Parkersburg

Parkersburg is a city in and the county seat of Wood County, West Virginia. Located at the confluence of the Ohio and Little Kanawha rivers, it is the state's fourth-largest city and the largest city in the Parkersburg-Marietta-Vienna metropolitan area. The city is about 14 miles (23 km) south of Marietta, Ohio. The Bureau of the Public Debt, an agency of the U.S. Treasury Department, was relocated from the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area in the late 20th century and headquartered in Parkersberg. In October 2012, it was merged with the Financial Management Service to form theureau of the Fiscal Service. The population of the city was 29,749 at the 2020 census. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad built a branch line south to the town in 1857. It was the longest railroad bridge in the world when it was completed in 1868-1870. In the late 19th century Parkersburger emerged as a major oil refining center serving nearby oilfields at Volcano and Burning Springs. It developed further as a transportation hub in the gas and oil boom following the American Civil War. It 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 12.35 square miles (31.99 km²), of which 11.82 square miles. (30.61 km²) is land and 0.53 square miles of water.

History

Parkersburg is the primary city name, but also N Parkersburg, North Hills, North Parkersburg are acceptable city names or spellings. The official name is Parkersburg, West Virginia . Settlers at first named the city Newport when they settled it in the late 18th century following the American Revolutionary War. A town section was laid out on land granted to Alexander Parker for his Revolutionary War service. The town was renamed Parkersburg in 1810. It was chartered by the Virginia General Assembly in 1820. In 1857 the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad built a branch line south to the town from Wheeling, West Virginia. It developed further as a transportation hub in the gas and oil boom following that war. 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. Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park is a historical island located just below Parker'sburg. In the post-World War II period, Parkersberg 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 city was the western terminus of both the Staunton-Parkersburgturnpike and the Northwestern Turnpike. Today the structure is known as the parkersburg Bridge. It is part of the B&O's main line from Baltimore to St. Louis, Missouri, as well as the Ohio Marietta and Cincinnati Railroad, which runs along the Ohio River.

Geography

Parkersburg is located at 39°15'58" North, 81°32'32" West (39.266175, 81.542139) The city has a total area of 12.35 square miles (31.99 km²), of which 11.82 sq miles (30.61 km²) is land and 0.53sq miles (1.37 km²") is water. The city is situated at the confluence of the Little Kanawha and Ohio rivers. Worthington Creek flows through the eastern part of the city. 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 system, Parkersburg has a humid continental climate, abbreviated Dfa on climate maps. It is located on the Ohio River, which divides the north and south sides of the town. The Ohio River is a tributary of the Big Kanawra River. The Little Kanawsha River divides the east and west sides of Parker'sburg. It flows into the Ohio at the junction of the Ohio and Big Kanawshie rivers. The town is home to the West Virginia Military Institute, which has a chapter of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The West Virginia Air National Guard is based in Parker, which is located near the city's western edge. It has a base of operations in the town of West Virginia.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 31,492 people, 13,807 households, and 8,086 families residing in the city. In 2012 the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that Parkersburg's population had decreased 0.5% to 31,261. The racial makeup of the city was 94.9% White, 2.0% African American, 0.3% Native American, and 0.4% Asian. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.2% of the population. The median income for a household in theCity was $21,120, and the median income. for a family was $29,731. The per capita income for the citywas $15,820. About 23.3%. of families and 21.2%. of those under the age of 18 were below the poverty line, including 35.2. of those 65 and older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was2.86. The city's median age was 41.2 years, and its population was 33,099 at the time of the 2000 census. It is located on the West Virginia Turnpike, which runs from West Virginia State Route 50 to West Virginia Interstate 70. It has a population density of 2,664.3 inhabitants per square mile (1,028.7/km²) The city has a median age of 41 years and a population of 33,000.

Arts and culture

The Taste of Parkersburg is an event held around Memorial Day each year since 2006. The Annual Mid-Ohio Valley Multi-Cultural Festival is held in June, and is an international festival featuring traditional dance and music. The Downtown Throwdown is BBQ and beer festival held in September. Several museums are located in Parkersberg, including the Blennerhassett Museum of Regional History, the Henry Cooper House, the Oil and Gas Museum, the Sumnerite African-American History Museum and the Artcraft Studio. It is also home to the National Museum of American History, which was founded in 1851. The National Museum is a national historic site and was established in 1852. It was the first museum in the U.S. to be located in the state of West Virginia, and the first to be dedicated to African-Americans. It opened its doors to the public in 1854. It has since become one of the most visited museums in the United States, with more than 100,000 visitors a year. The museum is located on the Ohio River and is open to the general public. The city is home to a number of festivals and events, including a summer homecoming festival and an international marketplace. It also hosts the annual Taste of the City, which is a barbecue and beer event held on Memorial Day every year. It features food and drinks from local vendors and is co-hosted by Downtown PKB and the Parkersburger Area Jaycees.

Sports

In 2008, the city and its three high schools placed second in ESPN's TitleTown USA competition. The Wood County Ravens, a semi-professional football team, was based in the city. Parkersburg was home to the Ohio Valley Redcoats, a minor league baseball team, until 1998. 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, Mountwood Park and Fries Park. 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 Parkersberg, we have accumulated 192 overall state championships in 103 years with 183 of those coming since 1950. We may not have a pro sports team, but in high school sports, Parkerssburg as a whole is pretty dominant. Not bad considering that there are 136 high school teams in West Virginia with 38 in AAA. Not to be outdone Parkersburger Catholic, a single A school, has 17 state titles of its own. Not good considering that Parkersberg High School alone has 137 championships in its 103 years of existence. We don't have a lot of people, nor any professional sports teams, but here is a stat for you. We are pretty dominant" as written in an article on espn.com.

Education

Mountain State College, a private, for-profit, two-year college, is located in the city. The Wood County Technical Center is part of Wood County Public Schools. There were, as of May 2020, 18 elementary schools dispersed throughout the city, including five middle schools. The city is the home of the Parkersburg High School Big Reds, Parkersberg South High School Patriots, and the Parker'sburg Catholic High School Crusaders. There are also two private Christian schools and one public college. The town is home to the U.S. Military Academy at West Virginia, which will be closed in 2022. It is also the site of the West Virginia Military Institute, which was founded in 1861. The U.N. World Heritage Center is in the town's downtown area, and is open to visitors from around the world. It also hosts the American Museum of Natural History, which is open for visitors from all over the world, as well as the National Museum of American History and Ethnology, both of which are open to the public. There is also a museum of American Civil War history, which dates back to 18th century. It was built in the early 19th century, and was the seat of West Virginia's first state legislature. The museum is now closed, but will be reopened in the 2030s. It has a museum dedicated to the history of the state, which includes a collection of 19th and 20th-century artifacts. The state also has a national park, the National Park Service, which opened in 1894.

Infrastructure

Parkersburg is served by two major highways, Interstate 77 and US 50. Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport has three flights a day Monday through Friday. Passenger rail is no longer available in Parkersburg. From 1976 to 1981 Amtrak operated the Shenandoah (Amtrak train), serving Cincinnati to the west and Washington, D.C., to the east. In the 1960s, several major long distance train routes made stops in Parker'sburg. These included the Baltimore and Ohio's National Limited to St. Louis to thewest and Washington and Jersey City to the south. The city is also served by WV routes 2, 14, 47, 68, 95 and 618. It is located on the Ohio River, which runs through the center of the city. The Ohio River is a tributary of the Allegheny River. The Allegheny and Ohio Rivers meet at the Ohio Turnpike, which flows into the Ohio Valley. It also runs through Parker, which is located in the West Virginia portion of the state. It was the site of the U.S. Civil War Battle of Gettysburg, which took place in 1864. The town is also home to the Ohio State University, which was founded in 1875. The University of West Virginia has a chapter of the College of Medicine, which opened in 1883. The university's medical center was the first in the United States to be built in the state, opening in 1881. It has since become one of the largest medical centers in the country. The state's population has grown to more than 100,000.

Pollution

High levels of PFOA, 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. The water district's water supply is considered safe to drink, but not safe to bathe in, according to the water district. The company has not commented on the drinking water concerns. The city's water district has a water supply that is safe for drinking, but it is not considered safe for bathing in the water, the district says. The town's drinking water is safe, but there are concerns about the health of its residents, the town's water superintendent says. It is also unsafe to drink the water because of the high levels of C8 in it. The district has not asked DuPont for a filter, but the company has agreed to install one if it is asked for, he says.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Parkersburg, Wood County, West Virginia = 34.8. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 33. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 40. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Parkersburg = 4 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 29,749 individuals with a median age of 42.1 age the population dropped by -6.77% in Parkersburg, Wood County, West Virginia population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 2,487.35 residents per square mile of area (960.34/km²). There are average 2.15 people per household in the 13,884 households with an average household income of $32,634 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 9.10% of the available work force and has dropped -4.98% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 20.94%. The number of physicians in Parkersburg per 100,000 population = 235.8.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Parkersburg = 39.4 inches and the annual snowfall = 20.5 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 136. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 179. 86 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 23.8 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 42, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Parkersburg, Wood County, West Virginia which are owned by the occupant = 55.26%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 54 years with median home cost = $83,160 and home appreciation of 1.00%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $5.25 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $5,735 per student. There are 15.6 students for each teacher in the school, 565 students for each Librarian and 348 students for each Counselor. 5.98% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 8.16% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 4.82% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).