| area_codes = 304 and 681
| blank_name = FIPS code
| blank_info = 54-14600
| blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
| blank1_info = 1558347
| blank2_name = Highways
| blank2_info = US-60, I-64, I-77, US-119, and SR-214
| blank3_name = Sales tax
| blank3_info = 7.0%
| website =
| footnotes =
Charleston () is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. Located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha rivers, it is the county seat of Kanawha County. The population was 48,864 at the 2020 census (estimated at 46,482 in 2024). The city gained prominence in the 19th century with the growth of the salt industry and later expanded due to coal mining and the first natural gas well. After West Virginia separated from Virginia, Charleston became the permanent state capital in 1885. Its economy and infrastructure further evolved in the 20th century with the rise of chemical manufacturing and public sector employment.
Charleston is the home of the Charleston Dirty Birds of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball and the annual 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
After the American Revolutionary War, pioneers began making their way across the Appalachian Mountains into western Virginia. Virginian militia officer William Morris built the first permanent settlement in the Kanawha Valley, named Fort Morris, in 1773. It was about upstream of modern Charleston, at the confluence of Kellys Creek, and was used extensively during the American Revolution.
Thomas Bullitt was deeded of land near the mouth of the 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. On the that made up the town in 1794, 35 people inhabited seven houses.
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, the state capital. He served alongside Major William Morris Jr, representing Kanawha.
19th century growth
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. 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. An area adjacent to Charleston, Kanawha Salines (now 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. The Holly Grove Mansion was established during this period. 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 in eastern West Virginia, named after George Washington's brother, Charles Washington. A lyceum was established around 1841.
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 Civil War began in 1861. After the Virginia Secession Convention of 1861 and a referendum, Virginia seceded from the Union. But Charleston, like much of western Virginia, was divided in loyalty between the Union and the Confederacy. On September 13, 1862, the Union and Confederate armies clashed in the Battle of Charleston. The Confederates won, but could not hold the area for long. Union soldiers returned in force six weeks later and retook the city. Charleston remained under Union control for the remainder of the war.
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. The Wheeling Convention of 1861 declared the Ordinance of Succession, and the Confederate state government in 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.
Choosing the state capital proved difficult. For several years, the capital moved between Wheeling and Charleston. In 1877, the citizens voted on a permanent location. Charleston received 41,243 votes, Clarksburg 29,442, and Martinsburg 8,046; Wheeling was not considered. Eight years later the state capitol opened in Charleston.
The West Virginia Historical and Antiquarian Society was headquartered in Charleston in 1890. In 1891, the West Virginia Colored Institute, now known as West Virginia State University, was established. The next year, Capitol City Commercial College was founded. Charleston's Basilica of the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart was completed in 1897.
20th century
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. 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.
The city's first chemical manufacturer began operation in 1913. Three years later, the Libbey-Owens-Ford glass manufactory was built, as well as Charleston High School. Another large manufacturer, 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 present capitol. Architect Cass Gilbert designed the buff-colored Indiana limestone structure in the 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. In 1934, the city library expanded to become the Kanawha County Public Library system.
thumb|left|A chemical plant near Charleston in 1939
Charleston Municipal Auditorium was completed in 1939. During World War II, the first and largest styrene-butadiene plant in the U.S. opened in nearby Institute, providing a replacement for rubber 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 Chuck Yeager). Built in 1947, the construction encompassed clearing on three mountaintops and moving more than nine million cubic yards of earth. 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.
thumb|President [[Bill Clinton addressing a crowd in Charleston in 1993]]
21st century
2003 marked the opening of the Clay Center for the Arts & Sciences.
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
thumb|Satellite image of Charleston taken from the [[International Space Station]]
Charleston is in west-central Kanawha County at (38.3498195, -81.6326235). The elevation is above sea level.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of , of which is land and is water. 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 . 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 ,