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Parkersburg is a city in
Wood County, West Virginia Wood County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 84,296, making it West Virginia's fifth-most populous county. Its county seat is Parkersburg. The county was formed in 1798 from the west ...
, United States, and its
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
. Located at the
confluence In geography, a confluence (also ''conflux'') occurs where two or more watercourses join to form a single channel (geography), channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main ...
of the
Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
and Little Kanawha rivers, it is the state's fourth-most populous city and the center of the Parkersburg–Vienna metropolitan area. The city's population was 29,749 at the 2020 census, and its metro population was 89,490. The city is about south of
Marietta, Ohio Marietta is a city in Washington County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located in Appalachian Ohio, southeastern Ohio at the confluence of the Muskingum River, Muskingum and Ohio Rivers, northeast of Parkersburg, West Virginia ...
.


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 the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
. 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, and the first elected legislative assembly in the New World. It was established on July 30, ...
in 1820. It was rechartered as a city in 1860. The town was the western terminus of both the Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike and the Northwestern Turnpike. In 1857, the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the oldest railroads in North America, oldest railroad in the United States and the first steam engine, steam-operated common carrier. Construction of the line began in 1828, and it operated as B&O from 1830 ...
built a branch line south to the town from
Wheeling, West Virginia Wheeling is a city in Ohio County, West Virginia, Ohio and Marshall County, West Virginia, Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The county seat of Ohio County, it lies along the Ohio River in the foothills of the Appalachian Mo ...
. Travelers wanting to connect with the Ohio Marietta and Cincinnati Railroad, one of the east–west lines along the Ohio River, had to take a steamboat 14 miles north to
Marietta, Ohio Marietta is a city in Washington County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located in Appalachian Ohio, southeastern Ohio at the confluence of the Muskingum River, Muskingum and Ohio Rivers, northeast of Parkersburg, West Virginia ...
. Jacob Linville designed the railroad bridge planned by the B&O. It was constructed in 1868–1870 between Parkersburg and Belpre, Ohio, as part of the B&O's main line from Baltimore to
St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...
. 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
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
. It developed further as a transportation hub in the gas and oil boom following that war. 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. The
Bureau of the Public Debt The Bureau of the Public Debt was an agency within the Fiscal Service of the Department of the Treasury that managed the public debt of the United States. It was consolidated with the Financial Management Service to form the Bureau of the ...
, an agency of the U.S. Treasury Department, was moved to Parkersburg in 1954 as a location midway between
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
and
Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
that would be safe in the event of a national emergency. In October 2012, the Bureau of the Public Debt consolidated with the Financial Management Service to form the
Bureau of the Fiscal Service The Bureau of the Fiscal Service (Fiscal Service) is part of the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The Bureau consolidates the activities of the previous Bureau of the Public Debt and the Financial Management Service, under the Office of Fis ...
.


Geography

According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, 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
Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
rivers. The Little Kanawha River divides the north and south sides of the city. Worthington Creek, a tributary of the Little Kanawha River, flows through the eastern part of the city.


Neighborhoods

The North End of the city includes the Beechwood, Downtown, Fairview Heights, Granada Hills, Julia-Ann Square, Meadowcrest, Oakwood Estates, Quincy Hill, Riverside, Woodland Park, North End, Worthington, and East End neighborhoods. 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 to the southwest, with Mineral Wells located to the southeast.


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 divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
system, Parkersburg is in transition between 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 cold ...
, abbreviated ''Dfa'' on climate maps, and humid subtropical (Cfa).


Demographics


2020 census

As of the
census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2020, there were 29,749 people, 13,119 households, and 7,305 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,524 inhabitants per square mile (1,029/km2). There were 15,246 housing units at an average density of 1,317 per square mile (508/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 93.8%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 1.9%
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.1% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 0.3%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 0.3% from other races, and 3.1% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino of any race were 1.5% of the population. There were 13,119 households, of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.5% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 44.3% were non-families. 35.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.96. The median age in the city was 42 years. 20.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.7% were from 25 to 44; 27% were from 45 to 64; and 21.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.3% male and 51.7% female.


2010 census

As of the
census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
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: Standing 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 geog ...
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 chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 2.0%
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.3% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.1%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 0.3% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino 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 Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
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
census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
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 population density was . There were 16,100 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.4%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 1.8%
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.4% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.1%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 0.2% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino of any race were 0.8% of the population. 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 Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
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 average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
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 ...
, including 35.2% of those under the age of 18 and 12.5% of those 65 and older.


Arts and culture


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 a 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

Several museums are located in Parkersburg, including the Blennerhassett Museum of Regional History, 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.


Parks and recreation

There are several parks in the area, including Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park, 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.


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, from 1993 through 1998. The city negotiated to bring professional baseball back to Parkersburg but they fell through because of lack of support from the community. In 2008, the city and its three high schools placed second in
ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
's TitleTown USA competition. By 2008, the city's high school athletic programs had amassed 192 overall state championships.


Pollution

High levels of
PFOA Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA; conjugate base perfluorooctanoate; also known colloquially as C8, from its chemical formula C8HF15O2) is a perfluorinated carboxylic acid produced and used worldwide as an industrial surfactant in chemical process ...
, also known as C8, originating in landfills used by the DuPont/Chemours Washington Works 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.


Education


Higher education

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


Primary and secondary

Parkersburg is the home of the Parkersburg High School Big Reds, Parkersburg South High School Patriots, and the Parkersburg Catholic High School Crusaders. The Wood County Technical Center and the Caperton Center for Applied Technology is part of Wood County Public Schools. There were, as of May 2020, five middle schools and 16 elementary schools dispersed throughout the city.


Media

The ''Parkersburg News'' and ''Parkersburg Sentinel'' were the city's two major daily newspapers until they combined in 2009 to form one daily edition: '' The Parkersburg News and Sentinel''. 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 commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
affiliate, is the main local television station. WIYE-LD (CBS) and WOVA-LD (Fox / CW+) are sister stations.


Transportation

Parkersburg is served by two major highways, Interstate 77 and US 50. Other routes through the city include WV routes 2, 14, 47, 68, 95 and 618. Parkersburg is served by Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport, with three flights a day Monday through Friday from Charlotte Douglas International Airport. Passenger rail was available into the 1960s, with several major long-distance trains making stops in Parkersburg. These included the Baltimore and Ohio'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 passeng ...
'' to
St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...
to the west and
Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
,
Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...
and
Jersey City Jersey City is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, second-most populous
to the east. From 1976 to 1981
Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
operated the '' Shenandoah (Amtrak train),'' serving
Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...
to the west and Washington, D.C., to the east. Freight rail service is provided by
CSX CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Railroad classes, Class I freight railroad company operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Operating about 21,000 route miles () of trac ...
, with local industries switched by Belpre Industrial Parkersburg Railroad and Little Kanawha River Rail.


Notable people

* Allen Appel, novelist * Walt Barnes, professional football player and actor *
Dick Biddle Richard L. Biddle (November 26, 1947 – August 11, 2023) was an 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 ...
, college football coach * Harman Blennerhassett, ally of
Aaron Burr Aaron Burr Jr. (February 6, 1756 – September 14, 1836) was an American politician, businessman, lawyer, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third vice president of the United States from 1801 to 1805 d ...
and owner of Blennerhassett Island * Zac Boggs, soccer player * Kim Caldwell, basketball coach * Sybil Carmen, Ziegfeld Girl and silent film actress *
Edwin Catmull Edwin Earl Catmull (born March 31, 1945) is an American computer scientist and animator who served as the co-founder of Pixar and the President of Walt Disney Animation Studios. He has been honored for his contributions to 3D computer graphics, ...
, president of Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios * Jim Dawson, cultural historian * Paul Dooley, Hollywood character actor * Leah Bodine Drake, poet * Edmund Burke Fairfield, 12th Lieutenant Governor of Michigan and Chancellor of
University of Nebraska A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...
* Chase Fieler, professional basketball player * Dave Foggin, member of the
West Virginia House of Delegates The West Virginia House of Delegates is the lower house of the West Virginia Legislature in West Virginia. Only three states—Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia—refer to their lower house as the House of Delegates. Organization Regular se ...
, born in Parkersburg * Paul Goldsmith, member of Motorcycle Hall of Fame * Linda Goodman, astrology author * Tommy Hanlon Jr., Australian television presenter * Dick Hoblitzel, outfielder in
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
* John D. Hoblitzell Jr., U.S. Senator, born and raised in Parkersburg * Homer A. Holt, justice of West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals * Cy Hungerford, political cartoonist for ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'' * Jacob B. Jackson, Governor of West Virginia 1881–85 * John Jay Jackson Jr., U.S. federal judge * Lily Irene Jackson (1848–1928), artist and daughter of John Jay Jackson Jr. * Robert Lichello, author * Tom Lopienski, NFL player * Macguire McDuff, NCAA champion swimmer * Leon Claire Metz, historian, author, documentary personality, lecturer on American West * Hunter Holmes Moss Jr., Republican
U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...
* Earle "Greasy" Neale (1891–1973), professional football and baseball player * Harold Newhart, Olympic gymnast *
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, 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 List of mayors of Columbus, Ohio, mayor of Columbus, Ohio, from 1984 to 1992. Biography Rinehart was born in Parkersburg, W ...
, Republican, Mayor of Columbus, Ohio *
Bill Robinson Bill "Bojangles" Robinson (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 black entertainer in the United States during the first half of the 20 ...
, jazz singer * Morgan Spurlock, Academy Award-nominated documentary filmmaker, humorist, television producer, screenwriter, and political activist * Mick Staton, Republican, U.S. Representative * William E. Stevenson, Governor of West Virginia, 1869–71 * Brenton Strange, NFL Player for the Jacksonville Jaguars * 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, 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 The ''New York Herald Tribune'' was a newspaper published between 1924 and 1966. It was created in 1924 when Ogden Mills Reid of the '' New York Tribune'' acquired the '' New York Herald''. It was regarded as a "writer's newspaper" and compet ...
'' and ''
New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates three online sites: NYPost. ...
'' * 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 men's basketball, Illinois Fighting Illini before being drafted third overall in ...
, professional basketball player * Jay Wolfe, West Virginia State Senator and U.S. Senate candidate


In popular culture

* The
Mark Ruffalo Mark Alan Ruffalo (; born November 22, 1967) is an American actor. He began acting in the late 1980s and first gained recognition for his work in Kenneth Lonergan's play ''This Is Our Youth'' (1996) and drama film ''You Can Count on Me'' (2000) ...
film '' Dark Waters'', released in 2019, was based in events mainly from the City of Parkersburg. * Parkersburg was the set for the 1962 television series '' It's a Man's World''. * 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 (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...
''. * Emo/Post-Rock/Indie band '' The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die'' references the city in their song "Blank//Worker" from the 2021 album '' Illusory Walls''.


Sister city


See also

* Hughes River Wildlife Management Area *
List of cities and towns along the Ohio River The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its river mouth, mouth on the Mississippi Riv ...
* List of Registered Historic Places in West Virginia * Vienna, WV * Grand Central Mall


General sources


References


Further reading

* * Philip W. Sturm. ''A River to Cross: The Bicentennial History of Wood County, West Virginia''. Published 1999 by The Bicentennial Commission of Wood County, WV. Josten Publishing Co., State College, PA * Philip W. Sturm. ''Wood County Reflections: A Pictorial History''. Published 2005, Donning Company Publishers, Virginia Beach, VA. * Bernard L. Allen. ''Parkersburg: A Bicentennial History''. Parkersburg Bicentennial Committee. Printed 1985 by Josten Publishing Co., State College, PA.


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 Populated places on the 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