Wheeling Island is the most densely populated island

Island

An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...

 in the Ohio River

Ohio River

The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...

. It lies within the city of Wheeling

Wheeling, West Virginia

Wheeling is a city in Ohio and Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia; it is the county seat of Ohio County. Wheeling is the principal city of the Wheeling Metropolitan Statistical Area...

 in Ohio County

Ohio County, West Virginia

As of the census of 2000, there were 47,427 people, 19,733 households, and 12,155 families residing in the county. The population density was 447 people per square mile . There were 22,166 housing units at an average density of 209 per square mile...

, West Virginia

West Virginia

West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...

, in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The 2000 census showed a resident population of 3,142 persons on the island, which has a land area of 1.514 km² (374 acres). Neville Island, PA is larger (3.4km²) but has fewer people (1,232).

Wheeling Island is home to the Wheeling Island Racetrack and Gaming Center at Wheeling Downs and Wheeling Island Stadium

Wheeling Island Stadium

Wheeling Island Stadium is a stadium located on Wheeling Island in Wheeling, West Virginia. The stadium seats 12,220 in two stands along either sidelines, the end zones are empty. Wheeling Island Stadium usually hosts High school football and soccer events but can host concerts, hosting REO...

, home of the West Virginia State Football Championships. The island lies at the mouths of Wheeling Creek of Ohio

Wheeling Creek (Ohio)

Wheeling Creek is a tributary of the Ohio River, long, in eastern Ohio in the United States. Via the Ohio River, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau...

 and Wheeling Creek of West Virginia

Wheeling Creek (West Virginia)

Wheeling Creek is a tributary of the Ohio River, 25 miles long, in the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia in the United States, with a watershed extending into southwestern Pennsylvania. Via the Ohio River, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of...

.

Bridges

Wheeling Island is connected to downtown Wheeling via the Fort Henry Bridge

Fort Henry Bridge

The Fort Henry Bridge is a crossing of the Ohio River main channel in Wheeling, West Virginia. The tied-arch bridge carries two lanes in each direction of Interstate 70 , U.S. Route 40 , and US 250. The bridge opened after four years of construction work on September 8, 1955, costing $6.8...

, which carries Interstate 70

Interstate 70

Interstate 70 is an Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from Interstate 15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a Park and Ride near Baltimore, Maryland. It was the first Interstate Highway project in the United States. I-70 approximately traces the path of U.S. Route 40 east of the Rocky...

, the National Road

National Road

The National Road or Cumberland Road was the first major improved highway in the United States to be built by the federal government. Construction began heading west in 1811 at Cumberland, Maryland, on the Potomac River. It crossed the Allegheny Mountains and southwestern Pennsylvania, reaching...

 (U.S. Route 40

U.S. Route 40

U.S. Route 40 is an east–west United States highway. As with most routes whose numbers end in a zero, U.S. 40 once traversed the entire United States. It is one of the original 1920s U.S. Highways, and its first termini were San Francisco, California, and Atlantic City, New Jersey...

), and U.S. Route 250

U.S. Route 250

U.S. Route 250 is a route of the United States Numbered Highway System, and is a spur of U.S. Route 50. It currently runs for from Sandusky, Ohio to Richmond, Virginia. It passes through the states of Virginia, West Virginia, and Ohio. It goes through the cities of Richmond, Virginia,...

, and the Wheeling Suspension Bridge

Wheeling Suspension Bridge

The Wheeling Suspension Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the main channel of the Ohio River at Wheeling, West Virginia. It was the largest suspension bridge in the world from 1849 until the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge was opened in 1851. It was designed by Charles Ellet Jr., who also worked...

.

Two additional bridges cross the back channel of the Ohio River to connect the island to Bridgeport

Bridgeport, Ohio

Bridgeport is a village in Belmont County, Ohio, United States. It is part of the Wheeling, West Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,831 at the 2010 census...

, one for Interstate 70, and a second for US 250 and US 40.

Variant names

Originally known by various names including Zanes Island and Madison Island, the Board on Geographic Names decided upon Wheeling Island as the bar

Shoal

Shoal, shoals or shoaling may mean:* Shoal, a sandbank or reef creating shallow water, especially where it forms a hazard to shipping* Shoal draught , of a boat with shallow draught which can pass over some shoals: see Draft...

's official name in 1902.

See also

• List of islands of West Virginia
• Harry C. and Jessie F. Franzheim House
  Harry C. and Jessie F. Franzheim House
  Harry C. and Jessie F. Franzheim House is a historic home located on Wheeling Island at Wheeling, Ohio County, West Virginia. It was built in 1897, and is a three-story Shingle style dwelling. It sits on a sandstone foundation...
  
  
• John McLure House
  John McLure House
  John McLure House, also known as the Hans Phillips House, Lawrence Sands House, and Daniel Zane House, is a historic home located on Wheeling Island at Wheeling, Ohio County, West Virginia. It was built between 1853 and 1856, and is a three-story, Federal-style brick dwelling. A two-story rear...
  
  

External links

• Wheeling Island Racetrack & Gaming Center
• Wheeling Island.org - Information and Resources
• Creative Impressions Publisher of Wheeling Island: A Photographic History by Robert W. Schramm