Wood County is a county in West Virginia, United States, bordered on the north and west by the Ohio River. It had a population of 84,296 at the 2020 census and covers 377 square miles (976 km2) centred near 39°13′N 81°31′W.
Parkersburg is the county seat and its postal code is 26101. The county holds 3 incorporated cities, 1 town, 7 census-designated places and dozens of unincorporated communities and residential subdivisions. Wood County sits in the Eastern time zone and anchors the Parkersburg–Vienna, WV metropolitan statistical area.
Towns & Villages in Wood County
Wood County’s settlement pattern runs from the dense Parkersburg–Vienna urban core along the Ohio River to scattered rural subdivisions and hollows inland. Census-designated places (CDPs) are unincorporated but statistically tracked; everything else below is an unincorporated community, hamlet or residential development with no municipal government of its own.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parkersburg | City · seat | 29,738 | 26101 / 26104 |
| Vienna | City | 10,231 | 26105 |
| Williamstown | City | 2,922 | 26187 |
| North Hills | Town | — | — |
| Blennerhassett | CDP | — | — |
| Boaz | CDP | — | — |
| Kanawha | CDP | — | — |
| Lubeck | CDP | — | — |
| Mineral Wells | CDP | — | 26150 |
| Washington | CDP | — | — |
| Waverly | CDP | — | 26184 |
| Belleville | Unincorp. | — | 26133 |
| Ashby Ridge Estates | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Beechwood | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bickel Estates | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Blennerhassett Heights | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Blennerhassett Island View Addition | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bonnivale | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Boreman | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Brierwood | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Briscoe | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Broadmoor Addition | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cedar Grove | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Central | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Chesterville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Community Acres | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cool Springs | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Creels | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Crestview Park | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Crystal Spring Lake | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Dallison | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Davisville | Unincorp. | — | 26142 |
| Deerwalk | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Doyle | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Dupont Manor | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Eastwood Addition | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Eaton | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Eli | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Elmwood Heights | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Evandale Terrace | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fairview Acres | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fairview Heights | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fairway Acres | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Flinn | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Forest Hills | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fountain Spring | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Glenbrook | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Green Meadows Addition | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Greenbrier Addition | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hanna | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hillcrest | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Humphrey | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Jerrys Run | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Larkmead | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lauckport | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Leachtown | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lee Creek | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Liberty Hills | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lincolnshire | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lowdell | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lubeck Hills | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Marrtown | Unincorp. | — | — |
| McPherson Addition | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Melrose Addition | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Mineral Acres | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Mount Carmel | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Mount Pleasant Estates | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Murphytown | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Mustang Acres | Unincorp. | — | — |
| New England | Unincorp. | — | — |
| New England Heights Addition | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Newport | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Nicolette | Unincorp. | — | — |
| North Parkersburg | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Northwood Villa Estates | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Oak Acres | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Oakbrook | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Oakwood Estates | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Ogden | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Parkers Towne | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Parmeta Crest | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pettyville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pleasant Hill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pleasant View | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pohick | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Polandale | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pond Creek | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Ponderosa | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Red Hill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Riverside | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Rockport | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Rolling Hills | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sand Hill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Saulsbury | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Scenic Hills | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Slate | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Society Hill Acres | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Somervilla | Unincorp. | — | — |
| South Hills Estates | Unincorp. | — | — |
| South Parkersburg | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Southmoor Heights | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Stewart | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Summit | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sunrise | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sunset Heights | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Tallmans | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Tallyho | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Tavennersville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Valley Manor Addition | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Valley Mills | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Valley View Acres | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Wadeville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Wakefield | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Walker | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Washington Gardens | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Wellsley | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Winding Road Addition | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Windsor Estates | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Woodland Heights | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Woodland Park | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Worthington Meadows | Unincorp. | — | — |
North Parkersburg and South Parkersburg are older residential sections that grew up on the outskirts of the city rather than separate places; most of the “Addition” and “Acres” names above are 20th-century residential subdivisions rather than historic communities. Lubeck Hills is distinct from the Lubeck CDP a few miles away, and Blennerhassett Heights and Blennerhassett Island View Addition sit near, but are not part of, the Blennerhassett CDP.
ZIP Codes
- 26101 — Parkersburg (downtown and west side)
- 26104 — Parkersburg (east side)
- 26105 — Vienna (also serves Blennerhassett and Kanawha)
- 26187 — Williamstown (also serves Lubeck)
- 26133 — Belleville
- 26142 — Davisville
- 26150 — Mineral Wells
- 26184 — Waverly
Most unincorporated subdivisions carry the ZIP of their nearest post-office town rather than one of their own.
Geography
Wood County lies where the Little Kanawha River meets the Ohio River in the Mid-Ohio Valley. The Ohio forms the county’s entire northern and western edge, separating it from Ohio; the Little Kanawha flows northwest through the middle of the county to join the Ohio at Parkersburg. The terrain rises from flat river bottomland along both rivers to rolling, forested hills inland, part of the western dissected Allegheny Plateau.
Wood County borders Washington County, Ohio, across the Ohio River to the north, Meigs County, Ohio, and Athens County, Ohio, across the river to the west, Pleasants County to the northeast, Ritchie County to the east, Wirt County to the southeast, and Jackson County to the south.
Demographics
Wood County’s population was 84,296 at the 2020 census, the fifth-highest of West Virginia’s 55 counties. Parkersburg (29,738) and Vienna (10,231) are its two largest communities and together hold about half the county’s population. Median household income runs below the West Virginia median of $55,948, reflecting the decline of the county’s traditional chemical-manufacturing employment base. Population density is roughly 230 people per square mile, concentrated along the Ohio and Little Kanawha river bottoms.
Economy & Local Life
Parkersburg has long been a chemical-manufacturing hub — DuPont (now Chemours/Washington Works) has operated a major plant just across the county line since the 1950s, and Parkersburg is the corporate headquarters of Camden-Clark Medical Center’s parent system and of financial-services firm WesBanco. Healthcare, retail and government round out local employment, and the West Virginia University at Parkersburg community college serves the region. The Parkersburg Homecoming festival draws crowds to the downtown waterfront each summer, and the county borders Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park, reached by sternwheeler from Parkersburg’s Point Park.
History
Wood County was formed December 21, 1798, from part of Harrison County, then still part of Virginia, and named for James Wood, governor of Virginia from 1796 to 1799. Parkersburg was laid out at the mouth of the Little Kanawha and grew rapidly after oil was discovered in the region in the 1860s, briefly rivaling Pittsburgh as an oil-refining center. Blennerhassett Island, in the Ohio River off Parkersburg, was the home of Harman Blennerhassett, implicated with Aaron Burr in an alleged 1806 conspiracy to seize Spanish territory in the west — the mansion he built there was later destroyed by fire and has since been reconstructed as a state park attraction.
Getting There
Interstate 77 crosses Wood County north–south through Parkersburg and Vienna, and U.S. Route 50 crosses east–west, meeting I-77 in Parkersburg. State Routes 2, 14, 31, 47, 68 and 95 serve outlying communities.
- Marietta, Ohio — 14 miles northeast
- Charleston, WV — 75 miles southeast
- Athens, Ohio — 35 miles west
- Ripley, WV — 30 miles south
The Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport, just across the river in Washington County, Ohio, provides the nearest commercial air service.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Wood County, West Virginia?
It sits in the Mid-Ohio Valley in northwestern West Virginia, along the Ohio River across from Ohio, about 75 miles northwest of Charleston.
What is the population of Wood County?
84,296 at the 2020 census, the fifth-highest of any West Virginia county.
How big is Wood County?
377 square miles (976 km2), including 11 square miles of water — mostly the Ohio and Little Kanawha rivers.
What is the county seat of Wood County?
Parkersburg is the county seat and by far the largest city.
How many towns and villages are in Wood County?
Three cities (Parkersburg, Vienna, Williamstown), one town (North Hills), seven census-designated places and dozens of smaller unincorporated communities and subdivisions.
What ZIP codes are in Wood County?
Parkersburg uses 26101 and 26104, with Vienna at 26105, Williamstown at 26187, and smaller ZIPs for Belleville, Davisville, Mineral Wells and Waverly.
What happened on Blennerhassett Island?
It was the home of Harman Blennerhassett, whose 1806 alleged conspiracy with Aaron Burr made the island’s mansion famous; the reconstructed home is now a state park reached by sternwheeler from Parkersburg.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in West Virginia.