West Chester | |
|---|---|
 Flag  Seal | |
 Location of West Chester inChester County (left) and of Chester County inPennsylvania (right) | |
  West Chester Location in the United States Show map of the United States West Chester West Chester (North America) Show map of North America | |
| Coordinates:39°57′31″N75°36′18″W / 39.95861°N 75.60500°W /39.95861; -75.60500 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Chester |
| Incorporated | 1799; 226 years ago (1799) |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Lillian DeBaptiste (D)[1][2] |
| Area | |
• Total | 1.85 sq mi (4.78 km2) |
| • Land | 1.85 sq mi (4.78 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 446 ft (136 m) |
| Population (2023)[4] | |
• Total | 18,750 |
| • Density | 10,113.1/sq mi (3,904.69/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Codes | 19380–19383, 19388 |
| Area codes | 484 and 610 |
| Website | west-chester |
West Chester is aborough and thecounty seat ofChester County, Pennsylvania, United States.[5] Located in thePhiladelphia metropolitan area, the borough had a population of 18,671 at the 2020 census.[6] West Chester is the mailing address for most of its neighboring townships.
Much of theWest Chester University North Campus and the Chester County government are located within the borough. The center of town is located at the intersection of Market and High Streets.
The area was originally known asTurk's Head, named after theinn of the same name located in what is now the center of the borough.[7][a] West Chester has been the seat of government in Chester County since 1786 when the seat was moved from nearbyChester in what is nowDelaware County. The borough was incorporated in 1799.[8]
In the center of town is its courthouse, a classical revival building designed in the 1840s byThomas U. Walter, one of the architects for theCapitol inWashington, D.C.[9] In the 18th century West Chester was a center of clockmaking. Irish revolutionaryTheobald Wolfe Tone briefly lived in West Chester during his exile.[citation needed] In the late 19th century the Hoopes, Bro. and Darlington company became a major wheelworks, first for wagons and later automobiles.[10][11] In the early 20th century, an important industry was the Sharples cream separator company.[12] In the late 20th century,Commodore International, one of the pioneers of home computers, giving its headquarters as West Chester, was located approximately a mile northeast of the borough.[citation needed]
TheWest Chester Downtown Historic District was listed on theNational Register of Historic Places in 1985. Other listed buildings are theBank of Chester County,Buckwalter Building,Butler House,Chester County Courthouse,William Everhart Buildings,Farmers and Mechanics Building,First Presbyterian Church of West Chester,New Century Clubhouse,Joseph Rothrock House,Sharples Homestead,Sharples Separator Works,Warner Theater,West Chester Boarding School for Boys, and components ofWest Chester State College Quadrangle Historic District.[13]
West Goshen Township borders West Chester to the north, south, and east, whileEast Bradford Township borders West Chester to the west. The borough straddles theBrandywine Creek andChester Creek watersheds.[14] It is located 25 miles (40 km) west ofPhiladelphia and 17 miles (27 km) north ofWilmington, Delaware.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.8 square miles (5 km2), all land.
As with much of southeastern Pennsylvania east of theAppalachian Mountains, West Chester lies in the transition zone between thehumid continental (Köppen:Dfa) andhumid subtropical (Köppen:Cfa) climate zones, with generally more characteristics of the former than the latter.[15] Summers are hot and humid and winters are cold but variable. Annual high temperatures average between 39.0 °F (3.9 °C) and 85.4 °F (29.7 °C), annual low temperatures average between 22.2 °F (−5.4 °C) and 64.4 °F (18.0 °C), with the record high being 105 °F (41 °C), and record low being −16 °F (−27 °C).[16]
Annualprecipitation averages 46.7 inches (119 cm), and annualsnowfall averages 27.7 inches (70 cm).[16]
| Climate data for West Chester, Pennsylvania | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 39.0 (3.9) | 40.5 (4.7) | 50.8 (10.4) | 62.1 (16.7) | 72.7 (22.6) | 80.9 (27.2) | 85.4 (29.7) | 83.5 (28.6) | 77.1 (25.1) | 65.9 (18.8) | 54.1 (12.3) | 42.2 (5.7) | 62.9 (17.1) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 30.7 (−0.7) | 31.6 (−0.2) | 40.9 (4.9) | 51.2 (10.7) | 61.5 (16.4) | 70.2 (21.2) | 74.9 (23.8) | 73.2 (22.9) | 66.4 (19.1) | 55.1 (12.8) | 44.6 (7.0) | 33.8 (1.0) | 52.8 (11.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 22.2 (−5.4) | 22.6 (−5.2) | 30.8 (−0.7) | 40.2 (4.6) | 50.3 (10.2) | 59.5 (15.3) | 64.4 (18.0) | 62.9 (17.2) | 55.7 (13.2) | 44.3 (6.8) | 35.0 (1.7) | 25.5 (−3.6) | 42.8 (6.0) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 3.5 (89) | 3.3 (84) | 3.8 (97) | 3.7 (94) | 4 (100) | 4.3 (110) | 4.5 (110) | 4.6 (120) | 4.1 (100) | 3.6 (91) | 3.6 (91) | 3.7 (94) | 46.7 (1,180) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 7 (18) | 8.6 (22) | 4.6 (12) | 0.9 (2.3) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.1 (0.25) | 1.2 (3.0) | 5.3 (13) | 27.7 (70) |
| Source: Weatherbase | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 374 | — | |
| 1810 | 471 | 25.9% | |
| 1820 | 552 | 17.2% | |
| 1830 | 1,258 | 127.9% | |
| 1840 | 2,152 | 71.1% | |
| 1850 | 3,172 | 47.4% | |
| 1860 | 4,757 | 50.0% | |
| 1870 | 5,630 | 18.4% | |
| 1880 | 7,046 | 25.2% | |
| 1890 | 8,028 | 13.9% | |
| 1900 | 9,524 | 18.6% | |
| 1910 | 11,767 | 23.6% | |
| 1920 | 11,717 | −0.4% | |
| 1930 | 12,325 | 5.2% | |
| 1940 | 13,289 | 7.8% | |
| 1950 | 15,168 | 14.1% | |
| 1960 | 15,705 | 3.5% | |
| 1970 | 19,301 | 22.9% | |
| 1980 | 17,435 | −9.7% | |
| 1990 | 18,041 | 3.5% | |
| 2000 | 17,861 | −1.0% | |
| 2010 | 18,461 | 3.4% | |
| 2020 | 18,671 | 1.1% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[17] | |||
At the2010 census, the borough was 72.1% non-Hispanic White, 12.1% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 1.4% Asian, and 2.4% was of two or more races. About 13.4% of the population was of Hispanic or Latino ancestry.[18]
As of thecensus of 2000, 17,861 people, 6,265 households, and 2,662 families resided in the borough. The population density was 9,703.3 inhabitants per square mile (3,746.5/km2). The 6,541 housing units averaged 3,553.5 per square mile (1,372.6/km2). Theracial makeup of the borough was 75.44% White, 17.08% Black, 3.64% from other races, 1.46% Asian, 0.31% Native American, 0.07% Pacific Islander, and 2.00% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 8.94%.[19]
Of the 6,265 households, 19.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 26.8% were married couples living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 57.5% were not families. About 35.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.95.
In the borough the population was spread out, with 13.4% under the age of 18, 37.7% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 13.3% from 45 to 64, and 9.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.7 males.
The median income for a household in the borough from 2018 to 2022 was $71,875.[20] Theper capita income for the borough was $41,443. 21% of the population lives below thepoverty line.[20]
Corporate headquarters include:
QVC has its headquarters and television studios inWest Goshen Township,[22][23] near West Chester. It is located in the same buildings that were once the corporate headquarters ofCommodore International.Electronics Boutique, when it existed as an independent company, had its headquarters in West Goshen Township,[24][25] in proximity to West Chester.[23][26]
Among the majorshopping centers in the area is Bradford Plaza, a 22-acre (8.9 ha) property with a 161,000-square-foot (15,000 m2) center which sold in 2014 toNew York Life for $35.7 million.[27]
The West Chester Public Library has provided library services to area residents since 1872. It currently has a collection of 50,000 items and receives 110,000 visits every year.[28] The Francis Harvey Green Library on the university campus has additional collections.[29]
TheDaily Local News, headquartered in West Chester, covers Chester County events.[30]WCHE (1520 AM) broadcasts from downtown West Chester and is a local commercial radio station that provides news and entertainment to Chester County.The Quad is the student-run newspaper of West Chester University. Published since 1932, it covers not only campus events, but also regional and national news.[31] Radio stationWCUR (91.7 FM) broadcasts from the borough and is managed by university students.[32]
The flag of West Chester was officially adopted by Borough Council and debuted in early 2019, after a contest sponsored by local business The Fence Authority.[33] The winning design was created by Julie Allen. The six gold ribbons on the flag represent thesix original streets of West Chester: Market, Gay, High, Chestnut, Walnut, and Church. The flag is in the official colors of the borough, Pantone Blue 7455C and Pantone Gold 123C.[34][35]
_just_west_of_Wayne_Street_in_West_Chester%2c_Chester_County%2c_Pennsylvania.jpg)
As of 2011, there were 33.82 miles (54.43 km) of public roads in West Chester, of which 5.36 miles (8.63 km) were maintained byPennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and 28.46 miles (45.80 km) were maintained by the borough.[36]
US 202 andUS 322 are the major highways serving the area, though both bypass West Chester Borough on the limited-access West Chester Bypass. US 202 heads northeast toKing of Prussia and south toWilmington, Delaware while US 322 heads northwest toDowningtown and southeast toChester.US 322 Business still follows the original alignment of US 322 and part of the original alignment of US 202 through West Chester along Hannum Avenue, Chestnut and Market streets, and South High Street.
The main east–west road to West Chester isWest Chester Pike, which begins inUpper Darby Township,Delaware County, just outsidePhiladelphia, and is part ofPennsylvania Route 3 (PA 3).[37] The West Chester Pike originally existed as a privateturnpike connecting Philadelphia and West Chester between 1850 and 1918, when it became a public road.[38] In West Chester, PA 3 follows Market Street eastbound and Gay Street westbound. The main north–south road in West Chester is High Street. To the north of town, the road is known as Pottstown Pike, which connects toPA 100 nearExton (PA 100 formerly ran through town). To the south of town, the road is known as Wilmington-West Chester Pike. Other state routes serving West Chester includePA 162 andPA 842, which head west towardsUnionville, andPA 52, which heads southwest towardsKennett Square.[37]
West Chester is home to theWest Chester Transportation Center, which serves as a parking garage for the Chester County Justice Center and abus terminal, which is located on the lower level of the facility. Three ofSEPTA'sSuburban Division bus routes serve West Chester. TheRoute 92 bus connects West Chester to theKing of Prussia Transit Center, theRoute 104 bus runs between West Chester University and the69th Street Transportation Center, mostly following West Chester Pike, and theRoute 135 bus connects West Chester to Exton, Downingtown, andCoatesville.[39] The Route 104 bus replaced atrolley service that connected West Chester to Philadelphia along the West Chester Pike between 1898 and the 1950s.[38] West Chester is also served by theTransportation Management Association of Chester County's SCCOOT, which provides service to Kennett Square andOxford.[39]
Until September 1986, West Chester was served by SEPTA'sMedia/Wawa Line commuter rail line, then known as the Media/West Chester Line. Service on the line was discontinued because of poor track conditions west ofElwyn station. At the time, SEPTA had limited funds for the necessary repairs and offered Chester County the option of either improving the rail line or expanding parking availability at the nearbyExton station on SEPTA'sPaoli/Thorndale Line. The county opted for the latter, and service on the line was cut back toElwyn (service was re-extended toWawa Station in August 2022). The rail line into West Chester is used by theWest Chester Railroad, aheritage railroad.[40]
The borough is governed by thetown council form of government. Led by the Borough Manager, there are seven council members, each representing one of the seven voting wards. The council controls all departments except the Police Department (the Mayor directs Police Department activities through theChief of Police). The mayor and council members are directly elected by borough voters.
On January 3, 2022,Lillian DeBaptiste (D), daughter of former mayorClifford DeBaptiste (R), was sworn in as mayor.[41]
as of November 5, 2021[update]:
| Ward | Council member | Party | Term ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Patrick McCoy | Democratic | 2025 |
| 2 | Nick Allen | Democratic | 2023 |
| 3 | Brian McGinnis | Democratic | 2025 |
| 4 | Michael Stefano | Democratic | 2023 |
| 5 | Sheila Vaccaro | Democratic | 2025 |
| 6 | Bernie Flynn | Democratic | 2023 |
| 7 | Lisa Dorsey | Democratic | 2025 |
TheWest Chester Area School District, an independent entity, manages the area's public school system. All of the secondary schools operated by the district serve sections of West Chester borough: they are three high schools (Henderson High School,West Chester East High School,Rustin High School) and three middle schools (E.N. Peirce Middle School, J.R. Fugett Middle School, G.A. Stetson Middle School).[42]
Elementary schools serving sections of West Chester borough include: East Bradford, East Goshen, Hillsdale, Greystone, Sarah Starkweather, and Westtown-Thornbury.[43] Previously the following also included sections in West Chester borough: Exton, Fern Hill, Glen Acres, Mary C. Howse, and Penn Wood. Under some zoning proposalsc. 2018, Exton, Glen Acres, Howse, and Penn Wood would no longer serve portions of West Chester borough.[44]
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St. Agnes School, aK-8 school of theRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia, is in the borough limits. It opened in 1871. As of 2020[update] its enrollment is over 300.[45]
There are other Catholic K–8 schools with West Chester postal addresses:
Much ofWest Chester University's North Campus is located in the borough, south of the commercial and retail center.[51]
Delaware County Community College is the community college system for Chester County.[52]
West Chester Public Library is the community library.[53] The library had its roots in asubscription library founded in 1815 byWilliam Darlington andDavid Townsend and dissolved in 1831. Incorporated in 1872, the library rented rooms to house its collections until March 1888, when the library opened at its current location at 415 North Church Street, on land donated byHannah M. Darlington, who also donated the Tiffany-style stained-glass windows. The architect wasT. Roney Williamson.[54] The library became permanently free and open to the public in 1905, coming under the authority of the borough council and school board. The library built an extension for a children's library in 1916. The West Chester Garden Club landscaped the grounds and erected a wall around the courtyard in 1934.[55]
West Chester has a variety of places to visit, including restaurants, shops, parks, and historical sites. Some popular tourist attractions include the Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center, theChester County History Center, theAmerican Helicopter Museum, theWest Chester Railroad, andQVC studio tours.[56] People can also explore Downtown West Chester, which features a selection of dining and retail options along with historical buildings.[57]
West Chester is home toWest Chester United SC, a lower level professional soccer club that currently competes in both theNational Premier Soccer League andUSL League Two. Home matches are played at Kildare's Field. The organization also fields a side in theUnited Soccer League of Pennsylvania, a fully-amateur state league.
Informational notes
Citations
Saints Peter & Paul School 1327 Boot Road West Chester, PA 19380- Compare with the township maps.
Saints Simon and Jude School 6 Cavanaugh Court West Chester, PA 19382- Compare with the township map
School Address St. Maximilian Kolbe School 300 Daly Drive West Chester, PA 19382- Compare with the township map
415 N. Church Street West Chester, Pennsylvania 19380
Places adjacent to West Chester, Pennsylvania | |
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