Charleston, West Virginia

Charleston, West Virginia
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Charleston_Kanawha_River.jpg
Author: Tim Kiser


Charleston is the capital and biggest city in the state of West Virginia. It covers an area of 84.7 sq km (32.7 sq mi) and has a population of 51,400 (2011 estimate). Charleston is located within Kanawha County, of which it is the county seat. The metropolitan area of Charleston has a population exceeding 300,000 people. West Virginia State Capitol, Charleston
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:West_Virginia_State_Capitol.jpg
Author: Jim Bowen


The area around Charleston has been possessed since 1773, when the land was deeded to Thomas Bullitt. However a proper settlement only came about in 1787, when Fort Lee was built. It is located where Brooks Street intersects Kanawha Boulevard today.

Charleston was officially established in 1794. The famous American pioneer and frontiersman Daniel Boone was commissioned to serve here as a lieutenant colonel of the Kanawha County militia. According to historical accounts, he walked all the way to Richmond.

West Virginia was proclaimed a state during the Civil War, when Virginia itself had seceded from the Union, and yet the western part of the state was under Union control. In the early years of statehood, the state capital was shared between Wheeling and Charleston. It only became permanent in Charleston in 1877 through a referendum.

Charleston experiences a humid subtropical climate with four distinct seasons. Its summers are hot and humid, with average highs of 90°F (32°C). Winters in Charleston, unlike the rest of West Virginia, tend to be milder but still cool, with January average lows of 33.4°F (0.8°C).

Gilliland Cabin, Charleston
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gilliland_Cabin_Apr_09.jpg
Author: Pubdog

Visiting Charleston, West Virginia

Three interstate highways connect Charleston with the rest of the country. I-64 approaches from the west, connecting it with Lexington. I-77 runs north-south, connecting it with Akron and Cleveland to the north, and Charlotte to the south. I-79 heads in the northeast direction towards Pittsburgh.

Places of Interest in Charleston, West Virginia

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Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.

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