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. 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. Evansville, Indiana, with approximately 118,000 people, 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 as well as the hub for the Owensboro Metropolitan Area. The other seven cities with 10,000 or more people include Harrisburg, Illinois; Henderson, Kentucky; Madisonville, Kentucky; Princeton, Indiana; Vincennes, Indiana; Washington, Indiana; and Jasper, Indiana. The dissecting point between 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 of the counties along the edges may or may not consider themselves as 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 in 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 counties
;Indiana counties
;Kentucky counties
The major local broadcast television stations are:
The other area broadcast television stations are:
The major local broadcast FM radio stations are:
Population
Rank
CityStatePopulation
2010
CountyRegion
1EvansvilleIndiana117,429VanderburghSouthwestern
Indiana
2OwensboroKentucky57,265DaviessWestern Coal Fields
3HendersonKentucky28,757HendersonWestern Coal Fields
4MadisonvilleKentucky19,591HopkinsWestern Coal Fields
5VincennesIndiana18,423KnoxSouthwestern
Indiana
6JasperIndiana15,038DuboisSouthwestern
Indiana
7WashingtonIndiana11,509DaviessSouthwestern
Indiana
8PrincetonIndiana10,974GibsonSouthwestern
Indiana
9HarrisburgIllinois9,638SalineEastern Little Egypt
10OlneyIllinois8,631RichlandEastern Little Egypt
11Mount CarmelIllinois8,282WabashEastern Little Egypt
12Tell CityIndiana7,272PerrySouthwestern
Indiana
13Mount VernonIndiana7,186PoseySouthwestern
Indiana
14BoonvilleIndiana6,834WarrickSouthwestern
Indiana
15Central CityKentucky5,893MuhlenbergWestern Coal Fields
15HuntingburgIndiana5,594DuboisSouthwestern
Indiana

Metropolitan areas

Micropolitan areas

Core counties

Eastern Little Egypt (Illinois)

Population Total: 135,933
County
Name
County
Seat
Population
Area
ClayLouisville13,815
EdwardsAlbion6,721
GallatinShawneetown5,589
HamiltonMcLeansboro8,457
LawrenceLawrenceville16,833
RichlandOlney16,233
SalineHarrisburg24,913
WabashMt. Carmel11,947
WayneFairfield16,760
WhiteCarmi14,665

Southwestern Indiana

Population Total: 474,251
County
Name
County
Seat
Population
Area
DaviessWashington31,648
DuboisJasper41,889
GibsonPrinceton33,503
KnoxVincennes38,440
MartinShoals10,334
PerryTell City19,338
PikePetersburg12,845
PoseyMt. Vernon25,910
SpencerRockport20,952
VanderburghEvansville179,703
WarrickBoonville59,689

Western Coal Fields (Kentucky)

Population Total: 291,891
County
Name
County
Seat
Population
Area
DaviessOwensboro96,656
HancockHawesville8,565
HendersonHenderson46,250
HopkinsMadisonville46,920
McLeanCalhoun9,531
MuhlenbergGreenville31,499
OhioHartford23,842
UnionMorganfield15,007
WebsterDixon13,621

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.