Moving to Vevay: Pros, Cons & What to Know
Moving to Vevay means moving to the seat of Switzerland County -- genuinely the only county in the US named Switzerland -- a small, Swiss-heritage river town with an honest, disclosed tax trade-off and flood-risk history.
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Learn moreThe only U.S. county named Switzerland
Vevay's population ran approximately 1,767 as of the 2026 estimate, within Switzerland County's own roughly 10,037 residents -- genuinely the only county in the United States named Switzerland, with Vevay serving as its seat since 1814 (base record).
A real, distinctive Swiss-founding story
Vevay was founded in 1802 by Swiss immigrant vintners organized as the Swiss Vineyard Society under Jean-Jacques Dufour, who planted one of the earliest commercial vineyards in the United States and named the town after Vevey, Switzerland -- a heritage still actively celebrated through the annual Swiss Wine Festival, held since 1965 (base record).
A real, disclosed county-level tax trade-off
Switzerland County pairs a genuinely low effective property tax rate (~0.45%, among Indiana's lowest) with the highest local income tax layer documented anywhere in Indiana (~3.38%), stacked on the state's flat 2.95% rate -- a real, disclosed trade-off worth weighing against your own income and homeownership plans (base record).
Real, disclosed Ohio River flood-risk history
Vevay sits on ground elevated above the Ohio River, but the town still suffered documented building damage along its riverfront during the historic January 1937 flood -- the flood of record for most of the river's length -- worth researching current FEMA flood-zone status directly for any riverfront-adjacent property (base record).
Key takeaways
- Vevay is the seat of Switzerland County -- genuinely the only county in the US named Switzerland.
- Vevay's 1802 Swiss-vintner founding story is still an active civic identity through the annual Swiss Wine Festival (since 1965).
- Switzerland County pairs Indiana's lowest property tax rate (~0.45%) with its highest local income tax rate (~3.38%) -- weigh both before moving.
- The 1937 flood caused documented Ohio River damage in Vevay despite its elevated siting -- confirm current FEMA flood-zone status directly.
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