The Ohio River is a 981-mile (1,579 km) long river in the United States. It is located in the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania south of Lake Erie to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illinois. It is the third largest river by discharge volume in the United States and the largest tributary by volume of the north-south flowing Mississippi River that divides the eastern from western United States. The river flows through or along the border of six states, and its drainage basin includes parts of 14 states. Through its largest tributary, the Tennessee River, the basin includes several states of the southeastern U.S. It is the source of drinking water for three million people.
Wheeling is a city in Ohio and Marshall counties 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. Wheeling was originally a settlement in the British colony of Virginia, and later the second largest city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Wheeling was where creation of West Virginia was planned, and it was the first capital of the new state. Due to its location along major transportation routes, including the Ohio River, National Road, and the B&O Railroad, Wheeling became a manufacturing center in the late nineteenth century. After experiencing the closing of factories and substantial population loss following World War II, Wheeling's major industries now include healthcare, education, law and legal services, entertainment and tourism, and energy.
The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows 348 miles (560 km) to Chesapeake Bay. The river length extends to 444 miles (715 km) if one includes the Jackson River, the longer of its two source tributaries. It is the longest river in Virginia. Jamestown and Williamsburg, Virginia’s first colonial capitals, and Richmond, Virginia's current capital, lie on the James River.
The Allegheny Mountain Range, informally the Alleghenies and also spelled Alleghany and Allegany, is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the Eastern United States and Canada and posed a significant barrier to land travel in less developed eras. The barrier range has a northeast–southwest orientation and runs for about 400 miles (640 km) from north-central Pennsylvania, through western Maryland and eastern West Virginia, to southwestern Virginia.
The Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians, also called the Ridge and Valley Province or the Valley and Ridge Appalachians, are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian division and are also a belt within the Appalachian Mountains extending from southeastern New York through northwestern New Jersey, westward into Pennsylvania and southward into Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama. They form a broad arc between the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Appalachian Plateau physiographic province. They are characterized by long, even ridges, with long, continuous valleys in between.
The National Register of Historic Places in the United States is a register including buildings, sites, structures, districts, and objects. The Register automatically includes all National Historic Landmarks as well as all historic areas administered by the U.S. National Park Service. Since its introduction in 1966, more than 90,000 separate listings have been added to the register.
Interstate 470 (I-470) is a 10.63-mile-long (17.11 km) auxiliary Interstate Highway of I-70 that bypasses the city of Wheeling, West Virginia, in the United States. I-470 is one of 13 auxiliary Interstate Highways in Ohio and the only auxiliary Interstate Highway in West Virginia. The western terminus of I-470 is an interchange with I-70 in Richland Township, Ohio. Traveling southeast through rural Belmont County, I-470 approaches the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Bridge, which spans the Ohio River. After crossing the river into Ohio County, West Virginia, the highway turns east towards the Wheeling communities of Bethlehem and Elm Grove and its eastern terminus at I-70 near Elm Grove. The portion of the highway in West Virginia is named the USS West Virginia Memorial Highway, by proclamation of then Governor Cecil Underwood on the 59th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack.
U.S. Route 50 in West Virginia runs from the border with Ohio to Virginia, passing briefly through Garrett County, Maryland, and following the Northwestern Turnpike. Prior to the U.S. Highway System it was West Virginia Route 1 and in the 1930s, the road was not finished in Maryland. Today the section of US 50 from Clarksburg to Parkersburg on the Ohio River is part of Corridor D of the Appalachian Development Highway System.
The Fort Henry Bridge is a crossing of the Ohio River main channel in Wheeling, West Virginia. The tied-arch bridge carries two lanes in each direction of Interstate 70 (I-70), U.S. Route 40 (US 40), and US 250. The bridge opened after four years of construction work on September 8, 1955, costing $6.8 million, $1.8 million over budget. The bridge, along with the aging Wheeling Suspension Bridge, are the only two road links from Wheeling Island to downtown Wheeling. In 2009, the structure carried an average of over 60,000 vehicles per day.
The Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge (ORINWR) is a National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in non-contiguous sites consisting of islands along 392 miles (631 km) of the Ohio River, primarily in the U.S. state of West Virginia. There are also two islands upstream in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, and a pair downstream in Lewis County, Kentucky. Going downstream, the refuge is currently located in parts of these counties: Beaver, Brooke, Ohio, Marshall, Wetzel, Tyler, Pleasants, Wood, Jackson, Mason, and Lewis. All counties are in West Virginia, with the exceptions in Pennsylvania and Kentucky mentioned above. The ORINWR was established in 1990 and consists of 3,354 acres (13.57 km2) of land and underwater habitat on 22 islands and four mainland properties. The refuge headquarters and visitor center is located in Williamstown, West Virginia. Prior to its establishment, West Virginia was the only state of the United States without a NWR.
The Hi Carpenter Memorial Bridge is a cantilever bridge over the Ohio River between Newport, Ohio and St. Marys, West Virginia. It carries Ohio State Route 807 and West Virginia Route 807 and serves to connect WV 2 with OH 7.
Interstate 70 (I-70) is a portion of the Interstate Highway System that runs from near Cove Fort, Utah, at a junction with Interstate 15 to Baltimore, Maryland. It crosses the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia through Ohio County and the city of Wheeling. This segment is the shortest of all states' through which I-70 passes, crossing West Virginia in only 14.45 miles (23.26 km). The longest segment is Colorado's, which measures 451.04 miles (725.88 km). The Fort Henry Bridge carries I-70 from Wheeling Island across the Ohio River and into downtown Wheeling before the freeway enters the Wheeling Tunnel. I-470, a southerly bypass of Wheeling and the lone auxiliary Interstate Highway in West Virginia, is intersected near Elm Grove. Before crossing into Pennsylvania, I-70 passes The Highlands, a major shopping center in the panhandle, and the Bear Rock Lakes Wildlife Management Area. On average, between 27,000 and 53,000 vehicles use the freeway every day.
Green Bottom Wildlife Management Area is located on former plantation lands of U.S. Congressman and Confederate General Albert G. Jenkins. The 1,096 acres (444 ha) in Cabell County and Mason County are located along the banks of the Ohio River about 16 miles (26 km) north of Huntington, West Virginia. The Green Bottom WMA land is a mixture of farmland, mixed hardwood forest, wetlands, and open water. The Jenkins Plantation Museum is located on Corps of Engineers land adjacent to the WMA. The museum is located in the original 1835 Green Bottom Plantation House, and is operated by the West Virginia Division of Culture and History.
Willow Island is an unincorporated community in Pleasants County, West Virginia, United States. Willow Island is located on the Ohio River at the junction of West Virginia Route 2 and County Highway 10, 3 miles (4.8 km) west-southwest of Belmont. Willow Island had a post office, which opened on October 17, 1946, and closed on May 25, 1991. The Pleasants Power Station, site of the 1978 Willow Island disaster, is located in Willow Island. This is the location of Willow Island Baptist Church and Willow Island Cemetery, the burial site for many of the area's founding and prominent families. Willow Island was also the location of Cyanamid; later called Cytec Industries, a chemical plant and a large contributor to the Pleasants County school system and area's work force.
Cooper Magisterial District is one of ten magisterial districts in Mason County, West Virginia. The district was originally established as a civil township in 1863, and converted into a magisterial district in 1872. In 2010, Cooper District was home to 1,874 people.
Clendenin Magisterial District is one of ten magisterial districts in Mason County, West Virginia. The district was originally established as a civil township in 1863, and converted into a magisterial district in 1872. In 2010, Clendenin District was home to 3,715 people.
Grant District, formerly Grant Magisterial District, is one of five historic magisterial districts in Jackson County, West Virginia. The district was originally established as a civil township in 1863, and converted into a magisterial district in 1872. When Jackson County was redistricted in the 1990s, the area of Grant District was included in the new Northern Magisterial District. However, the county's historic magisterial districts continue to exist in the form of tax districts, serving all of their former administrative functions except for the election of county officials.
Union District, formerly Union Magisterial District, is one of five historic magisterial districts in Jackson County, West Virginia. The district was originally known as Hushan's Mills Township, one of five civil townships established in 1863, at the height of the Civil War; it was subsequently given the patriotic name of Union Township. In 1872, West Virginia's townships were converted into magisterial districts. When Jackson County was redistricted in the 1990s, the area of Union District was included in the new Western Magisterial District. However, the county's historic magisterial districts continue to exist in the form of tax districts, serving all of their former administrative functions except for the election of county officials.
The Northern Magisterial District is one of three magisterial districts in Jackson County, West Virginia. It was established during a process of redistricting undertaken in the 1990s. In 2010, 8,753 people lived in the district.
