Illinois–Indiana–Kentucky tri-state area


The Illinois–Indiana–Kentucky tri-state area is a tri-state area where the U.S. states of Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky intersect, and a region of the Midwest and Upland South. The area is defined mainly by the television viewing area and consists of ten Illinois counties, eleven Indiana counties, and nine Kentucky counties, centered upon the Ohio and Wabash Rivers.
The 2010 population estimate of the 30-county core region is 911,613 people. With approximately 118,000 people, Evansville, Indiana, is the largest city and the principal hub for both the Evansville Metropolitan Area and Southwestern Indiana. Owensboro, Kentucky, with approximately 60,000 people, is the second-largest city and the secondary hub and the hub for the Owensboro Metropolitan Area. The other six cities with 10,000 or more people include Harrisburg, Illinois; Henderson, Kentucky; Madisonville, Kentucky; Vincennes, Indiana; Washington, Indiana; and Jasper, Indiana. The dissecting point of the three states is the confluence of the Wabash and Ohio Rivers, near the tripoint of Gallatin County, Illinois, Posey County, Indiana, and Union County, Kentucky.
Some counties along the edges may or may not consider themselves part of the area. One of the Evansville TV stations also includes Hardin and Saline Counties of Illinois; Crawford and Orange Counties of Indiana; Breckinridge, Crittenden and Grayson Counties of Kentucky as part of its viewing area as well as the below-mentioned counties because, prior to the advent of digital television, the station broadcast on the VHF band. This was also due to its transmitter being located near Chandler, Indiana, in Warrick County, as opposed to Henderson County, like the other stations.
In addition, the counties on the eastern edge of the area are included in Kentuckiana, the northern edge counties are included in the Terre Haute viewing area and the western edge counties are either included in the Paducah–Carbondale–Cape Girardeau or the St. Louis viewing areas and the southern edge are included in the Nashville–Clarksville viewing area.

The counties

Note: Italicized counties were included by only WTVW prior to DTV. See above map.
Illinois:
Indiana:Crawford
Kentucky:BreckinridgeCrittenden

Media

Major local broadcast television stations are:WTVW Channel 7.1 CW / 7.2 / 7.3 / 7.4 Evansville, INWNIN Channel 9.1 PBS / 9.2 Evansville, INWFIE Channel 14.1 NBC / 14.2 / 14.3 / 14.4 / 14.5 / 14.6 / 14.7 Evansville, INWEHT Channel 25.1 ABC / 25.2 / 25.3 / 25.4 Henderson, KYWKOH Channel 31.1 PBS/KET / 31.2 / 31.3 / 31.4 Owensboro, KYWEVV Channel 44.1 CBS / 44.2 Evansville, IN
Other area broadcast television stations are:WSIL-TV Channel 3.1 ABC / 3.2 / 3.3 / 3.4 / 3.5 Harrisburg, IL – not part of the "Tri-State" viewing area; one of the principal stations of the Paducah–Carbondale–Cape Girardeau TV marketWZDS-LD Channel 5.1 H&I / 5.2 / 5.3 / 5.4 / 5.5 Evansville, INWYYW-CD Channel 15.1 TMD / 15.2 / 15.3 Evansville, INWJTS-CD Channel 18.1 YTA Jasper, INWTSN-CD Channel 20.1 ANT / 20.2 Evansville, INWVUT Channel 22.1 PBS / 22.2 / 22.3 Vincennes, INW23BV-D Channel 23.1 3ABN / 23.2 / 23.3 / 23.4 Evansville, IN WDLH-LD Channel 24.1 Azteca America Evansville, INWELW-LD Channel 30.1 Court TV / 30.2 / 30.3 / 30.4 Evansville, INWEIN-LD Channel 40.1 beIN Sports Xtra / 40.2 / 40.3/4/5 Evansville, IN
The major local broadcast FM radio stations are:

Fifteen largest cities

Population
Rank		CityStatePopulation
2020		CountyRegion
1EvansvilleIndiana117,298VanderburghSouthwestern
Indiana
2OwensboroKentucky60,183DaviessPennyrile
3HendersonKentucky27,981HendersonPennyrile
4MadisonvilleKentucky19,542HopkinsPennyrile
5VincennesIndiana16,759KnoxSouthwestern
Indiana
6JasperIndiana16,703DuboisSouthwestern
Indiana
7WashingtonIndiana12,017DaviessSouthwestern
Indiana
8OlneyIllinois8,701RichlandEastern Little Egypt
9PrincetonIndiana8,301GibsonSouthwestern
Indiana
10HarrisburgIllinois8,219SalineEastern Little Egypt
11Tell CityIndiana7,506PerrySouthwestern
Indiana
12Mount CarmelIllinois7,015WabashEastern Little Egypt
13BoonvilleIndiana6,712WarrickSouthwestern
Indiana
14Mount VernonIndiana6,493PoseySouthwestern
Indiana
15HuntingburgIndiana6,362DuboisSouthwestern
Indiana

  • All of the cities on the list are county seats of their respective counties except Huntingburg, Indiana.
  • Newburgh is currently debating annexation plans that would incorporate many of the surrounding developments, which would increase the population to as many as 12,000 people. If successful this would place the town behind Jasper on the above list. Newburgh would become the only town on the list.

Core counties

Eastern Little Egypt (Illinois)

Population Total: 128,750
County
Name		County
Seat		Population
Area
ClayLouisville13,288
EdwardsAlbion6,245
GallatinShawneetown4,946
HamiltonMcLeansboro7,993
LawrenceLawrenceville15,280
RichlandOlney15,813
SalineHarrisburg23,768
WabashMt. Carmel11,361
WayneFairfield16,179
WhiteCarmi13,877

Southwestern Indiana

Population Total: 477,056
County
Name		County
Seat		Population
Area
DaviessWashington33,381
DuboisJasper43,637
GibsonPrinceton33,011
KnoxVincennes36,282
MartinShoals10,327
PerryTell City19,102
PikePetersburg12,250
PoseyMt. Vernon25,222
SpencerRockport19,810
VanderburghEvansville180,136
WarrickBoonville63,898

Western Coal Fields (Kentucky)

Population Total: 293,160
County
Name		County
Seat		Population
Area
DaviessOwensboro103,312
HancockHawesville9,095
HendersonHenderson44,793
HopkinsMadisonville45,423
McLeanCalhoun9,152
MuhlenbergGreenville30,928
OhioHartford23,772
UnionMorganfield13,668
WebsterDixon13,017

Daviess County

There are two counties named Daviess in the Tri-State Area, Daviess County, Indiana, and Daviess County, Kentucky. Both counties are named for Maj. Joseph Hamilton Daveiss, U.S. District Attorney for Kentucky who prosecuted Aaron Burr.