Charleston, West Virginia

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Charleston
Nickname : Home of Hospitality, The most northern city of the South and the most southern city of the North, Chemical Valley, The Capitol City, Chucktown, Charly West
Banks of Charleston on the Kanawha River
Banks of Charleston on the Kanawha River
Seal of Charleston
seal
Location in West Virginia
Charleston, West Virginia
Charleston
Charleston
Basic data
Foundation : 1786
State : United States
State : West Virginia
County : Kanawha County
Coordinates : 38 ° 21 ′  N , 81 ° 38 ′  W Coordinates: 38 ° 21 ′  N , 81 ° 38 ′  W
Time zone : Eastern ( UTC − 5 / −4 )
Inhabitants :
-  Metropolitan Area :		 49,138 (as of 2016)
217,916 (as of 2016)
Population density : 600 inhabitants per km 2
Area : 84.7 km 2  (about 33 mi 2 ) of
which 81.9 km 2  (about 32 mi 2 ) is land
Height : 182 m
Postcodes : 25301-25396
Area code : +1 304
FIPS : 54-14600
GNIS ID : 1558347
Website : www.cityofcharleston.org
Mayor : Danny Jones (R)
Elk River Charleston.jpg
The Elk River near its mouth in Charleston

Charleston has been the capital of West Virginia , the 35th  state of the United States , since 1885 . The city is located at the confluence of the Elk River with the Kanawha River . Charleston is the largest city in West Virginia.

history

The beginnings

After the American Revolutionary War , pioneers slowly moved from existing settlements to western Virginia , now West Virginia. The area around what is now Charleston was of particular importance because of its many mineral resources and raw materials. The town's history began when the Bullitt family received 505 acres of land at the mouth of the Elk River in 1774. In 1786 this land was sold to Colonel George Clendenin, who with his Virginia Rangers built Fort Lee, the first permanent settlement in this area. Six years later, Charleston was founded, which was named after Clendenin's father Charles. In 1794, 35 people lived in seven houses on an area of ​​16 hectares.

Industrial growth

At the beginning of the 19th century, salt deposits were discovered along the Kanawha River and quickly developed; In 1808, 1,250 pounds of salt were mined daily. Soon the Kanawha Salines near Charleston became the largest salt producer in the world. When Captain James Wilson was drilling for salt in 1815, he came across a large natural gas deposit. In 1817 coal was discovered, which initially only served as an energy source for salt production. After 1861, the importance of the salt industry in Kanawha decreased.

Political development

Charleston grew rapidly until the beginning of the Civil War in 1861. In the Civil War, Virginia split from the Northern States (Union). The city of Charleston was politically divided between supporters of the Union and the southern states (Confederation) . On September 13, 1862, the troops of the Confederation won the Battle of Charleston , but were only able to keep the city briefly occupied. The Union Army retook Charleston six weeks later and held control of the city and much of western Virginia until the end of the war. On June 20, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln declared the return of the Union-occupied northwestern part of Virginia to the United States. Under the name West Virginia, this region became the 35th state in the United States. Slavery is often given as the reason for the split, but the motive was probably more of an economic nature. The industry in the north of the United States, particularly the steel industry in Ohio , depended on coal supplies from West Virginia's mines. This establishes the United States' strong military engagement in the region. Already at the beginning of the Civil War, massive troops were relocated from Ohio to the coal regions of Virginia in order to ensure the supply of coal.

For a number of years the young new state of West Virginia could not agree on a capital city. So Wheeling and Charleston initially alternated in this role. It was not until 1877 that a referendum made Charleston the only capital.

Urban development

Downtown Charleston
Aerial view of Charleston, 2009

The first capitol was opened in 1895. After a devastating fire in 1921, a second capitol was built, which again burned down in 1927. Subsequently, it was decided to build a capitol in the Italian Renaissance style with a gilded dome of 90 meters high, which was inaugurated on June 20, 1932.

The city had its largest population of around 86,000 in the 1960s. Since then, population decline has caused entire neighborhoods to decline. Urban revitalization programs have been running since the 1980s, through which several shopping centers and the Clay Center, a cultural and educational center, were built.

Population development

year Residents
1900 11,099
1920 39,608
1960 85,796
1980 63,968
1990 57,287
2000 53,421
2010 51,400
2016 49,138

The metropolitan area of Charleston (the Charleston Metropolitan Statistical Area ) comprises the counties Kanawha , Boone and Clay and had about 240,000 inhabitants in 2011, of which about 93 percent were white and 5 percent were African-American .

Location and climate

Charleston is quite central in the state on the Kanawha River , an hour's drive from Parkersburg , Huntington and Beckley , with easy access to the three interstate highways I-64 , I-77 and I-79 that cross the state.

Charleston, West Virginia
Climate diagram
J F. M. A. M. J J A. S. O N D.
 
 
74
 
5
-5
 
 
77
 
7th
-4
 
 
92
 
14th
2
 
 
84
 
19th
6th
 
 
100
 
24
11
 
 
91
 
28
15th
 
 
127
 
30th
18th
 
 
102
 
29
17th
 
 
82
 
26th
14th
 
 
73
 
20th
7th
 
 
91
 
14th
2
 
 
86
 
8th
-2
Temperature in ° C ,  precipitation in mm
Source: National Weather Service, US Dept of Commerce
Average monthly temperatures and rainfall for Charleston, West Virginia
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Max. Temperature ( ° C ) 5.1 7.4 13.7 19.3 24.2 28.4 29.8 29.1 26.0 20.1 14.1 7.8 O 18.8
Min. Temperature (° C) −5.0 −3.5 1.7 6.0 10.8 15.4 18.0 17.4 13.6 6.8 2.4 −2.2 O 6.8
Precipitation ( mm ) 73.9 77.2 92.2 84.1 100.1 91.2 126.7 101.9 82.3 73.4 91.2 86.1 Σ 1,080.3
Rainy days ( d ) 11.1 10.5 11.0 11.1 10.6 9.0 10.4 9.0 8.1 8.0 9.6 10.9 Σ 119.3
T
e
m
p
e
r
a
t
u
r
5.1
−5.0
7.4
−3.5
13.7
1.7
19.3
6.0
24.2
10.8
28.4
15.4
29.8
18.0
29.1
17.4
26.0
13.6
20.1
6.8
14.1
2.4
7.8
−2.2
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
N
i
e
d
e
r
s
c
h
l
a
g 		73.9
77.2
92.2
84.1
100.1
91.2
126.7
101.9
82.3
73.4
91.2
86.1
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

economy

The economy of Charleston is characterized by industry, especially the chemical industry ( DuPont de Nemours , Union Carbide ) with a Science Park and glass industry . In addition to the electricity industry (Appalachian Power) , printing plants and tourism play a role.

West Virginia State Capitol (2016)
Charleston Town Center
Street in the city center

Attractions

  • West Virginia State Capitol (89 yards)
  • Capital Market
  • Town Center Mall and Civic Center
  • Clay Center (cultural and educational center) with the Sunrise Museum (natural science museum)
  • East End Historical District
  • Kanawha State Forest
  • Kanawha River
  • Downtown
William S. Gilliland Log Cabin and Cemetery is one of 52 entries for the city on the NRHP.

The National Park Service lists 52 buildings and sites for Charleston in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) (as of November 14, 2018).

Name variants

The city has a few different names:

  • Charles Town
  • Charleston-on-the-Kanawha
  • Charlestown
  • Clendenin's Settlement
  • Clendenin's Fort
  • Clendenin's Settlement
  • Fort Clendennin
  • Fort Lee
  • Kanawha
  • Kanawha Court House
  • Mouth of Elk
  • The Town at the Mouth of Elk

Others

Town twinning

Banská Bystrica in Slovakia has been a twin town of Charleston since 2010 .

sons and daughters of the town

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ 1900–2000: Census Results
  2. ↑ US Census Bureau - American FactFinder
  3. ↑ West Virginia (USA): State, Cities & Towns - Population Statistics, Maps, Charts, Weather, and Web Information. Retrieved February 7, 2018 .
  4. ↑ Search mask database in the National Register Information System. National Park Service , accessed November 14, 2018.
  5. ↑ a b c d e f Kenny, Hamill. West Virginia Place Names. Piedmont, West Virginia: The Place Name Press, 1945. The origin and meaning, including the nomenclature of the streams and mountains. p164
  6. ^ The American Guide Series, Compiled and Written by the Federal Writers' Project of the Work Projects Administration. A state by state guide series published by various publishers, in the late 1930's and 1940's. Each book studies and describes each state's history, natural endowments, and special interests. Use code US-T125 / Name / YYYY / p #. West Virginia / p180
  7. ↑ Wintz, William D. and Ivan N. Hunter. (eds). The History of Putnam County. Charleston, West Virginia: Quick Copy Service, 1967. p10
  8. ^ Bishop, William H. History of Roane County West Virginia: From The Time of Its Exploration to AD 1927. Spencer, West Virginia: np, 1927 p47
  9. ↑ Kenny, Hamill. West Virginia Place Names. Piedmont, West Virginia: The Place Name Press, 1945. The origin and meaning, including the nomenclature of the streams and mountains. p56
  10. ^ US Post Office Site Location Report, 1837-1950, available in microfilm, use code US-T140 / # - # of roll. 643
  11. ^ Bishop, William H. History of Roane County West Virginia: From The Time of Its Exploration to AD 1927. Spencer, West Virginia: np, 1927 p53