Charleston has a long and vibrant history since its establishment by the Virginia General Assembly in 1794 with only 35 residents.

The capital city of West Virginia serves as the transportation, retail, cultural and telecommunications hub of the state. The city offers an uncommonly rich array of entertainment and cultural amenities, with choices and programming typically found only in large cities.

Museums, theater, symphony are only the beginning. Festivals, fairs, concerts and sporting events add to the excitement. The region's social calendar is filled with events year-round, providing a delightful agenda of business and pleasure. Charleston is home to Mountain Stage, a weekly live-performance music program broadcast throughout the U.S. and abroad. The Charleston Civic Center hosts headline concerts and sporting events.

The Clay Center for the Arts & Sciences is the state's premier cultural and performance showplace. Opened in 2003, the quarter-million square-foot facility hosts a 1,880-seat concert hall, art museum, science theater, 70mm large film theater, planetarium, and an array of learning exhibits.

The Charleston-based West Virginia Symphony Orchestra boasts the highest symphony per capita subscription rate of any city. It is the only symphony group in the U.S. to offer full-production opera as part of its standard programming. (courtesy of charleston-wv.com).

Interested in a more in depth look at the History of Charleston?

Receive your free copy of the visitor's guide