Parkersburg, West Virginia
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United States
West VirginiaParkersburg, located at the confluence of the Ohio and Little Kanawha Rivers, is the third largest city in the State of West Virginia. It is the county seat of Wood County and the largest city in the Parkersburg-Marietta-Vienna Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The Bureau of the Public Debt, an agency of the U.S. Treasury Department, is headquartered in Parkersburg.
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History
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.
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 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.
Climate
Parkersburg's climate is warm during summer when temperatures tend to be in the 80'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 95.80 °F (35.44 °C), while the coldest month of the year is January with an average minimum temperature of 22.30 °F (−5.39 °C).
Temperature variations between night and day tend to be moderate during summer with a difference that can reach 21 °F (−6 °C), and fairly limited during winter with an average difference of 18 °F (−8 °C).
The annual average precipitation at Parkersburg is 40.69 inches (1,034 mm). Rainfall is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year. The wettest month of the year is July with an average rainfall of 4.58 inches (116 mm).
Demographics
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | 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% |
| 2008 | 31,611 | −4.5% |
As of the census 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.
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 $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 for the city was $15,820. About 23.3% of families and 21.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 35.2% of those under the age of 18 and 12.5% of those 65 and older.
Transportation
Parkersburg is served by Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport, with 3 flights a day Monday through Friday from Washington Dulles International Airport.
Neighborhoods
North Parkersburg
Beechwood, Downtown, Fairview Heights, Granada Hills, Julia-Ann Square, Meadowcrest, Oakwood Estates, Quincy Hill, Riverside, Woodland Park, North End, Worthington, East End
South Parkersburg (Southside)
Larkmead, Marrtown, Pettyville, Tavennerville, Washington
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 same company also publishes the Marietta A.M. 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, and 103.1 The Bear.
WTAP, the local NBC affiliate, is the main local television station.
Education
Higher education
- Mountain State College, a private, for-profit, two-year college, is located in the city.
- West Virginia University at Parkersburg, a public college, is located on the outskirts of the city.
- Ohio Valley University is located nearby in Vienna.
High schools
Parkersburg is the home of the Parkersburg High School Big Reds, the Parkersburg South High School Patriots, and the Parkersburg Catholic High School Crusaders.
Middle schools
Middle schools include Van Devender, Edison, and Hamilton.
Jackson Middle School is located in Vienna and although having a Parkersburg mailing address, Blennerhassett Junior High School, now also adopting the "middle school" designation, is actually located in nearby Blennerhassett Heights.
Culture
Museums
- Blennerhassett Museum of Regional History
- Henry Cooper Log Cabin Museum
- Oil and Gas Museum
- Sumnerite African-American History Museum
- The Artcraft Studio
- Veterans Museum of Mid-Ohio Valley
Parks
- 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
- Fries Park
Sports
Parkersburg was home to the Ohio Valley Redcoats, a minor league baseball team, until 1998. The city is in negotiations to bring professional baseball back to Parkersburg.
In 2008, the city and its three high schools placed second in ESPN's TitleTown USA competition. In an essay on ESPN.com, it was pointed out that through the 2007-2008 school year, the city has 192 high school state championships between Parkersburg, Parkersburg South and Parkersburg Catholic. 183 of those championships have come after 1950.
Film and television
- The Steven Soderbergh film Bubble, released in 2006, was filmed in Parkersburg and neighboring Belpre, Ohio, using an all-local cast.
- Other films shot in the city are Salvage and The Barbecue.
- Parkersburg was the set for the 1962 television series It's a Man's World.
- The city was featured in a 1989 episode of Rescue 911.
- Parkersburg was mentioned in the novel and the classic film Night of the Hunter. In Davis Grubb's 1953 novel Parkersburg was the town where the murderous preacher Harry Powell was caught for car theft and sent to prison; it was the worldly town that Rachel Cooper (Lillian Gish in the film) avoided because she'd been short-changed there; and finally it was the home of the state troopers who came to arrest Powell for murder. In the book and in the 1955 film version Powell (Robert Mitchum) called Parkersburg "One of them Sodoms on the Ohio River," a reference to its reputation as a rough and tumble river town in the nineteenth and early twentieth century. Night of the Hunter, which took place in the early 1930s, is generally considered the greatest West Virginia novel.
Notable natives and residents
- Allen Appel is a novelist best known for his series about time traveler Alex Balfour.
- Eddie Bailes was a locally popular country singer whose "Love Isn't Love" was a small 1976 chart hit.
- William M. Batten was a CEO of J.C. Penny and was chairman of the New York Stock Exchange from 1976 to 1981.
- Harman Blennerhassett, an ally of Aaron Burr and owner of Blennerhasset Island, was arrested for treason by President Thomas Jefferson.
- Arthur I. Boreman was the first governor of West Virginia.
- Ed Catmull, President, Walt Disney Animation Studios & Pixar Animation Studios
- Jim Dawson has written a dozen books on American culture, particularly early rock 'n' roll, rhythm and blues, and dirty slang. He also wrote the best-selling 1999 book Who Cut the Cheese?.
- Diana DeRose was the lead vocalist of The Rose Garden, whose 1967 recording "Next Plane to London" was a national Top 10 hit.
- Paul Dooley is a longtime Hollywood character actor with major roles in Breaking Away and Popeye, among others.
- James Dukas was a New York-based stage actor who played character roles between 1959 and 2000 in such films as The Amityville Horror, Brubaker and Ironweed.
- Paul Goldsmith is a 1999 inductee in the Motorcycle Hall of Fame
- Linda Goodman wrote several best-selling books on astrology, including Sun Signs.
- Tommy Hanlon Jr was a well-known TV announcer in Australia; he emigrated there in the 1960s.
- Dick "Doc" Hoblitzell (1888-1962) was an outfielder for the Cincinnati Redlegs (1908-1914) and Boston Red Sox (1915-1916). He played in the 1916 World Series.
- Cyrus Cotton "Cy" Hungerford was a political cartoonist for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for nearly half a century, until he retired in the 1970s; he got his start at the Parkersburg Sentinel.
- Jacob B. Jackson was the governor of West Virginia from 1881 to 1885.
- Mabel Mackey was a colorful mid-twentieth-century madam, known for her red hair and buckskin jackets, who was infamous up and down the Ohio Valley until her death in the early 1960s. Her ghost is said to haunt the Wood County Courthouse.
- Alfred "Greasy" Neale (1891-1973) was an early twentieth-century football star inducted into the National Football Hall of Fame in 1969. He was also an outfielder for the Cincinnati Redlegs in 1919 when the team played the Chicago White Sox in the infamous "Black Sox" World Series.
- Gary Null is a nationally-syndicated nutritionist who has written more than a dozen books and appeared regularly on PBS.
- Devon Odessa is an American actress and film producer.
- Morgan Spurlock is a documentary filmmaker who directed and starred in the 2004 Academy Award-nominated hit Super Size Me.
- Patsy Ramsey was a Miss West Virginia and the mother of murder victim JonBenét Ramsey.
- Scenes from a Movie band members
- Freddie Scott was an R&B vocalist who recorded the 1963 Top 10 hit "Hey Girl".
- Susan Sheppard has written several books about hauntings, astrology and the paranormal (as well as poetry published internationally) and regularly leads "haunted tours" of Parkersburg's old neighborhoods.
- Songwriter Arlos Smith has written two number-one country music hits: "Home to You" for John Michael Montgomery (2000) and "Mayberry" for Rascal Flatts (2004).
- William E. Stevenson was governor of West Virginia from 1869 to 1871.
- Nick Swisher is an outfielder and first-baseman for the New York Yankees who played in the 2009 World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies. He played formerly for the Oakland A's and the Chicago White Sox.
- Steve Swisher, father of Nick Swisher, is a former major league baseball catcher who played for the Chicago Cubs.
- Peter G. Van Winkle, one of West Virginia's first U.S. senators, cast the deciding vote that prevented the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson; John F. Kennedy wrote a chapter about Van Winkle in his book Profiles in Courage.
- Richard Watts, Jr. was a film critic for the New York Herald Tribune.
- H. T. Webster was the early twentieth-century cartoonist who created Caspar Milquetoast
- Albert B. White was governor of West Virginia from 1901 to 1905.
- Gill Robb Wilson was a local aviator for whom Parkersburg's airfield is named.
- Glenn Wilson was a local television pioneer and a long-time news reporter for WTAP-TV
- Zao is a band formed in Parkersburg, now based out of Greensburg, Pennsylvania
- Deron Williams starting point guard for the Utah Jazz of the NBA
- Steve Henry bassist for the notable band Happy Riding Zebras
References in popular culture
- Parkersburg was mentioned in the 1962 song "I've Been Everywhere".
- West Virginia novelist Davis Grubb made several references to Parkersburg's rowdy rivertown reputation in his 1953 novel The Night of the Hunter; in the classic 1955 film version written by James Agee and directed by Charles Laughton, Robert Mitchum called Parkersburg "One of the Sodoms of the Ohio River."
Sister cities
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See also
- Hughes River Wildlife Management Area
- List of cities and towns along the Ohio River
- List of Registered Historic Places in West Virginia
- Vienna, WV
- Grand Central Mall
References
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_County&Template=/cffiles/counties/usamap.cfm. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ Parkersburg Weather | Parkersburg WV
- ^ www.wtap.com
- ^ http://www.newsandsentinel.com/page/content.detail/id/507520.html
- ^ http://www.newsandsentinel.com/page/content.detail/id/507650.html?nav=5061
- ^ a b http://www.imdb.com/List?endings=on&&locations=Parkersburg,%20West%20Virginia,%20USA
- ^ King, Sharon R. (1999-01-27). "William M. Batten, Ex-Chief Of Stock Exchange, Dies at 89". New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B07E6DB1339F934A15752C0A96F958260. Retrieved 2008-04-08.
- ^ "WV town helps sister city in tornado recovery". June 1, 2008. http://www.wvablue.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=2370.
External links
- Parkersburg's website
- Parkersburg, West Virginia: A Vintage Portrait
- Greater Parkersburg Tourism
- WTAP News (local NBC affiliate)
- The Parkersburg News (local newspaper)
- Parkersburg Police
- Parkersburg Fire
- [1] Detailed history; 1,000 vintage photos
"Parkersburg". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). 1911.- [2] Detailed history of Diana DeRose's hitmaking rock group
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