Charleston is the capital of West Virginia, a state of the United States of America. It is located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha Rivers in Kanawha County. As of the 2000 census, it has a population of 53,421. And the 2005 Census Estimate has Charleston with a population of 51,176, and a metro area of 307,763. Currently, Charleston is the largest city in the state. It is the county seat of Kanawha County.

Early industry important to Charleston included salt and the first natural gas well. Later, coal became central to economic prosperity in the city and the surrounding area.

The first permanent settlement, Ft. Lee, was built in 1788. In 1791, Daniel Boone was a member of the Kanawha County Assembly.

Charleston is the home of the West Virginia Power minor league baseball team, the West Virginia Wild minor league basketball team, and the annual 15-mile Charleston Distance Run. Yeager Airport and the University of Charleston are also located in the city.

It is also home to the 130th Airlift Wing of the West Virginia Air National Guard.

As of the census of 2000, there were 53,421 people, 24,505 households, and 13,624 families residing in the city. The population density was 652.7/km² (1,690.4/mi²). There were 27,131 housing units at an average density of 331.5/km² (858.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 80.63% White, 15.07% Black or African American, 0.24% Native American, 1.83% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.30% from other races, and 1.91% from two or more races. 0.81% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 24,505 households out of which 23.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.9% were married couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.4% were non-families. 38.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.82.

The age distribution is 20.7% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 87.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $34,009, and the median income for a family was $47,975. Males had a median income of $38,257 versus $26,671 for females. The per capita income for the city was $26,017. About 12.7% of families and 16.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.5% of those under age 18 and 11.3% of those age 65 or over.

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