Charleston, WV

Charleston is the capital of West Virginia, the county seat of Kanawha County, and the state's largest city with about 50,000 residents. Its metropolitan area includes an additional 300,000 people, making it the largest population center in West Virginia and among the largest in the region as a whole. The Elk and Kanawha rivers meet within the city, which is located in the western portion of the state.

ECONOMY AND INDUSTRIES

As the capital of West Virginia, Charleston is home to a number of state government offices and related institutions. Other major economic sectors include trade, medicine, and education. Education is a major component of the city's economic life, as Charleston boasts a remarkable number of branch campuses associated with institutions throughout the state.

The city also serves as headquarters to many regional businesses, organizations, and utility companies, including Appalachian Power, Gino's Pizza and Spaghetti, and the Mid-Atlantic Technology, Research and Innovation Center.

East side Main Street and West End Main Street are non-for-profit organizations dedicated to the historic preservation and economic development of two of Charleston's previously neglected historic business districts.

NEIGHBORHOODS AND DISTRICTS

The city of Charleston accommodates an urban population of more than 50,000 and a rural population of around 1,000. Neighborhoods and districts of Charleston accommodate around 27,000 houses, out of which more than 24,400 are occupied. Of the occupied houses, more than 14,000 are owner-occupied while renters occupy around 10,500 houses. On average, a house in Charleston costs significantly more than the statewide median value.

The walkability of Charleston is fantastic. Most of the places, such as coffee shops, grocery stores, restaurants, schools and drug stores are within a mile's distance from the center of the city.

Charleston's popular residential neighborhoods include East End, Edgewood, Kanawha City, South Hills and West Side.

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

• Kanahwa State Forest: Consisting of some 9,300 acres, Kanahwa is operated by West Virginia as a state park. Recreational opportunities include mountain hiking, biking, camping, picnic sites, a playground, and a shooting range, and the parks department maintains over 25 miles of hiking trails. Hunting and fishing are also available with licenses, although from March through May, fishing is restricted to children aged ten and younger.
• Charleston Town Center: Charleston's largest shopping center is also one of the nation's largest urban malls. The three-story facility includes over 130 retailers and several full-service restaurants.
• West Virginia Cultural Center: Founded in 1976 as a venue for showcasing the state's cultural and artistic life, the West Virginia Cultural Center also serves a wide variety of administrative functions, including housing the State Archives. In addition to its museum and several galleries, the state facility also hosts a number of events throughout the year.
• State Capitol Complex: The administrative center of West Virginia's state government was built in three separate stages from 1924 to 1932, when it took on its current, permanent form: Classical limestone revival topped with a nearly 300-foot gold-inlaid dome, which itself is several feet taller than the nation's capitol building in Washington, D.C.
• Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences: One of Charleston's more recent additions, the nearly 250,000-square-foot Clay Center is home to several large performance spaces, the science-focused Avampato Discovery Museum, and a variety of educational programs.
• Appalachian Power Park: This modern stadium is home to Charleston's baseball team, the West Virginia Power, which a Class A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. The stadium also hosts the annual West Virginia High School Baseball Tournament.

EDUCATION

• Charleston is the de facto educational capital of West Virginia, serving as the base of operations for several institutions of higher learning and hosting branch campuses of several others.
• Both the Robert C. Byrd Institute for Advanced Flexible Manufacturing and West Virginia Junior College maintain facilities in the area.
• Huntington-based Marshall University operates its graduate college here.
• West Virginia University assigns many of its medical and dental students to residencies at its Charleston facilities.
• Charleston's most prominent locally based school is the University of Charleston. Built in 1881, this small private college originally served as a Methodist seminary before becoming a university in 1901.

EVENTS

• FestivALL Charleston: The city's largest concentration of civic and cultural events originated in 2005, as an effort to promote a wide variety of artistic endeavors, including music, dance, film, and theater. FestivALL presents the work of both up-and-coming and established artists from the region and around the world. Though the event is sponsored in part by the city itself and organized by a single committee, many individual programs are undertaken by other civic organizations and private individuals. Among other things, the week-long June event includes an art fair on Capitol Street, local bands performing on several stages, a celebrated jazz event featuring musicians from across the country, and wine-tasting events.
• Charleston Sternwheel Regatta: In the years since it was established in 1970, the Sternwheel Regatta has grown to become one of the area's most anticipated annual events. Featuring rides, prominent musicians, and other attractions, the festival begins each Wednesday before Labor Day and culminates in a fireworks show on the following Sunday evening.
• West Virginia Dance Festival: Each year in late April, dance students and enthusiasts from across the region arrive in Charleston for a five-day program of classes, workshops, and related gatherings before convening in the West Virginia State Theater for a grand dance performance.

LOCAL MEDIA

Charleston has a variety of local media outlets, including four television stations.

The local daily papers are the Charleston Gazette and Charleston Daily Mail.