Pleasants County is a county in West Virginia, United States, about 22 miles north of Parkersburg along the Ohio River. It had a population of 7,653 at the 2020 census, an estimated 7,521 by 2024, and covers 135 square miles (350 km2), of which 130 square miles (340 km2) is land, centred near 39°22′N 81°10′W.
St. Marys is the county seat and the county’s largest city; its postal code is 26170. The county holds 1 city, 1 incorporated town and 29 unincorporated communities, and it runs on Eastern Time. Pleasants County has no civil townships or magisterial-district subdivisions in current use for place data.
Towns & Villages in Pleasants County
Pleasants County has 31 named places on record: 2 incorporated municipalities (a city and a town) and 29 unincorporated communities with no local government of their own. Unincorp. covers crossroads, hamlets and rural communities with no formal boundary or elected officials.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Marys | City · seat | 1,831 | 26170 |
| Belmont | Town | 872 | 26134 |
| Adlai | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Arvilla | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Borland | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Calcutta | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cloverdale | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cluster | Unincorp. | — | — |
| DeLong | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Eureka | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fern | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Grape Island | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Green Run | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hebron | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Horseneck | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Maxwell | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Newlandsville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pine Grove | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pleasants | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Point Lookout | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Poynette | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Raven Rock | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Schultz | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Spring Run | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sugar Valley | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Twiggs | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Union Mills | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Vaucluse | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Wasp | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Wiley | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Willow Island | Unincorp. | — | — |
One name on this list is easy to confuse with the county itself: Pleasants is a small unincorporated community in its own right, distinct from Pleasants County as a whole. Willow Island, on the Ohio River south of St. Marys, is best known today as the site of the Pleasants Power Station rather than as a residential community.
ZIP Codes
- 26170 — St. Marys (covers most of the county, including Pine Grove and the rural communities north and east of the city)
- 26134 — Belmont (covers Willow Island and the Ohio River communities south of St. Marys)
Pleasants County has only two ZIP codes in active use. The county’s 29 unincorporated communities have no ZIP of their own; mail there is delivered under whichever of the two codes covers that area.
Geography
Pleasants County sits in the Allegheny Plateau of northwestern West Virginia, a belt of rolling hills cut by the Ohio River, which forms the county’s entire western boundary. Of its 135 square miles, 130 are land and 4.4 are water, about 3.3 percent — a share that includes river frontage and part of the Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge, which protects several undeveloped islands along this stretch of the river. Middle Island Creek reaches the Ohio at St. Marys, and the city’s bridge across it connects downtown to Middle Island.
Washington County, Ohio lies across the river to the north, Tyler County to the east, Ritchie County to the southeast, and Wood County to the southwest. Washington County, Tyler County, Ritchie County and Wood County all border Pleasants directly.
Demographics
Pleasants County had a population of 7,653 at the 2020 census, and a 2024 estimate puts the county near 7,521 residents, a modest decline. St. Marys and Belmont are the two largest communities, together holding roughly a third of the county’s population, with the rest spread across the unincorporated countryside. Median household income runs $60,932 (2024), above West Virginia’s statewide figure of $55,948 (2023 ACS). Population density works out to about 59 people per square mile of land, low even by rural West Virginia standards.
Economy & Local Life
Manufacturing employs the most workers in the county, about 568 people, followed by health care and social assistance at 448 and retail trade at 279. The single biggest industrial presence is the Pleasants Power Station, a 1,300-megawatt coal-fired plant near Belmont that began operating in 1979 and 1980; it changed hands in 2023 under new ownership, Omnis Pleasants LLC, after a brief shutdown, and has since resumed coal generation with a stated plan to add hydrogen capability. St. Marys, the county seat, is a Parkersburg–Vienna metro-area river town where freight tracks still run down the middle of Second Street, a rare sight for an American downtown.
History
Virginia’s legislature formed Pleasants County on March 29, 1851, out of parts of Wood, Ritchie and Tyler counties. It was named for James Pleasants Jr., a former U.S. senator and governor of Virginia. On June 20, 1863, at the height of the Civil War, Pleasants was one of fifty Virginia counties that broke away to form the new Union state, West Virginia. St. Marys was chartered in 1815 and established as a town in 1849 by Alexander Creel; Belmont, whose French-derived name means beautiful hill, was incorporated on April 19, 1946.
Getting There
No interstate highway crosses Pleasants County. WV Route 2 runs along the Ohio River through St. Marys and Belmont, and WV Routes 16 and 807 connect the county eastward toward Tyler and Ritchie counties.
- Parkersburg, West Virginia — about 22 miles south
- Marietta, Ohio — about 14 miles west
- New Martinsville, West Virginia — about 25 miles northeast
Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport, seven miles northeast of Parkersburg in Wood County, is the nearest commercial airport, with Contour Airlines running Essential Air Service flights to Charlotte and, seasonally, Myrtle Beach. Amtrak’s Cardinal, the only passenger rail route through West Virginia, runs well south of the county through Huntington and Charleston; Pleasants County itself has no passenger rail service.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Pleasants County located?
It sits in northwestern West Virginia along the Ohio River, about 22 miles north of Parkersburg, bordered by Washington County, Ohio, and Tyler, Ritchie and Wood counties.
What is the population of Pleasants County?
7,653 at the 2020 census, with a 2024 estimate near 7,521.
How big is Pleasants County?
135 square miles (350 km2), of which 130 square miles are land — the fourth-smallest county in West Virginia by land area.
What is the county seat of Pleasants County?
St. Marys, chartered in 1815 and established in 1849, is the county seat and largest city.
How many towns are in Pleasants County?
Two incorporated places — St. Marys and Belmont — plus 29 unincorporated communities such as Pine Grove, Hebron, Vaucluse and Willow Island.
What ZIP codes does Pleasants County use?
26170 for St. Marys and 26134 for Belmont; nearly all the county’s unincorporated communities fall under one of these two codes.
What is Pleasants County known for?
The Pleasants Power Station, a large coal-fired plant near Belmont, and St. Marys’s Second Street, where freight trains still run down the middle of the road.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in West Virginia.