The city of Westover was named for its location, west of Morgantown and over the Monongahela River. Westover lies in a bend of the river, just opposite its larger neighbor. It is located at the junction of Interstate 79 and U.S. 19. The traffic of U.S. 19 is carried from Westover to Morgantown by a Monongahela River bridge, a busy entryway into the university city. Streetcar lines connected Morgantown and Westover in earlier years.

Originally farmland, Westover was settled as a suburb of Morgantown about the turn of the 20th century, attracting families to its good school and large country-style building lots. Many early residents kept a garden, fruit trees, poultry, and livestock. Once known as the West Side, Westover was incorporated in 1911. The city grew dramatically in spurts during the 1920s and 1940s. The population peaked at 5,086 in 1970 and declined during the 1980s before leveling off. In 2020, its population was 3,955, making it West Virginia’s 31st largest city and the second largest in Monongalia County, behind Morgantown.

St. Mary's Orthodox Church, built for a congregation consisting largely of East European immigrants, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. The ornate church, with its onion-shaped, golden domes, has been a Westover landmark since 1923.

In the 21st century Westover remains a hilly, tree-lined commercial and residential suburb, with its own park and schools and fine views of West Virginia University's historic campus.