Brilliant was formerly incorporated as a village, but it disincorporated on November 24, 1993.[3]
History
Brilliant was laid out in 1819 by western Virginia statesman Philip Doddridge under the name "Philipsburgh".[4] The location was considered significant to commerce as it was the convergence of many roads in close proximity to the Ohio River and parallel to the Wellsburg wharf. A new addition was laid out in 1836 named "La Grange", a name also adopted by the railway station in 1856. In 1880, the Brilliant Glass Company was established and a glass factory was built at La Grange. The town later adopted the name of the glass company and was incorporated as "Brilliant", changing the titles of the railway station and post office.[5]
According to the 2010 census, the Brilliant CDP has a total area of 1.77 square miles (4.58 km2), of which 1.75 square miles (4.53 km2) (or 98.87%) are land and 0.01 square miles (0.03 km2) (or 0.56%) are water.[7]
Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by relatively high temperatures and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Brilliant has a Humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.[8]