Morgantown, WV Summary

photo by gusto

A city of 26,809 people, Morgantown is home to West Virginia University and a burgeoning economy centered around glass manufacturing, regional government, and health care. Located off I-76 along the Pennsylvania border at the Monongahela River, Morgantown’s seemingly prosperous infrastructure gives it a commercial edge over many other West Virginia cities.

Unfortunately, the city’s attractions remain somewhat limited.

Once a commercial thoroughfare, upon its inception as Fort Morgan in 1772, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was diverted to neighboring Fairmont. This saw the old town languish, until the Civil War turned the community into a leading iron-manufacturing center.

Not far from Morgantown is the Henry Clay Iron Furnace, which once produced nails for the Union army.

Morgantown has a few notable historic buildings, including the Old Stone House built in 1795, and the more recent Monongahela County Courthouse, constructed a hundred years later.