[2] Located along the Ohio River 33 miles (53 km) west of Pittsburgh, it had a population of 18,161 at the 2020 census.

[9] In 1786–87, soldiers of the First American Regiment under Major Jean François Hamtramck built Fort Steuben to protect the government surveyors mapping the land west of the Ohio River,[10] and named the fort in honor of Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben.

[12] During the first half of the nineteenth century, Steubenville was primarily a port town, and the rest of the county was small villages and farms.

The city gained international attention in late 2012 from the events surrounding the Steubenville High School rape case, which occurred in August 2012.

The case was first covered by The New York Times that December, followed by the computer hacker group Anonymous later that month, and the subsequent coverage of the trials in late 2013.

The case was significant in the extensive use of social media as evidence and in opening a national discussion on the concept of rape culture.

[18] The climate in this area is characterized by hot summers and relatively cold winters and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year.

This is similar to the situation in 2010 when the estimated population of the American Community Survey was 18,578,[27] but the actual count in the 2010 census was 18,659, an increase of 81.

[28] From 1980 to 2000, census figures show that the Weirton–Steubenville metro population decreased faster than that of any other urban area in the United States.

[36] Steubenville and the communities that surround it, especially Weirton, West Virginia, have experienced sluggish economies since the steel industry waned during the 1980s.

[citation needed] Starting in 2014, the Harmonium Project and numerous others partners began a series of street festivals called First Fridays on Fourth to build community and generate interest and economic activity downtown.

[37] More recently there have been several new businesses opened Downtown on 4th Street, including Drosselmeyer's Nutcracker Shoppe, Leonardo's Coffeehouse and the Steubenville Popcorn Co.[38] The new Findlay Connector has been built in western Pennsylvania as a toll-access highway between Pittsburgh International Airport at Interstate 376 and U.S. Route 22 in northwestern Washington County.

Travel time between the Pittsburgh International Airport and the city of Steubenville is now approximately 25 minutes.

Built in 1787 to protect the government surveyors of the Seven Ranges of the Northwest Territory, Fort Steuben housed 150 men of the 1st American Regiment.

The life-size figure carries a long-handled dipping ladle and is wearing the hooded fire-proof suit worn in the steel mills.

In the fall of 2014, the statue was moved to its new home, displayed on South Fourth Street at the site of the Public Library of Steubenville and Jefferson County.

[39] There is a statue downtown commemorating Edwin Stanton, President Abraham Lincoln's secretary of war.

[1] There are numerous murals, markers and a walking tour in Steubenville, many paying homage to Dean Martin.

[44] In 2015, two local businessmen started a Christmas-themed festival, the Steubenville Nutcracker Village and Advent Market.

The event is centered around a large collection life-size nutcracker sculptures spread throughout Fort Steuben Park in downtown Steubenville.

[45][46] The Nutcracker Village is free and open to the public 24 hours a day and generally runs from the Tuesday before Thanksgiving to Epiphany Sunday in early January.

[48] Live entertainment and a German-style Advent Market featuring local artisans and craftsmen, as well as hot food and drink vendors, runs each weekend through the month of December in Fort Steuben Park to coincide with the Nutcracker Village event.

The popularity of the Nutcracker Village since its inception has inspired other nutcracker-themed ventures in the City of Steubenville, including Drosselmeyer's Nutcracker Shoppe, a year-round Christmas shop in downtown Steubenville,[49] and Wooden Hearts Follies, a locally-written and performed musical centered around characters from the event.

[50][51] The Nutcracker Village attracted over 40,000 visitors in 2017 and is credited with bringing new life to Steubenville's downtown area.

[52][53] The City of Steubenville is part of the 6th congressional district of Ohio and was represented by Bill Johnson until January 2024.

[57] The speed camera program began in 2005 and earned the city $600,000 in revenues, as nearly 7,000 tickets (at $85 each) were issued during that time period.

In March 2006, the Jefferson County Court of Common Pleas ruled that the city ordinance of supporting the speed camera program was illegal and unconstitutional.

The city refused to remove the cameras, however, because it stated it was "bound by contract to continue the services" of Traffipax, Inc., the US subsidiary of ROBOT Visual Systems, a German corporation.

Councilman at Large Michael Hernon cast the sole dissenting vote against reinstating the traffic cameras.

[58] In mid-2006, an attorney filed a class-action lawsuit against the city of Steubenville for illegally collecting fines and generating unnecessary revenue from motorists.