Editing Charleston, West Virginia

{{Short description|Capital and most populous city of West Virginia, US}}
{{Distinguish|Charles Town, West Virginia}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2024}}
{{Use American English | date = January 2019}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Charleston
|settlement_type          = [[List of capitals in the United States|Capital City]]
|nickname                 = Charlie West<ref name=CharlieWest>{{cite web|title=I'm Charlie West|url=http://charlestonwv.com/charliewest.aspx|website=Charleston Convention & Visitors Bureau|access-date=June 5, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150620005454/http://charlestonwv.com/charliewest.aspx|archive-date=June 20, 2015}}</ref>
|motto                    =
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 | image1        = Charleston,_West_Virginia_(2023).jpg
 | caption1      = Downtown Charleston
 | image2        = West Virginia statehouse.jpg
 | caption2      = [[West Virginia State Capitol|State Capitol]]
 | image3        = Municipal Auditorium, Virginia Street and Truslow Street, Charleston, WV - 53680282754.jpg
 | caption3      = [[Charleston Municipal Auditorium|Municipal Auditorium]]
 | image4        = Clay Center.JPG
 | caption4      = [[Clay Center (Charleston, West Virginia)|Clay Center]]
 | image5        = West Virginia Capitol Complex 2021a.jpg
 | caption5      = [[West Virginia State Museum|State Museum]]
}}
|imagesize                =
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|image_flag               = Flag of Charleston, West Virginia.svg
|image_seal               = Seal of Charleston, West Virginia.png
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|map_caption             = Interactive map of Charleston
|pushpin_map        = West Virginia#USA
|pushpin_label      = Charleston
|pushpin_relief     = yes
<!-- Location ------------->
|subdivision_type         = Country
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = [[West Virginia]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in West Virginia|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Kanawha County, West Virginia|Kanawha]]
<!-- Government ----------->
|government_footnotes     = <ref>{{cite web|title=City Council |url=https://www.charlestonwv.gov/government/city-council |publisher=City of Charleston, West Virginia |access-date=October 13, 2024}}</ref>
|government_type          = Strong-Mayor Government
|leader_title             = [[List of mayors of Charleston, West Virginia|Mayor]]
|leader_name              = [[Amy Shuler Goodwin]]
|leader_party             = [[Democratic Party (United States)|D]]
|leader_title1            = [[Municipal council|City Council]]
|leader_name1             = {{Collapsible list
 | title       = Members list
 | frame_style = border:none; padding: 0;
 | title_style = <!-- (optional) -->
 | list_style  = text-align:left;display:none;
 | 1           = Ward 1: Pat Jones (D)
 | 2           = Ward 2: Bobby Haas (D)
 | 3           = Ward 3: Chuck Overstreet (D)
 | 4           = Ward 4: Larry Moore
 | 5           = Ward 5: Jeanine Faegre (D)
 | 6           = Ward 6: Michael Ferrell (D)
 | 7           = Ward 7: Beth Kerns (D)
 | 8           = Ward 8: Kathy Rubio (D)
 | 9           = Ward 9: Mary Beth Hoover (D)
 | 10          = Ward 10: Chelsea Steelhammer (D)
 | 11          = Ward 11: Shannon Snodgrass (D)
 | 12          = Ward 12: Joseph Jenkins (D)
 | 13          = Ward 13: Frank H Annie (R)
 | 14          = Ward 14: Patrick Salango (R)
 | 15          = Ward 15: Samuel Minardi (D)
 | 16          = Ward 16: John Gianola (R)
 | 17          = Ward 17: Bruce King (R)
 | 18          = Ward 18: Pam Burka
 | 19          = Ward 19: Brent Burton (R)
 | 20          = Ward 20: Chad Robinson (D)
 | 21          = Ward At-large: Becky Ceperley (D)
 | 22          = Ward At-large: Caitlin Cook (D)
 | 23          = Ward At-large: Emmett Pepper (D)
 | 24          = Ward At-large: Jennifer Pharr (D)
 | 25          = Ward At-large: Joe Solomon (D)
 | 26          = Ward At-large: Shawn Taylor (D)
}}
|leader_title2            = [[City Manager]]
|leader_name2             = Benjamin Mishoe, Esq.
|established_title        = Founded
|established_date         = 1788
|established_title1       = [[Municipal corporation|Incorporated]]
|established_date1        = 1794
<!-- Area ----------------->
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|area_footnotes           = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2024">{{cite web|title=2024 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_gaz_place_54.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=October 13, 2024}}</ref>
|area_magnitude           =
|total_type               = City
|area_total_km2           = 84.265
|area_land_km2            = 81.317
|area_water_km2           = 2.948
|area_total_sq_mi         = 32.535
|area_land_sq_mi          = 31.397
|area_water_sq_mi         = 1.138
<!-- Population ----------->   
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_est           = 46838
|pop_est_as_of            = 2023
|pop_est_footnotes        = <ref name="USCensusEst2023"/>
|population_footnotes     = <ref name="2020 Census (City)"/>
|population_total         = 48864
|population_density_km2   = 575.99
|population_density_sq_mi = 1491.83
|population_rank          = US: 863rd<br>WV: [[List of cities in West Virginia|1st]]
|population_urban         = 140958 (US: [[List of United States urban areas|248th]])
|population_metro         = 203164 (US: [[Metropolitan statistical area|228th]])
<!-- General information -->
|timezone                 = [[Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
|utc_offset               = −5
|timezone_DST             = EDT
|utc_offset_DST           = −4
|elevation_footnotes      = <ref name=gnis/>
|elevation_m              = 182
|elevation_ft             = 597
|coordinates              = {{Coord|38|20|59.35|N|81|37|57.44|W|region:US-WV_type:city|display=inline,title}}
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP Code]]s
|postal_code              = {{collapsible list|title={{nobold|ZIP Codes}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tools.usps.com/zip-code-lookup.htm |publisher=USPS |title=Look Up a ZIP Code™ |date=October 13, 2024}}</ref> |list_style=text-align:center;display:none |25301–25306, 25309, 25311–25315, 25317, 25320–25339, 25350, 25356–25358, 25360–25362, 25364–25365, 25375, 25387, 25389, 25392, 25396}}
|area_code                = [[Area codes 304 and 681|304 and 681]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 54-14600
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 1558347<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|1558347}}</ref>
|blank2_name              = [[List of state highways in West Virginia|Highways]]
|blank2_info              = [[U.S. Route 60 in West Virginia|US-60]], [[Interstate 64 in West Virginia|I-64]], [[Interstate 77 in West Virginia|I-77]], [[U.S. Route 119|US-119]], and [[West Virginia Route 214|SR-214]]
|blank3_name              = [[Sales tax]]
|blank3_info              = 7.0%<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.avalara.com/taxrates/en/state-rates/west-virginia/cities/charleston.html|title=Charleston (WV) sales tax rate|access-date=October 13, 2024}}</ref>
|website                  = {{URL|https://charlestonwv.gov/|charlestonwv.gov}}
|footnotes                =
}}

'''Charleston''' ({{IPAc-en|'|ch|a:|r|l|s|t|ə|n|}}) is the [[List of capitals in the United States|capital]] and [[List of municipalities in West Virginia|most populous city]] of the [[U.S. state]] of [[West Virginia]]. It is the [[county seat|seat]] of [[Kanawha County, West Virginia|Kanawha County]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nielsen.com/content/dam/corporate/us/en/public%20factsheets/tv/nielsen-2012-local-DMA-TV-penetration.pdf |title=Nielsen US Media Market rankings |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150318231637/http://www.nielsen.com/content/dam/corporate/us/en/public%20factsheets/tv/nielsen-2012-local-DMA-TV-penetration.pdf |archive-date=March 18, 2015}}</ref> and is at the [[confluence]] of the [[Elk River (West Virginia)|Elk]] and [[Kanawha River|Kanawha]] rivers. The population was 48,864 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].<ref name="2020 Census (City)">{{cite web|title=Explore Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov/profile/Charleston_city,_West_Virginia?g=160XX00US5414600 |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=October 13, 2024}}</ref> According to 2023 census estimates, the city has a population of 46,838.<ref name="USCensusEst2023"/> The [[Charleston metropolitan area, West Virginia|Charleston metropolitan area]] had 203,164 residents in 2023.

In 1773, William Morris built the first permanent settlement in the Kanawha Valley, Fort Morris. It was built about 20 miles upstream of Charleston at the confluence of Kellys Creek, near the burned ruins of Walter Kelly's cabin, before [[Lord Dunmore's War]], and was used extensively during the [[American Revolution]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Morris |first1=William |title=William Morris History of First Settler to Locate in Valley of Kanawha WV 1773 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/1504784/william-morris-history-of-first/ |access-date=February 22, 2022 |work=Charleston Daily Mail |agency=newspapers.com |issue=Morning Issue |date=March 19, 1922}}</ref> In 1794, the town of Charleston was incorporated by the Virginia House of Delegates with the trustees being [[William Morris (Virginia politician)|William Morris]], [[Leonard Morris (sheriff)|Leonard Morris]], and [[Daniel Boone]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Shepherd |first1=Samuel |title=Statutes at Large of Virginia from October Session 1792 to December Session 1806 |date=1835 |publisher=Commonwealth of Virginia |location=Richmond, Virginia |isbn=0404060102 |page=322 |edition=1st}}</ref> Early industries important to Charleston included [[salt]] and the first [[natural gas]] well.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wvexp.com/index.php/First_Natural_Gas_Well |title=First Natural Gas Well – West Virginia (WV) Cyclopedia |publisher=Wvexp.com |date=December 10, 2005 |access-date=March 12, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130315125111/http://www.wvexp.com/index.php/First_Natural_Gas_Well |archive-date=March 15, 2013}}</ref> Later, [[coal]] became central to economic prosperity in the city and the surrounding area. Today, trade, utilities, government, medicine, and education play central roles in the city's economy.

Charleston is the home of the [[Charleston Dirty Birds]] of the [[Atlantic League of Professional Baseball]] and the annual {{convert|15|mi|km|0|adj=on}} [[Charleston Distance Run]]. [[Yeager Airport]] and the [[University of Charleston]] are in the city. [[West Virginia State University]] is in the area, as are [[West Virginia University]] and [[Marshall University]] satellite campuses.

==History==
===Establishment===
[[File:Charlestonwvzero.jpg|thumb|left|Zero Milestone]]
After the [[American Revolutionary War]], pioneers began making their way out from the early settlements. Many slowly migrated into western [[Virginia]]. Capitalizing on its many resources made Charleston an important part of Virginia and West Virginia history. It is the state's capital and most populous city.

Charleston's history goes back to the 18th century. [[Thomas Bullitt]] was deeded {{convert|1250|acre|km2|0}} of land near the mouth of the [[Elk River (West Virginia)|Elk River]] in 1773. It was inherited by his brother, [[Cuthbert Bullitt]], upon his death in 1778, and sold to Colonel George Clendenin in 1786. Clendenin and his company of Virginia Rangers built the first permanent settlement, Fort Lee, in 1787. This structure occupied the area that is now the intersection of Brooks Street and Kanawha Boulevard. Historical conjecture indicates that Charleston is named after Clendenin's father, Charles. In 1794, the [[Virginia General Assembly]] officially established Charlestown.<ref name=Andre>{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.wvencyclopedia.org/articles/1089 |title=Charleston |author=Richard A. Andre |encyclopedia=West Virginia Encyclopedia |location=Charleston, WV |publisher=West Virginia Humanities Council |access-date=March 7, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170305062613/http://www.wvencyclopedia.org/articles/1089 |archive-date=March 5, 2017}} (Includes timeline)</ref> On the {{convert|40|acre|m2}} that made up the town in 1794, 35 people inhabited seven houses.

Charleston is part of [[Kanawha County]]. The origin of the word Kanawha (pronounced "Ka-NAH-wah"), ''Ka(h)nawha'', derives from the region's [[Iroquoian languages|Iroquoian]] dialects meaning "water way" or "Canoe Way", implying the metaphor "transport way". It was and is the name of the river that flows through Charleston. The "hard H" sound soon dropped out as various European arrivals developed West Virginia.<ref>Kanawha County was named in honor of the Great Kanawha River that runs through the county. The river was named for the Indian tribe that once lived in the area. The spelling of the Indian tribe varied at the time from Conoys to Conois to Kanawha. The latter spelling was used and has gained acceptance over time. {{cite web|url=http://www.polsci.wvu.edu/wv/Kanawha/kanhistory.html |title=Kanawha County History |access-date=October 31, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100616153312/http://www.polsci.wvu.edu/wv/Kanawha/kanhistory.html |archive-date=June 16, 2010}} (December 29, 2008)</ref> The phrase has been a matter of [[Register (sociolinguistics)|register]]. A two-story jail was the first county structure to be built, with the first floor dug into the bank of the [[Kanawha River]].

In 1791, [[Daniel Boone]], who was commissioned a lieutenant colonel of the Kanawha County militia, was elected to serve in the [[Virginia House of Delegates]]. Boone supposedly walked all the way to [[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]], the state capital. He served alongside Major [[William Morris (Virginia politician)|William Morris Jr]], representing Kanawha.

===19th century growth===
[[File:Gilliland Cabin Apr 09.JPG|thumb|left|[[William S. Gilliland Log Cabin and Cemetery|Gilliland Log Cabin]]]]
By the early 19th century, salt brines were discovered along the Kanawha River, and the first [[salt well]] was drilled in 1806.{{sfn|Federal Writers' Project|1941}} This created great economic growth in the area. By 1808, 1,250 pounds of salt were being produced daily, and the ''Farmers' Repository'' newspaper began publication.<ref name=LOC>{{cite web|url=http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/search/titles/results/?state=West+Virginia&city=Charleston&rows=50&sort=date |title=U.S. Newspaper Directory |location=Washington DC |work=Chronicling America |publisher=Library of Congress |access-date=March 7, 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170307233811/http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/search/titles/results/?state=West+Virginia&city=Charleston&rows=50&sort=date |archive-date=March 7, 2017}}</ref> An area adjacent to Charleston, Kanawha Salines (now [[Malden, West Virginia|Malden]]), became the world's top salt producer. Brine was heated over open flames, causing the water to evaporate and leaving a residue of salt crystals. Much of the work was done by enslaved peoples. Historian Cyrus Forman estimated that at the height of production as many as 3,000 slaves worked at more than 60 salt furnaces, which operated 24 hours a day, seven days a week.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Easter |first=Makeda |date=April 4, 2020 |title=Slavery Documents from Southern Saltmakers Bring Light to Dark History |work=The Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2020-04-16/huntington-slavery-collection-west-virginia-salt-works |access-date=June 2, 2023}}</ref> The [[Holly Grove Mansion]] was established during this period.{{sfn|Federal Writers' Project|1941}} In 1818, the Kanawha Salt Company, the first trust in the United States, went into operation. In the same year, "Charlestown" was shortened to "Charleston" to avoid confusion with another [[Charles Town, West Virginia|Charles Town]] in eastern West Virginia, named after George Washington's brother, [[Charles Washington]].{{sfn|Hellmann|2006}} A [[lyceum]] was established around 1841.<ref name="davies">{{cite web|url=http://www.princeton.edu/~davpro/databases/index.html |title=American Libraries before 1876 |author=Davies Project |publisher=Princeton University |access-date=March 7, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150302215225/http://www.princeton.edu/~davpro/databases/index.html |archive-date=March 2, 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Captain James Wilson, while drilling for salt, struck the first [[natural gas]] well in 1815. It was drilled at the site that is now the junction of Brooks Street and Kanawha Boulevard (near the present-day state capitol complex). In 1817, [[coal]] was first discovered and gradually became used as the fuel for the salt works. The Kanawha salt industry declined in importance after 1861, until the onset of [[World War I]] brought a demand for chemical products. The chemicals needed were [[chlorine]] and [[sodium hydroxide]], which could be made from salt brine.

The town continued to grow until the [[American Civil War|Civil War]] began in 1861. After the [[Virginia Secession Convention of 1861]] and a referendum, Virginia seceded from the [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]]. But Charleston, like much of western Virginia, was divided in loyalty between the Union and the [[Confederate States of America|Confederacy]]. On September 13, 1862, the Union and Confederate armies clashed in the [[Battle of Charleston (1862)|Battle of Charleston]]. The [[Confederate States Army|Confederates]] won, but could not hold the area for long. Union soldiers returned in force six weeks later and retook the city.{{sfn|Federal Writers' Project|1941}} Charleston remained under Union control for the remainder of the war.
[[File:Second Charleston West Virginia capitol building.jpg|thumb|left|The second capitol building of West Virginia was built in 1885 after Charleston was declared the capital city. It burned down in 1921.]]
In addition to the dispute over slavery, the North wanted to separate West Virginia from the rest of the state for economic reasons. The heavy industries in the North, particularly the steel business of the upper [[Ohio River]] region, depended on coal from western Virginia mines. Federal units from Ohio marched into western Virginia early in the war solely to capture the mines and control transportation in the area.{{Citation needed|date=March 2022}} The [[Wheeling Convention]] of 1861 declared the Ordinance of Succession, and the Confederate state government in [[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]], illegal and void, and formed the Unionist [[Restored Government of Virginia]]. The Restored Government and the United States Congress approved the formation of the state of [[West Virginia]], which was admitted on June 20, 1863, as the 35th state, and the Restored Government of Virginia moved to [[Alexandria, Virginia|Alexandria]].{{sfn|Hellmann|2006}}

Choosing the state capital proved difficult. For several years, the capital moved between [[Wheeling, West Virginia|Wheeling]] and Charleston.{{sfn|Britannica|1910}} In 1877, the citizens voted on a permanent location. Charleston received 41,243 votes, [[Clarksburg, West Virginia|Clarksburg]] 29,442, and [[Martinsburg, West Virginia|Martinsburg]] 8,046; Wheeling was not considered. Eight years later the state capitol opened in Charleston.{{sfn|Federal Writers' Project|1941}}

The West Virginia Historical and Antiquarian Society was headquartered in Charleston in 1890.<ref name=StateArchives /><ref>{{citation|author=Appleton Prentiss Clark Griffin |title=Bibliography of American Historical Societies |quote=West Virginia |pages=942+ |series=Annual Report of the American Historical Association |location=Washington, DC |publisher=Government Printing Office |edition=2nd |year= 1907 |hdl= 2027/uc2.ark:/13960/t7dr2pp5f}}</ref> In 1891, the West Virginia Colored Institute, now known as [[West Virginia State University]], was established. The next year, [[West Virginia Junior College|Capitol City Commercial College]] was founded.{{sfn|Chamber of Commerce|1901|p={{page needed|date=September 2022}}}} Charleston's [[Basilica of the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart]] was completed in 1897.

===20th century===
[[File:Street in Negro section, Charleston, West Virginia, September 1938.jpg|thumb|An African American neighborhood in Charleston, 1938]]
Charleston became the center of state government. Natural resources, such as [[coal]] and [[natural gas]], along with [[railroad]] expansion, also contributed to growth. New industries such as chemical, [[glass]], [[timber]] and [[steel]] migrated to the state, attracted by the area's natural resources. The city established a chamber of commerce in 1900.{{sfn|Chamber of Commerce|1901|p={{page needed|date=September 2022}}}} There was a large amount of new construction in Charleston during this period. A number of those buildings, including churches and office buildings, still stand in the heart of downtown along and bordering Capitol Street. The State Bureau of Archives and History was established in 1905, and the Charleston Public Library was established in 1909.<ref name=StateArchives>{{cite web|url=http://www.wvculture.org/history/archives/services.html |title=West Virginia State Archives |publisher=[[West Virginia Division of Culture and History]] |access-date=March 7, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170316095528/http://www.wvculture.org/history/archives/services.html |archive-date=March 16, 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=Library>{{cite web|url=http://kanawhalibrary.org/about/history/ |title=About Us: History |location=Charleston |publisher=Kanawha County Public Library |access-date=March 7, 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170307210358/http://kanawhalibrary.org/about/history/ |archive-date=March 7, 2017}}</ref>

The city's first chemical manufacturer began operation in 1913.{{sfn|Federal Writers' Project|1941}} Three years later, the [[Libbey-Owens-Ford]] glass manufactory was built,<ref name=WVE>{{cite web|url=http://www.wvencyclopedia.org |title=West Virginia Encyclopedia |location=Charleston, WV |publisher=West Virginia Humanities Council |access-date=March 8, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170319185213/http://www.wvencyclopedia.org/ |archive-date=March 19, 2017}}</ref> as well as [[Charleston High School (West Virginia)|Charleston High School]]. Another large manufacturer, [[Owens-Illinois|Owens Bottle Company]], opened in 1917. [[Charleston City Hall]] was built in 1921. In the same year, a fire at the capitol building resulted in a new, hastily built structure being opened, but it too burned down in 1927. A Capitol Building Commission, created by the legislature in 1921, authorized construction of the [[West Virginia State Capitol|present capitol]]. Architect [[Cass Gilbert]] designed the buff-colored [[Indiana limestone]] structure in the [[Neo-Renaissance|Italian Renaissance]] style, with a final cost of just under $10 million. After the three stages of construction were completed, Governor [[William G. Conley]] dedicated the West Virginia State Capitol on June 20, 1932. Charleston Municipal Airport was established in 1909.{{sfn|Hellmann|2006}} In 1934, the city library expanded to become the Kanawha County Public Library system.<ref name=Library /> In 1935, [[Morris Harvey College]] relocated to Charleston from [[Barboursville, West Virginia]].<ref name=UC>{{cite web|url=http://www.ucwv.edu/About-UC/UC-at-a-Glance/History/ |title=Our History |publisher=University of Charleston |access-date=March 8, 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170308222506/http://www.ucwv.edu/About-UC/UC-at-a-Glance/History/ |archive-date=March 8, 2017}} (Timeline)</ref>

[[File:Chemical-plant-charleston-wv1.jpg|thumb|left|A chemical plant near Charleston in 1939]]
[[Charleston Municipal Auditorium]] was completed in 1939.{{sfn|Federal Writers' Project|1941}} During [[World War II]], the first and largest [[styrene-butadiene]] plant in the U.S. opened in nearby [[Institute, West Virginia|Institute]], providing a [[Synthetic rubber|replacement]] for [[Natural rubber|rubber]] to the war effort.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/341651/institute_and_wwii__creation_of_synthetic_rubber_plant_was/index.html |first=Clarence M. |last=Nelson |title=Institute and WWII: Creation of Synthetic Rubber Plant Was Exciting |publisher=redOrbit |date=December 28, 2005 |access-date=February 14, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090920210307/http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/341651/institute_and_wwii__creation_of_synthetic_rubber_plant_was/index.html |archive-date=September 20, 2009}}</ref> After the war ended, Charleston was on the brink of some significant construction. One of the first during this period was Kanawha Airport (now [[Yeager Airport]], named after General [[Chuck Yeager]]). Built in 1947, the construction encompassed clearing {{convert|360|acre|km2|1}} on three mountaintops and moving more than nine million cubic yards of earth.<ref name=Andre /> Kanawha Boulevard, a riverfront four-lane road, was also built in the early 1940s.{{sfn|Federal Writers' Project|1941}} The [[Charleston Civic Center]] opened in 1959. Charleston began to be integrated into the [[Interstate Highway System]] in the 1960s when three major interstate systems—[[Interstate 64 in West Virginia|I-64]], [[Interstate 77 in West Virginia|I-77]] and [[Interstate 79#West Virginia|I-79]] were designated, all converging in Charleston. In 1961, the [[Kanawha River]] flooded much of the lower-lying parts of Charleston.{{sfn|Hellmann|2006}} In 1973, Morris Harvey College was renamed to be the [[University of Charleston]].<ref name=UC />

[[File:CAPITOL STREET "MAIN DRAG" OF CHARLESTON - NARA - 551125.jpg|thumb|Capitol Street, June 1973]]
In 1983, the [[Charleston Town Center]] opened its doors downtown. It was the largest urban-based mall east of the [[Mississippi River]], featuring three stories of shops and eateries. Downtown revitalization began in earnest in the late 1980s. Funds were set aside for streetscaping as Capitol and Quarrier streets saw new building facades, trees along the streets, and brick walkways installed. For a time, the opening of the Charleston Town Center Mall had a somewhat negative impact on the main streets of downtown Charleston, as many businesses closed and relocated into the mall. Also in 1983, West Virginia Public Radio launched a live-performance radio program statewide called ''[[Mountain Stage]]''.<ref name=autogenerated1>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mountainstage.org/Pages/default.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091030234033/http://www.mountainstage.org/ |url-status=dead |title=Home |archive-date=October 30, 2009 |website=www.mountainstage.org |access-date=October 26, 2019}}</ref> What began as a live, monthly statewide broadcast went on to national distribution in 1986 through [[National Public Radio]] and around the world on the [[Voice of America]] satellite service.

The Robert C. Byrd Federal Building, Haddad Riverfront Park, and Capitol Market are just a few of the new developments that have helped growth in the downtown area during the 1990s. Charleston launched its city website in 1998.<ref>{{cite web|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/19981205023347/http://www.cityofcharleston.org/ |url=http://www.cityofcharleston.org |archive-date=December 5, 1998 |title=City of Charleston, West Virginia |via=Internet Archive, [[Wayback Machine]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000925092129/http://www.officialcitysites.org/WestVirginia/Cities/Charleston.htm |url=http://www.officialcitysites.org/WestVirginia/Cities/Charleston.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 25, 2000 |title=United States of America: West Virginia |work=Official City Sites |editor1=Kevin Hyde |editor2=Tamie Hyde |location=Utah |oclc=40169021}}</ref>

[[File:Photograph of President William J. Clinton Addressing the Citizens of Charleston, West Virginia - NARA - 2945739.jpg|thumb|President [[Bill Clinton]] addressing a crowd in Charleston in 1993]]

===21st century===
2003 marked the opening of the [[Clay Center (Charleston, West Virginia)|Clay Center for the Arts & Sciences]].<ref name=Andre /> The center includes the Maier Foundation Performance Hall, the Walker Theatre, the Avampato Discovery Museum and the [https://www.theclaycenter.org/museum-of-art/ Juliet Art Museum]. Also on site is the ElectricSky Theater, a 175-seat combination [[planetarium]] and dome-screen cinema. Movies shown at the theatre include educational large format ([[70 mm film|70 mm]]) presentations and are often seen in similar [[IMAX#Dome and Omnimax|Omnimax]] theatres. Planetarium shows are staged as a combination of pre-recorded and live presentations. The [[West Virginia Music Hall of Fame]] was established in 2005.<ref>{{cite web|last=Lilly |first=John |title=West Virginia Music Hall of Fame |url=http://www.wvencyclopedia.org/articles/2420 |website=West Virginia Encyclopedia |publisher=West Virginia Humanities Council |date=January 21, 2016 |access-date=November 29, 2021 |archive-date=November 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211108025827/http://www.wvencyclopedia.org/articles/2420 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Many festivals and events were also incorporated into the calendar, including Multifest, Vandalia Festival, a July 4 celebration with fireworks at Haddad Riverfront Park, and the already popular Sternwheel Regatta, which was founded in 1970, provided a festive atmosphere for residents to enjoy. In 2005 FestivALL Charleston was established and has grown into a ten-day festival offering a variety of performances, events and exhibits in music, dance, theatre, visual arts and other entertainments.

Charleston has one central agency for its economic development efforts, the Charleston Area Alliance. The Alliance works with local public officials and the private sector to build the economy of the region and revitalize its downtown. Charleston also has an economic and community development organization focused on the East End and West Side urban neighborhood business districts, Charleston Main Streets.

==Geography==
[[File:Charleston West Virginia.jpg|thumb|Satellite image of Charleston taken from the [[International Space Station]]]]
Charleston is in west-central Kanawha County at {{Coord|38|20|59.35|N|81|37|57.44|W|region:US-WV_type:city}} (38.3498195, -81.6326235). The elevation is {{convert|597|ft|m}} above sea level.<ref name=gnis/> It lies within the [[ecoregion]] of the [[Western Allegheny Plateau (ecoregion)|Western Allegheny Plateau]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Level III Ecoregions of West Virginia |url=https://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/cropmap/wvirginia/maps/WVeco3.html|publisher=[[U.S. Environmental Protection Agency]]|access-date=September 29, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140628135604/http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/cropmap/wvirginia/maps/WVeco3.html|archive-date=June 28, 2014}}</ref>

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has an area of {{convert|32.535|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, of which {{convert|31.397|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is land and {{convert|1.138|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is water.<ref name="CenPopGazetteer2024"/>

The city lies at the intersection of Interstates 79, 77, 64, and also where the Kanawha and Elk rivers meet. Charleston is about {{convert|117|mi}} southeast of [[Chillicothe, Ohio]], {{convert|315|mi}} west of [[Richmond, Virginia]], {{convert|228|mi}} southwest of [[Pittsburgh|Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]], {{convert|247|mi}} east of [[Louisville, Kentucky]], and {{convert|264|mi}} north of [[Charlotte, North Carolina]].

===Neighborhoods===
[[File:East End Homes Apr 09.JPG|thumb|Homes in the [[East End Historic District (Charleston, West Virginia)|East End Historic District]]]]
The following are neighborhoods and communities within the city limits:
{{columns-list|colwidth=18em|
* Charleston Heights (Westmoreland/Hillsdale)
* [[East End Historic District (Charleston, West Virginia)|East End]]
* [[Edgewood Historic District (Charleston, West Virginia)|Edgewood]]
* Elk City
* Forest Hills
* Fort Hill
* [[Kanawha City, West Virginia|Kanawha City]]
* Louden Heights
* North Charleston
* Riverview
* Shadowlawn
* South Park
* South Hills
* South Ruffner
* [[West Side (Charleston), West Virginia|West Side]]
}}

===Climate===
Charleston has a four-season [[humid subtropical climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''Cfa'') with continental climate (''Dfa'') elements.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wchstv.com/newsroom/wx/climatesummary.shtml |title=Charleston-Huntington Climate Summary – Eyewitness News Storm Team Weather |publisher=Wchstv.com |access-date=March 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130304054319/http://wchstv.com/newsroom/wx/climatesummary.shtml |archive-date=March 4, 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Especially in winter, Charleston's average temperatures are warmer than the rest of the state, due to the city being west of the higher elevations. Spring is the most unpredictable season, and spring-like weather usually arrives in late March or early April. From the beginning of March through early May, temperatures can vary considerably and it is not unusual at this time for day-to-day temperature fluctuations to exceed {{convert|20|°F-change|0}}. Temperatures warm up considerably in late May, with warm summer-like days. Summer is warm to hot, with 23 days of highs at or above {{convert|90|°F|0}},<ref name=NOWData/> sometimes reaching {{convert|95|°F}}, often accompanied by high humidity. Autumn features crisp evenings that warm quickly to mild to warm afternoons. Winters are chilly, with a January daily average of {{convert|34.4|°F|1}}, and with a mean of 16 days with maxima at or below the freezing mark.<ref name=NOWData/> Snowfall generally occurs from late November to early April, with the heaviest period being January and February. However, major snowstorms of more than {{convert|10|in|cm|0}} are rare. The area averages about {{convert|3.5|in|0}} of precipitation each month. Thunderstorms are frequent during the late spring and throughout the summer, and occasionally they can be quite severe, producing the rare [[tornado]].

Record temperatures have ranged from {{convert|-17|°F|0}} on December 30, 1917, to {{convert|108|°F|0}} on August 6, 1918, and July 4, 1931.<ref name=NOWData/> Decades can pass<!--1955 thru 1987 none--> between temperatures of {{convert|100|°F|1}} or hotter, and the last such instance was [[2012 North American heat wave|July 8, 2012]].<ref name=NOWData/> The record cold maximum is {{convert|4|°F|0}} on December 22, 1989 (during the [[December 1989 United States cold wave]]). The record warm minimum is {{convert|84|°F|0}} on July 29, 1924.<ref name=NOWData/> The [[hardiness zone]] is 7a.

{{Weather box
| location = Charleston, West Virginia ([[Yeager Airport]]), 1991–2020 normals,{{efn|Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. the expected highest and lowest temperature readings at any point during the year or given month) calculated based on data at said location from 1981 to 2020.}} extremes 1892–present
| collapsed = Y
| single line = Y
| Jan record high F = 81
| Feb record high F = 81
| Mar record high F = 92
| Apr record high F = 96
| May record high F = 98
| Jun record high F = 105
| Jul record high F = 108
| Aug record high F = 108
| Sep record high F = 104
| Oct record high F = 96
| Nov record high F = 87
| Dec record high F = 80
| year record high F = 108
| Jan avg record high F = 68.2
| Feb avg record high F = 70.6
| Mar avg record high F = 79.1
| Apr avg record high F = 86.8
| May avg record high F = 88.8
| Jun avg record high F = 92.0
| Jul avg record high F = 93.9
| Aug avg record high F = 93.1
| Sep avg record high F = 90.1
| Oct avg record high F = 84.5
| Nov avg record high F = 77.3
| Dec avg record high F = 69.1
| year avg record high F = 95.3
| Jan high F = 43.9
| Feb high F = 47.8
| Mar high F = 56.8
| Apr high F = 69.4
| May high F = 76.2
| Jun high F = 83.1
| Jul high F = 86.0
| Aug high F = 85.2
| Sep high F = 79.5
| Oct high F = 68.7
| Nov high F = 57.3
| Dec high F = 47.5
| year high F = 66.8
| Jan mean F = 35.0
| Feb mean F = 38.2
| Mar mean F = 46.0
| Apr mean F = 56.9
| May mean F = 64.7
| Jun mean F = 72.3
| Jul mean F = 75.8
| Aug mean F = 74.6
| Sep mean F = 68.3
| Oct mean F = 57.0
| Nov mean F = 46.4
| Dec mean F = 38.7
| year mean F = 56.2
| Jan low F = 26.1
| Feb low F = 28.6
| Mar low F = 35.1
| Apr low F = 44.5
| May low F = 53.2
| Jun low F = 61.5
| Jul low F = 65.5
| Aug low F = 64.1
| Sep low F = 57.1
| Oct low F = 45.3
| Nov low F = 35.6
| Dec low F = 29.9
| year low F = 45.5
| Jan avg record low F = 5.5
| Feb avg record low F = 9.9
| Mar avg record low F = 17.0
| Apr avg record low F = 27.6
| May avg record low F = 37.1
| Jun avg record low F = 48.8
| Jul avg record low F = 55.7
| Aug avg record low F = 54.1
| Sep avg record low F = 43.3
| Oct avg record low F = 30.4
| Nov avg record low F = 20.6
| Dec avg record low F = 12.9
| year avg record low F = 2.3
| Jan record low F = −16
| Feb record low F = −12
| Mar record low F = −5
| Apr record low F = 18
| May record low F = 26
| Jun record low F = 33
| Jul record low F = 46
| Aug record low F = 41
| Sep record low F = 32
| Oct record low F = 17
| Nov record low F = 6
| Dec record low F = −17
| year record low F = -17
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation inch = 3.27
| Feb precipitation inch = 3.36
| Mar precipitation inch = 4.14
| Apr precipitation inch = 3.56
| May precipitation inch = 4.93
| Jun precipitation inch = 4.72
| Jul precipitation inch = 5.38
| Aug precipitation inch = 3.75
| Sep precipitation inch = 3.46
| Oct precipitation inch = 2.91
| Nov precipitation inch = 3.20
| Dec precipitation inch = 3.56
|year precipitation inch  = 46.24
| Jan snow inch = 10.3
| Feb snow inch = 7.7
| Mar snow inch = 5.9
| Apr snow inch = 0.5
| May snow inch = 0.0
| Jun snow inch = 0.0
| Jul snow inch = 0.0
| Aug snow inch = 0.0
| Sep snow inch = 0.0
| Oct snow inch = 0.6
| Nov snow inch = 1.5
| Dec snow inch = 5.0
| year snow inch = 31.5
| unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
| Jan precipitation days = 14.8
| Feb precipitation days = 13.7
| Mar precipitation days = 14.8
| Apr precipitation days = 13.4
| May precipitation days = 14.1
| Jun precipitation days = 12.5
| Jul precipitation days = 12.8
| Aug precipitation days = 10.6
| Sep precipitation days = 9.0
| Oct precipitation days = 10.1
| Nov precipitation days = 11.0
| Dec precipitation days = 14.2
|year precipitation days = 151.0
| unit snow days = 0.1 in
| Jan snow days = 7.6
| Feb snow days = 6.2
| Mar snow days = 3.9
| Apr snow days = 0.5
| May snow days = 0.0
| Jun snow days = 0.0
| Jul snow days = 0.0
| Aug snow days = 0.0
| Sep snow days = 0.0
| Oct snow days = 0.1
| Nov snow days = 1.5
| Dec snow days = 4.1
| year snow days = 23.9
| source 1 = [[NOAA]]<ref name=NOWData>{{cite web
| url = https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=rlx
| title = NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
| access-date = June 13, 2021
| archive-date = May 1, 2021
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210501045108/https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=rlx
| url-status = live
}}</ref><ref name = "NOAA TXT">{{cite web
| url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USW00013866&format=pdf
| title = Station: Charleston Yeager AP, WV
| work = U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991–2020)
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
| access-date = June 13, 2021}}</ref>
}}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1850= 1050
|1860= 1520
|1870= 3162
|1880= 4192
|1890= 6742
|1900= 11099
|1910= 22996
|1920= 39608
|1930= 60408
|1940= 67914
|1950= 73501
|1960= 85796
|1970= 71505
|1980= 63968
|1990= 57287
|2000= 53421
|2010= 51400
|2020= 48864
|estyear=2023
|estimate=46838
|estref=<ref name="USCensusEst2023">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-cities-and-towns.html |date=October 13, 2024|title=City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2023|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=October 13, 2024}}</ref>
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=census.gov|accessdate=June 4, 2015}}</ref><br>2020 Census<ref name="2020 Census (City)"/>
}}

===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable"
|+'''Charleston, West Virginia – racial and ethnic composition'''<br><small>{{nobold|''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.''}}</small>
! Race / ethnicity <small>(''NH = non-Hispanic'')</small>
! Pop. 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>{{Cite web|title=P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Charleston city, West Virginia|url=https://data.census.gov/table?g=160XX00US5414600&tid=DECENNIALSF12000.P004|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=October 13, 2024}}</ref>
! Pop. 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Charleston city, West Virginia|url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US5414600&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=October 13, 2024}}</ref>
! {{partial|Pop. 2020}}<ref name=2020CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Charleston city, West Virginia|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US5414600&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=October 13, 2024}}</ref>
! % 2000
! % 2010
! {{partial|% 2020}}
|-
| [[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] alone (NH)
| 42,810
| 39,900
| style='background: #ffffe6; |36,216
|80.1%
|77.6%
| style='background: #ffffe6; |74.1%
|-
| [[Non-Hispanic or Latino African Americans|Black or African American]] alone (NH)
| 7,998
| 7,867
| style='background: #ffffe6; |7,136
|15.0%
|15.3%
| style='background: #ffffe6; |14.6%
|-
| [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] or [[Alaska Native]] alone (NH)
| 120
| 116
| style='background: #ffffe6; |115
|0.2%
|0.2%
| style='background: #ffffe6; |0.2%
|-
| [[Asian Americans|Asian]] alone (NH)
| 974
| 1,178
| style='background: #ffffe6; |1,254
|1.8%
|2.3%
| style='background: #ffffe6; |2.6%
|-
| [[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]] alone (NH)
| 12
| 17
| style='background: #ffffe6; |20
| 0.0%
| 0.0%
| style='background: #ffffe6; |0.0%
|-
| [[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|Other race]] alone (NH)
| 88
| 80
| style='background: #ffffe6; |288
|0.2%
|0.2%
| style='background: #ffffe6; |0.6%
|-
| [[Multiracial Americans|Mixed race or multiracial]] (NH)
| 987
| 1,548
| style='background: #ffffe6; |2,866
|1.8%
|3.0%
| style='background: #ffffe6; |5.9%
|-
| [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (any race)
| 432
| 694
| style='background: #ffffe6; |969
| 0.8%
| 1.4%
| style='background: #ffffe6; |2.0%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''53,421'''
|'''51,400'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''48,864'''
|'''100.0%'''
|'''100.0%'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''100.0%'''
|}
As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], there were 48,864 people, 22,082 households, and 11,685 families residing in the city.<ref>{{Cite web|title=US Census Bureau, Table P16: Household Type |url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=Charleston%20city,%20West%20Virginia%20p16&y=2020 |access-date=October 13, 2024 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref> The [[population density]] was {{convert|1551.2|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 25,766 housing units. The racial makeup of the city was 74.7% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 14.8% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.3% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 2.6% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.0% [[Race (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 1.1% from some other races and 6.6% from two or more races. [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] people of any race were 2.0% of the population.<ref>{{Cite web|title=How many people live in Charleston city, West Virginia |url=https://data.usatoday.com/census/total-population/total-population-change/charleston-city-west-virginia/160-5414600/ |access-date=October 13, 2024 |publisher=USA Today}}</ref>

There were 22,082 households, of which 36.8% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 34.7% had a female householder with no spouse present, 22% had a male householder with no spouse present. The average household and family size was 2.94. The median age in the city was 41.7 years with 18.9% of the population under 18. The median income for a household in the city was $54,101 and the poverty rate was 17.5%.

The median age in the city was 36.0. 27.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.9% were between the ages of 25 and 44; 21.9% were between the ages of 45 and 64; and 13.9% were 65 and older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.9% male and 49.1% female.

====2022 American Community Survey (ACS)====
There are 21,746 households accounted for in the 2022 ACS, with an average of 2.12 persons per household. The city's a median gross rent is $870 in the 2022 ACS. The 2022 ACS reports a median household income of $58,902, with 60.8% of households are owner occupied. 17.0% of the city's population lives at or below the [[Poverty in the United States|poverty line]] (down from previous ACS surveys). The city boasts a 56.6% employment rate, with 43.2% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 92.1% holding a high school diploma.<ref>{{Cite web|title=U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Charleston city, West Virginia|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/charlestoncitywestvirginia/PST045223|access-date=October 13, 2024|website=www.census.gov|language=en}}</ref>

The top nine reported ancestries (people were allowed to report up to two ancestries, thus the figures will generally add to more than 100%) were English (15.8%), German (13.5%), Irish (11.7%), Italian (3.9%), Scottish (2.3%), Subsaharan African (1.7%), French (except Basque) (1.2%), Polish (1.1%), and Norwegian (0.5%).

The median age in the city was 42.2 years.

===2010 census===
As of the [[2010 United States census|2010 census]], there were 51,400 people, 23,453 households, and 12,587 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|1630.7|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 26,205 housing units at an average density of {{convert|831.4|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the city was 78.4% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 15.5% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.2% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 2.3% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.3% from [[Race (U.S. Census)|other races]], and 3.2% from two or more races. [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] people of any race were 1.4% of the population.

There were 23,453 households, of which 24.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.6% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 14.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 46.3% were non-families. 39.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.83.

The median age in the city was 41.7 years. 20.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.9% were from 25 to 44; 29.9% were from 45 to 64; and 16.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.6% male and 52.4% female.

===2000 census===
As of the [[2000 United States census|2000 census]], there were 53,421 people, 24,505 households, and 13,624 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|1690.4|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 27,131 housing units at an average density of {{convert|858.5|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the city was 80.63% [[White American|White]], 15.07% [[African American|Black or African American]], 0.24% [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]], 1.83% [[Asian American|Asian]], 0.03% [[Pacific Islander American|Pacific Islander]], 0.30% from [[Race and ethnicity in the United States Census|other races]], and 1.91% from two or more races. [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] people of any race were 0.81% of the population.

The five most common ancestries were [[German American|German]] (12.4%), [[English American|English]] (11.6%), [[American ethnicity#"American ancestry" in the U.S. Census|American]] (11.4%), [[Irish American|Irish]] (10.6%), and [[Italian American|Italian]] (3.9%).

There were 24,505 households, out of which 23.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.9% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.4% were non-families. 38.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.82.

The age distribution was 20.7% under 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% who were 65 or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 87.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was  at least $34,009, and the median income for a family was $47,975. Males had a median income of $38,257 versus $26,671 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $26,017. About 12.7% of families and 16.7% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 24.5% of those under age 18 and 11.3% of those age 65 or over.

==Economy==
[[File:The West Virginia Capitol in Charleston LCCN2015631770.jpg|thumb|[[West Virginia State Capitol]]]]
The City of Charleston recognizes the Charleston Area Alliance as its economic development organization.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://charlestonareaalliance.org/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130531102102/http://charlestonareaalliance.org/|url-status=dead|title=Home - Charleston Area Alliance, WV|archive-date=May 31, 2013|website=charlestonareaalliance.org|access-date=October 26, 2019}}</ref> Notable companies headquartered in the Charleston area include [[Appalachian Power]], owned by [[American Electric Power]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://aep.com/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070304220235/http://www.aep.com/|url-status=dead|title=AEP.com|archive-date=March 4, 2007|website=aep.com|access-date=October 26, 2019}}</ref> of [[Columbus, Ohio|Columbus]], Ohio; [[Charleston Gazette]], [[Gestamp]], [[Tudor's Biscuit World]] and [[United Bank (West Virginia)|United Bank]].

Notable companies founded in Charleston include [[Shoney's]] restaurants and [[Heck's Department Store|Heck's]] / [[L.A. Joe Department Store|L.A. Joe]] discount department stores.

==Culture==

===Annual events and fairs===
Charleston is home to numerous annual events and fairs that take place from the banks of the [[Kanawha River]] to the capitol grounds.

The West Virginia Dance Festival, held between April 25 and 30, features dance students from across the state that attend classes and workshops in ballet, jazz, and modern dance. At the finale, the students give free public performances at the West Virginia State Theatre.

Symphony Sunday, held annually since 1982, usually the first weekend in June, is a full day of music, food, and family fun culminating in a free performance by the [[West Virginia Symphony Orchestra]] and a fireworks display. Throughout the day, local community dance and music ensembles perform. Ensembles that perform on Symphony Sunday include the Kanawha Valley Ringers, the West Virginia Kickers, the Charleston Metro Band, the West Virginia Youth Symphony, the Mountain State Brass Band, and the Kanawha Valley Community Band. The now-defunct Charleston Neophonic Orchestra also performed at the event.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wvsl.org/symphsunday.htm |title=Symphony Sunday |publisher=West Virginia Symphony League |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090608031245/http://www.wvsl.org/symphsunday.htm |archive-date=June 8, 2009 }}</ref>

The [[NPR]] program [[Mountain Stage]] was founded in Charleston in 1983. The live performance music program, produced by [[West Virginia Public Broadcasting]] and heard on the [[Voice of America]] and via [[NPR Music]], records episodes at the Culture Center Theater on the [[West Virginia State Capitol]] grounds.

[[File:The Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences of West Virginia, in Charleston LCCN2015631764.tif|thumb|[[Clay Center (Charleston, West Virginia)|Clay Center]]]]

Twice a year, in late April and early November, the West Virginia International Film Festival occurs,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wviff.org |title=Our Mission |publisher=West Virginia Film Festival |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090429035622/http://www.wviff.org/ |archive-date=April 29, 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref> at which many domestic and international films are shown, including full-length feature films, shorts, documentaries, animation, and student films.

Charleston hosts the annual [[Gazette-Mail Kanawha County Majorette and Band Festival]] for the eight public high schools in Kanawha County. The festival began in 1947 and has continued on as an annual tradition. It is held at the [[University of Charleston Stadium at Laidley Field]] in downtown Charleston. It is the state's oldest music festival.

On [[Memorial Day]] weekend, the Vandalia Gathering<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.wvculture.org/vandalia/|title=Vandalia Gathering|website=www.wvculture.org|access-date=October 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190917032020/http://www.wvculture.org/vandalia/|archive-date=September 17, 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> is held on the state capitol grounds. Thousands of visitors each year enjoy traditional music, art, dance, stories, crafts, and food that stems from West Virginia's mountain culture.

Since 2005, FestivALL<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://festivallcharleston.com/|title=Home &#124; FestivAll|website=festivallcharleston.com|access-date=October 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190930200835/https://festivallcharleston.com/|archive-date=September 30, 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> has provided the Charleston area with cultural and artistic events beginning on June 20 ([[West Virginia Day]]) and including dance, theater, and music. FestivALL provides local artists a valuable chance to display their works and help get others interested in, and involved with, the local artistic community. Highlights include an art fair on Capitol Street and local bands playing live music at stages set up throughout downtown, as well as a wine and jazz festival on the campus of the [[University of Charleston]] featuring local and nationally known jazz artists and showcasing the products of West Virginia vineyards.

The Charleston Sternwheel Regatta is an annual river festival held on the Kanawha Boulevard by Haddad Riverfront Park on the Kanawha River. Founded in 1970, it was originally held during Labor Day weekend each year until its discontinuation in 2008, but after its revival in 2022, it is now held during [[Independence Day (United States)|Independence Day]] weekend. The event has carnival-style rides and attractions and live music from local and nationally known bands.{{citation needed|date=April 2023}}

===Historical structures and museums===
[[File:Kanawha County Courthouse.jpg|thumb|The [[Kanawha County Courthouse]]]]
Charleston has several older buildings in various architectural styles. About [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Kanawha County, West Virginia|50 places in Charleston]] are on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2009a}}</ref> A segment of the East End consisting of several blocks of Virginia and Quarrier Streets, encompassing an area of nearly a full square mile, has been officially designated as a historical neighborhood. The neighborhood has many houses dating from the late 19th and early 20th century as well as a few [[art deco]] style apartment buildings dating from the 1920s and early 30s.

Downtown Charleston is home to several commercial buildings between 80 and 115 years old, including the Security Building (corner of Virginia and Capitol Street), 405 Capitol Street (the former Daniel Boone Hotel), the Union Building (at the southern end of Capitol Street), the Kanawha County Courthouse, the Public Library (corner of Capitol and Quarrier Streets), and the Masonic Temple (corner of Virginia and Dickenson Street). Also of note are several historic churches grouped closely together in a neighborhood just east of downtown; [[Basilica of the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart (Charleston, West Virginia)|Basilica of the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart]] (one of the two cathedrals of the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston]]), First Presbyterian Church, Kanawha United Presbyterian Church, St. John's Episcopal Church, Charleston Baptist Temple, St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church, and Christ Church United Methodist.

Other historic buildings can be found throughout the city, particularly in the broader East End, the West Side, and Kanawha City. They include the Avampato Discovery Museum (now part of the [[Clay Center, West Virginia|Clay Center for the Arts & Sciences]]), Sunrise Museum, (now part of the [[Clay Center, West Virginia|Clay Center for the Arts & Sciences]]), [[West Virginia State Museum]], St. George Orthodox Cathedral, St. Marks United Methodist Church, the Capitol Theater, and the Woman's Club of Charleston.{{citation needed|date=April 2023}}

===Retail===
[[File:Capitol Market (Charleston WV).jpg|thumb|upright|Capitol Market]]
In 1983, the [[Charleston Town Center]] became the largest downtown mall east of the Mississippi River.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Conn|first=Anthony|title=What is next for the Charleston Town Center Mall?|url=https://wchstv.com/features/eyewitness-news-investigates/charleston-town-center-mall|url-status=live|website=WCHS TV|date=February 22, 2021|access-date=September 24, 2021|archive-date=September 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210924173345/https://wchstv.com/features/eyewitness-news-investigates/charleston-town-center-mall}}</ref> It is a three-story shopping and dining facility, formerly with 130 specialty stores; 31 remain open. The closure of [[Macy's]] in 2019 made [[J.C. Penney]] the sole remaining commercial anchor pad in the mall after [[Sears]] closed in 2017. The fourth and final anchor pad is a branch of Encova Insurance; it was occupied by various other insurance companies after Montgomery Ward left the mall in 2000. In 2021, it was announced that Hull Group, based in [[Augusta, Georgia|Augusta GA]], will add the Town Center to its roster of malls in the eastern US and will work toward redeveloping the mall.<ref>{{Cite web|last=BSHARAH|first=MEGAN|date=May 10, 2021|title=Mayor: Charleston Town Center sale is 'a step forward in the right direction'|url=https://wchstv.com/news/local/mayor-charleston-town-center-sale-is-a-step-forward-in-the-right-direction|access-date=June 24, 2021|website=WCHS|archive-date=June 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624204920/https://wchstv.com/news/local/mayor-charleston-town-center-sale-is-a-step-forward-in-the-right-direction|url-status=live}}</ref>

There are five major shopping plazas in Charleston, two in the Kanawha City neighborhood—The Shops at Kanawha and Kanawha Landing—and three in the Southridge area, divided between Charleston and [[South Charleston, West Virginia|South Charleston]]—Southridge Centre, Dudley Farms Plaza, and The Shops at Trace Fork.

==Parks and recreation==
* [[University of Charleston Stadium at Laidley Field]] — Used for football, soccer, track, and festivals
* [[GoMart Ballpark]] — Stadium of the Charleston Dirty Birds
* Cato Park — Charleston's largest municipal park, including a golf course, Olympic-size swimming pool and picnic areas
* Coonskin Park — Includes swimming pool, boathouse, clubhouse with dining facilities, tennis courts, putt putt golf, an 18-hole par 3 golf course, driving range, and fishing lake. Schoenbaum Soccer Field and Amphitheatre inside the park is the home of [[West Virginia United]] soccer team
* Daniel Boone Park — A {{convert|4|acre|m2|adj=on}} park with a boat ramp, fishing and picnic facilities
* Danner Meadow Park
* [[Kanawha State Forest]] — A {{convert|9300|acre|km2|0|adj=on}} forest, including 46 campsites (in the community of Loudendale)
* [[Magic Island (West Virginia)|Magic Island]] — An area at the junction of the Elk River and the Kanawha River, near Kanawha Boulevard.
* Davis Park
* Haddad Riverfront Park
* Ruffner Park
* Joplin Park ([[South Charleston, West Virginia|South Charleston]])

===Sports===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Club
! Sport
! Founded
! League
! Venue
|-The Charleston Charlies (dates?)
| [[Charleston Dirty Birds]]
| [[Baseball]]
| 2005
| [[Atlantic League of Professional Baseball]] (Independent)
| [[GoMart Ballpark]]
|-
|[[West Virginia United]]
| [[Soccer]]
| 2003
|[[USL League Two]]
| [[Schoenbaum Stadium]]
|-
| [[West Virginia Wildfire]]
| [[Women's American football]]
| 2008
| [[Women's Spring Football League]]
| TBA
|}

The [[West Virginia Alliance FC|West Virginia United]] is a soccer team that plays its home games at [[Schoenbaum Stadium]] in Charleston. The team plays in the [[USL League Two]] (USL2) — the fourth tier of the [[United States soccer league system|American Soccer Pyramid]] — in the South Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference

==Government==
[[File:Charleston City Hall Apr 09.JPG|thumb|right|[[Charleston City Hall]], West Virginia, in 2009]]
Charleston functions has a [[Mayor-Council|mayor-council]] form of city government. The [[mayor]] is the city's designated chief executive, with the duty to see that all city laws and ordinances are enforced. The mayor gives general supervision over all executive departments, offices, and agencies of the city government and is the presiding officer of the council and a voting member thereof. Amy Goodwin was sworn in as mayor on January 7, 2019, and is Charleston's first female mayor.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Shinkle |first1=Leanne |title=Amy Goodwin sworn in as first female mayor in Charleston |url=https://www.wsaz.com/content/news/Amy-Goodwin-wins-race-for-Charleston-mayor-499896111.html |website=WSAZ |access-date=January 15, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181107090332/https://www.wsaz.com/content/news/Amy-Goodwin-wins-race-for-Charleston-mayor-499896111.html |archive-date=November 7, 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Charleston also has a city manager, who is appointed by the mayor and approved by the council. Benjamin Mishoe took office as city manager in 2023. The city manager has supervision and control of the executive work and management of the heads of all departments under his or her control as directed by the mayor, makes all contracts for labor and supplies, and generally is responsible for all the city's business and administrative work.

The Charleston City Council has 26 members. Twenty of the members are elected from a specific [[Wards of the United States|ward]] within the city, and the other six are elected by the city at-large.

General elections for mayor, city council, and other city officers take place in November every four years, coinciding with midterm election races for Congress and the state legislature. Primary elections are held in May. The most recent election was in 2022. Until 2018, elections were held in off-cycle years, with primaries in March and general elections in May.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Fallon |first=Paul |date=February 5, 2013 |title=New measure would shorten Charleston council members' terms |work=[[Charleston Gazette-Mail]] |url=https://www.wvgazettemail.com/news/new-measure-would-shorten-charleston-council-members-terms/article_0579a020-3f02-5145-b011-628bd4a4e5b1.html |access-date=May 7, 2023}}</ref>

{{hidden begin
|title = List of mayors of Charleston, West Virginia
|titlestyle = background:#F8F8FF;width:60%
}}
* Jacob Goshorn, 1861 (elected but did not serve)<ref name= Laidley>{{Citation|publisher=Richmond-Arnold Publishing Co. |location=Chicago |title=History of Charleston and Kanawha County, West Virginia, and Representative Citizens |url=https://www.archive.org/stream/historyofcharles00laid?ref=ol#page/166/mode/1up |author=W. S. Laidley |oclc=3645365 |via=[[Internet Archive]] |year=1911 |pages=166–169 |quote=List of mayors |access-date=August 25, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170307210403/https://www.archive.org/stream/historyofcharles00laid?ref=ol#page/166/mode/1up |archive-date=March 7, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>{{sfn|Chamber of Commerce|1901|p=31}}
* John A. Truslow, circa 1865{{sfn|Chamber of Commerce|1901|p=31}}
* John Williams
* George Ritter, 1868–1869{{sfn|Chamber of Commerce|1901|p=31}}
* John W. Wingfield, 1870{{sfn|Chamber of Commerce|1901|p=31}}
* H. Clay Dickinson, 1871 (died in office){{sfn|Chamber of Commerce|1901|p=31}}
* John P. Hale, 1871<ref name=wvencyclopedia>{{cite web |url=http://www.wvencyclopedia.org |title=West Virginia Encyclopedia |location=Charleston, WV |publisher=West Virginia Humanities Council |access-date=March 7, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170319185213/http://www.wvencyclopedia.org/ |archive-date=March 19, 2017}}</ref>
* John Williams, 1872{{sfn|Chamber of Commerce|1901|p=31}}
* C. P. Snyder, 1873{{sfn|Chamber of Commerce|1901|p=31}}
* John D. White, 1874{{sfn|Chamber of Commerce|1901|p=31}}
* John C. Ruby, 1875–1876{{sfn|Chamber of Commerce|1901|p=31}}<ref>{{cite book |author1=Thomas Condit Miller |author2=Hu Maxwell |title=West Virginia and Its People |publisher=Lewis Historical Publishing Company |location=New York |year=1913 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Fnk_AAAAYAAJ |volume=3 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140701043851/http://books.google.com/books?id=Fnk_AAAAYAAJ |archive-date=July 1, 2014}}</ref>
* C. J. Botkin, 1877–1881{{sfn|Chamber of Commerce|1901|p=31}}
* R. R. Delaney, 1881–1882{{sfn|Chamber of Commerce|1901|p=31}}
* John D. Baines, 1883–1884{{sfn|Chamber of Commerce|1901|p=31}}
* [[James Hall Huling]], 1885–1886{{sfn|Chamber of Commerce|1901|p=31}}
* Joseph L. Fry, 1887–1890{{sfn|Chamber of Commerce|1901|p=31}}
* James B. Pemberton, 1891–1892{{sfn|Chamber of Commerce|1901|p=31}}<ref name=wvencyclopedia />
* E. W. Staunton, 1893–1894{{sfn|Chamber of Commerce|1901|p=31}}
* J. A. deGruyter, 1895–1898{{sfn|Chamber of Commerce|1901|p=31}}
* W. Herman Smith, 1899–1900 (died in office){{sfn|Chamber of Commerce|1901|p=31}}
* [[John B. Floyd (West Virginia politician)|John B. Floyd]], 1900–1901
* George S. Morgan, 1901–{{sfn|Chamber of Commerce|1901|p=31}}
* C. E. Rudesill
* John A. Jarrett
* James A. Holley
* William W. Wertz, 1929
* R. P. DeVan, 1934
* D. Boone Dawson, 1935–1947
* R. Carl Andrews, 1947–1950
* John T. Copenhaver, 1951–1959
* John A. Shanklin, 1959–1967
* Elmer H. Dodson, 1967–1971
* [[John G. Hutchinson]], 1971–1980
* [[Joe F. Smith]], 1980–1983
* James E. "Mike" Roark, 1983–1987
* Charles R. "Chuck" Gardner, 1987–1991
* Kent Strange Hall, 1991–1995
* G. Kemp Melton, 1995–1999
* Jay Goldman, 1999–2003<ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20001216065300/http://www.cityofcharleston.org/mayor.htm |url=http://www.cityofcharleston.org/mayor.htm |archive-date=December 16, 2000 |title=Mayor's Office |work=Cityofcharleston.org |via=Internet Archive, [[Wayback Machine]] |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* [[Danny Jones (politician)|Danny Jones]], 2003–2019<ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030810125231/http://www.cityofcharleston.org/mayor.htm |url=http://www.cityofcharleston.org/mayor.htm |archive-date=August 10, 2003 |title=Office of the Mayor |work=Cityofcharleston.org |url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Amy Shuler Goodwin]], 2019–present
{{hidden end}}

==Education==
[[File:Universityofcharlestoncampusdrone.jpg|thumb|[[University of Charleston]] campus]]

===Primary and secondary===
Charleston has numerous schools that are part of [[Kanawha County Schools]]. The three high schools are:
* [[Capital High School (Charleston, West Virginia)|Capital High School]], a public school in the community of Meadowbrook. It was established by the consolidation of Charleston High School and Stonewall Jackson High School. It opened in 1989.
* [[George Washington High School (West Virginia)|George Washington High School]], a public school in the South Hills neighborhood. It opened in 1964.
* [[Charleston Catholic High School]], a [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]] school at the eastern edge of the city's downtown. It opened in 1923.

====Former high schools====
* [[Charleston High School (West Virginia)|Charleston High School]], across the street from CAMC General Hospital. It was founded in 1916 and closed in 1989.
* [[Stonewall Jackson High School (Kanawha County, West Virginia)|Stonewall Jackson High School]], on the West Side. It was founded in 1940 and converted to a middle school in 1989 after Capital High School opened.
* [[Garnet High School]] was a historic African-American high school.

===Colleges and universities===
Charleston hosts a branch campus of [[West Virginia University]] that serves as a clinical campus for the university's medical and dental schools. Students at either school must complete their classwork at the main campus in [[Morgantown, West Virginia|Morgantown]] but can complete their clinical rotations at hospitals in Morgantown, the Eastern Panhandle, or Charleston. Students from [[West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine]] may also complete their clinical rotations at the branch campus after completing their first two academic years at the main campus in [[Lewisburg, WV|Lewisburg]].

Charleston is also home to a 1,000-student private college, the [[University of Charleston]], formerly Morris Harvey College. It is on MacCorkle Avenue, along the banks of the [[Kanawha River]] (directly across from the capitol), in South Ruffner.

In the immediate area are [[West Virginia State University]] in [[Institute, West Virginia|Institute]] and the [[South Charleston, West Virginia|South Charleston]] campus of both the [[BridgeValley Community and Technical College]] and [[Marshall University]]. The region is also home to the Charleston Branch of the Robert C. Byrd Institute for Advanced Flexible Manufacturing, an independent program administered by Marshall University providing access to computer numerical control (CNC) equipment for businesses.

[[BridgeValley Community and Technical College]] also has a campus in Montgomery.

Charleston was also home to West Virginia Junior College's Charleston campus until 2020, when it relocated to Cross Lanes.<ref>{{Cite web|last=writer|first=Ryan Quinn Staff|title=WV Junior College leaving longtime Charleston location for Cross Lanes|url=https://www.wvgazettemail.com/news/education/wv-junior-college-leaving-longtime-charleston-location-for-cross-lanes/article_9df752ff-afe7-5598-b14f-17ef1139b86d.html|access-date=April 16, 2021|website=Charleston Gazette-Mail|date=August 2, 2020 |language=en|archive-date=April 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416191620/https://www.wvgazettemail.com/news/education/wv-junior-college-leaving-longtime-charleston-location-for-cross-lanes/article_9df752ff-afe7-5598-b14f-17ef1139b86d.html|url-status=live}}</ref> [[WV Junior College]] is accredited by the [[Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools]] to award diplomas and associate degrees. Part of the Kanawha Valley for almost 115 years, WV Junior College was established as Capitol City Commercial College in 1892. It was originally established to train students in secretarial and business skills and has undergone changes in location and curriculum over the years.

==Media==
{{see also|List of newspapers in West Virginia|List of radio stations in West Virginia|List of television stations in West Virginia}}

===Print===
Charleston's only major newspaper is the ''[[Charleston Gazette-Mail]]''. It was formerly two separate newspapers, the morning ''Charleston Gazette'' and afternoon ''[[Charleston Daily Mail]]''. The city's first newspaper was the ''Farmers' Repository'', first published in 1808.<ref name=LOC /> Other newspapers included the 1819 ''Spectator'' and 1872 ''[[Charleston Gazette-Mail|Kanawha Chronicle]]'', a precursor to the modern ''Gazette-Mail''.{{sfn|Federal Writers' Project|1941}}<ref name=LOC />

===Radio===
Charleston has 11 radio stations (AM and FM) licensed in the city. Most of them are owned either by the [[West Virginia Radio Corporation]] or by the [[Bristol Broadcasting Company]].

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Call sign !! Frequency !! Format !! Description / Notes
|-
| [[WCHS (AM)|WCHS]]*
| 580 AM
| [[News radio|News]] / [[Talk radio|Talk]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.58wchs.com/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070107160222/http://www.58wchs.com/|url-status=dead|title=58WCHS.COM|archive-date=January 7, 2007|website=www.58wchs.com|access-date=October 26, 2019}}</ref>
| '''''58 WCHS'''''
|-
| [[WKAZ (AM)|WKAZ]]*
| 680 AM
| [[Oldies]]
| ''The Oldies format was formerly on [[WRVZ (FM)|107.3]]''.
|-
| [[WBES]]*
| 950 AM
| [[Sportstalk]]
|
|-
| [[WSWW (AM)|WSWW]]*
| 1490 AM
| [[Sports Radio|Sports]]
| '''''ESPN 1490'''''
|-
|[[WTSQ-LP]]
|88.1 FM
|[[Freeform radio|Freeform]]
|
|-
| [[WVPB (FM)|WVPB]]*
| 88.5 FM
| [[Public Radio]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wvpublic.org/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090605173034/http://www.wvpubcast.org/|url-status=dead|title=West Virginia Public Broadcasting|archive-date=June 5, 2009|website=www.wvpublic.org|access-date=October 26, 2019}}</ref>
| NPR News, Classical Music, Mountain Stage, and other local and national programs.
|-
| [[WKVW]]
| 93.3 FM
| [[KLOVE]] [[Contemporary Christian]]
|
|-
| [[WXAF]]*
| 90.9 FM
| [[Religious]]
|
|-
| [[WZAC-FM]]
| 92.5 FM
| [[Classic Country]]
|
|-
| [[WYNL]]
| 94.5 FM
| [[Contemporary Christian]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wvtsam950.com/newdesign |title=Charleston's Supertalk 950 WVTS – Home |publisher=Wvtsam950.com |date=January 11, 2008 |access-date=March 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121213230644/http://www.wvtsam950.com/newdesign/ |archive-date=December 13, 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
| '''''New Life Ninety Four Five'''''
|-
| [[WKWS]]*
| 96.1 FM
| Classic Country
| 96.1 KWS
|-
| [[WQBE-FM]]*
| 97.5 FM
| [[Country music|Country]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.wqbe.com/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070108211823/http://www.wqbe.com/|url-status=dead|title=97.5 WQBE &#124; Twenty-Four Carrot Country|archive-date=January 8, 2007|website=97.5 WQBE|access-date=October 26, 2019}}</ref>
| '''''97.5 WQBE'''''. The [[Charleston WV metropolitan area|Charleston MSA]]'s #1 rated radio station, according to [[Arbitron]].
|-
| [[WCST-FM]]
| 98.7 FM
| Classic Rock
| '''''98.7 The Mountain'''''
|-
| [[WVAF]]*
| 99.9 FM
| [[Adult Contemporary]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://v100.fm/|title=V100 &#124; Better Music For A Better Workday &#124; Charleston, WV|website=V100 &#124; Better Music For A Better Workday &#124; Charleston, WV|access-date=October 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191026152532/http://v100.fm/|archive-date=October 26, 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| '''''V-100'''''
|-
| [[WMXE]]
| 100.9 FM
| [[Classic Hits]]<ref>[http://www.wmxe.net Homepage – Classic Hits 100.9 The Mix<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061205045841/http://wmxe.net/ |date=December 5, 2006 }}</ref>
| '''''100.9 The Mix'''''
|-
| [[WVSR-FM]]*
| 102.7 FM
| [[Top 40 (radio format)|Top 40]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://electric102.com/wp/|title=Electric 102.7|website=Electric 102.7|access-date=October 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191026152542/http://electric102.com/wp/|archive-date=October 26, 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| '''''Electric 102.7'''''
|-
| [[WKLC-FM]]
| 105.1 FM
| [[Rock music|Rock]]<ref>[http://www.wklc.com Homepage – ROCK 105<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070206154212/http://www.wklc.com/ |date=February 6, 2007 }}</ref>
| '''''Rock 105'''''
|-
| [[WRVZ (FM)|WRVZ]]
| 107.3 FM
| Hip Hop
| '''107.3 The Beat'''
|}

<nowiki>*</nowiki> ''represents radio stations that are licensed to the city of Charleston.''

===Television===
The Charleston–[[Huntington, West Virginia|Huntington]] TV market is the second-largest television market by area east of the Mississippi River and 64th-largest in terms of households in the U.S., serving counties in central West Virginia, eastern [[Kentucky]], and southern [[Ohio]]. There are four [[VHF]] and ten [[Ultra high frequency|UHF]] television stations in the market. [[WSAZ-TV]] was the market's first station, going on air in 1949.<ref name=Alicoate1960>{{citation |title=Radio Annual and Television Year Book |oclc=10512206 |year=1960 |editor=Charles A. Alicoate |publisher= Radio Daily Corp. |location=New York |chapter=Television Stations: West Virginia |chapter-url= https://archive.org/stream/radio00radi#page/861/mode/2up }}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Call sign !! Channel !! Description
|-
| style="width:15%;"| [[WSAZ-TV]]
| style="width:15%;"| 3
| style="width:70%;"| ([[NBC]]) / ([[MyNetworkTV]] on DT2)
|-
| [[WCHS-TV]]
| 8
| ([[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]) / ([[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] on DT2)
|-
| [[WVAH]]
| 11
| ([[Catchy Comedy]])
|-
| [[WOWK]]
| 13
| ([[CBS]])
|-
| [[WLPX]]
| 29
| ([[ION Television|ION]])
|-
| [[WQCW]]
| 30
| ([[The CW]])
|-
| [[WVPB-TV|WVPB]]
| 33
| ([[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]])
|-
| [[WTSF]]
| 61
| [[Ashland, Kentucky|Ashland]], Kentucky ([[Daystar Television Network|Daystar]])
|}

==Infrastructure==

===Transportation===
{{See also|Roads of Charleston, West Virginia|Yeager Airport|Charleston station (West Virginia)}}
[[File:The Bridges (35191504416) (cropped).jpg|thumb|[[Interstate 64 in West Virginia|I-64]] near Charleston]]
[[File:Charleston Yeager Airport Terminal (27680429119).jpg|thumb|Yeager Airport]]
[[File:Charleston Amtrak Station Apr 09.jpg|thumb|[[Charleston station (West Virginia)|Charleston station]] is served by [[Amtrak]]'s ''[[Cardinal (train)|Cardinal]]'']]

Charleston is served by [[Interstate 64 (West Virginia)|Interstate 64]], [[Interstate 77 (West Virginia)|Interstate 77]], and [[Interstate 79 (West Virginia)|Interstate 79]]. The [[West Virginia Turnpike]]'s northern terminus is at the city's southeastern end. Two U.S. routes, [[U.S. Route 60 in West Virginia|US 60]] and [[U.S. Route 119 (West Virginia)|US 119]], cut through the city center. [[U.S. Route 21 (West Virginia)|US 21]] and [[U.S. Route 35 (West Virginia)|US 35]] formerly ran through Charleston. [[West Virginia Route 25|WV 25]], [[West Virginia Route 61|WV 61]], [[West Virginia Route 62|WV 62]], and [[West Virginia Route 114|WV 114]] are all state highways that are within Charleston's city limits. Interstate 64 crosses the [[Kanawha River]] four times as it passes through the Charleston metropolitan area. The [[Elk River (West Virginia)|Elk River]] flows into the Kanawha River in downtown Charleston.

Charleston is served by [[Kanawha Valley Regional Transportation Authority]].

[[Yeager Airport]] is West Virginia's largest airport, serving more than twice as many passengers as all other airports in the state combined. It is {{convert|2|mi|km|0|sp=us|spell=on}} north of [[Interstate 64]] and [[Interstate 77]], accessible via [[West Virginia Route 114|WV 114]]. It is also home to the [[McLaughlin Air National Guard Base]].

[[Amtrak]], the national passenger rail service, provides tri-weekly service to Charleston via the ''[[Cardinal (train)|Cardinal]]'' routes. The Amtrak station is on the south side of the Kanawha River, at 350 MacCorkle Avenue, near downtown. Until the 1960s, several daily [[Chesapeake and Ohio Railway]] trains traversed central West Virginia, making stops in Charleston. Destinations in the midwest included St. Louis, Chicago, Detroit, and Louisville. To the east the trains terminated in either [[Washington, D.C.]] or [[Newport News, Virginia|Newport News]], Virginia. These featured the ''[[Fast Flying Virginian]],'' ''[[George Washington (train)|George Washington]],'' and the ''[[Sportsman (train)|Sportsman]].'' Into the late 1940s, the [[New York Central Railroad]] operated passenger trains between [[Columbus, Ohio|Columbus]], Ohio, and Charleston.<ref>{{citation |title=Table 35 |work=New York Central RR Timetable |date=April 1948 |url=http://streamlinermemories.info/NYC/NYC48-4TT.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180911044454/http://streamlinermemories.info/NYC/NYC48-4TT.pdf |archive-date=September 11, 2018}}</ref>

===Utilities===
Electricity in Charleston is provided by [[Appalachian Power]], a division of [[American Electric Power]] of [[Columbus, Ohio|Columbus]], Ohio. Appalachian Power is headquartered in Charleston. [[Suddenlink Communications]] provides the Charleston area's Cable TV. Landline phone service in Charleston is provided by [[Frontier Communications]]. The city's water supply is provided by Charleston-based [[West Virginia American Water]], a subsidiary of American Water<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.amwater.com/awpr1/default.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070227084234/http://www.amwater.com/awpr1/default.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 27, 2007|title=American Water|date=February 27, 2007|access-date=October 26, 2019}}</ref> of [[Voorhees Township, New Jersey]]. Charleston's water supply is pumped from the Elk River and treated at the Kanawha Valley Water Treatment Plant. Its natural gas is supplied by Mountaineer Gas, a division of [[Allegheny Energy]] of [[Greensburg, Pennsylvania]].

===Law enforcement===
The Charleston Police Department (CPD) is West Virginia's second-largest police department<ref name=CPDWebsite>[http://www.charlestonwvpolice.org Department's Official web site]</ref> and the state's largest municipal/city police department. In 2008, Charleston Police had 168 sworn officers, two animal control officers, and 29 civilian employees.<ref name=CPDWebsite />

===Healthcare===
[[Charleston Area Medical Center]] is a complex of hospitals throughout the city. Thomas Health is a complex of hospitals and healthcare centers in the Charleston area.<ref>{{Cite web|date=May 5, 2020|title=About Us|url=https://thomashealth.org/about-us/|access-date=April 3, 2021|website=Thomas Health|language=en-US|archive-date=March 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210302081023/https://thomashealth.org/about-us/|url-status=live}}</ref> Highland Hospital (Kanawha City) is a behavioral health facility.

==In popular culture==
* Charleston is a location in the game [[The Sum of All Fears (video game)|The Sum of All Fears]], based on [[Tom Clancy]]'s book of the same name<ref>{{cite web|last=Gorski|first=Sam|website=[[WBOY]]|url=https://www.wboy.com/news/west-virginia/5-video-games-set-in-west-virginia/|title=5 video games set in West Virginia|date=June 16, 2023 |access-date=August 9, 2024}}</ref>
* Charleston is a location in the game [[Fallout 76]]<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.pcgamesn.com/fallout-76/locations|title=Fallout 76 locations - all the map markers confirmed across post-apocalyptic West Virginia|first1=Jordan|last1=Forward|website=PC GamesN|date=October 8, 2018|access-date=August 9, 2024}}</ref>

==Notable people==
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{{div col}}
* Diplomat and attorney [[Harriet C. Babbitt]], born in Charleston
* Olympic shot put gold and silver medalist [[Randy Barnes]]
* [[Mixed martial arts|MMA]] fighter [[Brian Bowles (fighter)|Brian Bowles]], bantamweight champion
* [[Extreme metal]] band [[Byzantine (band)|Byzantine]] formed and based in Charleston
* [[Kevin Canady]], Professional wrestler founder of IWA East Coast
* [[Shelley Moore Capito]], U.S. senator; former U.S. congresswoman and state delegate<ref>https://www.senate.gov/states/WV/intro.htm</ref>
* [[Jean Carson]], Actress
* [[Cisco Systems]] [[Chief executive officer|CEO]] [[John Chambers (CEO)|John Chambers]]
* [[H. Rodgin Cohen]], banker
* [[William E. Chilton]], Newspaper publisher and U.S. Senator
* [[Basudeb DasSarma]], Chemist
* [[Douglas Dick]], Actor
* [[Barbara DuMetz]], Photographer was born in Charleston
* [[George Crumb]], [[European classical music|Classical]] [[composer]]
* [[Dorian Etheridge]], linebacker for the [[Atlanta Falcons]]
* [[Sarah Feinberg]], interim president of the [[New York City Transit Authority]] and former head of the [[Federal Railroad Administration]]
* [[Conchata Ferrell]], Actress
* [[Sierra Ferrell]], Musician, Singer-Songwriter
* [[Paul Frame]], chiropractor and former ballet dancer
* [[Peter Frame]], ballet dancer
* [[William Frischkorn]], cyclist
* Actress and ''[[Alias (television)|Alias]]'' star [[Jennifer Garner]] was born in [[Houston]], moved with her family to [[Princeton, West Virginia|Princeton]], West Virginia, then Charleston as a child and grew up there, graduating from city's [[George Washington High School (West Virginia)|George Washington High School]]
* [[Elizabeth Harden Gilmore]], civil rights activist
* [[George H. Goodrich]], justice, [[Superior Court of the District of Columbia]]
* [[Alexis Hornbuckle]], professional basketball player, NCAA champion at Tennessee
* Professional baseball player and coach [[J. R. House]]
* Basketball player and broadcaster [[Hot Rod Hundley]]
* [[John G. Hutchinson]], mayor 1971–80
* [[Soap opera]] actress [[Lesli Kay]] who has appeared on ''[[As the World Turns]]'', ''[[General Hospital]]'' and ''[[The Bold and the Beautiful]]''
* [[George King (basketball, born 1928)|George King]], NBA player and head coach of [[West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball|West Virginia]] and [[Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball|Purdue]]
* Former [[Major League Baseball]] player and current sportscaster [[John Kruk]] was born in Charleston, but grew up in [[Keyser, West Virginia|Keyser]]
* Special effects artist [[RJ Haddy|Robert "RJ" Haddy]] was born and resides in Charleston
* Actress [[Allison Hayes]]
* Actress [[Ann Magnuson]]
* [[NASA]] [[astronaut]] [[Jon McBride]] was born in Charleston<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/astronauts/english/mcbride_jon.htm |title=Astronaut Biography: Jon McBride |publisher=Spacefacts.de |access-date=March 12, 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010103544/http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/astronauts/english/mcbride_jon.htm |archive-date=October 10, 2012}}</ref>
* Actor [[Tom McBride (actor)|Tom McBride]] Actor from [[Friday the 13th Part II]]
* [[George Armitage Miller]], one of the founders of the field of cognitive psychology, was born here.
* Would-be presidential assassin [[Sara Jane Moore]] was born in Charleston
* Actor [[Nick Nolte]] lived in the South Hills neighborhood of Charleston during the 1980s
* National Football League player [[Rick Nuzum]] was born in Charleston
* Pop singer [[Caroline Peyton]]
* [[Phil Pfister]], world's strongest man (2006), is a firefighter for CFD
* American author [[Eugenia Price]]
* Creator of [[Droodles]] and television personality [[Roger Price (comedy)|Roger Price]]
* Author and technology policy analyst [[Alec Ross (author)|Alec Ross]]<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|last=Wood|first=Pamela|title=Democrat Alec Ross, tech expert and author, says as Maryland governor he'll focus on 'what's next'|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/politics/bs-md-alec-ross-profile-20180521-story.html|access-date=August 25, 2021|website=baltimoresun.com|date=May 24, 2018 }}</ref>
* Actress [[Kristen Ruhlin]]
* [[Country music|Country]] singer [[Red Sovine]] was born in Charleston
* [[Civil rights]] activist [[Leon Sullivan|Rev. Leon Sullivan]] was born in Charleston
* NFL player [[Russ Thomas]], general manager of [[Detroit Lions]] 1967–89, attended high school in Charleston
* Actor and ''[[True Blood]]'' star [[Sam Trammell]] was born in [[New Orleans]], but grew up in Charleston, graduating from city's [[George Washington High School (West Virginia)|George Washington High School]]
* Tennis player [[Anne White]] attended John Adams Junior High School and graduated from George Washington High School.<ref>{{cite news|last=Simms |first=J.T. |title=Women have long sports history |newspaper=Daily Mail |date=July 6, 1999 |url=http://dailymail.com/static/specialsections/lookingback/lb07061.htm |access-date=April 24, 2008 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20080615050539/http://dailymail.com/static/specialsections/lookingback/lb07061.htm |archive-date=June 15, 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Miami Heat]] [[point guard]] [[Jason Williams (basketball, born 1975)|Jason Williams]], who grew up in [[Belle, West Virginia|Belle]] in the same vicinity, was a high school teammate of Moss
* [[Daniel Webster (Florida politician)|Daniel Webster]], longest-serving [[Florida Legislature|Florida legislator]], was born in Charleston<ref name=Hollis>{{Cite news|last=Hollis|first=Mark|title=Webster is Poised to Become House Speaker|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=DvAvAAAAIBAJ&pg=6753,2745019&dq=daniel+webster+florida&hl=en|access-date=September 1, 2010|newspaper=[[The Ledger]]|date=August 14, 1996|agency=[[The New York Times Company]]|location=[[Lakeland, Florida|Lakeland]], Florida|page=D4|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140818151516/http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=DvAvAAAAIBAJ&sjid=kfwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6753,2745019&dq=daniel+webster+florida&hl=en|archive-date=August 18, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Athlete and coach [[Harry Young (American football)|Harry Young]], member of [[College Football Hall of Fame]]
* Former NFL player [[Dennis Harrah]]{{div col end}}

==Sister city==
Charleston's [[sister city]] is:<ref>[http://wowktv.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=66232&] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110926211047/http://wowktv.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=66232&|date=September 26, 2011}}</ref>
* {{flagdeco|Slovakia}} [[Banská Bystrica]], [[Slovakia]] (2009)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://eng.banskabystrica.sk/main.php?id_kat_for_menu=2367&firmy_slovenska_flag=0|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120303015940/http://eng.banskabystrica.sk/main.php?id_kat_for_menu=2367&firmy_slovenska_flag=0|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 3, 2012|title=Banská Bystrica EN Sister cities|date=March 3, 2012|access-date=August 5, 2019}}</ref>

==See also==
* {{USAT|General Frank M. Coxe}} was built in Charleston in 1922 by the Charles Ward Engineering Works. She served as an Army transport and later a cruise ship on [[San Francisco Bay]]. She is now preserved as a floating restaurant in [[Burlingame, California]], just south of San Francisco.

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Bibliography==
<!--arrange in chronological order-->
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite book |author=J. A. Gibbons |title=Kanawha Valley: Its Resources and Developments; Also, Special Business Directory of Charleston and Other Cities |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VkREAQAAMAAJ |publisher=Gibbens, Atkinson & Co., Printers |location=Charleston |year=1872 |access-date=August 25, 2017 |archive-date=March 8, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170308225617/https://books.google.com/books?id=VkREAQAAMAAJ |url-status=live }}
* {{cite book |author=D.H. Strother |title=Capital of West Virginia and the Great Kanawha Valley |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xHQtAAAAYAAJ |publisher=Journal Office |location=Charleston |year=1872 |author-link=David Hunter Strother |access-date=August 25, 2017 |archive-date=March 8, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170308225652/https://books.google.com/books?id=xHQtAAAAYAAJ |url-status=live }}
* {{cite book |title=Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Directory |location=Richmond, VA |oclc=23244118 |editor=J.H. Chataigne |year=1882 |chapter=Charleston |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z45QAAAAYAAJ |pages=349–356 |access-date=August 25, 2017 |archive-date=March 8, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170308225541/https://books.google.com/books?id=z45QAAAAYAAJ |url-status=live }}
* {{cite book |title= West Virginia State Gazetteer and Business Directory |publisher= [[R.L. Polk & Co.]] |location= Detroit |year= 1882 |chapter= Charleston |chapter-url= https://archive.org/stream/westvirginiastat18821883rlpo#page/n83/mode/2up }}
* {{cite book |title= History of Kanawha County, and Biographical Sketches of Prominent Men |location= Charleston |publisher= Miller & Graham |url= https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/100385737 |year= 1885 |access-date= August 25, 2017 |url-status= live |archive-date= August 26, 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170826030432/https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/100385737 }}
* {{cite book |title=Century Chronicle, Devoted to the Capital City |author=Charleston Chamber of Commerce |year=1901 |publisher=The Chamber |hdl=2027/hvd.hx4tu5 |ref={{harvid|Chamber of Commerce|1901}}}}
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Charleston (West Virginia) |volume= 5 | page= 945 | | ref = {{harvid|Britannica|1910}} }}
* {{Citation |publisher = Richmond-Arnold Publishing Co. |location = Chicago |title = History of Charleston and Kanawha County, West Virginia, and Representative Citizens |author = W. S. Laidley |oclc = 3645365 |year = 1911
| ref = {{harvid|Laidley|1911}}
|ol = 25173948M }}
* {{cite book |author1=Thomas Condit Miller |author2=Hu Maxwell |title=West Virginia and Its People |publisher=Lewis Historical Publishing Company |location=New York |year=1913 |chapter=Kanawha County |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6_cxAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA414 |access-date=August 25, 2017 |archive-date=March 7, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170307224025/https://books.google.com/books?id=6_cxAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA414 |url-status=live }}
* {{cite book |title=Code of Ordinances of the City of Charleston, West Virginia |series=Laws, etc. (Code of ordinances : 1921 ed.) |url=https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/100565143 |year=1921 |publisher=Tribune Print. Co. |access-date=August 25, 2017 |archive-date=August 25, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170825233902/https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/100565143 |url-status=live }}
* {{cite book
|title=West Virginia: A Guide to the Mountain State
|series=[[American Guide Series]]
|author=Federal Writers' Project
|year=1941
|publisher=Oxford University Press
|location=New York
|via=Google Books
|chapter=Charleston
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q3n11Tg9kDoC
|pages=177+
|author-link=Federal Writers' Project
|isbn=9781603540476
|access-date=August 25, 2017
|archive-date=October 11, 2013
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131011112125/http://books.google.com/books?id=Q3n11Tg9kDoC
|url-status=live
}} + [https://books.google.com/books?id=Q3n11Tg9kDoC&pg=PA523 chronology]
* {{cite journal |journal=[[Mother Jones (magazine)|Mother Jones]] |location=San Francisco |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=beYDAAAAMBAJ |date=August 1978 |title=Cancer Valley |author=Jean Callahan |access-date=August 25, 2017 |archive-date=March 8, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170308221149/https://books.google.com/books?id=beYDAAAAMBAJ |url-status=live }}
* {{Citation
|chapter-url = https://openlibrary.org/books/ia:worldencyclopedi00kuri/World_encyclopedia_of_cities
|title = World Encyclopedia of Cities, Vol. 1: North America
|date = 1994
|location = Santa Barbara, Calif.
|publisher = ABC-CLIO
|author = George Thomas Kurian
|chapter = Charleston, West Virginia
|ol = 1431653M
|via = Internet Archive
|access-date = December 26, 2019
|archive-date = October 27, 2021
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211027175801/https://openlibrary.org/books/OL1431653M/World_encyclopedia_of_cities
|url-status = live
}} (fulltext)
* {{cite book|author=Stan Bumgardner|title=Charleston|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=riLeoqs65xcC|year=2006|publisher=Arcadia|location=Charleston, SC|series=Postcard History Series|isbn=978-0-7385-4265-2|access-date=August 25, 2017|archive-date=March 8, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170308223758/https://books.google.com/books?id=riLeoqs65xcC|url-status=live}}
* {{cite book
|author=Paul T. Hellmann
|title=Historical Gazetteer of the United States
|year=2006
|publisher=Taylor & Francis
|isbn=1-135-94859-3
|chapter=West Virginia: Charleston
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=REtEXQNWq6MC
|ref={{harvid|Hellmann|2006}}
|access-date=August 25, 2017
|archive-date=August 18, 2018
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180818182230/https://books.google.com/books?id=REtEXQNWq6MC
|url-status=live
}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category-inline}}
{{wikivoyage|Charleston (West Virginia)}}
* [https://www.charlestonwv.gov City of Charleston, WV – official website]
* [https://dp.la/search?utf8=✓&page_size=100&q=charleston+virginia Items related to Charleston], various dates (via [[Digital Public Library of America]]).
** {{Cite AmCyc|wstitle=Charleston (West Virginia)|display=Charleston, a city, the capital of West Virginia|short=x|noicon=x}}
** {{Cite NIE|wstitle=Charleston (West Virginia)|display=Charleston. The capital of West Virginia|short=x|noicon=x}}
** {{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Charleston (West Virginia)|display=Charleston, the capital of West Virginia|short=x|noicon=x}}
** {{Cite NSRW|wstitle=Charleston (West Virginia)|display=Charleston, capital of West Virginia|short=x|noicon=x}}
** {{Cite Collier's|wstitle=Charleston (West Virginia)|display=Charleston, a city, capital of the State of West Virginia|short=x|noicon=x}}
* [http://www.festivallcharleston.com FestivALL Charleston]

{{Charleston, West Virginia}}
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[[Category:Charleston, West Virginia| ]]
[[Category:Charleston, West Virginia metropolitan area]]
[[Category:Cities in West Virginia]]
[[Category:County seats in West Virginia]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1788]]
[[Category:Cities in Kanawha County, West Virginia]]
[[Category:Populated places on the Kanawha River]]
[[Category:1788 establishments in Virginia]]
[[Category:State capitals in the United States]]
[[Category:Populated places on the Elk River (West Virginia)]]
[[Category:1794 establishments in Virginia]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1794]]