Wheeling, West Virginia

Wheeling
City
Downtown Wheeling Independence Hall Wheeling station Oglebay Park Chapline Street
Flag Seal
Nickname:  The Friendly City
Interactive map of Wheeling
Wheeling Show map of West Virginia Wheeling Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 40°4′13″N 80°41′55″W / 40.07028°N 80.69861°W / 40.07028; -80.69861
Country	United States
State	West Virginia
County	Ohio, Marshall
Settled	1769
Established	1806
Incorporated	1836
Government
• Mayor	Denny Magruder[1]
• City Manager	Robert Herron
• Police Chief	Shawn Schwertfeger
• Fire Chief	Jim Blazier
Area [2]
• City	16.00 sq mi (41.43 km2)
• Land	13.78 sq mi (35.68 km2)
• Water	2.22 sq mi (5.76 km2)  13.87%
Elevation	687–1,300 ft (209–396 m)
Population  (2020)[3]
• City	27,052
• Density	1,700/sq mi (650/km2)
• Urban	57,695 (US: 463rd)
• Metro	139,513 (US: 299th)
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP Code	26003
Area code	304
FIPS code	54-86452
GNIS feature ID	1548994[4]
Website	www.wheelingwv.gov

Wheeling is a city in Ohio and Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The county seat of Ohio County, it lies along the Ohio River in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains within the state's Northern Panhandle.^[5] As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 27,062, making it the fifth-most populous city in West Virginia and the most populous in the Northern Panhandle. The Wheeling metropolitan area had a population of 139,513 in 2020.^[3] Wheeling is located about 60 miles (97 km) west of Pittsburgh and 120 miles (190 km) east of Columbus via Interstate 70.

Wheeling was settled in 1769 in land contested between colonial Pennsylvania and Virginia, and later grew to become Virginia's largest city west of the Appalachians. During the American Civil War, Wheeling was the host of the Wheeling Conventions that led to the secession of West Virginia and served as the state capital from 1861 to 1870, and again from 1875 to 1885. It became a manufacturing center in the late nineteenth century due to its location along major transportation routes, including the Ohio River, National Road, and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. After the decline of heavy industry and substantial population loss following World War II, Wheeling's major industries now include healthcare, education, law and legal services, entertainment and tourism, and energy.