Chester, Pennsylvania | |
|---|---|
 Flag  Seal | |
| Motto: What Chester Makes Makes Chester | |
 Location of Chester inDelaware County and inPennsylvania | |
| Coordinates:39°50′50″N75°22′22″W / 39.84722°N 75.37278°W /39.84722; -75.37278 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Delaware |
| Incorporated | 1682 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Stefan Roots (D) |
| Area | |
• Total | 6.00 sq mi (15.55 km2) |
| • Land | 4.83 sq mi (12.52 km2) |
| • Water | 1.17 sq mi (3.04 km2) |
| Elevation | 69 ft (21 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 32,605[1] |
| • Density | 6,746.33/sq mi (2,604.57/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Code | 19013 |
| Area codes | 484 and 610 |
| FIPS code | 42-045-13208 |
| FIPS code | 42-13208 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1171694 |
| Website | chestercity.com |
| Designated | October 13, 1947[4] |
Chester is a city inDelaware County, Pennsylvania, United States.[5] It is located in the Philadelphia metropolitan area (also known as theDelaware Valley) on the western bank of theDelaware River betweenPhiladelphia andWilmington, Delaware. The population of Chester was 32,605 at the2020 census.[3]
Incorporated in 1682, Chester is the oldest city inPennsylvania[6] and was the location ofWilliam Penn's first arrival in theProvince of Pennsylvania. It was the county seat forChester County from 1682 to 1788 and of Delaware County from 1789 to 1851.
From the second half of the 19th century through the first half of the 20th century, the city was a major center ofheavy industry,manufacturing andshipping. The city became aboomtown duringWorld War I andWorld War II. The availability of employment infactories,dock work, andshipbuilding attracted immigrants fromSouthern andEastern Europe andAfrican-American migrants from southern states. Since the mid-20th century, it has lost most of its manufacturing base and has struggled as apost-industrial city dealing with crime, pollution, and poverty. Pennsylvania declared Chester a financially distressed municipality in 1995 and a fiscal emergency in 2020. In 2022, Chester became the 31st city in the United States to declare bankruptcy.
The city is home toWidener University,Harrah's Philadelphia, theChester Waterside Station, theWilliam Penn Landing Site, andSubaru Park, home of theMajor League Soccer team, thePhiladelphia Union.
The indigenous tribe that owned the land where Chester now stands were theOkehockings, removed by order ofWilliam Penn in 1702 to other lands in Chester County.[7] The original indigenous name of Chester was Mecoponaca,[8] which means "the stream along which large potatoes grow".[9]
The first European settlers in the area were members of theNew Sweden colony. The settlement that became Chester was first called "Finlandia" (the Latin name forFinland) and then "Upland" after the Swedish province ofUppland. The New Sweden settlers built Fort Mecoponacka in 1641 to defend the settlement.[10]
In 1644, the present site of Chester was a tobacco plantation operated by the New Sweden colonists.[11]
By 1682, Upland was the most populous town of the newProvince of Pennsylvania. On October 27, the shipWelcome arrived bearingWilliam Penn on his first visit to the province. Penn renamed the settlement after the English city ofChester.[12]
Chester County originally stretched from theDelaware River to theSusquehanna River from its founding in 1682 until 1729 whenLancaster County was formed from the western part.[13] Chester served as the county seat for Chester County from 1682 to 1788.[14] In 1724, theChester Courthouse was built to support the legal needs of the county.[15]
Chester played only a small role in theAmerican Revolutionary War. Throughout 1776 and 1777, there were significant forces stationed in Chester and nearbyMarcus Hook.
In April 1776, nearly 1,000 men were stationed in Chester under ColonelSamuel Miles in preparation for the defense of Philadelphia. However, Colonel Miles led the troops to New York City in July 1776 when it became clear that the British Fleet was threatening New York rather than Philadelphia.[16]
In 1777, theContinental Army led byGeorge Washington passed through Chester on the way to meet theBritish Army led byGeneral Howe at theBattle of Brandywine.John Armstrong was ordered to take command of the militia stationed at Chester. The Continental Army fled back to Chester after defeat at theBattle of Brandywine. A portion of the British force occupied Chester as they chased the Continental Army fleeing to Philadelphia.[17]
In 1788, the Chester County seat was moved from Chester toWest Chester.[14]In 1789,Delaware County was formed from the eastern part of Chester County, and Chester became the new county seat.[18]
The borough of Chester was governed under the charter granted by Penn in 1701 until March 5, 1795, when it was incorporated by thePennsylvania Assembly.[19]
In the 1700s and 1800s, Chester was a hub for business due to easy access to the Delaware River for the transport of raw materials and finished goods by ship. By the mid-1800s, many textile mills and factories were built alongChester Creek including the Upland Mills byJohn Price Crozer[20] and the Powhattan Mills byDavid Reese Esrey and Hugh Shaw.[21]
During theWar of 1812, a group of volunteers from Chester called the Mifflin Guards was raised and led bySamuel Anderson. The troops were sent toFort DuPont to defend the Delaware River from the threatened attack of British AdmiralGeorge Cockburn but did not see any action.[22]
In 1851, the Delaware County seat was moved from Chester to the borough ofMedia.[23] On February 14, 1866, Chester was incorporated as a city[24] and the first mayor elected wasJohn Larkin, Jr.
In 1871, theDelaware River Iron Ship Building and Engine Works was opened byJohn Roach through the purchase of theReaney, Son & Archbold shipyard.[25][26] The first steel ships of the U.S. Navy were built at the Roach shipyard.[27] For the first 15 years of operation, it was the largest and most productive shipyard in the United States. More tonnage of ships were built at the Roach shipyard than its next two competitors combined.
Roach built other businesses to supply materials for his shipbuilding including theChester Rolling Mill in 1873 to supply metal hull plates and beams, theChester Pipe and Tube Company in 1877 for the manufacture of iron pipes and boiler tubes, and theStandard Steel Casting Company in 1883 to supply steelingots.
Roach built theCombination Steel and Iron Company in 1880 to supply steel rails and other products for businesses beyond the Roach shipyard. He lost control of the company after his shipbuilding enterprise enteredreceivership in 1885.
Chester was known as a freewheeling destination for vices such as drugs, alcohol,numbers rackets, gambling and prostitution. Chester was widely known as Greater Philadelphia's "Saloon Town".[28] By 1914, Chester had more saloons than police officers; approximately 1 saloon per every 987 residents.[29]
During and followingWorld War I, Chester grew significantly as people migrated to the city for jobs, 63% of which were in manufacturing.[30] Between 1910 and 1920, Chester's population increased from 38,000 to 58,000 due to the influx of poorSouthern European andEastern European immigrants andAfrican-American migrants from the South, searching for employment in the city's expanding shipbuilding and manufacturing industries.[31] TheSun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. was opened in 1917 to build ships for the United States until its closure in 1990. The idled Roach shipyard was purchased in 1917 byW. Averell Harriman to buildmerchant ships during World War I, and renamed theMerchant Shipbuilding Corporation. The shipyard closed permanently in 1923.
Like many boomtowns, Chester was unprepared for the social changes that came along with rapid growth. As southern blacks migrated to Pennsylvania as part of theGreat Migration, racial violence broke out, racially segregated neighborhoods expanded and economic discrimination emerged.[32] Afour-day race riot that resulted in seven deaths broke out in the city in July 1917, and the separation of blacks and whites in Chester's neighborhoods and workplaces became more defined.[33]
In 1927, theFord Motor Company opened theChester Assembly factory on the site of the previous Roach and Merchant shipyard and built cars there until its closure in 1961.[34]
Chester experienced its second growth period duringWorld War II. Manufacturing increased exponentially including companies such asWetherill Steel and Boilermakers,Congoleum-Nairn,Aberfoyles Textiles,Scott Paper Company,Belmont Iron Works,American Steel Foundries,Crew Levick Oil,Crown Smelting,Fields Brick Company,Hetzel andFord Motor Company.[30] During World War II, theSun Shipyard became the largest single shipyard in the world.[35]
| External audio | |
|---|---|
 Chester, A City Working on a New Narrative, 43:46, Grapple, Keystone Crossroads[36] |
The increased labor needs brought a flood of new workers to the city. The wartime labor force for industries along the waterfront soared to 100,000.[35]
Chester began losing its mainstay manufacturing jobs by the early 1960s.Ford Motor Company shuttered its Chester plant,American Viscose Corporation in nearbyMarcus Hook closed,Baldwin Locomotive Works in nearbyEddystone was close to bankruptcy andSun Shipyard employment had fallen from a high of 35,000 in 1945 to 4,000 in 1962. Chester's precipitous drop in jobs in the late 20th and early 21st centuries caused the city's population to diminish from over 66,000 in 1950 to under 34,000 in 2010.[37]
In 1963 and 1964, theChester school protests fought to end the de facto segregation that resulted in the racial categorization of Chester public schools, even after the landmark 1954U.S. Supreme Court caseBrown v. Board of Education.[38] The racial unrest and civil rights protests were led byGeorge Raymond of theNAACP andStanley Branche ofCFFN and made Chester one of the key battlegrounds of thecivil rights movement.
In April 1964, a series of almost nightly protests brought chaos to Chester. MayorJames Gorbey issued "The Police Position to Preserve the Public Peace", a 10-point statement promising an immediate return to law and order. The city deputized firemen and trash collectors to help handle demonstrators.[39] The State of Pennsylvania deployed 50 state troopers to assist the 77-member Chester police force.[40] The demonstrations were marked by violence andpolice brutality[41] with Chester being dubbed the "Birmingham of the North" by civil rights activistJames Farmer.[40] Over 600 people were arrested over a two-month period of civil rights rallies, marches, pickets, boycotts, and sit-ins.[42] National civil rights leaders such asGloria Richardson,Malcolm X andDick Gregory came to Chester in support of the demonstrations.[43] Pennsylvania GovernorWilliam Scranton became involved in the negotiations and convinced the protestors to obey a court-ordered moratorium on demonstrations by agreeing to hold hearings on the de facto segregation of public schools in Chester.[37]
The Pennsylvania Human Relations Committee determined that the Chester School Board had violated the law and the Chester School District was ordered to desegregate the city's six predominantly African-American schools. The city appealed the ruling, which delayed implementation, but the schools were eventually desegregated.[40]
In 1978, an intense fire broke out atWade Dump, a rubber recycling facility and illegal industrial chemical dumping site. It burned out of control for several days. The burning chemicals caused multi-colored smoke and noxious fumes which injured 43 firemen and caused long-term health problems for the first responders to the fire.[44] In 1981, the location was declared aSuperfund cleanup site and remediation occurred throughout the 1980s. In 1989, the site was deemed safe and removed from the Superfund national priorities list. In 2004, the site was converted to a parking lot forCommodore Barry Bridge Park.[45]
By the 1980s, Chester was a city bereft of industry. Many bottom-rung projects were initiated in Chester, including theWestinghouse trash incinerator, a sewage treatment plant, and aprison.[46] Chester residents and politicians began pushing back against the placement of projects that increased concerns about pollution, noise, and trucks, such as a contaminated soil remediation facility, the trash incinerator, the DELCORA sewage waste treatment center and the Abbonizio recycling center.[47]
In 1995, the state designated Chester as afinancially distressed municipality.[48]
Recent programs to foster investment into Chester include the PennsylvaniaKeystone Opportunity Zone (KOZ) program, which incentivizes companies with state and local tax breaks to invest in KOZ-designated areas. The Wharf at Rivertown, a $60 million renovation of theChester Waterside Station of the Philadelphia Electric Company, originally built in 1918, provides recreational and office space for businesses.[49]
Harrah's Casino and Racetrack beganharness racing in September 2006 and opened itsracino in January 2007.Subaru Park, home of theMajor League SoccerPhiladelphia Union franchise, opened in 2010.[46]
Despite the recent investments into the community, GovernorTom Wolf declared a fiscal emergency for Chester in 2020 and the city declared bankruptcy in 2022.[50] It was the 31st municipality to declare bankruptcy since the U.S. Congress offered the program in the 1930s.[51]
National Register of Historic Places in Chester are:Delaware County National Bank,1724 Chester Courthouse,Chester Waterside Station of the Philadelphia Electric Company,Old Main and Chemistry Building,Third Presbyterian Church,William Penn Landing Site, and the formerSecond Street Bridge.[52]
Chester borders on (clockwise from southwest to northeast)Trainer Borough,Upper Chichester Township,Chester Township,Upland Borough,Parkside Borough,Brookhaven Borough,Nether Providence Township,Ridley Township, andEddystone Borough in Pennsylvania. Chester is bordered to the south by theDelaware River. The city has a total area of 6.0 square miles (15.6 km2), 4.8 square miles (12.5 km2) of which is land and 1.2 square miles (3.0 km2) of which (19.42%) is water, according to theU.S. Census Bureau.[5]
Chester Creek meets theDelaware River in Chester. Chester's northeastern border is atRidley Creek. ThePort of Chester is located in Chester along the Delaware River.
Located at a low elevation betweenPhiladelphia andWilmington, Delaware, Chester experiences ahumid subtropical climate (Cfa.) Thehardiness zone is 7b.[1]Archived 2014-02-09 at theWayback Machine
| Climate data for Chester (Elevation: 10 ft (3 m)) 1981-2010 Averages | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 40.5 (4.7) | 44.2 (6.8) | 52.0 (11.1) | 63.4 (17.4) | 73.4 (23.0) | 82.7 (28.2) | 87.0 (30.6) | 85.2 (29.6) | 78.3 (25.7) | 66.7 (19.3) | 56.1 (13.4) | 45.0 (7.2) | 64.6 (18.1) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 33.7 (0.9) | 36.5 (2.5) | 43.7 (6.5) | 54.3 (12.4) | 64.1 (17.8) | 73.7 (23.2) | 78.3 (25.7) | 76.8 (24.9) | 69.5 (20.8) | 58.1 (14.5) | 48.3 (9.1) | 38.2 (3.4) | 56.4 (13.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 26.8 (−2.9) | 28.9 (−1.7) | 35.3 (1.8) | 45.2 (7.3) | 54.8 (12.7) | 64.6 (18.1) | 69.7 (20.9) | 68.4 (20.2) | 60.7 (15.9) | 49.4 (9.7) | 40.5 (4.7) | 31.4 (−0.3) | 48.1 (8.9) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 3.15 (80) | 2.70 (69) | 3.87 (98) | 3.62 (92) | 3.81 (97) | 3.80 (97) | 4.65 (118) | 3.56 (90) | 4.21 (107) | 3.44 (87) | 3.27 (83) | 3.62 (92) | 43.70 (1,110) |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 65.3 | 60.7 | 57.6 | 57.2 | 60.8 | 62.7 | 64.4 | 65.8 | 67.8 | 67.3 | 65.3 | 65.1 | 63.4 |
| Averagedew point °F (°C) | 23.3 (−4.8) | 24.2 (−4.3) | 29.7 (−1.3) | 39.5 (4.2) | 50.3 (10.2) | 60.2 (15.7) | 65.3 (18.5) | 64.5 (18.1) | 58.4 (14.7) | 47.3 (8.5) | 37.2 (2.9) | 27.5 (−2.5) | 44.0 (6.7) |
| Source: PRISM[53] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 657 | — | |
| 1830 | 847 | 28.9% | |
| 1850 | 1,667 | — | |
| 1860 | 4,631 | 177.8% | |
| 1870 | 9,485 | 104.8% | |
| 1880 | 14,997 | 58.1% | |
| 1890 | 20,226 | 34.9% | |
| 1900 | 33,988 | 68.0% | |
| 1910 | 38,537 | 13.4% | |
| 1920 | 58,030 | 50.6% | |
| 1930 | 59,164 | 2.0% | |
| 1940 | 59,285 | 0.2% | |
| 1950 | 66,039 | 11.4% | |
| 1960 | 63,658 | −3.6% | |
| 1970 | 56,331 | −11.5% | |
| 1980 | 45,794 | −18.7% | |
| 1990 | 41,856 | −8.6% | |
| 2000 | 36,854 | −12.0% | |
| 2010 | 33,972 | −7.8% | |
| 2020 | 32,605 | −4.0% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[54] [55][56][57] 2010[58] 2020[59][3] | |||
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 1980[60] | Pop 1990[61] | Pop 2000[62] | Pop 2010[58] | Pop 2020[59] | % 1980 | % 1990 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 18,894 | 13,045 | 6,582 | 5,117 | 4,527 | 41.26% | 31.17% | 17.86% | 15.06% | 13.88% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 25,850 | 26,924 | 27,500 | 24,803 | 22,560 | 56.45% | 64.33% | 74.62% | 73.01% | 69.19% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 38 | 83 | 65 | 69 | 54 | 0.08% | 0.20% | 0.18% | 0.20% | 0.17% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 73 | 165 | 217 | 213 | 227 | 0.16% | 0.39% | 0.59% | 0.63% | 0.70% |
| Native Hawaiian orPacific Islander alone (NH) | N/A | N/A | 4 | 9 | 7 | N/A | N/A | 0.01% | 0.03% | 0.02% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 15 | 60 | 60 | 30 | 140 | 0.03% | 0.14% | 0.16% | 0.09% | 0.43% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | N/A | N/A | 440 | 677 | 1,038 | N/A | N/A | 1.19% | 1.99% | 3.18% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 924 | 1,579 | 1,986 | 3,054 | 4,052 | 2.02% | 3.77% | 5.39% | 8.99% | 12.43% |
| Total | 45,794 | 41,856 | 36,854 | 33,972 | 32,605 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of Census 2010, the racial makeup of the city was 74.7%African American, 17.2%White, 9.0%Hispanic orLatino of any race, 0.6%Asian, 0.4%Native American, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, 3.9% fromother races, and 3.0% from two or more races.[2][dead link]
There were 11,662 households, out of which 37.3% had children under the age of 18, 19.5% were headed by married couples living together, 35.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.1% were non-families. 31.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.1% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64, and the average family size was 3.34.[63]
Chester has a mayor-council government system, consisting of a popularly elected city mayor and city council. The terms of the mayor and members are four years.[64]
The current mayor of the City of Chester isStefan Roots, who won the Democratic nomination in May 2021, over incumbent MayorThaddeus Kirkland.[65][66] In May 2023, Roots defeated Kirkland in the Chester Democratic mayoral primary election. Roots defeated independent candidate Anita J. Littleton[67] in the November 2023 general election and was sworn into office on January 3, 2024.[68]
The Chester City Council consists of the mayor and four council members. Council members are elected at-large to serve the entire city. Council meetings are generally held the second and fourth Wednesday of each month. The five help administer the five municipal departments:[69]
The city government has been in financial distress for many years and has operated under the state'sAct 47 provisions for twenty-one years. The act provides for municipalities that are near bankruptcy.[70]
Chester has been hurt for decades by corrupt politicians andorganized crime.[71] Chester'sRepublican Partypolitical machine was one of the nation's oldest and most corrupt.[72]John J. McClure took over from his father, William McClure, in 1907[72] and was thepolitical boss for the machine until his death in 1965. In 1933, McClure was found guilty in federal court and sentenced to 18 months in prison for vice andrum-running,[73] but his conviction was overturned on appeal.[74]
In 1941, McClure was indicted for conspiracy to gain a $250,000 profit from the sale of the Chester Water Works to a private buyer. McClure and four Chester City Council members were acquitted but also ordered by the court to return the money to the city of Chester.[75]
With the exception of 1904–1905, the Republican political machine controlled Chester politics for over a century. The first non-machine mayor was elected in 1992:[28]Barbara Bohannan-Sheppard; however, in 1995, she lost her re-election bid and was replaced by RepublicanAaron Wilson, Jr.
In the 1990s, the Pennsylvania Crime Commission reported that Chester's government had been dominated by "a triad of criminals, corrupt politicians and rogue law-enforcement officers" since the 1960s.[76]John H. Nacrelli, the mayor of Chester from 1968 to 1979, was convicted ofracketeering and income tax evasion for accepting $22,000 in bribes from an illegal gambling operation with ties to organized crime and served two years in prison.[77]
For the period 2010–2014, the estimated median annual income for a household in the city was $28,607, and the median income for a family was $34,840. Male full-time workers had a median income of $34,354 versus $30,634 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $15,516. About 27.3% of families and 33.1% of the total population were below thepoverty line, including 47.7% of those under age 18 and 18.4% of those age 65 or over.[78]
With the construction ofHarrah's Philadelphia, the city received a series of horse races that were once held at the Brandywine Raceway and the now-defunctLiberty Bell Park Racetrack. Theracino opened on January 22, 2008, and features a specially constructed bridge that enables the midpoint of races, contested at one mile, to take place over the Delaware River.
| Club | Sport | League | Venue | Established | Championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Union | Soccer | MLS | Subaru Park | 2010 |
Chester is the home of theMajor League SoccerPhiladelphia Union franchise, which plays its home games atSubaru Park, asoccer-specific stadium at the base of theCommodore Barry Bridge. Located on the Delaware River, the stadium is part of a larger development called Rivertown. Financing for the Rivertown development was announced in early 2008 by GovernorEd Rendell and Pennsylvania Senate Majority LeaderDominic Pileggi, with $25 million going to the construction of Subaru Park, and an additional $7 million towards a two-phase project composing of 186 townhouses, 25 apartments, 335,000 square feet (31,100 m2) of office space, a 200,000-square-foot (19,000 m2) convention center, more than 20,000 square feet (1,900 m2) of retail space, and a parking structure to house 1,350 cars. In phase two, another 200 apartments will be built, along with 100,000 square feet (9,300 m2) of office space and 22,000 square feet (2,000 m2) of retail space.[79]
In 1995, the city's schools ranked last among the state's 501 districts, leading Pennsylvania education officials in 2001 to hire the for-profitEdison Schools to run the local school district for three years[needs update].[48]
TheChester-Upland School District serves the city, along with nearbyChester Township and the borough ofUpland.
Drexel Neumann Academy, of theRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia, is Chester's only parochial school. It is run by the SaintKatharine Drexel Roman Catholic Church which was established in 1993 by theArchdiocese of Philadelphia with the consolidation of all Roman Catholic parishes in the city.[80]
Resurrection of Our Lord School in Chester closed in 1993.[81]St. James High School for Boys closed its doors in 1993 due to low enrollment.
Chester Charter Scholars Academy began in 2008 as a small public-private partnership between The Chester Fund for Education and the Arts and the Chester-Upland school district. The school was originally called the Chester Upland School for the Arts (CUSA) and operated until 2011 when significant staff reduction occurred due to state funding cuts.[82] In 2012, a charter school application was accepted and the school operated in Aston until September 2017 when a $30 million campus was built on Highland Ave.[83]
Chester Community Charter School is a charter school established in 1998 that serves over 4,000 students in grades K-8.[84][85] The school operates four campuses, the Upland campus at 1100 Main Street in Upland, the Aston campus at 200 Commerce Drive in Aston, the East Campus at 302 East 5th Street and the West Campus at 2730 Bethel Road inChester Township.[86]
Widener Partnership Charter School was first launched in 2006, and is located across from the main campus ofWidener University. It enrolls students from kindergarten to eighth grade. Widener University provides support to the charter school including educating staff, providing work to graduate students, and use of the university facilities. The school also has a number of outside partners that include 21st Century Learning Communities, Andrew Hicks Foundation, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Big Friends, Chester Education Foundation, Earth Force, Exelon Foundation, Incredible Years, PECO, and Soccer for Success.[87] The Widener Partnership Charter School also has recently added a new $4.6 million wing of the school at 1450 Edgmont Ave. This new edition includes a science learning center, an extension of the library, a gymnasium, eight classrooms and eight offices.[88]
Widener University is a private university in Chester. Its main campus sits on 108 acres (0.44 km2). The university has three other campuses: two in Pennsylvania (Harrisburg andExton) and one inWilmington, Delaware.
Founded as The Bullock School for Boys in 1821, the school was established in Wilmington, Delaware. It became The Alsop School for Boys from 1846 to 1853, and then Hyatt's Select School for Boys from 1853 to 1859. Military instruction was introduced in 1858, and in 1859, the school changed its name to Delaware Military Academy. It moved to Chester in 1862 and became Pennsylvania Military Academy. It was known as Pennsylvania Military College after 1892 and adopted the Widener name in 1972.
About 3,300 undergraduates and 3,300 graduate students attend Widener in eight degree-granting schools. The university offers associates, bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees in areas ranging from traditionalliberal arts to professional programs.The Carnegie Foundation classifies Widener as aDoctoral/Research University and aCommunity Engagement Institution.
Sleeper's College was a vocational school founded in 1910 for "office and commercial training".[89]
As of 2015, there were 97.93 miles (157.60 km) of public roads in Chester, of which 18.33 miles (29.50 km) were maintained by thePennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and 79.60 miles (128.10 km) were maintained by the city.[90]
In Chester, east–west streets are numbered, while north–south streets carry names. The main bisecting street, known as The Avenue of the States south of 9th Street and Edgmont Avenue north of it, is signed as bothPennsylvania Route 320 (southbound only; northbound PA Rt. 320 uses adjacent Madison Street toInterstate 95) andPennsylvania Route 352. North of I-95, State Route 320 follows Providence Avenue. Between 1993 and 2006, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) widened and realignedPennsylvania Route 291 from Trainer to Eddystone from a two-lane roadway to a five-lane roadway. This widening and realignment project, spearheaded by the late State SenatorClarence D. Bell, allowed PA Route 291 to maintain at least two travel lanes in each direction.
_from_the_pedestrian_overpass_for_Crosby_Street_in_Chester%2c_Delaware_County%2c_Pennsylvania.jpg)
Chester is served byInterstate 95, withInterstate 476 terminating outside the city limits inCrum Lynne. I-95 was built in the 1960s and originally terminated just north of the Chester/Eddystone line at the present-day I-95/I-476 junction. It was extended north in the 1970s, with the section aroundPhiladelphia International Airport being completed in 1985. Three exits on I-95 allow access to Highland Avenue, Kerlin Street, and Edgmont Avenue/Avenue of the States (Rts. 320 & 352).
Two federal highway routes,U.S. Route 13 andU.S. Route 322, also run through Chester. US 13 enters Chester from Trainer on W. 4th Street, becomes part of Highland Avenue between W. 4th Street and W. 9th Street, and then continues on 9th Street to Morton Avenue. US 13 follows Morton Avenue in the city's Sun Village section until it crossesRidley Creek and becomes Chester Pike in Eddystone.
US 322 enters Chester from the northeast, merges with I-95 briefly and crosses the Delaware River over theCommodore Barry Bridge. Prior to the bridge's opening in 1974, US 322 would cross the Delaware River on the Chester-Bridgeport Ferry, via Flower Street, causing major backups because of limited space on the ferries. With the expansion ofState Rt. 291 and the redevelopment of the Chester Waterfront, both theDelaware River Port Authority and PennDOT built a pair of entrance (westbound) and exit (eastbound) ramps to PA Rt. 291, providing direct access to the waterfront without using local streets. The ramps were built between 2007 and 2010 and were opened in 2011.
Plans for reconstruction of US 322 and the merge with I-95 are underway.[91] The road currently requires traffic to merge onto I-95 in the left lane and requires changing lanes three times to the Commodore Barry Bridge exit ramp in less than a mile.
A $16.6 million project to repair eight I-95 bridges will begin March 2017 and is expected to be finished in November 2018. Improvements to Chestnut Street and Morton Avenue are also included in the project.[92]
Public bus transportation in Chester is provided by theSoutheastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), which acquired the former Suburban Philadelphia Transit Authority (aka "Red Arrow" Lines) in 1968. Seven bus routes (Routes37,109,113,114,117,118, and119) serve the city, with theChester Transit Center as the hub.
The city is also served by the SEPTAWilmington/Newark Line commuter rail service. The Chester Transit Center andHighland Avenue stations are the two SEPTA train stations in Chester. TheLamokin Street station was run as aflagstop station until it was closed and demolished in 2003 due to low usage.
The Chester Transit Center was both a commuter and intercity stop on the formerPennsylvania Railroad's New York City–Washington, D.C. route. The Chester Transit Center was bypassed whenAmtrak took over intercity rail passenger services in 1971, with the exception from April 30, 1978, to October 29, 1983, when theChesapeake stopped once daily in each direction between Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.
City of Chester Police Department is the primary agency for the city of Chester. Chester Housing Authority Police Department,[93]Delaware River and Port Authority Police Department, andPennsylvania State Police also support Chester Police Department in their daily functions acting both in coordination and on their own within the scope of their jurisdiction throughout the city of Chester. Chester Police Department regularly requests support from neighboring municipalities for incidents occurring in the city.
Chester is the only municipality in Delaware County with its own sector: Delaware County Sector 3.[94]
City of Chester Police Department works daily with theUS Marshal Service and Delaware County CID[95] to bring Chester's fugitives to justice.
Though not law enforcement, Widener University's Campus Safety Officers have the power to detain and arrest on the immediate and adjacent vicinity of university property. Most of Widener's issues are handled by Campus Safety Officers, unless it requires police assistance which is handled by Chester Police Department.[96]
According to a report in 2020 byNeighborhoodScout, Chester ranked 20th on a list of the "Top 100 Most Dangerous Cities in the U.S.".[97] NeighborhoodScout says one's chance of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime in Chester is one in 21, and that "Within Pennsylvania, more than 99% of the communities have a lower crime rate than Chester."[98]However, over the past few years, Chester has seen a dramatic decrease in violent crime, with almost a 72% decrease in shootings with victims from 2019 to 2023.[99]
Chester has several churches of historical importance:
St. Katharine Drexel Church is the only Roman Catholic parish remaining in Chester. It is part of theRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia and is the result of the conglomeration of six Chester parishes in 1993.[102]
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| Preceded by none | County seat ofChester County 1682–1786 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by none | County seat ofDelaware County 1789–1851 | Succeeded by |
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