State Capital Of West Virginia
Charleston Is The Official State Capital Of West Virginia. Charleston Located in the Appalachian mountains where the Elk and Kanawha rivers converge in Kanawha County, West Virginia State Capital Charleston is the largest city of West Virginia. The Charleston metropolitan area as a whole had an estimate of 211,037 residents in 2018. Charleston is the center of West Virginia government, commerce, and industry for Kanawha County, of which it is the county seat. In The State Capital Of West Virginia, Early industries important to Charleston included salt and the first natural gas well. Later, Coal industries became central to economic prosperity in the city and the surrounding area.
History of Charleston
This West Virginia State Capital city was established in 1787 when the area was still part of the state of Virginia. It first served as a permanent military settlement known as Fort Lee until 1793, when the Virginia General Assembly granted its official city status. At the time, it had a population of 35. State Capital Of West Virginia Charleston began to grow economically after the discovery and development of salt brine along the Kanawha river in 1806. Salt mine operations led to the discovery of natural gas in 1815.
This discovery, in turn, led to the discovery of coal deposits in 1817, which has been one of the primary economic contributors to the area for the last 200 years. During the American Civil War, the state of Virginia joined the Confederate cause and seceded from the Union. State Capital Of West Virginia Charleston, however, was occupied by Union forces. By 1863, the western region of Virginia became the state of West Virginia, and Charleston was named the capital. Its manufacturing industry continued to grow and progress in large part because of the rich natural resources of the area. Some of the most important industries of the time included timber, coal, natural gas, glass, chemicals, and steel.
Geography of Charleston
West Virginia State Capital Charleston sits within a valley on the western edge of the Appalachian mountains, which is considered one of the country’s oldest mountain ranges. The city is located in Kanawha County, near the point at which the Elk and Kanawha rivers meet. This area makes up part of the Western Allegheny Plateau ecoregion, temperate broadleaf, and mixed forest biome.
Charleston
Country: United States
State: West Virginia
County: Kanawha
Founded: 1788
Incorporated: 1794
Government
- Mayor: Amy Shuler Goodwin (D)
Area
- City: 32.64 sq mi (84.54 km2)
- Land: 31.50 sq mi (81.59 km2)
- Water: 1.14 sq mi (2.95 km2)
