hired in 2020 as the Evansville Philharmonicโs Music Director, he officially moved to Evansville from Bloomington, Indiana, in June 2023 with his wife, Christine Wisch.
CHRISTINE WISCH Originally from Richmond, Texas, Christine โ a musicologist and lecturer at the University of Southern Indiana and Indiana University โ moved to Evansville from Bloomington, Indiana, in June 2023 with her husband, Evansville Philharmonic Music Director Roger Kalia.
In what areas do you think Evansville excels?
GREG: I think Evansville excels at several things, starting with educational opportunities. Having two teenagers in the local school system, I get to see first-hand the good experiences and prospects they have to succeed. Also, having a highly rated public charter school, and two excellent universities within the same city is fantastic. Evansville also has a wonderful local design community. The quality of local design and the way local designers support each other is quite excellent.
ROGER: One of my favorite places to visit is the Haynieโs Corner Arts District, which hosts the annual Front Porch Fest as well as a Summer Wiffle Ball League. (Go EPO Symphonic Sluggers!) I am also very impressed by Evansvilleโs food scene, particularly the variety of international and ethnic restaurants and food markets โฆ Lastly, the people that I have met here have been extremely welcoming and friendly.
CHRISTINE: Itโs large enough to support multiple major cultural and educational institutions, while still offering a lower cost of living and a sense of community found in smaller cities. โฆ I also love being able to enjoy four distinct seasons โฆ I am charmed by the Historic District โฆ the energy in Haynieโs Corner is infectious, and I love the constantly expanding food truck scene.
In what areas do you think Evansville could improve?
GREG: The one thing that perhaps could be improved is how the city promotes itself. This is an amazing community that sometimes does not get enough recognition for all of the incredible things that are going on here.
ROGER: I am disappointed by the small number of destinations that you can fly into from the Evansville Regional Airport. I appreciate the ease and convenience of a smaller airport, but as someone who travels quite often, I would like to see direct flights to major cities. As much as I enjoy Schnucks, I would love to see a grocery store like Trader Joeโs. Oh, and maybe an In-N-Out Burger.
CHRISTINE: I am flummoxed by how difficult it is to get across this comparatively small city โฆ The North Side and U.S. 41 are particularly problematic โฆ I am excited by the River Vision proposal because I definitely think the riverfront is underutilized. โฆ I love seeing how Downtown continues to be reenergized, and I am hopeful, too, that we will get a few more late-night options where people can eat and mingle after events. And lastly โฆ how about a Spanish tapas joint and a Cajun place?
