Charleston, capital and largest city of West Virginia and seat of Kanawha County. It is located in the west central part of the state, at the confluence of the Elk River and the Kanawha River. Charleston is a commercial, manufacturing, and distribution center for the surrounding coal, petroleum, natural gas, salt, and timber producing area. Major manufactures of the area include chemicals, glass, and metal products. The University of Charleston (1888; formerly Morris Harvey College) and Coonskin Park are here. Points of interest include Sunrise, a restored mansion with a planetarium and art museum; the State Capitol (completed in 1932), designed by architect Cass Gilbert; and the Cultural Center, in the Capitol complex, which contains a theater, an archives, a library, and the state museum.
In 1788 a frontier post called Fort Lee was built here by Colonel George Clendenin. Scotch-Irish and German immigrants later settled in the vicinity of the fort. The community was first named Charles Town after Clendenin's father, and in 1818 the name was shortened to Charleston. The frontiersman Daniel Boone represented the settlement in the Virginia Assembly in the early 1790s. During the American Civil War, the town was occupied by Union troops after the Battle of Charleston on September 13, 1862. The city was incorporated in 1870 and temporarily served as the state capital from 1870 to 1875. In 1885 it became the permanent capital. According to the 1990 census, whites constitute 84.1 percent of Charleston's population; blacks, 14.2 percent; people of Asian origin, 1.3 percent; and Native Americans, 0.2 percent. Hispanics, who may also be counted among other groups, comprise 0.6 percent of the population. Population 63,968 (1980); 57,287 (1990); 55,056 (1998 estimate).
