Charleston, West Virginia

City of Charleston, West Virginia
Flag Official seal of City of Charleston, West Virginia Seal
Nickname(s):  "Home of Hospitality", " The most northern city of the South and the most southern city of the North", "Chemicalville", "The Capitol City"
Location of Charleston in West Virginia.
Country	United States
State	West Virginia
County	Kanawha
Government
• Mayor	Danny Jones
Population  (2005 Estimate)
• City	51,176
• Metro	307,763 (2,004 Estimate)
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
Website	http://www.cityofcharleston.org

See also Charles Town, West Virginia

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. However, the 2005 Census Estimate has Charleston with a population of 51,176, and a metro area of 307,763. Currently, Charleston is the largest city in the state. It is the county seat of Kanawha County.

Early industry important to Charleston included salt and the first natural gas well.[1] Later, coal became central to economic prosperity in the city and the surrounding area.

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 (formerly the Charleston Alley Cats) minor league baseball team, the West Virginia Wild minor league basketball team, and the annual 15-mile Charleston Distance Run. Yeager Airport and the University of Charleston are also located in the city.

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

The city also holds public parks, such as Cato Park and Coonskin Park. It also is home to Kanawha State Forest, a large public state park that sustains a pool, camping sites, several biking/walking trails, picknick areas, as well as several shelters provided for recrteational use.

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 is rich and vibrant, going back more than 200 years. The Bullitt family was deeded 1,250 acres 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 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") comes from 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.

Daniel Boone, who was commissioned a lieutenant colonel of the Kanawha County militia, was elected to serve in 1791 in the Virginia House of Delegates. As told in historical accounts, Boone walked all the way to Richmond.

Template:ImageStackRight By the early 1800s, salt brines were discovered along the Kanawha River and the first salt well was drilled in 1806. This created a prosperous time and great economic growth for the area. By 1808, 1,250 pounds of salt were being produced a day. An area adjacent to Charleston, Kanawha Salines, now Malden, would become the top salt producer in the world. In 1818, Kanawha Salt Company, first trust in United States, went into operation.

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, the advent of World War I brought a demand for chemical products. The chemicals needed were chlorine and caustic acid, which could be made from salt brine.

The town continued to grow until the Civil War began in 1861. The state of Virginia seceded from the Union, and Charleston was divided between Union and Confederate loyalty. On September 13, 1862, the Battle of Charleston was fought. Although the Confederate Army was victorious, occupation of the city was short-lived. Union troops returned just six weeks later and stayed through the end of the war.

The Northern hold on Charleston and most of the western part of Virginia created an even larger problem. Virginia already had seceded from the Union, but the western part was under Union control. The issue of statehood was raised. So amid the tumultuous Civil War, West Virginia officially became a state through Presidential Proclamation. Abraham Lincoln declared the northwestern portion of Virginia to be returned to the Union, and on June 20, 1863, West Virginia became the 35th state.

While it is often said that West Virginia separated from Virginia because of differing views on slavery, the real driving factor was economics. The heavy industries in the North, particularly the steel business of the upper Ohio River region, were dependent on the coal available from western Virginia mines. Federalized military units were dispatched from Ohio to western Virginia early in the war to secure access to the coal mines and transportation resources.

Although the state now existed, settling on a state capital location proved to be difficult. For several years, the capital of West Virginia intermittently traveled between Wheeling and Charleston. In 1877, however, state citizens voted on the final location of their capital. Charleston was chosen and eight years later, the first capitol building was opened.

After a fire in 1921, a hastily built structure was opened but burned down in 1927. However, a Capitol Building Commission, created by the Legislature in 1921, authorized construction of the present capitol. Architect Cass Gilbert designed the buff Indiana limestone structure, in the Italian Renaissance style, that was to have a final cost of just under $10 million. After the three stages of construction were completed, Governor William G. Conley dedicated the capitol on June 20, 1932.

Charleston was now the center for state government. Natural resources, such as coal and 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. There was a huge amount of new construction in Charleston. A number of those buildings, including churches and office buildings, still stand in the heart of downtown along and bordering Capitol Street.

During World War II, the first and largest synthetic rubber plant in the U.S. opened near Charleston, providing vital products to the war effort. 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 Charles Yeager), which was perhaps one of the most phenomenal engineering accomplishments of its time. Built in 1947, the construction encompassed clearing 360 acres on three mountaintops moving more than nine million cubic yards of earth.

In 1959, the Charleston Civic Center opened its door. It stands today, totally renovated and providing the largest meeting and exhibit space available in the Charleston area.

In 1956, President Eisenhower signed the Federal Aid Highway Act. Charleston became part of that system in the 1960s when three major interstate systems—I-64, I-77 and I-79 were constructed, all converging in the heart of Charleston. These roads provide convenient access to Midwestern, Northeastern and Southern cities. Charleston is within a day's drive of 60 percent of the U.S. population.

In 1983, the Charleston Town Center Mall opened its doors. It was the largest urban mall east of the Mississippi River, boasting three 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 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 4th of 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 is located at 38°20′58″N 81°37′60″W / 38.34944°N 81.63333°W / 38.34944; -81.63333 Coordinates: longitude seconds >= 60
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According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 84.7 km² (32.7 mi²). 81.8 km² (31.6 mi²) of it is land and 2.8 km² (1.1 mi²) of it (3.36%) is water.

The city lies at the intersection of Interstates 79, 77, 64, and also where the Kanawha and Elk Rivers meet. Charleston is about 162 miles southeast of Columbus, Ohio, 315 miles west of Richmond, Virginia, 228 miles southwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 247 miles east of Louisville, Kentucky, 264 miles north of Charlotte, North Carolina, 252 miles south of Cleveland, Ohio, and 210 miles southeast of Cincinnati, Ohio.

The following cities are suburbs of Charleston.

Charleston has a yearly climate with four distinct seasons. It falls on the line between a humid continental climate and a humid subtropical climate, which is primarily based on differences in elevation. Charleston's average tempearatures are usually warmer than the rest of West Virginia (except Huntington), due to the city being west of the higher elevations. Spring starts in early April with cool nights and very warm days. Temperatures warm up considerably in late May, with warm summer-like days. Summertime temperatures can be very hot, with daytime highs around 90 degrees, along with high humidity. Autumn days are usually warm until late October, however nights will start to get cooler. Winters usually differ from other winters in West Virginia. Along with Huntington, the city is usually the last place in the state to receive any amount of snowfall. Snowfall can occur from anytime in late November or early December to mid March, with the most amounts during January. It is very rare for a major snowstorm to hit the area, and it is also rare to have a foot or more of snow at a time in Charleston. Charleston does experience a considerable amount of rain which is spread out over the course of the entire year. Thunderstorms can be quite frequent during the summer months, and much of the winter precipitation is in the form of gentle drizzling rains. The dryest period tends to be late during the autumn months.

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 53,421 people, 24,505 households, and 13,624 families residing in the city. The population density was 652.7/km² (1,690.4/mi²). There were 27,131 housing units at an average density of 331.5/km² (858.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 80.63% White, 15.07% Black or African American, 0.24% Native American, 1.83% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.30% from other races, and 1.91% from two or more races. 0.81% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 24,505 households out of which 23.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.9% were 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 is 20.7% under the age of 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 years of age 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 $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.

The city of Charleston is host to numerous elementary, middle, junior high and high schools as a part of the Kanawha Country school system. The three high schools include Capital High School, located near Yeager Airport and Coonskin Park, George Washington High School, a public school located in the South Hills neighborhood and Charleston Catholic High School, a Catholic school at the eastern edge of the city's downtown.

Charleston hosts a branch campus of West Virginia University which 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. This once-struggling college is located along MacCorkle Avenue along the banks of the Kanawha River.

Located within the immediate area are West Virginia State University 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 from Charleston, West Virginia University Institute of Technology has its campus. West Virginia University Institute of Technology is the largest regional campus of the university which focuses mainly on engineering programs.

• West Virginia-American Water Company
• United National Banks, Inc.
• Gino's Pizza and Spaghetti (Nitro)
• Tudor's Biscuit World (Nitro)
• Charleston Newspapers
• Capital Area Services Company
• Appalachian Tire Products & Service

• Appalachian Power
• Dow Chemical Company
• DuPont
• BB&T
• Go-Mart
• West Virginia Radio Corporation
• Bristol Broadcasting Company
• Suntrust Banks
• Sinclair Broadcast Group
• Huntington National Bank
• JPMorgan Chase & Co.
• Columbia Gas
• Verizon
• United Valley Bell Dairy - (processing plant)
• Broughton Dairy - (processing plant)
• Toyota - V-6 engine manufacturing plant in Buffalo
• Bayer CropScience
• Mountaineer Gas
• Acordia
• Walker Machinery Company

• Southern Air - (Satellite Location) - (Mechanical and Electrical contracting company serving the Southeastern United States.)
• TRC Solutions
• Professional Office Services
• NTelos
• International Coal Group - (Located in nearby Teays Valley.)
• Kanawha Manufacturing Company
• NGK Spark Plugs - (Located in nearby Sissonville.)

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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. Between April 27 and 30 is the West Virginia International Film Festival, where many domestic and international films are shown that range from "full-length feature films, shorts, documentaries, animation and student films."

On May 6, the Kanawha Kordsmen Barbershop Chorus performs at the Clay Center for the Arts. The 40-man cappela 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.

• Avampato Discovery Museum - (Now 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.)

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• Laidley Field - (Used for football, soccer and track.)
• 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 four acre park with a boat ramp, fishing and picnic facilities.)
• Kanawha State Forest - (A 9,300-acre forest, including 46 campsites.)
• Little Creek Park - (Used for basketball, tennis courts and soapbox derbies.)
• Magic Island - (An island located inside the Kanawha River, near Kanawha Boulevard.)
• Davis Park
• Haddad Riverfront Park

Logo Club Sport Founded League Venue WV Power Logo West Virginia Power Baseball 1987 South Atlantic League Appalachian Power Park WV Wild Logo West Virginia Wild Basketball 2006 International Basketball League South Charleston Community Center WV Chaos Logo West Virginia Chaos Soccer 2003 USL Premier Development League Schoenbaum Soccer Field

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Currently there are 2 shopping malls in the city of Charleston. The largest mall in the city is the Charleston Town Center Mall. Opening in 1983, the Town Center Mall is a 3 story shopping and dining facility, with 130 specialty stores. Macy's, Sears and J.C. Penny are the mall's current anchor stores. There are also 6 major restaurants located on street level and 12 fast food restaurants rpresenting 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 anchor stores.

There are 3 major shopping plazas located in nearby South Charleston, including Southride Center, Dudley Farms Plaza and The Shopps at Trace Fork .

Major Stores:

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

Dudley Farms Plaza include Kohl's, Goody's, 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.

• The classical composer George Crumb was born in Charleston.
• Alias star Jennifer Garner was born in Houston, but moved with her family to Charleston as a young child and grew up there, graduating from the city's George Washington High School.
• For a time, Booker T. Washington, the writer, educator, and early civil rights leader, lived in Malden, just upriver from Charleston.
• Jerry West NBA superstar in Chelyan.
• Cisco Systems CEO John Chambers
• NFL superstar Randy Moss grew up in Rand, adjacent to Malden, graduating from the now-defunct DuPont High School nearby.
• Miami Heat point guard Jason Williams, who grew up in Belle in the same vicinity, was a high-school teammate of Moss.
• Former Major League Baseball player and current sportscaster John Kruk was born in Charleston, but grew up in Keyser in the state's Eastern Panhandle.
• Actresses Ann Magnuson, Conchata Ferrell, and Jean Carson.
• Creator of Droodles and television personality Roger Price.
• Soap opera actress Lesli Kay who has appeared on As the World Turns, General Hospital and The Bold and the Beautiful.
• Televangelist T. D. Jakes was born and raised in the adjacent city of South Charleston. His ministry was based in the suburban community of Cross Lanes before he moved to Dallas in 1996.
• Country singer Kathy Mattea was born in South Charleston to parents who lived in Cross Lanes. She lived in Cross Lanes throughout her childhood, graduating from Nitro High School.
• Extreme metal band and Lamb of God proteges Byzantine formed and are still based in Charleston. Prosthetic Records has released both of the band's full-length albums.
• Rock and Roll band The Redding Brothers were born and raised in Charleston.
• Would-be Presidential Assassin Sara Jane Moore was born in Charleston.

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 the city's weekday afternoon newspaper, published Monday through Friday. On Saturday and Sunday, the Charleston Gazette and the Daily Mail combine to produce a newspaper titled the Charleston Gazette-Mail.

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.

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 4 VHF and 10 UHF television stations in the market, even though some of the stations broadcast from Ohio and Kentucky.

There are 21 high-rise buildings located in Charleston. The state capitol is the tallest structure. Source

Yeager Airport is West Virginia's largest Airport. It is located 1 mile north of Interstate 64 and Interstate 77, accessible via WV 114.

Amtrak, the national passenger rail service, provides service to Charleston. The Amtrak station is on the south side of the Kanawha River, at 350 MacCorkle Avenue, SE. Amtrak Train 51, the westbound Cardinal, is scheduled to depart Charleston at 8:10pm on Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday with service to Huntington, Ashland, South Portsmouth, Maysville, Cincinnati, Connersville, Indianapolis, Crawfordsville, Lafayette, Rensselaer, Dyer, and Chicago. Amtrak Train 50, the eastbound Cardinal, is scheduled to depart Charleston at 8:16am on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday with service to Montgomery, Thurmond, Prince, Hinton, Alderson, White Sulphur Springs, Clifton Forge, Staunton, Charlottesville, Culpeper, Manassas, Alexandria, and Washington, DC, before continuing on to New York City.

The New-Kanawha river is the largest and most important river in West Virginia. Its basin comprises about one-third of West Virginia, part of southwestern Virginia, and a small part of North Carolina. The lower part of the river, below the mouth of the Gauley River, is called the New River; above this point it is called the Kanawha River.

The Kanawha river passes through the city and Interstate 64 crosses the river 4 times. The Elk River's mouth lies at the Kanawha River in downtown Charleston.

Charleston is serviced 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, while US 35 begins just to the west near St. Albans. US 21 formerly ran through Charleston.

WV 61, WV 62, and WV 114 are all state highways that are within Charleston.

• Electricity in Charleston is provided by Appalachian Power, a division of American Electric Power. Appalachian Power is headquarted 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.
• Charleston's natural gas is supplied by Mountaineer Gas, a division of Allegheny Power.

• City of Charleston, WV
• Charleston Convention and Visitors Bureau
• Charleston Area Alliance
• Pictures of Charleston's high-rise buildings

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