Wheeling Island is the most populated

island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...

in the

Ohio River The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its river mouth, mouth on the Mississippi Riv ...

. It lies within the city of Wheeling in

Ohio County, West Virginia Ohio County is a county located in the Northern Panhandle of the U.S. state of West Virginia, and forms part of the Wheeling metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 42,425. Its county seat is Wheeling. The county was f ...

, United States. The 2000 census showed a resident population of 3,142 people on the island, which has a land area of . Neville Island, Pennsylvania, is larger () but has fewer people (1,232). Wheeling Island lies at the mouths of Wheeling Creek of Ohio and Wheeling Creek of West Virginia. The island is home to the Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack at Wheeling Downs and Wheeling Island Stadium, home of the West Virginia State Football Championships. Wheeling Island has a number of historic homes featuring

Victorian Architecture Victorian architecture is a series of Revivalism (architecture), architectural revival styles in the mid-to-late 19th century. ''Victorian'' refers to the reign of Queen Victoria (1837–1901), called the Victorian era, during which period the st ...

. An elementary school (Madison Elementary, by Prominent WV Architect F.F. Faris, also Wheeling Island is the location of his personal residence), churches, a public pool (Bridge Park Pool), and several restaurants are located on the island. A section of Wheeling Island is protected as part of the Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge.

Transportation

Wheeling Island is connected to downtown Wheeling via the Fort Henry Bridge, carrying

Interstate 70 Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from Interstate 15, I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to Interstate 695 (Maryland), I-695 and Maryland Route 570 (MD 570) in Woodlawn, Baltimo ...

, U.S. Route 40, and U.S. Route 250, and the Wheeling Suspension Bridge, carrying the

National Road The National Road (also known as the Cumberland Road) was the first major improved highway in the United States built by the federal government. Built between 1811 and 1837, the road connected the Potomac and Ohio Rivers and was a main tran ...

. Two additional bridges cross the back channel of the Ohio River to connect the island to

Bridgeport Bridgeport is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut and the fifth-most populous city in New England, with a population of 148,654 in 2020. Located in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequonnock River on Long Is ...

, one for Interstate 70, and a second for US 250 and US 40. The Aetnaville Bridge also crosses the back channel of the Ohio River, but was closed to vehicle traffic in 1988 and to the public in 2016 over safety concerns.

Variant names

Originally known by various names including ''Zanes Island'' and ''Madison Island'', the Board on Geographic Names decided upon ''Wheeling Island'' as the bar's official name in 1902. Local residents refer to it as simply "The Island."

References

External links

Wheeling Island Racetrack & Gaming CenterWheeling Island.org - Information and ResourcesCreative Impressions
Publisher of ''Wheeling Island: A Photographic History '' by Robert W. Schramm {{authority control River islands of West Virginia Geography of Wheeling, West Virginia Islands of the Ohio River Landforms of Ohio County, West Virginia Neighborhoods in Wheeling, West Virginia

Transportation

Variant names

See also

References

External links