Parkersburg is a city in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

of Wood County,

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...

. Located at the confluence of the

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

and Little Kanawha rivers, it is the state's fourth-largest city and the largest city in the Parkersburg-Marietta-Vienna metropolitan area. The population was 29,749 at the 2020 census. The city is about south of

Marietta, Ohio Marietta is a city in, and the county seat of, Washington County, Ohio, United States. It is located in southeastern Ohio at the confluence of the Muskingum and Ohio Rivers, northeast of Parkersburg, West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, Ma ...

. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad reached Parkersburg in 1857, but lacked a crossing over the Ohio River until after the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

. When the B&O completed the

Parkersburg Bridge (CSX) The Parkersburg Bridge crosses the Ohio River between Parkersburg, West Virginia, and Belpre, Ohio. Designed by Jacob Linville, the bridge has 46 spans: 25 deck plate girder, 14 deck truss, 6 through truss, and 1 through plate girder. of stone ...

1868–1870 to Belpre, it was the longest railroad bridge in the world. The

Bureau of the Public Debt The Bureau of the Public Debt was an agency within the Fiscal Service of the United States Department of the Treasury. United States Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner issued a directive that the Bureau be combined with the Financial M ...

, an agency of the

U.S. Treasury Department The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States, where it serves as an executive department. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and ...

, was relocated from the

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

metropolitan area in the late 20th century and headquartered in Parkersburg. In October 2012, it was merged with the Financial Management Service to form the

Bureau of the Fiscal Service The Bureau of the Fiscal Service (Fiscal Service) is a bureau of the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The Fiscal Service replaced the Bureau of the Public Debt and the Financial Management Service effective October 7, 2012 by directive of Treasu ...

History

Settlers at first named the city Newport when they settled it in the late 18th century following the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. This was part of a westward migration of settlers from parts of Virginia to the east, closer to the Atlantic Ocean. A town section was laid out on land granted to Alexander Parker for his Revolutionary War service. Virginia made grants of land to veterans for their war service. The title conflicts between Parker and the city planners of Newport were settled in 1809 in favor of his heirs. The town was renamed Parkersburg in 1810. It was chartered by the

Virginia General Assembly The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the oldest continuous law-making body in the Western Hemisphere, the first elected legislative assembly in the New World, and was established on July 30, 16 ...

in 1820. It was rechartered as a city in 1860. The town was the western terminus of both the

Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike The Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike was built in what is now the U.S. states of Virginia and West Virginia during the second quarter of the 19th century to provide a roadway from Staunton, Virginia and the upper Shenandoah Valley to the Ohio River at ...

and the

Northwestern Turnpike The Northwestern Turnpike is a historic road in West Virginia (Virginia at the time the road was created), important for being historically one of the major roads crossing the Appalachians, financed by the Virginia Board of Public Works in the 183 ...

. In 1857 the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad built a branch line south to the town from

Wheeling, West Virginia Wheeling is a city in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Located almost entirely in Ohio County, of which it is the county seat, it lies along the Ohio River in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and also contains a tiny portion extending ...

. Travelers wanting to connect with the Ohio

Marietta and Cincinnati Railroad The Marietta and Cincinnati (M&C) was one of five important east-west railroads of southern Ohio; it was later absorbed by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O). Its original route ran from Marietta through Vincent, Athens, Hamden, Chillicothe, ...

, one of the east–west lines along the Ohio River, had to take a steamboat 14 miles north to

. Jacob Linville designed the railroad bridge planned by the B&O. It was constructed in 1868–1870 between Parkersburg and

Belpre, Ohio Belpre (historically spelled Belpré; pronounced ) is a city in Washington County, Ohio, United States, along the Ohio River near Parkersburg, West Virginia. Its name derives from "Belle Prairie" (French for "beautiful meadow"), the name given ...

, as part of the B&O's main line from Baltimore to

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

. This drew traffic and trade from Marietta. Today the structure is known as the Parkersburg Bridge. Parkersburg served as a transportation and medical center for Union forces during the

. It developed further as a transportation hub in the gas and oil boom following that war.

Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park is a state park located on Blennerhassett Island, a small island in the Ohio River, located in Wood County, West Virginia, USA. The property was the site of a Palladian mansion owned by Harman Blenn ...

is a historical island located just below Parkersburg. In the late 19th century Parkersburg emerged as a major oil refining center serving nearby oilfields at Volcano and Burning Springs. The Camden Consolidated Oil Company, founded in 1866 by future U.S. Senator Johnson Newlon Camden, dominated the refining business and was sold to Rockefeller's Standard Oil Company in 1875. Camden became a Standard director and vice president and, along with John W. Davis, dominated West Virginia politics until the early 20th century. In the post-World War II period, Parkersburg became one of the leading industrial centers of the Ohio Valley, producing chemicals, glass, O. Ames tools, textiles (especially American Viscose Company rayon), plastics and polymers, iron, and steel.

Geography

Parkersburg is located at 39°15'58" North, 81°32'32" West (39.266175, −81.542139). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. The city is situated at the confluence of the Little Kanawha and

rivers. The Little Kanawha River divides the north and south sides of the city.

Worthington Creek Worthington Creek is a tributary of the Little Kanawha River, long, in western West Virginia in the United States. Via the Little Kanawha and Ohio rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of in the city o ...

, a tributary of the Little Kanawha River, flows through the eastern part of the city.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers, cold winters and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

system, Parkersburg has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

, abbreviated ''Dfa'' on climate maps.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2010, there were 31,492 people, 13,807 households, and 8,086 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was . There were 15,562 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.9%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 2.0%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.3% Native American, 0.4%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.1%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.3% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 2.1% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 1.2% of the population. There were 13,807 households, of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.1% were married couples living together, 14.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.4% were non-families. 35.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.86. The median age in the city was 41.2 years. 21.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25% were from 25 to 44; 27.5% were from 45 to 64; and 18% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.5% male and 52.5% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 33,099 people, 14,467 households, and 8,767 families residing in the city. In 2012 the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that Parkersburg's population had decreased 0.5% to 31,261.2012 Census Estimate
The

was 2,800.5 people per square mile (1,081.2/km²). There were 16,100 housing units at an average density of 1,362.2 per square mile (525.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.4%

, 1.8%

, 0.4% Native American, 0.2%

, 0.1%

, 0.2% from

, and 1.0% from two or more races.

of any race were 0.8% of the population. ParkersburgWV Aerial

There were 14,467 households, out of which 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.2% were married couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.4% were non-families. 34.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.83. In the city the population was spread out, with 21.2% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 18.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $21,120, and the median income for a family was $29,731. Males had a median income of $28,320 versus $18,203 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $15,820. About 23.3% of families and 21.2% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 35.2% of those under the age of 18 and 12.5% of those 65 and older.

Arts and culture

Annual cultural events

The Annual Mid-Ohio Valley Multi-Cultural Festival is held in June, and is an international festival featuring traditional dance and music and an international marketplace. The Parkersburg Homecoming Festival is held in August and features a parade, fireworks, half-marathon, competitions and entertainment. The Taste of Parkersburg is an event held around Memorial Day each year since 2006 which features food and drinks from local vendors. The Downtown Throwdown is BBQ and beer festival held in September. It is co-hosted by Downtown PKB and the Parkersburg Area Jaycees and was started in 2014.

Tourism

Wood County Courthouse Parkersburg West Virginia

Several museums are located in Parkersburg, including the

Blennerhassett Museum of Regional History Blennerhassett is an English name, English surname. Origin The name originates from the village of Blennerhasset (with one t) in Cumbria, England. People with the surname *Arthur Blennerhassett (1687–1758), Anglo-Irish lawyer, politician and ju ...

, the Henry Cooper House, the Oil and Gas Museum, the Sumnerite African-American History Museum, the Artcraft Studio and the

Veterans Museum of Mid-Ohio Valley A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in a particular occupation or field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in a military. A military veteran that has ...

Sports

The Wood County Ravens, a semi-professional football team, was based in the city. The Ravens were a part of the now defunct Mountain State Football League. Parkersburg was home to the Ohio Valley Redcoats, a minor league baseball team, until 1998. The city was in negotiations to bring professional baseball back to Parkersburg but those negotiations fell through because of lack of support from the community. In 2008, the city and its three high schools placed second in

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). Th ...

's TitleTown USA competition. "We don't have a lot of people, nor any professional sports teams, but here is a stat for you. AAA is the highest level that a high school can compete at in W.Va. Two of the three schools mentioned hereafter are AAA schools. In Parkersburg, we have accumulated 192 overall state championships in 103 years with 183 of those coming since 1950. Parkersburg High School alone has 137 championships in its 103 years of existence. Parkersburg South High School has 38 titles in 40 years. Not to be outdone Parkersburg Catholic, a single A school, has 17 state titles of its own. Not bad considering that there are 136 high school teams in West Virginia with 38 in AAA. We may not have a pro sports team, but in high school sports, Parkersburg as a whole is pretty dominant" as written in an article on espn.com.

Parks and recreation

There are several parks in the area, including

, Bicentennial Park, Corning Park, Point Park, Southwood Park, Quincy Park, City Park, Johnson T. Janes Park, Friendship Park, Fort Boreman Historical Park, Mountwood Park and

Fries Park Fries Park was a park established in Marrtown, West Virginia, United States, in 1892 by Gustavus Louis "Gusty" Fries. Opening From a Parkersburg newspaper, May 6, 1893: “You Are Invited. ''Gusty Fries has provided a place long needed. By hard ...

Education

Higher education

* Mountain State College, a private, for-profit, two-year college, is located in the city. *

West Virginia University at Parkersburg West Virginia University at Parkersburg is a public community college in Parkersburg, West Virginia. Although it was originally part of West Virginia University, it is now an independent public institution with its own board of governors and degr ...

, a public college, is located on the outskirts of the city. * Parkersburg Bible College, a private Christian school * Centurion Bible College *

Ohio Valley University Ohio Valley University was a private Christian college located between Parkersburg and Vienna in West Virginia. Founded in 1958 (with classes beginning in fall 1960), the school integrated education with teachings of the Christian faith. The col ...

is located nearby in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

. Closed in 2022.

High schools

Parkersburg is the home of the

Parkersburg High School Parkersburg High School (PHS) is a secondary school located in Parkersburg, West Virginia, United States, that serves grades nine through twelve and is part of the Wood County School District. As of the 2018-2019 West Virginia Secondary School ...

Big Reds, Parkersburg South High School Patriots, and the

Parkersburg Catholic High School Parkersburg Catholic High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Parkersburg, West Virginia. It is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *A ...

Crusaders. The Wood County Technical Center is part of Wood County Public Schools.

Middle schools

There were, as of May 2020, five middle schools dispersed throughout the city.

Elementary schools

There were, as of May 2020, 18 elementary schools dispersed throughout the city.

Media

The ''Parkersburg News'' and ''Parkersburg Sentinel'' were the city's two major daily newspapers until 2009 when they combined to form one daily edition, ''

The Parkersburg News and Sentinel ''The Parkersburg News and Sentinel'' is the primary newspaper in Parkersburg, West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association ...

''. The same company also publishes ''The Marietta Times'' and ''Graffiti'', West Virginia's alternative news magazine. There are many radio stations broadcasting from Parkersburg, including 106.1 Z106 (WRZZ),102.1 The River (WRVB), U.S. 107 WNUS, MIX 100 (WDMX), V96.9 (WVVV), WXIL, Froggy 99.1, 103.1 The Bear, and WPKM 96.3 FM "the Beat" which is the college radio station of West Virginia University at Parkersburg. WTAP, the local

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

affiliate, is the main local television station.

WIYE-LD WIYE-LD (channel 26) is a low-power television station in Parkersburg, West Virginia, United States, affiliated with CBS and MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Gray Television alongside NBC affiliate WTAP-TV (channel 15) and low-power Fox affiliate WOV ...

(CBS) and

WOVA-LD WOVA-LD (channel 22) is a low-power television station in Parkersburg, West Virginia, United States, affiliated with Fox and The CW Plus. It is owned by Gray Television alongside NBC affiliate WTAP-TV (channel 15) and low-power CBS affiliate ...

(Fox / CW+) are sister stations.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Parkersburg is served by two major highways, Interstate 77 and

US 50 U.S. Route 50 or U.S. Highway 50 (US 50) is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching from Interstate 80 (I-80) in West Sacramento, California, to Maryland Route 528 (MD 528) in Ocean City, Maryland, on the Atlantic ...

. Other routes through the city include WV routes 2, 14, 47, 68, 95 and

618 __NOTOC__ Year 618 ( DCXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 618 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era ...

. Parkersburg is served by

Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport is seven miles northeast of Parkersburg, in Wood County, West Virginia. It is owned by the Wood County Airport Authority and is also known as Wood County Airport or Gill Robb Wilson Field. It serves the Mid-Ohio ...

, with three flights a day Monday through Friday from Charlotte Douglas International Airport. Parkersburg is served by freight rail. Passenger rail is no longer available. Into the 1960s, several major long distance train routes made stops in Parkersburg. These included the

Baltimore and Ohio The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the first common carrier railroad and the oldest railroad in the United States, with its first section opening in 1830. Merchants from Baltimore, which had benefited to some extent from the construction of ...

's ''

National Limited The ''National Limited'' was the premier train of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) on its route between Jersey City, New Jersey and St. Louis, Missouri, with major station stops in Washington, D.C., and Cincinnati, Ohio. (Buses took passen ...

'' to

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

to the west and

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

and Jersey City to the east. From 1976 to 1981

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada ...

operated the '' Shenandoah (Amtrak train),'' serving

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

to the west and Washington, D.C., to the east.

Pollution

High levels of

PFOA Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA; conjugate base perfluorooctanoate; also known colloquially as C8, for its 8 carbon chain structure) is a perfluorinated carboxylic acid produced and used worldwide as an industrial surfactant in chemical processes a ...

, also known as C8, originating in landfills used by the DuPont/Chemours chemical company have been noted in Parkersburg drinking water. Despite a 2004 class-action legal settlement obligating DuPont to install a drinking water filtration plant if asked, local water district officials have not, as of 2016, asked for one.

Notable people

Allen Appel Allen Appel (born January 6, 1945) is an American novelist best known for his series about time traveler Alex Balfour. In the series, fictional characters are interwoven with actual historical people and events. Born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Ap ...

, novelist *

Walt Barnes Walter Lee Barnes (January 26, 1918 – January 6, 1998) was an American football guard and actor who played in National Football League (NFL) for four seasons. He played in the (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles and in college at Louisiana State ...

, professional football player and actor *

Dick Biddle Richard L. Biddle (born November 26, 1947) is a former American football player and coach. He served as head football coach at Colgate University from 1996 through 2013, compiling a record of 137–73. This ranks him first at Colgate in terms o ...

, college football coach * Zac Boggs, soccer player *

Harman Blennerhassett Harman Blennerhassett (8 October 1765 – 2 February 1831) was an Anglo-Irish lawyer, a member of the Society of United Irishmen who emigrated in advance of their rebellion in 1798 to become a socially and politically distinguished plantation ...

, ally of Aaron Burr and owner of

Blennerhassett Island Blennerhassett Island is an island on the Ohio River below the mouth of the Little Kanawha River, near Parkersburg in Wood County, West Virginia, United States. Historically, Blennerhassett Island was occupied by Native Americans. Nemacolin, ...

Sybil Carmen Carmen Regina Revnes ( née Attkisson; December 23, 1896 — April 14, 1929https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/1616/images/31070_171172-00691?pId=183230 ), known professionally as Sybil Carmen, was an American actress, dancer, and Zie ...

Ziegfeld Girl Ziegfeld Girls were the chorus girls and showgirls from Florenz Ziegfeld's theatrical Broadway revue spectaculars known as the '' Ziegfeld Follies'' (1907–1931), in New York City, which were based on the Folies Bergère of Paris. Desc ...

and silent film actress *

Ed Catmull Edwin Earl "Ed" Catmull (born March 31, 1945) is an American computer scientist who is the co-founder of Pixar and was the President of Walt Disney Animation Studios. He has been honored for his contributions to 3D computer graphics, including th ...

, president of Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios *

Jim Dawson Jim Dawson (born September 10, 1944) is a Hollywood, California-based author who has specialized in American pop culture (especially early rock and roll) and the history of flatulence. A self-proclaimed "fartologist", he has written three books ...

, cultural historian *

Paul Dooley Paul Dooley (born Paul Brown; February 22, 1928) is an American character actor, writer and comedian. He is known for his roles in '' Breaking Away'', '' Sixteen Candles'', and ''Popeye''. Early life Dooley was born Paul Brown on February 22, ...

, Hollywood character actor *

Leah Bodine Drake Leah Bodine Drake (December 22, 1904 – November 21, 1964) was an American poet, editor and critic. Biography Leah Bodine Drake was born in Chanute, Kansas, in 1904. Her father was the oilman Thomas Hulbert Drake. According to the jacket m ...

, poet *

Edmund Burke Fairfield Edmund Burke Fairfield (August 7, 1821 – November 7, 1904) was an American minister, educator and politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. He served as the 12th lieutenant governor of Michigan and as the second Chancellor of the Unive ...

, 12th Lieutenant Governor of Michigan and Chancellor of

University of Nebraska A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...

Paul Goldsmith Paul Goldsmith (born October 2, 1925) is a former USAC and NASCAR driver. He is an inductee of the Motorcycle Hall of Fame, the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, and the USAC Hall of Fame. Later in life Goldsmith became a pilot and, flying ...

, member of

Motorcycle Hall of Fame The AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum is an offshoot of the American Motorcyclist Association, recognizing individuals who have contributed to motorcycle sport, motorcycle construction, or motorcycling in general. It also displays motorcycle ...

* Linda Goodman, astrology author *

Tommy Hanlon, Jr. Tommy Hanlon Jr. (14 August 1923 – 9 October 2003) was an American-born actor, comedian, television host and circus ringmaster, notable for his career in Australia after emigrating there in 1959, where he became a Gold Logie-award-winning me ...

, Australian television presenter *

Dick Hoblitzel Richard Carleton "Dick" Hoblitzell (October 26, 1888 – November 14, 1962) played first base in the major leagues from 1908 to 1918. He played for the Cincinnati Reds and Boston Red Sox. Nicknamed "Doc" by his teammates, Hoblitzell's baseball c ...

, outfielder in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

* Homer A. Holt, justice of

West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals The Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia is the state supreme court of the state of West Virginia, the highest of West Virginia's state courts. The court sits primarily at the West Virginia State Capitol in Charleston, although from 1873 t ...

* Cy Hungerford, political cartoonist for ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'' * Jacob B. Jackson, Governor of West Virginia 1881–85 *

John Jay Jackson, Jr. John Jay Jackson Jr. (August 4, 1824 – September 2, 1907) was an American lawyer, Whig party (United States), Whig politician, United States federal judge, United States District Judge (initially of the United States District Court for the Weste ...

, U.S. federal judge * Lily Irene Jackson (1848–1928), artist and daughter of John Jay Jackson, Jr. * Robert Lichello, author *

Leon Claire Metz Leon Claire Metz (November 6, 1930 – November 15, 2020) was an American cultural historian, author, television documentary personality, and lecturer on the American Old West period. Metz presented hundreds of his programs to groups all over t ...

, historian, author, documentary personality, lecturer on American West * Hunter Holmes Moss, Jr., Republican

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

* Earle "Greasy" Neale (1891–1973), professional football and baseball player *

Gary Null Gary Michael Null (born January 6, 1945) is an American talk radio host and author who advocates pseudoscientific alternative medicine and produces a line of questionable dietary supplements. Null is hostile to evidence-based medicine and has ...

, nutritionist and author *

Devon Odessa ''My So-Called Life'' is an American teen drama television series created by Winnie Holzman and produced by Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz. It originally aired on ABC from August 25, 1994, to January 26, 1995. It is distributed by The ...

, actress and film producer *

Buck Rinehart Dana Gillman "Buck" Rinehart (February 24, 1946 – February 18, 2015) was an American attorney who served as the 50th mayor of Columbus, Ohio, from 1984 to 1992. Biography Rinehart was born in Parkersburg, West Virginia in 1946. Having serve ...

, Republican, Mayor of Columbus, Ohio *

Bill Robinson Bill Robinson, nicknamed Bojangles (born Luther Robinson; May 25, 1878 – November 25, 1949), was an American tap dancer, actor, and singer, the best known and the most highly paid African-American entertainer in the United States during the f ...

, jazz singer *

Morgan Spurlock Morgan Valentine Spurlock (born November 7, 1970) is an American documentary filmmaker, humorist, television producer, screenwriter and playwright. Spurlock's films include '' Super Size Me'' (2004), '' Where in the World Is Osama bin Laden?'' ( ...

, documentary filmmaker, humorist, television producer, screenwriter, and political activist * Mick Staton, Republican, U.S. Representative * William E. Stevenson, Governor of West Virginia, 1869–71 * Felix Stump, admiral in U.S. Navy and Commander,

United States Pacific Fleet The United States Pacific Fleet (USPACFLT) is a theater-level component command of the United States Navy, located in the Pacific Ocean. It provides naval forces to the Indo-Pacific Command. Fleet headquarters is at Joint Base Pearl Harbor� ...

Nick Swisher Nicholas Thompson Swisher (born November 25, 1980) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and first baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB). He was a switch hitter who threw left-handed, and played for the Oakland Athletics, Chica ...

, professional baseball player and Steve's son *

Steve Swisher Steven Eugene Swisher (born August 9, 1951) is an American former professional baseball player and minor league manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, and San Diego Padres from 1974 to ...

, professional baseball player and Nick's father * Peter G. Van Winkle, Republican U.S. Senator * Richard Watts, Jr., film critic for '' New York Herald Tribune'' * Gibby Welch, professional football player * Albert B. White, Governor of West Virginia, 1901–05 *

Deron Williams Deron Michael Williams ( ; born June 26, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Illinois Fighting Illini before being drafted third overall in the 2005 NBA draft by the Utah Jazz. A thr ...

, professional basketball player * Jay Wolfe, West Virginia State Senator and U.S. Senate candidate *

Chase Fieler Chase Fieler (born June 10, 1992) is an American basketball player for the Saga Ballooners of the Japanese B.League. Fieler usually plays at the power forward position. College career Fieler played for Florida Gulf Coast University from 2010 to ...

, professional basketball player * John D. Hoblitzell Jr., U.S. Senator, born and raised in Parkersburg

Neighborhoods

North Parkersburg (North End)

Beechwood, Downtown, Fairview Heights, Granada Hills, Julia-Ann Square, Meadowcrest, Oakwood Estates, Quincy Hill, Riverside, Woodland Park, North End, Worthington, East End

South Parkersburg (South Side)

The southern part of the City of Parkersburg, South Parkersburg was a separate city until it became part of Parkersburg in 1950. Suburban parts of southern Wood County include Blennerhassett, Lubeck, and

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

to the southwest, with Mineral Wells located to the southeast.

Film and television

* The

Mark Ruffalo Mark Alan Ruffalo (; born November 22, 1967) is an American actor and producer best known for playing Bruce Banner / Hulk since 2012 in the superhero franchise of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and in the television series '' She-Hulk: Attorne ...

film '' Dark Waters'', released in 2019, was based in events mainly from the City of Parkersburg. * The Steven Soderbergh film ''

Bubble Bubble, Bubbles or The Bubble may refer to: Common uses * Bubble (physics), a globule of one substance in another, usually gas in a liquid ** Soap bubble * Economic bubble, a situation where asset prices are much higher than underlying funda ...

'', released in 2006, was filmed in Parkersburg and neighboring

, using an all-local cast. * Parkersburg was mentioned in the novel ''

Night of the Hunter Night (also described as night time, unconventionally spelled as "nite") is the period of ambient darkness from sunset to sunrise during each 24-hour day, when the Sun is below the horizon. The exact time when night begins and ends depends o ...

'' (1953) and the 1955 film by the same name adapted from it. In

Davis Grubb Davis Alexander Grubb (July 23, 1919 – July 24, 1980) was an American novelist and short story writer, best known for his 1953 novel '' The Night of the Hunter'', which was adapted as a film in 1955 by Charles Laughton. Biography Born in M ...

's 1953 novel, Parkersburg was the town where the preacher Harry Powell was caught for car theft and sent to prison. It was worldly town that Rachel Cooper ( Lillian Gish in the film) avoided because she'd been short-changed; and finally it was the home of the state troopers who came to arrest Powell for murder. Powell called Parkersburg, "One of them Sodoms on the Ohio River," referring to its reputation as a rough river town in the 19th and early 20th century. * Parkersburg was the set for the 1962 television series '' It's a Man's World''. * The city was featured in a 1996 episode of ''

Rescue 911 ''Rescue 911'' is an American informational docudrama television series that premiered on CBS on April 18, 1989, and ended on August 27, 1996. The series was hosted by William Shatner and featured reenactments (and occasionally real footage) of e ...

''. * Other films shot in the city are '' Salvage'' and '' The Barbecue''.https://www.imdb.com/List?endings=on&&locations=Parkersburg,%20West%20Virginia,%20USA *Parkersburg was featured in a 2013 episode of the NBC post-apocalyptic science fiction television drama series ''

Revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...

''.

Awards

* CNNMoney.com named the city the #7 Best Shrinking Place to Live. * Best place to retire in West Virginia – ''USA Today'', 2018 *Runner-up, Golden Crater Award – Streetsblog, 2015.

Sister cities

References

External links

Parkersburg News and Sentinel newspaper

Parkersburg's website

Greater Parkersburg Tourism
* {{authority control Cities in West Virginia Cities in Wood County, West Virginia Little Kanawha River Northwestern Turnpike County seats in West Virginia West Virginia populated places on the Ohio River 1810 establishments in Virginia Populated places established in 1810