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. It is the county seat of Kanawha County.

Charleston is the home of the West Virginia Power minor league baseball team.

Yeager Airport is in Charleston.

The classical composer George Crumb was born in Charleston. Alias star Jennifer Garner was born in Houston, but moved with her family to Charleston as a young child and grew up there.

Geography

Charleston is located at (38.349497, -81.633294).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 84.7 km² (32.7 mi²). 81.8 km² (31.6 mi²) of it is land and 2.8 km² (1.1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 3.36% water.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there are 53,421 people, 24,505 households, and 13,624 families residing in the city. The population density is 652.7/km² (1,690.4/mi²). There are 27,131 housing units at an average density of 331.5/km² (858.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 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 are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 24,505 households out of which 23.7% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.9% are married couples living together, 13.5% have a female householder with no husband present, and 44.4% are non-families. 38.9% of all households are made up of individuals and 14.5% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.11 and the average family size is 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 41 years. For every 100 females there are 87.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 83.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $34,009, and the median income for a family is $47,975. Males have a median income of $38,257 versus $26,671 for females. The per capita income for the city is $26,017. 16.7% of the population and 12.7% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 24.5% of those under the age of 18 and 11.3% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

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