As a transportation hub on the Ohio River, the terminus of the Staunton Parkersburg Turnpike and a railroad line, Parkersburg was a rough-and-tumble place that grew into a dignified middle age.
The town now is known for safe streets, affordable homes and a lively academic component. There's a campus of the University of West Virginia here as well as Ohio Valley College in nearby Vienna and, upriver in Ohio, Marietta College. The historic district has some fine examples of Victorian architecture and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The area reminds visitors of an earlier day. Pontoon boating and fishing on the Ohio River are popular with locals. It's in a transitional zone, climate wise and culturally, not quite the south but not the north either.
"It's got a lot of recreational facilities for children," said real estate broker Terry Connolly of Prudential Preferred Homes. "It's a small, friendly city and that makes it such a good place to live."
The area has evolved into a slow-growth place and the core of it, within the city limits, has lost population in each of the past five decades.
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