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Moving to Bridgeport, West Virginia

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Bridgeport is a small city located in North Central West Virginia, in the state’s northern panhandle region. The city is situated on the banks of the Monongahela River and is part of the larger metropolitan area that includes nearby Clarksburg and Morgantown. Bridgeport has a humid continental climate with hot summers, cold winters, and moderate precipitation year-round.

The city was first settled in 1817 by James Neale and his family who were early pioneers. It was officially incorporated as Bridgeport in 1871 and today has a population of around 8,000 people. The city is home to several major employers including Shinnston Manufacturing, Valley Health Systems, and United Bank. It also serves as the county seat for Harrison County which provides many government jobs to local residents.

Bridgeport is served by two school districts: Harrison County Schools and Bridgeport Exempted Village Schools. The schools offer a variety of educational programs ranging from elementary to higher education levels. There are also several private schools located within the city limits as well as nearby colleges such as Fairmont State University and West Virginia University at Parkersburg.

Bridgeport boasts several landmarks that are popular tourist attractions such as the historic downtown area which includes buildings from its earliest days of settlement, the Stonewall Jackson Lake State Park which offers camping, fishing, boating, hiking trails and more, plus other attractions like Prickett’s Fort State Park which has a reconstructed colonial fort from 1774. There are also numerous museums throughout town including one dedicated to local history at the Bridgeport History Center located near downtown on Main Street.

The economy in Bridgeport revolves mainly around retail trade and manufacturing but there is also some tourism activity due to its proximity to popular outdoor recreational areas like Stonewall Jackson Lake State Park and Prickett’s Fort State Park. The city boasts numerous festivals throughout the year including an annual summer arts festival held at Town Square Park every July 4th weekend featuring live music acts from all over West Virginia plus food vendors selling local specialties like funnel cakes and ice cream cones!

Population: 7,306. Estimated population in July 2024: 7,486 (+2.5% change)
Males: 3,403 (46.6%), Females: 3,903 (53.4%)

Harrison County

Zip code: 26330

Demographics

Median resident age: 42.8 years
Median household income: $49,310
Median house value: $116,000

Population by Race

Races in Bridgeport:

  • White Non-Hispanic (95.8%)
  • Hispanic (1.3%)
  • Black (1.2%)
  • Two or more races (0.5%)

Ancestries: German (20.3%), English (18.3%), Irish (14.7%), Italian (12.6%), United States (9.7%), Scotch-Irish (3.9%).

Elevation: 987 feet

Land area: 8.3 square miles

Population by Education

Bridgeport, West Virginia is home to 8,149 people according to the United States Census Bureau. The town is situated in the northern panhandle of West Virginia and is part of the Morgantown metropolitan area. The population is fairly diverse with a mix of racial and ethnic backgrounds. The median age for Bridgeport residents is 38 years old, which is slightly higher than the national average. The majority of the population identifies as White (81.9%), followed by African American (10.3%), Asian (2.6%), Hispanic or Latino (2.5%) and other races making up the remaining 3%.

The median household income in Bridgeport is $51,077 with 14% of families living below the poverty line. This number has increased slightly since 2010 when it was $50,713 and 13% living below poverty line respectively. As far as education goes, 87.9% of adults over 25 have a high school diploma or higher while 22% hold a bachelor’s degree or higher which is lower than both state and national averages at 24% and 30% respectively. In terms of employment, Bridgeport’s unemployment rate stands at 4%, lower than both state average at 5% and national average at 4%. Most people are employed in industries such as retail trade, healthcare & social assistance, educational services, manufacturing and construction & extraction.

For population 25 years and over in Bridgeport

  • High school or higher: 92.6%
  • Bachelor’s degree or higher: 36.6%
  • Graduate or professional degree: 13.8%
  • Unemployed: 2.4%
  • Mean travel time to work: 20.9 minutes

For population 15 years and over in Bridgeport city

  • Never married: 16.1%
  • Now married: 66.7%
  • Separated: 1.0%
  • Widowed: 7.9%
  • Divorced: 8.4%

2.6% Foreign born (1.2% Europe, 0.9% Asia, 0.3% Latin America).

Population change in the 1990s: +55 (+0.8%).

Hospitals

Hospitals/medical centers near Bridgeport:

  • UNITED HOSPITAL CENTER (about 7 miles; CLARKSBURG, WV)
  • FAIRMONT GENERAL HOSPITAL (about 15 miles; FAIRMONT, WV)
  • GRAFTON CITY HOSPITAL (about 16 miles; GRAFTON, WV)

Airports

Airports certified for carrier operations nearest to Bridgeport:

  • HARRISON/MARION REGIONAL (about 3 miles; CLARKSBURG, WV; Abbreviation: CKB)
  • MORGANTOWN MUNI-WALTER L. BILL HART FLD (about 34 miles; MORGANTOWN, WV; Abbreviation: MGW)
  • ALLEGHENY COUNTY (about 76 miles; PITTSBURGH, PA; Abbreviation: AGC)

Other public-use airports nearest to Bridgeport:

  • WADE F MALEY FIELD (about 8 miles; SHINNSTON, WV; Abbreviation: 6W0)
  • FAIRMONT MUNI-FRANKMAN FIELD (about 12 miles; FAIRMONT, WV; Abbreviation: 4G7)
  • PHILIPPI/BARBOUR COUNTY REGIONAL (about 18 miles; PHILIPPI, WV; Abbreviation: 79D)

Colleges and Universities

College/University in Bridgeport:

  • JAMES W PERRY HEALTH AND SAFETY (Location: RT 3 BOX 148A; Private, for-profit)

Colleges and Universities

Colleges/universities with over 2000 students nearest to Bridgeport:

  • FAIRMONT STATE COLLEGE (about 15 miles; FAIRMONT, WV; Full-time enrollment: 5,317)
  • WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY (about 32 miles; MORGANTOWN, WV; Full-time enrollment: 19,666)
  • CALIFORNIA UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA (about 59 miles; CALIFORNIA, PA; Full-time enrollment: 5,183)
  • WEST LIBERTY STATE COLLEGE (about 65 miles; WEST LIBERTY, WV; Full-time enrollment: 2,453)
  • WESTMORELAND COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE (about 80 miles; YOUNGWOOD, PA; Full-time enrollment: 3,223)
  • UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH-MAIN CAMPUS (about 80 miles; PITTSBURGH, PA; Full-time enrollment: 22,930)
  • DUQUESNE UNIVERSITY (about 80 miles; PITTSBURGH, PA; Full-time enrollment: 8,199)

Schools

Public high school in Bridgeport:

  • BRIDGEPORT HIGH SCHOOL (Students: 849; Location: 515 JOHNSON AVE; Grades: 09 – 12)

Public primary/middle schools in Bridgeport:

  • BRIDGEPORT MIDDLE SCHOOL (Students: 677; Location: 413 JOHNSON AVE; Grades: 06 – 08)
  • JOHNSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (Students: 601; Location: 531 JOHNSON AVE; Grades: PK – 05)
  • SIMPSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (Students: 419; Location: 250 WORTHINGTON DR; Grades: PK – 05)
  • HEPZIBAH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (Students: 133; Location: RR 3 BOX 198; Grades: PK – 04)

Private primary/middle school in Bridgeport:

  • HERITAGE CHRISTIAN SCHOOL INC (Students: 112; Location: 225 NEWTON ST; Grades: PK – 8)

Libraries

Library in Bridgeport:

  • BRIDGEPORT PUBLIC LIBRARY (Operating income: $402,798; Location: 1200 JOHNSON AVENUE; 85,511 books; 5,897 audio materials; 3,587 video materials; 127 serial subscriptions)

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