The seat of justice of Belmont County was originally known as Newellstown, and under the latter name was laid out in the late 1790s by David Newell.

[5] The name of the settlement was soon changed to St. Clairsville in honor of Northwest Territory Governor and Revolutionary War Major-General Arthur St.

The main shopping district is centered on the Ohio Valley Mall, which opened in 1978.

Another popular location in St. Clairsville is a bicycle path that runs approximately 2.5 miles (4.0 km) from the entrance to the Saginaw Mine to the Junior Sports complex.

The Bike Path features a gazebo, two nature trails, two tunnels, a Wheeling & Lake Erie original railroad bridge, and countless scouts projects.

The National Road Bikeway in St. Clairsville is the only bike trail in Ohio with a rail tunnel.

The St. Clairsville mascot is a Red Devil, deriving from a nickname for local coal miners.

[citation needed] Located in the city is St. Mary's School which includes grades pre-kindergarten through eight.

Higher education includes Belmont College and the Ohio University Eastern Campus.

[19][20] St. Clairsville lays along both Interstate 70 and U.S. Route 40 (the latter of which runs roughly parallel to the former National Road).

The town is also served by Ohio State Route 9, and Interstate 470 has its western terminus nearby.