Charleston, West Virginia

Charleston is the capital city of West Virginia, a state of the United States of America. It is where the Elk and Kanawha Rivers join in Kanawha County. As of the 2020 census, Charleston has 48,864 people living in it, which makes it the largest city in the state. It is the county seat of Kanawha County.

Charleston, West Virginia
State capital city
Aerial view of Charleston
Flag
Nickname:  Charlie West[1]
Location within Kanawha County
Charleston Location within West Virginia Show map of West Virginia Charleston Location within the United States Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 38°20′50″N 81°38′0″W / 38.34722°N 81.63333°W / 38.34722; -81.63333
Country	United States
State	West Virginia
County	Kanawha
Founded	1788; 236 years ago (1788)
Incorporated	1794; 230 years ago (1794)
Area [2]
• City	32.64 sq mi (84.54 km2)
• Land	31.50 sq mi (81.59 km2)
• Water	1.14 sq mi (2.95 km2)
Elevation [3]	597 ft (182 m)
Population  (2020)[4]
• City	48,864
• Rank	WV: 1st
• Density	1,500/sq mi (580/km2)
• Urban	140,958
• Metro	210,605
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP codes	25301, 25302, 25304, 25305, 25311, 25314, 25317, 25321-25339, 25350-25358, 25362, 25364, 25375, 25387, 25389, 25392, 25396
Area code(s)	304/681
FIPS code	54-14600[5]
GNIS feature ID	1558347[3]
Website	charlestonwv.gov