Barnesville has a rural feel and a quiet pace of life
Barnesville is a village on the western edge of Belmont County, with a quaint downtown and vintage homes. "It's a friendly town with a laid-back, country feel," says Carol Ann Merrit, a Realtor with Carol Goff & Associates who has experience selling homes across Belmont County. "Like a lot of the small towns around here, it's a great place to raise a family." Barnesville's claim to fame is its annual Pumpkin Festival, which attracts tens of thousands for a harvest-themed celebration and a much-anticipated pumpkin weighing contest. But outside of pumpkin season, the community is quiet. Big shopping options are 20 minutes away in Saint Clairsville, and many workers commute daily to Pittsburgh, about an hour and a half away.
High-demand homes have vintage architectural details
At the heart of town, homes date back to the late 1800s and early 1900s. Rustic bungalows and ranch styles sit next to Victorian-era homes built in the National Folk style. Bay windows, gable rooflines and ornate porches are common. Many properties are close enough that neighbors can say "hello" from their front steps. At the edges of the village, midcentury ranch styles and new construction have more space to spread out.
Smaller one-story homes start around $100,000, and anything from this century is typically over $200,000. From $300,000 to $400,000, homes usually come with an acre or more of land. "When homes get listed, a lot of them are gone immediately," Merritt says.
Thousands come to town for the Barnesville Pumpkin Festival
The annual Barnesville Pumpkin Festival draws over 150,000 visitors for four days of fall-themed fun. The free event has carnival rides, live music and contests for everything from pumpkin pie eating to the best mustache. There's also a car show, a 5K run, a parade and hundreds of vendors. "It's a huge deal in the area, especially if you like food, crafts and handmade products," Merritt says. Farmers from across the state haul their giant pumpkins into town for the crowning of the heaviest King Pumpkin — the festival's headline attraction.
Sports games at Barnesville High and a private Quaker school
Barnesville Elementary and Barnesville High School both receive a B-minus grade from Niche. Barnesville Middle gets a C-minus. According to Merritt, the community regularly turns out to watch the school's football and baseball teams. "They have a huge, huge sports following there," she says.
The community is also home to the A-plus-rated Olney Friends School, a private Quaker school for ninth through 12th grade. The boarding and day school has about 40-60 students and a curriculum that integrates on-site farming.
Lakeside recreation, regular 5K runs and access to state parks
Barnesville Memorial Park is a community centerpiece, with lighted ball fields, a public swimming pool and hiking trails around a lake. The park hosts an annual youth fishing tournament and the Rotary Lake 5K run. Active residents can also run along a former rail line during the Rails-to-Trails 5K. The rail trail runs underneath Main Street via a tunnel and starts at the historic B&O Railroad Depot. The village is renovating and extending the trail to the town's edge.
Locals can also access several hunting grounds, hiking trails and lakes within a 30-minute drive, including those at Salt Fork State Park and Barkcamp State Park.
Local pubs and community activities along Main Street
Barnesville has a quaint downtown district with a few local businesses like Main Street Barrel House, a go-to for classic pub fare and live music nights. Barnesville Antique Mall has three floors full of secondhand finds, and the local bowling alley, which was significantly damaged by a fire, reopened in 2023 with the help of community support. Residents of all ages can find activities at the Barnesville Senior Citizen Center or the Barnesville Hutton Memorial Library. Following Main Street to the east, things get more commercial. There's a Save A Lot and a Riesbeck for groceries, as well as a few chain restaurants. Saint Clairsville's shopping mall is about 20 miles by car.
Commuting to Pittsburgh or Columbus takes under two hours
For a small village, there are a good number of healthcare facilities, including the 25-bed WVU Medicine Barnesville Hospital. But there's a larger hospital 30 miles away in Wheeling and more city activities. Pittsburgh, home of the Pittsburgh International Airport, is about 90 miles away via Interstate 70. "People commute to Pittsburgh or Columbus all the time," Merritt says. "They make good money there, but they've got hometown living here." Pittsburgh is about an hour and a half away, and Columbus is closer to a two-hour drive.
Written By
Catherine Lashley
