Opportunity
Lives Here
Recently named the 16th best city to live in by USA Today, Bridgeport, WV,
is on the rise. With a growing population of 8,382, a median household income
of $82,359 and an unemployment rate below the national average, the city is
attractive to families and businesses alike.
“Bridgeport’s success is a combination of good businesses, a great educational
system and the work of many people over many years to build up the community,”
says City Manager Randy Wetmore. “Bridgeport is a really nice place to live and
work, and Harrison County as a whole is dynamic and growing. It is a great place
for families and businesses, and there is great opportunity for both to prosper
in this part of West Virginia.”
This progression is illustrated by the development of Bridgeport over the past
few years alone. In 2018, the city issued $44 million in commercial and residential
building permits, and in 2019, it has already surpassed that number at $85 million.
“We’ve had quite a bit of development in the residential sector, and we’re also
fortunate that the older businesses continue to invest,” says Wetmore.
One major economic development project currently underway is the new
Bridgeport Indoor Sports & Recreation Complex, which is slated to open in the
fall of 2020. A $50 million project, the 156,000-square-foot facility will sit on
60 acres of a 125-acre property at Charles Pointe and accommodate all types of
sports. The open-design complex will include a 300-foot-long gymnasium that
will seat 600-plus, six basketball courts, six volleyball courts, a natatorium with
competition and community swimming pools, indoor turf field, fitness center,
group exercise studio, indoor track and a café. The property will also host four
multi-purpose outdoor fields with concession and restroom facilities and will
be linked to the downtown by a walking trail.
“We hope the Bridgeport Indoor Sports & Recreation Complex will be an
attraction not only for our part of the state and the state as whole but for the
entire region that goes beyond the borders of West Virginia,” says Wetmore. “It
is definitely an exciting project. It demonstrates how the city is trying to make
Harrison County a destination for people to experience. Hopefully when people
visit here and see how nice it is, they may decide to move here.”
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
515 West Main Street
Bridgeport, WV 26330
(304) 842-8200
www.bridgeportwv.com