Oglebay Park and
Resort Center remains the nation's model municipal park and continues to offer
outstanding recreational opportunity to both residents and visitors. Its Festival of
Lights attracts a million visitors annually. Its growing flower displays will soon surpass
the Festival of Lights. Swimming, tennis, horseback riding, picnicking, hiking, skiing and
fishing will augment your visits to the museums, shops, conference and special
events centers, and outdoor summer entertainment series. Two professional golf courses
designed by Robert Trent Jones and Arnold Palmer are in addition to the Crispin Center
golf course and a par three course. Wheeling Park and 35 neighborhood playgrounds and ball
fields dot the city. Our paved trail system which is the
region's largest and our state's largest urban system has 24 miles already constructed for
walkers, joggers, cyclists and roller bladers. Additional miles are funded and in design
stages. What about cultural, ethnic and religious diversity? The Wheeling area
boasts one of the broadest ethnic, cultural and religiously diverse regions in the nation,
with numerous descendents of and current immigrants from, western Europe, Asia and Africa.
Churches, temples, and cultural centers abound. Oglebay Institute is the nation's oldest
cultural and arts institution, with activities on three campuses
ranging from
visual and fine arts, performing arts and traveling exhibits. The Wheeling Symphony is a metropolitan class
orchestra, with 35 performances annually. Jamboree
USA welcomes residents and visitors to weekly shows by top country music artists. The
OVations Youth Orchestra was one of two of our nation's youth symphonies to participate in
an international youth festival in Australia. Plans are in the works for a tour of Europe.
Is safety an issue for you? West Virginia has led the nation for a quarter century
as the safest state in the union, and the Wheeling area our state. Our people are good,
hard-working folks who love the community and their neighbors. Our excellent public safety
forces provide security and protection from those who do not. We walk away annually with
top honors and insurance ratings with our superior fire department. Health care: we hope
you never get sick or injured. But if you do, we can deliver. We can deliver babies
with excellence as well as general and acute health care and maintenance. Numerous
specialties from cardiac and cancer care to wellness and women's centers are provided by
two excellent hospitals, clinics and other providers. Psychiatric and behavioral health
services address the continuum of care spectrum. Excellent residential programs are
provided for people with mental illnesses, developmental disabilities and other medical
frailties. Senior residential opportunities are numerous and varied, as are activity
centers for our older residents. Wheeling has been a national demonstration site for
Alzheimer's disease and breast cancer care. The Howard Long Wellness Center is a national
model for health, fitness and prevention.
Is this a sports town or what? Little League baseball and girls softball teams are
numerous and active. One of the nation's oldest and best skilled amateur hockey
associations is here. Soccer was active here long before it caught on nationally; the
original soccer moms live here. Wheeling is proud to host two professional minor league
teams. The Wheeling Nailers are a
successful East Coast Hockey League professional hockey club and the Ohio Valley Greyhounds are the current NIFL
indoor football national champions. Football fanatics love active high school events in
the nation's largest association of high school sports, the Ohio Valley Athletic
Conference.
Do you love history? The last battle of the
American Revolution was fought here.
The western counties of Virginia assembled
delegates at Wheeling to form the new state of West Virginia during the Civil War.
Wheeling was a stop along the Underground Railway. Wheeling was the original gateway to
the west, as pioneers assembled here and gathered supplies for packet boat trips down the
Ohio River or wagon train excursions to the west. The most outstanding collection of high
style Victorian architecture is preserved here. The Wheeling National Heritage Area
Corporation is advancing its plan to capitalize on our nationally significant history
while creating a vital, sustainable downtown adjacent to our historic waterfront.
Business opportunities? We are within
one day's drive of half the population of the United States. Think about that...then call
us! The Chamber of Commerce and the Ohio Valley Industrial and Business
Development Corporation want to work with you. A small business development center and
numerous incentives are available for you to consider. Local government and the private
sector are working closely to provide land, financing and other project assistance for
you. We have an excellent work force that is augmented by the Governor's Work Force
Development Program which offers training assistance for the new employees of your
business here.
How about city government? A charter change
in 1992 has created a dynamic partnership among local government, residents and the
business community. City Council and Administration have forged a team that is user
and customer friendly. A newly reorganized Department of Economic and Community
Development is customer and project oriented, as distinct from a bureaucratic,
permit-based operation. City Council, working with a broad base of residential and
business citizens, has adopted a new Comprehensive Plan for the city that calls for
preserving and improving our wonderfully distinct neighborhoods as well as for focused
economic growth. City government is proving itself with its commitment to the Plan as well
as with its partnerships with the Chamber of Commerce, neighborhood organizations and the
Wheeling National Heritage Area Corporation.
Wheeling is known as "The Friendly City" for good reason. Come and see!
A word of warning: if you are a 'mean' person, our friendliness is infectious.
Are we bragging?
Our Mayor says it's not bragging if we can do it. We enjoy a quality of life that is
unparalleled. Come for a visit. Come here to live. Come to play. Come to
worship. Come for the best education for your children. Come to retire. Come to locate
your business here. Come to learn about that "Wheeling Feeling". COME LOOK AT US NOW!