JPG: Stories: Where I'm At: Back in Owensboro, Kentucky

Where I'm At

Back in Owensboro, Kentucky

By Allen Freeman

3 Aug 2008

What city do you live in? What neighborhood?

I live in Owensboro. Three years ago I moved into a nice quiet neighborhood called The Downs.

What are some adjectives that describe your neighborhood?

To my surprise there are people working out of their homes just like me, working with the internet. Creating web sites or selling items. This area seems to be made up of first time home buyers mostly. Quite a few have little kids running around. It is still mostly very quiet and scenic actually. I love to shoot photos of the clouds and streets. There are two long rows of trees that line the entrance way to the neighborhood and in the spring they are blooming with white flowers!

How long have you lived there, and what brought you there?

Besides growning up here, going to school and going to college about an hour from here I have now moved back after 23 years. I've lived here now for the past 3 years. I'm a commercial artist and I've worked in Akron, OH, Frankfort, KY, and Seattle, WA. We moved back here to be closer to my parents and to my wife's dad. Her dad lived in Tennessee and eventually moved to Owensboro with his wife. We wanted to be close enough to keep an eye on them as they are getting older and we wanted to be with them as much as we can. My wife is a nurse so she can find a job just about anywhere as they are in demand. I do commercial art and design web sites and could also work just about anywhere.

What is your favorite thing about this place? Your least favorite?

We like how slow paced and peaceful it is. You can drive for just a few minutes from our neighborhood and be in the country. There are lots of trees and flowers and just about everyone is friendly. I also like being near my family and old friends again. It's sfun to see areas where I grew up and remember back.

My least favorite thing is that when we were in Seattle we could drive for 30 minutes and it would be like going on a vacation. Ferry boat rides to islands, huge public markets and the ocean. I also liked that being near a very large city you are more likely to see events, concerts and join clubs, meeting more people that are interested in the same hobbys etc...

Do you feel that you belong there?

Sure. People know my family here and know me. Almost everywhere I go someone seems to know me or my parents. My great-uncle has a fireman practice area and tower named after him. There is a historical plaque with his name and info on it. He was the fire chief for many years. My dad was a fireman and so was one of my uncles.

What is the most common misconception about where you live?

Probably that they are uneducated hicks or hillbillys. In certain parts of Kentucky that will be true but not in Owensboro as much. They have fast internet cable access and there are many colleges around town and near Owensboro. They are about to build one of the largest hospitals in the area within the next 3 years right here in town. Owensboro is the third largest city in Kentucky and is growing at an exciting pace.

What is a special fact about your city that you have to live there to know?

Owensboro has the largest Sassafras Tree in the world. It was saved from a bulldozer in the 1950's by a lady and her shotgun. On August 14, 1936, downtown Owensboro was the site of the last public hanging in the United States.

What aspect of your city do you secretly love?

I love the old downtown. It has survived the malls and other shopping centers, but just barely. There are now coffee shops and antique stores where the large department stores used to be but I love the buildings. Every time I drive through there I think back to the early 1960's when I was around 5 or 6 years old. My grandmother would watch me during the day while my mom was working at General Electric. We'd walk a few blocks to the bus stop. (My grandparents on my mother's side never owned a vehicle of any kind.) We'd take the bus to the downtown area where the Ben Franklin 5 and 10 was right accross from the Woolworths department store. They'd have toys in huge bins with the bins all lined up. It was a fantastic place for a 5 year old. We'd also walk to Sears and I'd get a candy from a kiosk of goodies in the center of the store.

Anything else you'd like to add?

I've found Owensboro to be a very hard working town. The people are honest and fair to each other and they are much smarter than outsiders would expect. They have their yearly fair, and apple festival, and the large Bar-B-Q festival that gets over 80,000 people to attend.
Owensboro is mostly known for it's barbeque and for being the capital of Bluegrass music (with a nice museum to commemorate it).

VOTE: Should this story be published in JPG?