With nearly all of the United States population reachable by overnight delivery, and with major metropolitan areas situated just a few hours’ drive in any direction, the Wood County, West Virginia area has the advantage of location without many of the high costs associated with other locales in America. In fact,  magazine ranked West Virginia the #1 business location in the mid-Atlantic region and the tenth-best place to be in America.

The Parkersburg area is a regional transportation hub served by modern highways, rivers, rail service, and air service. Interstate 77 and U.S. 50 provide superior regional ingress and egress for road transportation. The area is also supported by the Ohio Valley Regional Airport, CSX Transporation, and barge shipping on the Ohio River.

Wood County Schools is one of America's leading local school systems. With national award-winning teachers and instructional offerings ranging from preschool to graduate-level, it continually ranks as one of the top school systems in the state. Test scores run at or above the national average, and the pupil-teacher ratio is one of the best in the country.

Wood County's system of higher education is equally important, and the county boasts a regional campus of West Virginia University. Founded in 1888, Mountain State College is a business college that also calls Parkersburg home. Ohio Valley University, also located in Parkersburg, is a Christian-based, residential, co-educational, liberal-arts university which has served the region since 1958.

Parkersburg has become a regional healthcare center with outstanding physicians, hospitals, and specialized services. Camden-Clark Medical Center, consisting of the Memorial Campus and St. Joseph's Campus are anchors the "medical mile" in Parkersburg, with the PARS Brain and Spine Clinic and a variety of specialists located between the hospitals.

Camden-Clark Memorial Hospital has served the region since 1898. The hospital's 150-strong medical staff provides a full range of medical services. Camden-Clark is the home of the Community Comprehensive Cancer Center, a designation issued by the American College of Surgeons, Commission on Cancer, which reflects on the hospital's commitment to provide the finest in cancer care.

St. Joseph’s Hospital is a 325-bed acute-care regional hospital which has served the region since 1900. The hospital became the region's cardiac services center in 2003, and it has been named one of America's top 100 hospitals by the HCIA-Sach’s Institute.

Camden-Clark Medical Center was formed in 2011 as a result of the merger between Camden-Clark Memorial Hospital and St. Joseph's Hospital.  CCMC is a member of the West Virginia United Health System and is the currently the 3rd largest Center in the State of West Virginia.

Commercial diversity have given Wood County much economic strength and stamina. The area is a lead partner with the Polymer Alliance Zone, and the E.I. du Pont plant just south of Parkersburg is one of the company's largest facilities. GE Plastics is also a major employer in Wood County. Parkersburg is known as the "Savings Bond Capital of the World," since it serves as the home of the U.S. Treasury's Bureau of the Public Debt. The Bureau has been located in Parkersburg since 1957, and it employs approximately 1800 people.

Wood County is also the home to manufacturers of everything from architectural louvers to large truck haulers. It's the home of one of America's largest, and last, art glass manufacturers, Fenton Art Glass. Retailer Coldwater Creek has located its eastern United States distribution center in Wood County, and fine companies such as Simonton Windows, Fypon Manufacturing, United Bankshares, and Mountain State Blue Cross Blue Shield have also chosen to make their home in Wood County.

The Wood County area is home to the Parkersburg Art Center and the Blennerhassett Island Historic State Park. The county also has a symphony and great libraries. The Smoot Theater and the Actors Guild offer big-city entertainment in a small-town venue. The Oil & Gas Museum, the Blennerhassett Museum, and Henderson Hall all serve as a reminder of the area's colorful past. Several public parks, considered among the finest in the state, dot the landscape.

A wide variety of retailers have made Wood County their home, with the Grand Central Mall being the retail hub of the area. Large retailers like Kohl's, Old Navy, Lowe's, Wal-Mart, and Tractor Supply have opened new stores in the area. A major new mixed-use shopping complex in Vienna will offer retail, office, and residential space along with a new marina on the Ohio River.

For more information please visit the Greater Parkersburg Convention and Visitor's Bureau