Charleston, West Virginia | ||
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State Capital | ||
City of Charleston | ||
A view of Charleston from Spring Hill Cemetery
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Nickname(s): Charlie West | ||
Location of Charleston in Kanawha County, West Virginia. |
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Coordinates: 38°20′50″N 81°38′0″W / 38.34722°N 81.63333°WCoordinates: 38°20′50″N 81°38′0″W / 38.34722°N 81.63333°W | ||
Country | United States | |
State | West Virginia | |
County | Kanawha | |
Founded | 1788 | |
Incorporated | 1794 | |
Government | ||
• Mayor | Danny Jones (I) | |
• City Council |
Members list
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Area | ||
• City | 32.66 sq mi (84.59 km2) | |
• Land | 31.52 sq mi (81.64 km2) | |
• Water | 1.14 sq mi (2.95 km2) | |
Elevation | 597-957 (varies due to mountains) ft (182-292 m) | |
Population (2010) | ||
• City | 51,400 | |
• Estimate (2016) | 49,138 | |
• Rank | US: 745th | |
• Density | 1,630.7/sq mi (629.6/km2) | |
• Urban | 153,199 (US: 214th) | |
• Metro | 222,878 (US: 198th) | |
Time zone | EST (UTC-5) | |
• Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) | |
ZIP code | 25301-25306, 25309, 25311-25315, 25317, 25320-25339, 25350, 25356-25358, 25360-25362, 25364-25365, 25375, 25387, 25389, 25392, 25396, 25064 | |
Area code(s) | 304/681 | |
FIPS code | 54-14600 | |
GNIS feature ID | 1558347 | |
Website | cityofcharleston.org |
Charleston is the most populous city in and the capital of the U.S. state of West Virginia. Located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha rivers, the population during the 2016 Census Estimate was 49,138. The Charleston metropolitan area as a whole had 217,916 residents. Charleston is the center of government, commerce, and industry for Kanawha County, of which it is the county seat.
Early industries important to Charleston included salt and the first natural gas well. 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.
The first permanent settlement, Ft. Lee, was built in 1788. In 1791, Daniel Boone was a member of the Kanawha County Assembly.
Charleston is the home of the West Virginia Power minor league baseball team, the West Virginia Wild minor league basketball team, and the annual 15-mile (24 km) Charleston Distance Run. Yeager Airport and the University of Charleston are also located in the city. West Virginia University, Marshall University, and West Virginia State University also have higher education campuses in the area.