Wheeling, West Virginia

Wheeling is a city in West Virginia, in the United States. Most of the city is in Ohio County, with a small part in Marshall County. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 31,419 (31,059 in Ohio County, 360 in Marshall County). It is the county seat of Ohio County.

Wheeling was the location of the Wheeling Convention, which established the state of West Virginia, and was the capital of West Virginia from 1863-1870 and 1875-1885.

Geography

Wheeling is located at (40.070348, -80.698604). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 41.0 km² (15.8 mi²). 36.0 km² (13.9 mi²) of it is land and 4.9 km² (1.9 mi²) of it (12.07%) is water.

Big Wheeling Creek flows through the city, and meets the Ohio River in downtown Wheeling.

The city is located both on the West Virginia side of the Ohio River and on an island in the middle of the river called Wheeling Island.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 31,419 people, 13,719 households, and 7,806 families residing in the city. The population density was 872.1/km² (2,258.4/mi²). There were 15,706 housing units at an average density of 436.0/km² (1,128.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.72% White, 4.99% African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.91% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.16% from other races, and 1.09% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.58% of the population.

There were 13,719 households out of which 23.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.8% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.1% were non-families. 38.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.89.

The age distribution is 20.6% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 24.3% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 21.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 84.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,388, and the median income for a family was $38,708. Males had a median income of $30,750 versus $22,099 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,923. About 13.1% of families and 18.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.3% of those under age 18 and 11.2% of those age 65 or over.

Past population figures

Historic U.S. Census population data for Wheeling:

1840 7,885
1850 11,435
1860 14,083
1870 19,280
1880 30,737
1890 34,522
1900 38,878
1910 41,641
1920 56,208
1930 61,659
1940 61,099
1950 58,891
1960 53,400
1970 48,188
1980 43,070
1990 34,882
2000 31,419

1840	7,885
1850	11,435
1860	14,083
1870	19,280
1880	30,737
1890	34,522
1900	38,878
1910	41,641
1920	56,208
1930	61,659
1940	61,099
1950	58,891
1960	53,400
1970	48,188
1980	43,070
1990	34,882
2000	31,419

Government

Under West Virginia law, cities may adopt the Manager-Mayor Plan. The elected mayor presides over meetings of the Wheeling City Council which is comprised of 6 members elected from geographic wards. City Council members serve four year terms. City Council also confirms executive nominations for members to various boards which have limited regulatory authority including the Planning Commission, the Board of Zoning Appeals, and the Traffic Commission.The City Manager serves as Chief Executive and Administrative officer for the city.[http://www.cityofwheelingwv.org/cmngr1.htm#top The current Mayor of Wheeling is Nick Sparachane, and the current City Manager of Wheeling is Robert Herron.

Attractions

Wheeling features several municipal parks including Oglebay Park and Wheeling Park. It is also the site of the Wheeling Suspension Bridge which was once the longest suspension bridge in the world. In 2004, a Cabela's outdoor retail store opened outside of Wheeling. It is to be the central feature in a new shopping complex outside of the city. Gaming has also come to Wheeling. Wheeling Island Racetrack and Gaming Center is located on Wheeling Island. It is home to greyhound racing and slots. The success of Wheeling Island Racetrack has generated much debate about further legalisation of table gaming in the Wheeling area.

Higher education

The Wheeling area is home to West Liberty State College, a public four-year college, and a private Jesuit university, Wheeling Jesuit University. The main branch of West Virginia Northern Community College is also located in downtown Wheeling.

As elsewhere in West Virginia, K-12 schools are organized at the county level of government. The public school system, Ohio County Schools, consists of 13 schools. There are eight elementary schools, one K-8 school, four middle schools, and Wheeling Park High School. There are also exist several private and parochial schools including Wheeling Central Catholic High School, Mount de Chantal Academy, and the Linsly Institute.

Entertainment

Wheeling has an old-style theatre, the Capitol Music Hall. The Music Hall was home to a popular radio program in the early forties, It's Wheeling Steel, featuring musical performances by workers at a local steel plant. Nowadays, the Music Hall welcomes musical performances of all types. It is also the performance hall of the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra. It has also served as the home for Jamboree USA. The Capitol Music Hall is the largest theatre in the state of West Virginia, with some 2,500 seats. Wheeling is also home to the Wheeling Nailers hockey team. The Nailers play in the WesBanco Arena (formerly the Wheeling Civic Center), and participate in the North division, American Conference of the ECHL.

Media

Due to its close proximity to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Wheeling is heavily influenced by Pittsburgh's broadcast media outlets which are easily received in the area. In addition to the Pittsburgh outlets the Wheeling television market is served by CBS affiliate WTRF-TV Channel 7, UPN affiliate WVTX-CA Channel 28, and NBC affiliate WTOV Channel 9 in nearby Steubenville, Ohio.

Wheeling Radio is home to WWVA 1170 AM, the state's only 50,000 watt AM station which can be heard throughout the East Coast at night. WVLY 1370 AM and WKKX 1600 AM provides local news, sports, and talk. On the FM dial WVKF 95.7, WKWK 93.7, and WGEW 107.5 provides the area with various music genres. The Wheeling area is also the home of WVJW, a listener supported commercial-free station which also serves as the local Pacifica affiliate. A number of translators and repeater stations provide NPR and American Family Radio networks.

The city is home to The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register newspapers. The Intelligencer is published weekday mornings and Saturdays, while the News-Register is published weekday afternoons and Sundays. The Times-Leader of Martins Ferry, Ohio, also covers Wheeling issues. In rare cases (although more frequently in the past), the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, which is distrubuted in and around Wheeling as an "outlining area", will also report on Wheeling issues, but mostly if it only affects those in the Pittsburgh area, as well (although this has also changed due to many residents in and around Wheeling reading the Post Gazette more often).

People from Wheeling

Leon "Chu" Berry, jazz saxophonist
John Corbett, actor
Rebecca Harding Davis, author
Joyce DeWitt, actress
Doug Fetherling, writer
Walter L. Fisher, U.S. Secretary of the Interior
Gene Freese, baseball player
Jack Glasscock, baseball player
Chuck Howley, football player
Bill Mazeroski, baseball player
Bob Ney, U.S. Representative from Ohio
Tim O'Brien, bluegrass musician
Walter Reuther, labor leader
John Yarnall, naval officer during War of 1812
Eleanor Steber, American operatic soprano associated with the Metropolitan Opera
Joanne Dru, actress
Faith Daniels, network broadcaster

External links

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