Charleston, West Virginia

The statehouse dome rises along the Kanawha in Charleston, West Virginia. Photo courtesy Rick Burgess.

Charleston, West Virginia (WV), is the seat of Kanawha County and the capital of West Virginia. Located along the Kanawha River at its junction with the Elk, Charleston was chartered in 1794 as “Charles Town” and named by its founder, George Clendenin, for his father, Charles Clendenin. The name was changed to Charleston in 1818.  A lodging, retail, civic, and cultural center, it is the largest city in West Virginia and the center of its largest metropolitan statistical area.

Before the arrival of Europeans, many indigenous villages lined the river at the site of the city. Clendenin’s Fort, later Fort Lee, a frontier fortress in the late 1700s, stood near the site of the present downtown. Its growth through the 1800s was fueled by the gas and salt industries, which developed at the Kanawha Salines near present-day Malden, West Virginia. The first natural gas well in the U.S. was drilled at the foot of present-day Brooks Street in 1815.

The city was, and remains, a center of hospitality. The Daniel Boone Hotel, now a luxury office building, was one of many hotels that gained worldwide fame in the city. The highest concentration of hotels in West Virginia remains here.

Lodging near Charleston, West Virginia

Charleston (WV) Hotels

History

Trees shade a Kanawha City avenue

The city has traditionally been a transportation center for road, rail, and river traffic. The navigable Kanawha and the lower Elk River join at Charleston, and their valleys have created the paths of least resistance through which the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway and expressways I-77, I-79, and I-64 travel. Many historic properties located in the community, including the Daniel Boone Hotel and the Charleston Municipal Auditorium, have been preserved and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Parks & Public Recreation

The following parks and public recreation facilities are located within 20 miles of the city.

• Kanawha State Forest
• Cato Park
• Coonskin Park
• Daniel Boone Park
• Wallace Hartman Nature Preserve
• North Charleston Recreation Center
• Dunbar City Park (Dunbar, WV)
• Shawnee Regional Park (Dunbar, WV)
• Wine Cellar Park (Dunbar, WV)
• Jefferson Park (South Charleston, WV)
• Little Creek Park (South Charleston, WV)
• Saint Albans City Park (Saint Albans, WV)

Photos of Charleston & Vicinity

Craik-Patton House

West Virginia Cultural Center

The gilded dome of the West Virginia Capitol stands out amid foliage at Charleston, West Virginia, in Kanawha County, in the Metro Valley Region.

Alongside the state capitol, the West Virginia Governor’s Mansion overlooks the Kanawha River at Charleston, West Virginia, in Kanawha County.

Downtown Charleston, WV

The I-64 Bridge at Charleston is one of countless bridges in the West Virginia to be maintained. (Photo courtesy Rick Burgess)

Coonskin Fork tubles through at grotto at Coonskin Park at Charleston. (Photo courtesy Rick Burgess)

Spring along the Kanawha River

Kanawha County Court House

South Hills, Charleston, WV

Spring Hill Cemetery at Charleston, WV

Trees on Capitol Street, Charleston, West Virginia

Economics

The city is positioned to capitalize on a new wave of economic growth driven by millennials and other newcomers drawn by outdoor recreation, affordability, and quality of life.

With immediate access to rivers, trails, parks, and nearby national and state recreation areas, the city offers the kind of active, experience-based lifestyle increasingly favored by younger workers and entrepreneurs, while maintaining a cost of living far below that of larger Appalachian and East Coast metros.

This demographic shift creates substantial potential for growth in remote work, small business formation, hospitality, outdoor-industry services, and creative enterprises, while also supporting downtown revitalization and reinvestment in historic neighborhoods.

As these residents bring portable income, startup activity, and demand for walkable amenities, this can strengthen its tax base, diversify its economy beyond legacy industries, and reinforce its role as a regional hub for southern West Virginia.

Tourism

Tourism in the city continues to grow as visitors are drawn by its riverfront setting, festivals, sports and cultural events, and its role as a convenient gateway to West Virginia’s outdoor recreation destinations. More information about upcoming events and travel planning is available at CharlestonWV.com.

Location

Charleston is located approximately 50 miles east of Huntington, West Virginia; 75 miles south of Parkersburg, West Virginia; 60 miles northwest of Beckley, West Virginia; and 125 miles southwest of Clarksburg, West Virginia.

Map of Charleston, West Virginia

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Regional Information

Charleston is located in the Metro Valley Region of western West Virginia.

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