24/7 Trauma & Biohazard Cleanup Near Downtown Belpre Belpre, OH

Belpre's name comes from the French "Belle Prairie," meaning "beautiful meadow," the name French trappers gave the valley — though locals pronounce it "BEL-pree."

Belpre was first settled in 1788-89 by Revolutionary War veterans on the Ohio Company grant, making it one of the earliest American settlements in the Northwest Territory, just downriver from Marietta.

During the Northwest Indian War, Belpre's settlers sheltered inside Farmer's Castle, a fortified garrison on the river.

The Captain Jonathan Stone House, built in 1799, is the oldest existing building in Belpre.

Belpre sits on the Ohio River directly across from Parkersburg, West Virginia, about 14 miles downriver from Marietta, and is part of the Marietta micropolitan area.

In 1870 the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad completed the Parkersburg Bridge between Belpre and West Virginia — at 7,140 feet it was reportedly the longest bridge in the world.

Belpre had a population of 6,728 at the 2020 census, living in 3,152 households, with about 63% of occupied homes owner-occupied.

Belpre's population peaked at 7,193 in 1980 and has remained comparatively stable since, unlike many heavier industrial Ohio River cities.

The Belpre City School District operates just one elementary school and one high school, Belpre High School.

Belpre's public library is a branch of the Washington County Public Library.