Charleston metropolitan area, West Virginia
The Charleston Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of three counties in West Virginia, anchored by the city of Charleston. It is the largest metropolitan area entirely within the state of West Virginia. While the Huntington Metro Area is more populous, it spans three states (West Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio), and the core county of the Charleston area, Kanawha County, is more populous than the West Virginia portion of the Huntington area.
Charleston Metropolitan Area | ||
|---|---|---|
Metropolitan Statistical Area | ||
| Charleston–Huntington–Ashland, WV–OH–KY | ||
Charleston–Huntington–Ashland, WV–OH–KY CSA
| ||
| Country | United States | |
| State | West Virginia
Kentucky Ohio | |
| Largest city | Charleston | |
| Other cities | - Huntington - Ashland - Portsmouth - Ironton - South Charleston - St. Albans - Dunbar | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 2,159.9 sq mi (5,594 km2) | |
| Highest elevation | Kelly Knob1,512 ft (461 m) | |
| Lowest elevation | Ohio River485 ft (148 m) | |
| Population (2015 est.) | ||
| • Total | 361,580 | |
| • Rank | 146th in the U.S. | |
| • Density | 167.4/sq mi (64.6/km2) | |
| Time zone | UTC−05:00 (Eastern Standard Time) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00 (Eastern Daylight Time) | |
Charleston is its largest and most populous city in the MSA. Cross Lanes is its most populous census-designated place. As of the 2000 census, the MSA had a population of 309,635 (though new standards set on February 28, 2013 placed the population at 240,000). Prior to the 2000 Census, the Charleston MSA consisted of only two counties – Kanawha and Putnam (the latter of which is now considered part of the Huntington metropolitan area).