HISTORY  MODERN DEVELOPMENT  COMMUNITIES  CLIMATE  SCHOOLS  EVENTS  MUSEUMS PARKS  SPORTS  SHOPPING  MEDIA  TRANSPORTATION  UTILITIES

Charleston is the capital of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha Rivers in Kanawha County. As of the 2000 census, it has a population of 53,421, with its urban area having a population of 212,991, and its metropolitan area 309,632. However, the 2007 Census Estimate has Charleston with a population of 50,478 and a 2007 estimated metro area population of 303,950. Charleston is the largest city in the state. It is the county seat of Kanawha County.

Charleston is the home of the West Virginia Power (formerly the Charleston Alley Cats) 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.

Charleston is also home to the 130th Airlift Wing of the West Virginia Air National Guard.

The city also contains public parks, such as Cato Park and Coonskin Park, and the Kanawha State Forest, a large public state park that sustains a pool, camping sites, several biking/walking trails, picnic areas, as well as several shelters provided for recreational use. 

History
Capitol Street in downtown Charleston

After the American Revolutionary War, pioneers began making their way out from the early settlements. Many slowly migrated into the western part of Virginia. Capitalizing on its many resources made Charleston an important part of Virginia and West Virginia history. Today, Charleston is the largest city in the state and the state capital.

Charleston's history goes back to the eighteenth century. The Bullitt family was deeded 1,250 acres (5 km²) of land near the mouth of the Elk River in 1774. The land was later sold to Col. George Clendenin in 1786. The first permanent settlement, Fort Lee, was built in 1788 by Col. Clendenin and his company of Virginia Rangers. This structure occupied the area that is now the intersection of Brooks Street and Kanawha Boulevard. Historical conjecture indicates that Charleston is named after Col. Clendenin's father, Charles. Charles Town was later shortened to Charleston to avoid confusion with another Charles Town in present day West Virginia.

Six years later, the Virginia General Assembly officially established Charleston. On the 40 acres (160,000 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-NAW-A"), "Ka(h)nawha", derives from the region's Iroquois dialects meaning "water way" or "Canoe Way" implying the metaphor, "transport way", in the local language. It was and is the name of the river that flows past Charleston. The grammar of the "hard H" sound soon dropped out as new arrivals of various European languages developed West Virginia. Kanawha is also a West Indian Arawak word for dugout. In fact, a two-story jail was the first county structure ever built, with the first floor literally dug into the bank of the Kanawha River.

Modern Development

In 1983, the Charleston Town Center opened its doors downtown. It was the largest urban-based mall east of the Mississippi River, featuring two stories of shops and eateries. Downtown revitalization began in earnest in the 1980s as well. Funds were set aside for streetscaping and many small businesses began to open. Today, Capitol Street, Hale Street, and other bordering streets are an eclectic mixture of restaurants, shops, businesses and services that many call the centerpiece of downtown.

The new Robert C. Byrd Federal Building, Haddad Riverfront Park and Capitol Market are just a few new developments that have helped growth in the downtown area during the 1990s. Charleston also became known as one of the premiere healthcare spots in the state. Along with ambitious thinking, plans for even new entertainment and business venues kept Charleston moving along at a steady pace.

2003 marked the opening of the Clay Center for the Arts & Sciences. The center includes The Maier Foundation Performance Hall, The Walker Theatre, The Avampato Discovery Museum and an art museum. Also on site is The ElectricSky Theater, which is a 175-seat combination planetarium and dome-screen cinema. Movies shown at the theatre include educational large format (70 mm) presentations, and are often seen in similar Omnimax theatres. Planetarium shows are staged as a combination of pre-recorded and live presentations.

Many festivals and events were also incorporated into the calendar, including Multifest, Vandalia Festival, a 4 July 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.

Charleston West Virginia has one central agency for its economic development efforts, the Charleston Area Alliance. The Alliance is continuing to work with local leaders and the business community to build the economy of the area and revitalize its downtown. Charleston contains a historic district referred to as the East End.

Communities within Charleston
The following are neighborhoods and communities actually within the city limits:

Suburbs
The following cities are suburbs of Charleston:

Annual Climate

Education

The city of Charleston is host to numerous elementary, middle schools, and high schools as a part of the Kanawha County school system. The three high schools include:

• Capital High School, a public school located in the community of Meadowbrook; consolidation of Charleston High School and Stonewall Jackson High School;
• George Washington High School, a public school located in the South Hills neighborhood;
• Charleston Catholic High School, a Catholic school at the eastern edge of the city's downtown.

Middle schools

Also known as Junior High Schools.

• Stonewall Jackson Middle School (formerly a high school) on the West Side
• John Adams Middle School in South Hills
• Horace Mann Middle School in Kanawha City
• DuPont Middle School in Belle
• Dunbar Middle School (formerly a high school) in Dunbar

Elementary schools

• Holz Elementary School
• Piedmont Elementary School
• Ruffner Elementary School
• Overbrook Elementary School
• Kanawha City Elementary School
• Chamberlain Elementary School
• Watts Elementary School
• Glenwood Elementary School
• Ruthlawn Elementary School
• Robins Elementary School
• Grandview Elementary School
• Kenna Elementary School
• Weberwood Elementary 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 class work at the main campus in Morgantown but can complete their clinical rotations at either Morgantown or Charleston.

The city is also home to a 1,000-student private college, the University of Charleston, formerly Morris Harvey College. The college is located on MacCorkle Avenue along the banks of the Kanawha River in the community of South Ruffner. In 2006 the college opened a school of Pharmacy.

Located within the immediate area are West Virginia State University and West Virginia State Community and Technical College, both in Institute and the Marshall University Graduate College, a postgraduate-only branch of Marshall University in South Charleston. 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; it provides access to computer numerical control (CNC) equipment for businesses in two states.

Located approximately 30 miles (50 km) from Charleston, West Virginia University Institute of Technology has its campus in Montgomery, West Virginia. West Virginia University Institute of Technology is the largest regional campus of the University and focuses mainly on engineering programs.

Charleston is also home to West Virginia Junior College's Charleston campus. Located in downtown Charleston at 1000 Virginia Street, 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 originally established as Capitol City Commercial College on September 1, 1892. The College was originally established to train students in secretarial and business skills and has undergone changes in location and curriculum through the years.

Culture

Annual events and fairs

Charleston is home to numerous annual events and fairs that take place throughout the city, 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 perform in the West Virginia State Theatre; these are free to the public. Twice a year, in late April and again in early November, the West Virginia International Film Festival occurs, where many domestic and international films are shown that range from "full-length feature films, shorts, documentaries, animation and student films."

At the end of September of each year, usually the last Tuesday of September, Charleston hosts the Daily 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. The festival is held at the University of Charleston Stadium at Laidley Field in downtown Charleston. It is West Virginia's longest running music festival.

On May 6, the Kanawha Kordsmen Barbershop Chorus performs at the Clay Center for the Arts & Sciences. The 40-man a cappella chorus performs music in a show titled "Songs America Sings." On Memorial Day weekend, the Vandalia Gathering is held on the grounds of the state capitol. Thousands of visitors each year enjoy traditional music, art, dance, stories, crafts and food that stems from the "uniqueness of West Virginia's mountain culture." There is no fee for admission.

Since 2005 FestivALL has provided the Charleston area with a nearly week of 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, founded in 1970, is an annual event held on Labor Day weekend of each year. The event has carnival style rides and attractions and live music from local or nationally known bands. It is held on the Kanawha Boulevard by Haddad Riverfront Park on the Kanawha River. The event starts the Wednesday before Labor Day Weekend and ends the Sunday of Labor Day Weekend with a fireworks show on Sunday evening. 

Historical structures and museums

Charleston possesses a number of older buildings which represent a variety of historical architectural styles. A segment of the East End consisting of several blocks of both Virginia and Quarrier Streets, encompassing an area of nearly a full square mile, has been officially designated as a historical neighborhood. This residential 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 30's.

Downtown Charleston is home to several commercial buildings that are between 80 to 115 years old, including such notable structures as the Security Building (corner of Virginia and Capitol Street), 401 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 Virgina and Dickenson Street).

Also of note are several historic churches grouped closely together in a neighborhood just to the east of downtown; Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral (Catholic), First Presbyterian Church, Kanawha Presbyterian Church, St. John's Episcopal Church, Charleston Baptist Temple and All Saints United Methodist Church.

Additional historic buildings can be found throughout the city, particularly in the broader East End, the West Side and Kanawha City. Some of these buildings include:

• Avampato Discovery Museum — (Part of the Clay Center for the Arts & Sciences.)
• Sunrise Museum — (Now part of the Clay Center for the Arts & Sciences.)
• West Virginia State Museum
• South Charleston Museum — (Located in South Charleston.)
• St. George Orthodox Cathedral, founded in 1892.
• St. Marks United Methodist Church
• The Capitol Theater

Parks and outdoor attractions

• University of Charleston Stadium at Laidley Field — Used for football, soccer, track, and festivals
• Appalachian Power Park — Stadium of the West Virginia Power
• 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 and fishing lake. Schoenbaum Soccer Field and Amphitheatre inside the park is the home of the West Virginia Chaos soccer team
• Daniel Boone Park — A 4-acre (16,000 m²) park with a boat ramp, fishing and picnic facilities
• Danner Meadow Park
• Kanawha State Forest — (A 9,300-acre (38 km²) forest, including 46 campsites (located in the community of Loudendale)
• Little Creek Park — Used for basketball, tennis, and soapbox derbies
• Magic Island — An area located at the junction of the Elk River and the Kanawha River, near Kanawha Boulevard.
• Davis Park
• Haddad Riverfront Park
• Ruffner Park
• Shawnee Park

Sports

Shopping

Currently there are two shopping malls in the city of Charleston. The largest mall in the city is the Charleston Town Center. Opened in 1983, the Town Center Mall is a three story shopping and dining facility, with 130 specialty stores. Macy's, Sears and J.C. Penney are the mall's current anchor stores. The fourth anchor pad is occupied by the new headquarters for BrickStreet Mutual Insurance Co. the private West Virginia-based workers' compensation carrier. There are also six major restaurants located on street level and 12 fast food restaurants representing the food court, located on the third floor of the mall.

The other mall in the city is the Kanawha Mall located in the Kanawha City neighborhood of Charleston. This mall is much smaller in size compared to the Town Center Mall, with Elder-Beerman and Gabriel Brothers as its anchor stores.

There are three major shopping plazas located in the Southridge area, divided between Charleston and South Charleston — Southridge Centre, Dudley Farms Plaza, and The Shops at Trace Fork.

Major stores:

Southridge Centre include stores such as Wal-Mart and Sam's Club.

Dudley Farms Plaza include Kohl's, Goody's Family Clothing, Books-A-Million, Michaels and other stores.

The Shops at Trace Fork include Marshall's, PetSmart, Dick's Sporting Goods, Circuit City, Target, Lowe's and Pier 1 Imports. 

Media

Print

Charleston is home to two major newspapers. The Charleston Gazette is the largest circulation newspaper in West Virginia, published Monday through Friday in the morning. The Charleston Daily Mail is published on mornings Monday through Friday. On Saturday and Sunday, the Charleston Gazette and the Daily Mail combine to produce a newspaper titled the Charleston Gazette-Mail.

Radio

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

* represents radio stations that are licensed to the city of Charleston.

Television

The Charleston–Huntington TV market, is the second largest television market (in terms of area) east of the Mississippi River, serving counties in central West Virginia, eastern Kentucky, and southern Ohio. There are four VHF and ten UHF television stations in the market, even though some of the stations broadcast from Ohio and Kentucky.

Infrastructure

Downtown Charleston as viewed from the south bank of the Kanawha River in 2007.

Airports

Yeager Airport is West Virginia's largest airport. It is located 2-mile (3 km) north of Interstate 64 and Interstate 77, accessible via WV 114.

Rail

Amtrak, the national passenger rail service, provides service to Charleston from the Cardinal route. The Amtrak station is on the south side of the Kanawha River, at 350 MacCorkle Avenue near downtown.

River

The Elk River near its mouth in Charleston in 2001.

Interstate 64 crosses the Kanawha River four times as it passes through the Charleston metropolitan area. The Elk River flows into the Kanawha River in downtown Charleston.

Roads

Interstate 64 crosses through downtown Charleston on a viaduct.

Charleston is served by Interstate 64, Interstate 77, and Interstate 79. The West Virginia Turnpike's northern terminus is at the southeastern end of the city. Two U.S. routes, US 60, and US 119, cut through the city center. US 21 formerly ran through Charleston.

WV 25, WV 61, WV 62, and WV 114 are all state highways that are within Charleston's city limits.

Mass Transit

Charleston is served by Kanawha Valley Regional Transit Authority.

Taxi Service

C&H Taxi services the Kanawha valley.

Utilities

• Electricity in Charleston is provided by Appalachian Power, a division of American Electric Power of 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 Verizon.
• The City's water supply is provided by Charleston-based West Virginia American Water Company, a subsidiary of American Water of Voorhees Township, New Jersey, which in turn is owned by RWE AG of Essen, Germany.
• Charleston's natural gas is supplied by Mountaineer Gas, a division of Allegheny Energy of Greensburg, Pennsylvania.