[edit] History

The Wood County Courthouse.

Parkersburg was originally named Newport when it was laid out in the late 1700s. A section of the land in the town was laid out over land granted to Alexander Parker for his Revolutionary War service. The title conflicts between Parker and the city planners of Newport were settled in 1809 in favor of Alexander Parker's heirs. The town was renamed Parkersburg in 1810. It was chartered by the Virginia General Assembly in 1820. It was rechartered as a city in 1860.

The town was the terminus of the Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike and the Northwestern Turnpike. In 1857 the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad built a branch line to the town. The town was important as a transportation and medical center during the American Civil War. It then became a transportation hub in the gas and oil boom following that war.

Blennerhassett Island is a historical site located in Parkersburg.

[edit] Geography

Parkersburg is located at 39°15'58" North, 81°32'32" West (39.266175, -81.542139)^[4].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.2 square miles (31.6 km²), of which, 11.8 square miles (30.6 km²) of it is land and 0.4 square miles (1.0 km²) of it is water. The total area is 3.19% water.

The city is situated at the confluence of the Ohio River and the Little Kanawha River. The Little Kanawha River divides the north and south sides of the city.

[edit] Climate

Parkersburg's climate is warm during summer when temperatures tend to be in the 70's and very cold during winter when temperatures tend to be in the 30's.

The warmest month of the year is July with an average maximum temperature of 85.80 degrees Fahrenheit, while the coldest month of the year is January with an average minimum temperature of 22.30 degrees Fahrenheit.

Temperature variations between night and day tend to be moderate during summer with a difference that can reach 21 degrees Fahrenheit, and fairly limited during winter with an average difference of 18 degrees Fahrenheit.

The annual average precipitation at Parkersburg is 40.69 Inches. Rainfall in is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year. The wettest month of the year is July with an average rainfall of 4.58 Inches. ^[5]

[edit] Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1850	1,218	—
1860	2,493	104.7%
1870	5,546	122.5%
1880	6,582	18.7%
1890	8,408	27.7%
1900	11,703	39.2%
1910	17,842	52.5%
1920	20,050	12.4%
1930	29,623	47.7%
1940	30,103	1.6%
1950	29,684	-1.4%
1960	44,797	50.9%
1970	44,208	-1.3%
1980	39,967	-9.6%
1990	33,862	-15.3%
2000	33,099	-2.3%

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 33,099 people, 14,467 households, and 8,767 families residing in the city. The population density 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/sq mi (525.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.36% White, 1.75% African American, 0.42% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.21% from other races, and 1.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.81% of the population.

An aerial view of downtown Parkersburg in 2005.

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% have 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 $26,990, and the median income for a family was $33,081. Males had a median income of $30,516 versus $20,287 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,106. About 16.1% of families and 19.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.7% of those under the age of 18 and 10.4% of those 65 and older.

[edit] Neighborhoods and surrounding areas

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[edit] North Parkersburg

Beechwood, Downtown, Fairview Heights, Grenada Hills, Julia-Ann Square, Meadowcrest, Oakwood Estates, Quincy Hill, Riverside, Woodland Park, Davisville

The Chancellor House in the Julia-Ann Square Historic District.

[edit] South Parkersburg (Southside)

Larkmead, Rockport, Marrtown, Pettyville, Tavennerville, Tygart, Lubeck, Belleville, Washington, Mineral Wells.

[edit] Media

The Parkersburg News and Parkersburg Sentinel are Parkersburg's two major daily newspapers. The same company also publishes the Marietta A.M..

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, and 103.1 The Bear.

WTAP, the local NBC affiliate, is the main local television station.^[6]

[edit] Education

Parkersburg High School

Parkersburg is the home of the Parkersburg High School Big Reds, the Parkersburg South High School Patriots, and the Parkersburg Catholic High School Crusaders.

Junior High Schools include Jackson Junior High School, Van Devender, Blennerhassett, Edison, and Hamilton.

Mountain State College is located in the city. West Virginia University at Parkersburg is located a few miles outside the city. Ohio Valley University is located nearby in Vienna.

[edit] Notable natives and residents

The Parkersburg Municipal Building

The Parkersburg floodwall

[edit] Film

The Steven Soderbergh film Bubble, released in 2006, was filmed in Parkersburg and neighboring Belpre, Ohio, using an all-local cast.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

^ ^a ^b American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
^ US Board on Geographic Names. United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
^ Find a County. National Association of Counties. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
^ Parkersburg Weather | Parkersburg WV
^ www.wtap.com
^ King, Sharon R.. "William M. Batten, Ex-Chief Of Stock Exchange, Dies at 89", New York Times, 1999-01-27. Retrieved on 2008-04-08.

[edit] External links

Parkersburg, West Virginia is at coordinates 39°15′58″N 81°32′32″W / 39.266175, -81.542139 (Parkersburg, West Virginia)Coordinates: 39°15′58″N 81°32′32″W / 39.266175, -81.542139 (Parkersburg, West Virginia)

v • d • e Municipalities and communities of Wood County, West Virginia

County seat: Parkersburg

Cities	Parkersburg \| Vienna \| Williamstown

Town	North Hills

CDPs	Blennerhassett \| Boaz \| Lubeck \| Mineralwells \| Washington

Unincorporated communities	Belleville \| Davisville \| Waverly