The largest city in Southern Indiana, sitting along the Ohio River on the Kentucky border, is the state’s third-largest metro. An economic force for more than a century, Evansville, like so many, fell on hard times in the late ’70s and early ’80s as manufacturing jobs dried up and the population fled to the suburbs. But visionary, city-sponsored revitalization and preservation of the impressive early-1900s brick buildings has gone a long way to bring Evansville back to its former glory, with a low cost of living helping boost citizens further. Riverside, a U.S. Historic District since 1978, boasts a lot of the hot casinos, restaurants and bars that helped the city rank #36 for Nightlife. The city’s proud heritage is obvious in its #14 ranking for attractions. The Victory Theatre is a vintage 1,950-seat venue that is home to the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra. It also boasts the Children’s Museum of Evansville, the Evansville Museum, and the Reitz Home Museum, a beautiful example of Victorian architecture located a stone’s throw from the Ohio River.