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Belpre is a city in Washington County, Ohio, United States, along the Ohio River. The name Belpre is derived from a contraction of "Belle Prairie" (French for "beautiful meadow"), which is the original name given to the valley by French trappers prior to more permanent settlement by European Americans. Part of the Parkersburg-Marietta-Vienna, WV-OH Metropolitan Statistical Area, the city is located about 14 miles downriver from Marietta. In 1870 the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad completed the Parkersburg Bridge (CSX) across the river; at , it was reportedly the longest in the world. The population was 6,441 at the 2010 census. Belpre was the second United States settlement in the Northwest Territory after Marietta. The city is home to the first library established in the Territory. Its public school hired the first female schoolteacher in Ohio. ==History== In 1845 railroad developers in 1845 founded the Belpre and Cincinnati Railroad, but the destination was changed to Marietta, with a corresponding name change in 1851. For a considerable period of time, travelers had to go by steamboat to connect between Marietta and Parkersburg, Virginia; the latter received service from the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in 1857. This was shortly before the western part of Virginia seceded in 1861 after the start of the American Civil War to form Unionist West Virginia. Belpre and Marietta were later connected by rail. Coal service is still active on this line. From 1868-1870, the B&O built the Parkersburg Bridge (CSX) between West Virginia and Belpre, on its main line to St. Louis, Missouri. Designed by Jacob Linville, when completed in 1870 the bridge was reportedly the longest in the world at .〔(''Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, Parkersburg Bridge, Ohio River, Parkersburg, Wood County, WV'' ), Historic American Engineering Record, accessed 22 August 2012〕 The bridge attracted more trade to the town, enabled shipping Ohio coal to the East Coast, and improved access on both sides of the river. Developing in a different pattern from the more industrial cities of eastern Ohio, Belpre reached its peak of population in 1980. It has had some losses since then with the decline of heavy industry, but is relatively stable compared to the former industrial cities, which have lost half their residents since peaks in 1940 and 1950. The Steven Soderbergh film ''Bubble'' (2006) was filmed in Belpre and Parkersburg, West Virginia, using an all-local cast. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Belpre, Ohio」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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