Charleston, West Virginia

The capital of West Virginia, Charleston is also the state's largest city. Situated where two rivers and three interstate highways converge, Charleston shares a rich history as a transportation and shipping hub. It has also developed as a central location for much of the state's entertainment, recreational, and sporting needs. Charleston's diverse population also belies the more homogenous makeup of the state and provides for many multicultural events.

Landscape

Charleston is located in south-central West Virginia, in the section of the Appalachian Mountain Range known as the Allegheny Plateau. The Allegheny Mountains provide a backdrop to the city, with the highest peaks in West Virginia situated well to the east.

The Kanawha River splits the 31-square mile city into northern and southern sections as it flows westward to the Ohio River. Where the southerly flowing Elk River converges with the Kanawha, the city is divided further into eastern and western communities. The greater Charleston area extends in all directions and includes Malden, Nitro, and South Charleston. The United States Census Bureau defines a much larger Metropolitan Statistical Area that includes five counties.

The relatively moderate climate also played a role in the city's growth. Average maximum temperatures range from 39° Fahrenheit in January to 74° Fahrenheit in July. The average annual precipitation rate of 38 inches falls mostly as rain, although the city does receive an occasional significant snowstorm.

People

In 2022 the US Census Bureau recorded the population of the city of Charleston at 47,129, with a metropolitan area of more than 200,000. The population has been decreasing, attributed in part to an aging population as well as an out-migration of young people seeking employment opportunities elsewhere.

Charleston's population represents the strongest mix of ethnicities in West Virginia, where statewide 77.1 percent of the residents are White (2022 estimate). The city's comparatively large proportion of African Americans (12.9 percent) can be traced to the use of slavery in the coal and salt-mining booms of the 1800s, an influx of freed slaves from other states after the Civil War, and job seekers choosing to relocate to the city during the twentieth century. A small percentage of Asian-Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, and others also make Charleston their home.

Many residents trace their ancestors to the British Isles, and many cultural activities are based on the Irish, Scottish, and English traditions that have helped define much of the Appalachian Mountain heritage. Sizable numbers of Germans, Swiss, Norwegians, Italians, Polish, and other Europeans provide for additional diversity.

Charleston's diversity provides for many multicultural festivals, such as Multifest (August) and FestivALL (June), as well as individual displays of traditions. Native American powwows, Scottish highland games, Irish dance groups, and the annual American Friendship festival put on by Indian immigrants are just some of the many other offerings.

Economy

The discovery of salt and coal in the Kanawha valley, the growth of glassmaking and timber industries, and the ability to easily transport these and other natural resources via the Kanawha River allowed Charleston to develop into a thriving mining and manufacturing community.

The transportation and shipping industry continues to provide a strong economic base, made possible by the addition of West Virginia's largest airport and three interstates that pass through Charleston. The city was designated a port of entry by the US Customs Office and receives direct shipments from overseas.

Charleston also boasts a strong chemical industry. Major employers include Union Carbide Corporation, Monsanto, and DuPont. In recent decades, Charleston has diversified its economy to include health care, banking, retail, and tourism. The state government of West Virginia continues to employ the majority of residents.

The residents of Charleston enjoy the highest standard of living in the state, with a median household income of $58,902 (2022) and a cost of living that is 10 percent lower than the national average.

Although Charleston has undergone many revitalization projects and has maintained a low unemployment rate for many years, Forbes magazine named the city one of the top ten "dying cities" in 2008 for the lack of new job creation and overall slow growth. However, in 2023, the magazine praised the city for its top-tier bars and wide selection of craft beer.

Landmarks

The most recognizable landmark in Charleston is the State Capitol building, with its impressive gold-leaf dome. A few blocks away is the Governor's Mansion, a stately home in the Georgian Revival architectural style. Nearby streets are lined with other historic buildings, including the Kanawha United Presbyterian Church, a Gothic Revival building with Tiffany glass windows; completed in 1873, it is the oldest church in Charleston. Several other churches and residences, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Listeners of National Public Radio (NPR) may associate Charleston with Mountain Stage, the syndicated show hosted by Larry Groce that features guest musicians from a variety of folk, traditional, and contemporary music genres. The show is recorded live at the West Virginia Cultural Center.

The $80-million Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences opened in 2003, and houses the Avampato Discovery Museum and the Juliet Museum of Art, as well as a planetarium and theater, and the Maier Foundation Performance Hall, home to the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra. Charleston is also home to the West Virginia State Museum, located at the Cultural Center in the State Capitol Complex.

Other landmarks include the University of Charleston, and the Charleston Civic Center, which supports conferences and cultural and sporting events. Coonskin Park, located north of the city, offers a soccer stadium, Olympic-sized pool, and other amenities. Outside Charleston, many nearby parks and recreation facilities support skiing, rafting, hiking, fishing, and other outdoor activities that uphold the state's logo, "Wild and Wonderful West Virginia." An annual event of national significance is Bridge Day, held each October at the New River Gorge Bridge in nearby Fayetteville. On this day, the bridge, the longest and second-highest steel arch bridge in the US, is partially closed to traffic so that dozens of BASE jumpers can parachute into the New River.

History

The first residents of the Charleston area were Native Americans. A burial mound built during the Adena period (1000 to 200 BCE) was discovered in South Charleston in the late nineteenth century and included human skeletons, jewelry, and weapons that dated to approximately 200 BCE.

Many tribes lived or hunted in the Kanawha valley, including Kanawha, Shawnee, Cherokee, Seneca, Iroquois and others, usually collectively referred to as the Eastern Woodland Indians.

In 1606, England established the Virginia Colony, and included land that is presently West Virginia in its jurisdiction. This area then became part of the state of Virginia in 1788. That same year, Colonel George Clendenin established a fort, later called Fort Lee, near the banks of the Kanawha River.

The city was officially incorporated in 1794 as Charles Town, named by Clendenin for his father, Charles (it was later changed to Charleston in 1818). Daniel Boone conducted surveys in the area during 1798–99 and settled in Charleston with his family for several years. Settlers from Scotland, Ireland, and Germany began homesteading in the area.

The city began to thrive, especially after the discovery of salt nearby. The "salt barons" employed slaves to do the hard work and were responsible for erecting many of the mansions that still stand in downtown Charleston. Other entrepreneurs founded dry good stores and other businesses to serve the growing population.

During the nineteenth century, slavery found less favor among many West Virginians and proved to be a major divisive issue with the rest of the state. When Virginia seceded from the Union in 1861, West Virginians opted to remain and form their own state.

As the Civil War ensued, skirmishes broke out near Charleston. On September 13, 1862, General William W. Loring and his Confederate troops seized control of the city during the Battle of Charleston. Their occupation lasted less than eight weeks, until the troops were challenged by a much larger Union force that had gained permanent control of the northern half of the state.

The Union Army went on to claim all of western Virginia. On June 20, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln announced West Virginia to be the thirty-fifth state. Wheeling became its first capital, but in 1870, residents chose Charleston to be the new capital; its status became permanent in 1885.

Charleston continued to gain prominence during the twentieth century as industry, government, education, and recreation worked together to strengthen its position.

Bibliography

“Charleston City, West Virginia.” QuickFacts, United States Census Bureau, www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/anchoragemunicipalityalaska/RHI125221. Accessed 20 Feb. 2024.

"Charleston, WV." Forbes, 2017, www.forbes.com/places/wv/charleston/. Accessed 20 Feb. 2024.

Cogan, Marin. "How a Toxic Leak Made One Town the Subjects of a Live Human Experiment." National Journal, 29 Mar. 2014. Academic Search Complete, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=95313818. Accessed 23 Oct. 2017.

Cook, Roy Bird. "The Civil War Comes to Charleston." West Virginia History, vol. 23, no. 2, 1962, pp. 153–67, http://www.wvculture.org/history/journal‗wvh/wvh23-1.html. Accessed 20 Feb. 2024.

Ranahan, Jared. "Charleston Is West Virginia's Destination for Craft Beer Lovers." Forbes, 15 Feb. 2023, www.forbes.com/sites/jaredranahan/2023/02/15/charleston-is-west-virginias-hottest-destination-for-craft-beer-lovers/?sh=584f652b4709. Accessed 20 Feb. 2024

Rice, Otis K., and Stephen W. Brown. West Virginia: A History, 2nd ed. U of Kentucky P, 1993.