Wood County, West Virginia | |
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The Wood County Courthouse in Parkersburg
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Location in the U.S. state of West Virginia |
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West Virginia's location in the U.S. |
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Founded | December 21, 1798 |
Named for | James Wood |
Seat | Parkersburg |
Largest city | Parkersburg |
Area | |
• Total | 377 sq mi (976 km2) |
• Land | 367 sq mi (951 km2) |
• Water | 11 sq mi (28 km2), 2.8% |
Population (est.) | |
• (2015) | 86,452 |
• Density | 236/sq mi (91/km²) |
Congressional district | 1st |
Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5/-4 |
Website | www |
Wood County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 86,956, making it West Virginia's fifth-most populous county. Its county seat is Parkersburg. The county was formed in 1798 from the western part of Harrison County and named for James Wood, governor of Virginia from 1796 to 1799.
Wood County is part of the Parkersburg-Vienna, WV Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Parkersburg-Marietta-Vienna, WV-OH Combined Statistical Area.
Wood County was formed on December 21, 1798 from portions of Harrison County. It was named for James Wood, a brigadier general in the American Revolutionary War who was then Governor of Virginia (1796–99). In 1861, Virginia seceded from the Union. The delegates of the 40 western counties who opposed secession formed their own government and seceded from the Confederate state of Virginia. West Virginia was granted statehood in 1863.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 377 square miles (980 km2), of which 366 square miles (950 km2) is land and 11 square miles (28 km2) (2.8%) is water.
Wood County's northern and western boundary is the Ohio River. The Little Kanawha River flows northwestward through the county to its mouth at the Ohio River in Parkersburg. Tributaries of the Little Kanawha River in Wood County include Worthington Creek, Tygart Creek, and Walker Creek.