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| Chester County, Pennsylvania | |
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| Map | |
 Location in the state of Pennsylvania |
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 Pennsylvania's location in the U.S. |
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| Statistics | |
| Founded | November 1682 |
|---|---|
| Seat | West Chester |
| Largest city | West Chester |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
760 sq mi (1,968 km²) 756 sq mi (1,958 km²) 4 sq mi (10 km²), 0.51% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
433,501 572/sq mi (221/km²) |
| Website: www.chesco.org | |
Chester County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2000, the population was 433,501. The county seat is West Chester. It is the highest-income county measured per capita and by median household income in Pennsylvania.
Chester County is one of the three original counties of Pennsylvania created by William Penn in 1682. It is named for Cheshire, England. It is part of the Delaware Valley area, and is the only Delaware Valley county in Pennsylvania that does not border Philadelphia, though it is close.
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History
Chester, Philadelphia, and Bucks were the three original Pennsylvania counties created by William Penn in 1682. At that time, Chester County's borders were Philadelphia County to the north, the western edge of the colony (approximately the Susquehanna River) to the west, the Delaware River to the east, and Delaware and Maryland to the south. Much of eastern Chester County was in the Welsh Tract, and Welsh place names continue to predominate there.
The fourth county in the state, Lancaster County, was formed from Chester County on May 10, 1729. On March 11, 1752 Berks County was formed from the northern section of Chester County, as well as parts of Lancaster and Philadelphia Counties.
The original Chester County seat was the naval shipbuilding city of Chester. However, it became part of Delaware County when that county was formed from the eastern portion of the Chester County on September 26, 1789. This took the county seat out of Chester County, so West Chester became the new county seat that year, and has remained so to the present.
Much of the history of Chester County arises from its location between Philadelphia and the Susquehanna River. The first road to "the West" (meaning Lancaster County) passed through the central part of Chester County; with some re-alignments, it became the Lincoln Highway and later U.S. Route 30. For much of its distance, the road is still known as Lancaster Avenue. The first railroad (which became the Pennsylvania Railroad) followed much the same route, and the Reading Railroad progressed up the Schuylkill River to Reading. Industry tended to concentrate along the rail lines. In time, easy transportation allowed workers to commute to urban jobs, and the rise of the suburbs followed. To this day, the built-up areas form "fingers" extending along lines of transportation.
The Battle of Brandywine was fought at what is now the southeastern fringe of the county, and the Valley Forge encampment was at the northeastern edge. The former Valley Forge Army Hospital, constructed during World War II, was one of the largest military hospitals in the United States.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 760 square miles (1,968 km²), of which, 756 square miles (1,958 km²) of it is land and 4 square miles (10 km²) of it (0.51%) is water. The topography consists of rolling hills and valleys and it is part of the region known as the Piedmont.
Watersheds which service Chester County include the Octoraro Creek, the Brandywine Creek, the Chester Creek, and the Schuylkill River. Many of the soils are fertile, rich loam as much as twenty-four inches thick, resulting with its temperate climate in some of the finest farmland in the world. Due to the close proximity to the Philadelphia area, Chester County has experienced large "waves" of development due to suburbanization. Although development in Chester County has increased, agriculture is still a large form of income for the county. In fact the number of horse farms are increasing in the county.
Adjacent counties
- Berks County (north)
- Montgomery County (northeast)
- Delaware County (east)
- New Castle County, Delaware (southeast)
- Cecil County, Maryland (south)
- Lancaster County (west)
State parks
Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1900 | 95,695 |
|
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| 1910 | 109,213 | 14.1% | |
| 1920 | 115,120 | 5.4% | |
| 1930 | 126,629 | 10% | |
| 1940 | 135,626 | 7.1% | |
| 1950 | 159,141 | 17.3% | |
| 1960 | 210,608 | 32.299% | |
| 1970 | 278,311 | 32.1% | |
| 1980 | 316,660 | 13.8% | |
| 1990 | 376,396 | 18.9% | |
| 2000 | 433,501 | 15.2% | |
| Est. 2005 | 482,112 | 11.2% | |
As of the census1 of 2000, there were 433,501 people, 157,905 households, and 113,375 families residing in the county. The population density was 573 people per square mile (221/km²). There were 163,773 housing units at an average density of 217 per square mile (84/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 89.21% White, 6.24% Black or African American, 0.15% Native American, 1.95% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.35% from other races, and 1.06% from two or more races. 3.72% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 18.0% were of Irish, 17.3% German, 13.1% Italian, 10.1% English and 5.6% American ancestry according to Census 2000. 91.4% spoke English and 3.7% Spanish as their first language.
There were 157,905 households out of which 35.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.50% were married couples living together, 8.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.20% were non-families. 22.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.15.
In the county, the population was spread out with 26.20% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 30.40% from 25 to 44, 23.80% from 45 to 64, and 11.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 96.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.10 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $65,295, and the median income for a family was $76,916. Males had a median income of $51,223 versus $34,854 for females. The per capita income for the county was $31,627. About 3.10% of families and 5.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.10% of those under age 18 and 5.50% of those age 65 or over.
The region was originally occupied by the Lenni Lenape people who greeted European settlers in the seventeenth century with amity and kindness. British settlers were mostly English, Scotch-Irish and Welsh in ethnicity. As time passed, the region has had large influxes of Germans, Africans, Eastern Europeans, Italians, Puerto Ricans, and Mexicans.
Politics
| Year | GOP | Dems |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 45.0% 112,266 | 54.2% 135,150 |
| 2004 | 52.0% 120,306 | 47.5% 109,708 |
| 2000 | 53.4% 100,080 | 43.7% 82,047 |
| 1996 | 48.7% 77,029 | 41.0% 64,783 |
| 1992 | 43.7% 74,002 | 35.2% 59,643 |
| 1988 | 67.0% 93,522 | 32.1% 44,853 |
| 1984 | 70.1% 92,221 | 29.6% 38,870 |
| 1980 | 60.9% 73,046 | 28.6% 34,307 |
| 1976 | 60.4% 67,686 | 38.1% 42,712 |
| 1972 | 68.4% 72,726 | 29.3% 31,118 |
| 1968 | 57.2% 56,073 | 33.3% 32,606 |
| 1964 | 45.5% 40,280 | 54.1% 47,940 |
| 1960 | 63.6% 53,059 | 36.2% 30,167 |
As of April 2008, there are 306,869 registered voters in Chester County2.
- Democratic: 113,315 (36.93%)
- Republican: 146,956 (47.89%)
- Other Parties: 46,598 (15.18%)
In the past Chester County has been reliably Republican. In recent elections however it has been trending Democratic. In 2000 Gore lost it by almost 10 percent but in 2004 George Bush defeated John Kerry by a much smaller margin of only 4 percent. In 2008, Chester County sided with the rest of Pennsylvania and voted for Barack Obama by a much larger margin of 9% becoming the first Democrat to carry Chester County since 1964.
Government
Chester County is administered by a three-person Board of Commissioners, who are elected for four-year terms, which take place in the year preceding US Presidential elections. The Commissioners have selective policy-making authority to provide certain local services and facilities on a county-wide basis. Accordingly, the commissioners are responsible for the management of the fiscal and administrative functions of the county.
Commissioners
- Carol Aichele
- Kathi Cozzone
- Terence Farrell
Other elected officials
- Teena Peters, Clerk of Courts
- Valentino R. DiGiorgio, III, Controller
- Robert O. Satriale, Coroner
- Joe Carroll, District Attorney
- Martha E. Smith, Jury Commissioner
- Mimi Sack, Jury Commissioner
- Bryan Walters, Prothonotary
- Ryan Costello, Recorder of Deeds
- Paula Gowen, Register of Wills
- Carolyn Bunny Welsh, Sheriff
- Alan Randzin, Treasurer
United States House of Representatives
| District | Representative | Party |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | Jim Gerlach | Republican |
| 7 | Joe Sestak | Democratic |
| 16 | Joseph R. Pitts | Republican |
United States Senate
| Senator | Party |
|---|---|
| Arlen Specter | Republican |
| Bob Casey | Democrat |
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Pennsylvania State Senate
| District | Representative | Party |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Dominic Pileggi | Republican |
| 19 | Andrew Dinniman | Democratic |
| 26 | Edwin B. Erickson | Republican |
| 36 | Michael Brubaker | Republican |
| 44 | John C. Rafferty, Jr. | Republican |
| 48 | Mike Folmer | Republican |
Municipalities
Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities: cities, boroughs, townships, and, in at most two cases, towns. The post office uses community names and boundaries that usually do not correspond to the townships, and usually only have the same names as the municipalities for the cities and boroughs. The names used by the post office are generally used by residents to describe where they live. The following cities, boroughs and townships are located in Chester County:
Cities
Boroughs
Townships
- Birmingham Township
- Caln Township
- Charlestown Township
- East Bradford Township
- East Brandywine Township
- East Caln Township
- East Coventry Township
- East Fallowfield Township
- East Goshen Township
- East Marlborough Township
- East Nantmeal Township
- East Nottingham Township
- East Pikeland Township
- East Vincent Township
- East Whiteland Township
- Easttown Township
- Elk Township
- Franklin Township
- Highland Township
- Honey Brook Township
- Kennett Township
- London Britain Township
- London Grove Township
- Londonderry Township
- Lower Oxford Township
- New Garden Township
- New London Township
- Newlin Township
- North Coventry Township
- Penn Township
- Pennsbury Township
- Pocopson Township
- Sadsbury Township
- Schuylkill Township
- South Coventry Township
- Thornbury Township
- Tredyffrin Township
- Upper Oxford Township
- Upper Uwchlan Township
- Uwchlan Township
- Valley Township
- Wallace Township
- Warwick Township
- West Bradford Township
- West Brandywine Township
- West Caln Township
- West Fallowfield Township
- West Goshen Township
- West Marlborough Township
- West Nantmeal Township
- West Nottingham Township
- West Pikeland Township
- West Sadsbury Township
- West Vincent Township
- West Whiteland Township
- Westtown Township
- Willistown Township
Census-designated place
Census-designated places are geographical areas designated by the U.S. Census Bureau for the purposes of compiling demographic data. They are not actual jurisdictions under Pennsylvania law.
Education
Colleges and universities
- Cheyney University of Pennsylvania (partially in Delaware County)
- Delaware County Community College (Exton and Downingtown Campuses)
- Immaculata University
- Lincoln University
- Penn State Great Valley
- Troy University (Exton Campus)
- Valley Forge Christian College
- West Chester University of Pennsylvania
Public school districts
- Avon Grove School District
- Coatesville Area School District
- Downingtown Area School District
- Great Valley School District
- Kennett Consolidated School District
- Octorara School District
- Owen J. Roberts School District
- Oxford Area School District
- Phoenixville Area School District
- Spring-Ford Area School District
- Tredyffrin-Easttown School District
- Twin Valley School District
- Unionville-Chadds Ford School District
- West Chester Area School District
Independent schools
- Bishop Shanahan High School (Archdiocese of Philadelphia)
- Center for Arts and Tehnology (Administered by Chester County Intermediate Unit)
- Delaware Valley Friends School
- Devon Preparatory School
- Malvern Preparatory School
- Villa Maria Academy (Malvern, Pennsylvania)
- West Fallowfield Christian School
- Westtown School
Library System
The Chester County Library System in southeastern Pennsylvania was organized in 1965. It is a federated system composed of a District Center Library in Exton and seventeen member libraries.
The Chester County Library System provides materials and information for life, work and pleasure.
References
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of State. "April 2008 Voter Registration Statistics". Retrieved on 2008-07-19.
External links
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Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 26 November 2008, at 02:20.
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