Belpre, Ohio

Belpre, Ohio
The Captain Jonathan Stone House (1799) is the oldest existing building in Belpre.
The Captain Jonathan Stone House (1799) is the oldest existing building in Belpre.
Motto(s): 
"Excellent Community, Excellent People"
Location of Belpre, Ohio
Location of Belpre, Ohio
Location of Belpre in Washington County
Location of Belpre in Washington County
Coordinates: 39°17′10″N 81°36′45″W / 39.28611°N 81.61250°W / 39.28611; -81.61250
CountryUnited States
StateOhio
CountyWashington
Government
 • MayorSusan J. Abdella (R)[citation needed]
Area
 • Total3.57 sq mi (9.24 km2)
 • Land3.48 sq mi (9.03 km2)
 • Water0.08 sq mi (0.21 km2)
Elevation659 ft (201 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total6,728
 • Estimate 
(2023)[3]
6,614
 • Density1,930.56/sq mi (745.42/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
45714
Area code740
FIPS code39-05424[4]
GNIS feature ID1087127[2]
Websitehttps://www.cityofbelpre.com/
Farmer's Castle fortification at Belpre during the Northwest Indian War

Belpre (historically spelled Belpré;[5] pronounced /ˈbɛlpri/ BEL-pree[6]) is a city in Washington County, Ohio, United States, along the Ohio River across from Parkersburg, West Virginia. The population was 6,728 at the 2020 census. Its name derives from "Belle Prairie" (French for "beautiful meadow"), the name given to the valley by French trappers prior to the first American settlement at the site.[7][5]

Part of the Marietta micropolitan area, Belpre is located about 14 miles (22 km) downriver from Marietta. In 1870, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad completed the Parkersburg Bridge (CSX) across the river; at 7,140 feet (2,180 m), it was reportedly the longest in the world.

  1. ^ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  2. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Belpre, Ohio
  3. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places in Ohio: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
  4. ^ "U.S. Census website". US Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  5. ^ a b Thwaites, Reuben Gold (1897). Afloat on the Ohio: An Historical Pilgrimage of a Thousand Miles in a Skiff, from Redstone to Cairo. Doubleday & McClure. p. 100 – via Internet Archive. Across the river, in Ohio, is Belpré (short for Belle Prairie, and now locally pronounced Bel′pry), settled by Revolutionary soldiers, on the Marietta grant, in 1789-90.
  6. ^ "E.W. Scripps School of Journalism Ohio Pronunciation Guide | Ohio University". www.ohio.edu. Ohio University. 2016. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  7. ^ Kilbourn, John (1833). The Ohio Gazetteer, Or a Topographical Dictionary. Scott and Wright. p. 91. Retrieved December 12, 2013.