Evansville, IL

Evansville is a city located in Vanderburgh County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 128,898. It is the county seat of Vanderburgh County and is adjacent to Indiana. Evansville is home to Indiana University Southeast and its medical center.

The city was founded in 1819 as a trading post on the Wabash River by George Evans and James Moore. The city's name commemorates General James K. Polk's victory over Mexican forces at the Battle of Buena Vista in 1847. The first house built in Evansville was completed that same year; it still stands on Main Street near the riverfront today. In 1829, Evansville became a town with a population of about 1,000 people; by 1850 it had grown to 6,000 people and boasted two newspapers (the " Evansville Courier" and "The Evening Bulletin").

In 1853, after suffering heavy losses during the California Gold Rush, many miners turned their attention to coal mining in Vanderburgh County; this led to an increase in population and business activity in Evansville during the mid-to-late 19th century. By 1870 there were 16 banks operating in Evansville; by 1890 that number had increased to 31 banks. In addition to banking activities, many businesses established themselves during this time period including furniture manufacturing (particularly wagon making), printing shops (including several local newspapers), breweries/wineries (including what would become Miller Brewing Company), insurance companies (including what would become American Family Insurance Company), railroads (particularly the Chicago & North Western Railway), and meatpacking plants (including Armour & Co.).

During World War II , Evansville served as headquarters for both General Dwight D. Eisenhower 's European Theater of Operations and Admiral Ernest J King 's U.S.-British-Canadian Task Force 58 . Additionally , Camp Butner , which later became Fort Benning , was located just outside of town from 1942 until 1945 when it was closed due to wartime budget constraints .

In recent years , growth has continued unabated in Evansville with new businesses opening their doors every day . Today there are more than 1,500 businesses operating within city limits ; among these are major corporations such as Eli Lilly & Co., Cummins Inc., 3M Corporation , Johnson Controls Inc., Caterpillar Inc., Nike Inc., Express Scripts Holding Company , Baxter International Incorporated , Wells Fargo Bank NA , McDonald's Corporation USA LLC,, AT&T Mobility US LLC,, Kroger Co., UPS Stores Incorporated,, Harley Davidson Motor Company LLC USA LLC,, Walgreens Boots Alliance Incorporated,, Cardinal Health plc as well as many small businesses . In addition to all these corporate entities there are also thousands of individual entrepreneurs who have made their mark on Evansville over time . Some notable examples include: Jerry Falwell Jr.'s Liberty University ; Don Mischer 's restaurant group including Bob Griese's Steak House ; Tom Osborne 's restaurant group including Osborne's Barbecue ; John Schnatter 's Papa John's Pizza ; Tim Cook 's company Apple inc.; Bill Gates' company Microsoft Corp.; Oprah Winfrey’s production company Harpo Productions