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Information about West Chester, Pennsylvania

Borough of West Chester
Borough |
Country |United States
State |Pennsylvania
County |Chester
Area |1.8 mi (0 km)
 - land1.8 mi (0 km)
 - water0.0 mi (0 km), 0%
Center |
 - coordinatesCoordinates:
 - elevation446 ft (0 m)
Population |17,861 (2000)
Density9,703.3 /mi (0 /km)
Mayor |Richard "Dick" Yoder
Time zone |EST (UTC-5)
 - summer (DST)EDT (UTC-4)
Area code |610
Enlarge picture
Location of West Chester in Pennsylvania
Location of West Chester in Pennsylvania
Enlarge picture
Location of Pennsylvania in the United States
Location of Pennsylvania in the United States
Website: [1]


The Borough of West Chester is the county seat of Chester County, Pennsylvania.GR6

Philadelphia is 25 miles to the east and Wilmington 17 miles to the south. Valley Forge, the Brandywine Battlefield, Longwood Gardens, and other historical attractions are near West Chester.

The West Chester University of Pennsylvania is located here. Greek Revival architecture along High Street earned West Chester the nickname "Athens of the West".

In 1900, 9,524 people lived here; in 1910, 11,767; in 1920, 11,717; and in 1940, 13,289 lived here. In 2000, the US census recorded 17,861 residents.

History

The area was originally known as Turk's Head, after the Inn of the same name located in what is now the center of the borough.

West Chester is a town that has been the seat of government in Chester County since 1786, although it wasn't incorporated until 1799. West Chester was settled in the early 18th century, principally by members of the Society of Friends. In the heart of town is its courthouse, a classical revival building designed in the 1840s by Thomas U. Walter, one of the architects for the Capitol in Washington, DC. West Chester today is part of the rapidly growing suburban complex surrounding Philadelphia.

Geography and Climate

West Chester is located at (39.958678, -75.605052).GR1 It is located 25 miles (40 km) west of Philadelphia and 17 miles (27 km) north of Wilmington, Delaware.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 4.8 km² (1.8 mi²), all land.

Annual high temperatures average between 38.1 and 85.7 Â°F, annual low temperatures average between 19.3 and 63.3 Â°F, with the record high being 105 Â°F, and record low being -16 Â°F.

Annual precipitation averages 45 inches every year, and annual snowfall averages 19.6 inches every year. [2]

Adjacent Municipalities

Demographics

Enlarge picture
Chester County Courthouse
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 17,861 people, 6,265 households, and 2,662 families residing in the borough. The population density was 3,747.9/km² (9,703.3/mi²). There were 6,541 housing units at an average density of 1,372.6/km² (3,553.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the borough was 75.44% White, 17.08% African American, 8.94% Hispanic or Latino, 3.64% from other races, 1.46% Asian, 0.31% Native American, 0.07% Pacific Islander, and 2.00% from two or more races.

There were 6,265 households out of which 19.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 26.8% were married couples living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 57.5% were non-families. 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 was $37,803, and the median income for a family was $51,018. Males had a median income of $35,540 versus $30,819 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $19,073. About 9.8% of families and 21.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.5% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.

Notable Residents

Transportation

West Chester is home to the West Chester Transportation Center, which serves as a parking garage for the soon to be opened Chester County Justice Center and a bus terminal, which is located on the lower level of the facility.

The main east-west road to West Chester is West Chester Pike, which begins in Upper Darby, Delaware County just outside of Philadelphia and is part of PA Route 3.

The main north-south road in West Chester is High Street. To the north of town, the road is known as Pottstown Pike, which parallels PA Route 100 for most of its length. To the south of town, the road is known as Wilmington Pike (US Route 202).

Corporate Headquarters

West Chester in media

  • Many of the skits on the MTV television series Jackass, and later were filmed in and around the borough, primarily ones featuring Bam Margera and the CKY Crew. The spinoff show Viva La Bam was filmed almost entirely in the area, as was the movie and the CKY videos. Margera has become something of a one-man publicity machine for West Chester, a status that allowed him to get the city's permission to close off some of West Chester's main streets to film portions of Haggard. Many local businesses such as Fairman's skateshop, Mad Platter records, Duffer's Pub and even West Chester University have benefitted from exposure in such projects.
  • QVC broadcasts originate from studios in West Goshen Township, just east of West Chester.

Government

The borough is governed by the Borough Council form of government. Led by a Borough Manager, there are seven Council Members, representing the seven voting wards. They control all departments except the Police Department (the Mayor directs the activities of the Police Department through the Chief of Police). As well as a mayor, they are elected by the citizens. The current mayor is Richard Yoder, who will serve until 2010.

Education

West Chester is home to the West Chester Area School District, the public school system for the area. Also, West Chester University is located in West Chester.

External links

  •  • [ e] Municipalities and communities of
Chester County, Pennsylvania
County seat: West Chester
Cities Coatesville
Boroughs Atglen
Townships Birmingham
CDPs Chesterbrook
Unincorporated
Communities		 Birchrunville
 •  • [ e]
County Seats of Pennsylvania
Cities Allentown | Butler | Easton | Erie | Franklin | Greensburg | Harrisburg | Lancaster | Lebanon | Lock Haven | Meadville | New Castle | Philadelphia | Pittsburgh | Pottsville | Reading | Scranton | Sunbury | Uniontown | Warren | Washington | Wilkes-Barre | Williamsport | York
Boroughs Beaver | Bedford | Bellefonte | Bloomfield| Brookville | Carlisle | Chambersburg | Clarion | Clearfield | Coudersport | Danville | Doylestown | Ebensburg | Emporium | Gettysburg | Hollidaysburg | Honesdale | Huntingdon | Indiana | Jim Thorpe | Kittanning | Laporte | Lewisburg | Lewistown | McConnellsburg | Media | Mercer | Middleburg | Mifflintown | Milford | Montrose | Norristown | Ridgway | Smethport | Somerset | Stroudsburg | Tionesta | Towanda | Tunkhannock | Waynesburg | Wellsboro | West Chester
Town Bloomsburg
Motto
"In God We Trust"   (since 1956)
"E Pluribus Unum"   ("From Many, One"; Latin, traditional)
Anthem
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Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

Flag of Pennsylvania Seal
Nickname(s): Keystone State, Quaker State,
Coal State, Oil State
Motto(s): Virtue, Liberty and Independence

Capital Harrisburg
Largest city
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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 wealthiest county in Pennsylvania.
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square mile is an imperial and US unit of area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. It should not be confused with the archaic miles square, which refers to the number of miles on each side squared.
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Square kilometre (U.S. spelling: square kilometer), symbol km², is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of surface area, the square metre, one of the SI derived units. 1 km² is equal to:
  • 1,000,000 m²
  • 100 ha (hectare)
Conversely:
  • 1 m² = 0.

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square mile is an imperial and US unit of area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. It should not be confused with the archaic miles square, which refers to the number of miles on each side squared.
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Square kilometre (U.S. spelling: square kilometer), symbol km², is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of surface area, the square metre, one of the SI derived units. 1 km² is equal to:
  • 1,000,000 m²
  • 100 ha (hectare)
Conversely:
  • 1 m² = 0.

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square mile is an imperial and US unit of area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. It should not be confused with the archaic miles square, which refers to the number of miles on each side squared.
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Square kilometre (U.S. spelling: square kilometer), symbol km², is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of surface area, the square metre, one of the SI derived units. 1 km² is equal to:
  • 1,000,000 m²
  • 100 ha (hectare)
Conversely:
  • 1 m² = 0.

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geographic coordinate system enables every location on the earth to be specified by the three coordinates of a spherical coordinate system aligned with the spin axis of the Earth.
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1 foot =
SI units
0 m 0 mm
US customary / Imperial units
0 yd 0 in
A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′
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1 metre =
SI units
1000 mm 0 cm
US customary / Imperial units
0 ft 0 in
The metre or meter[1](symbol: m) is the fundamental unit of length in the International System of Units (SI).
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square mile is an imperial and US unit of area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. It should not be confused with the archaic miles square, which refers to the number of miles on each side squared.
..... Click the link for more information.
Square kilometre (U.S. spelling: square kilometer), symbol km², is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of surface area, the square metre, one of the SI derived units. 1 km² is equal to:
  • 1,000,000 m²
  • 100 ha (hectare)
Conversely:
  • 1 m² = 0.

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Eastern Time Zone (ET) of the Western Hemisphere falls mostly along the east coast of Northern America and the west coast of South America. Its time offset is UTC-5 during standard time and UTC-4 during daylight saving time.
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UTC−5 is the time offset used in the North American Central Time Zone during Daylight Saving Time.

For North America see also Eastern Standard Time and Central Daylight Time.
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Eastern Time Zone (ET) of the Western Hemisphere falls mostly along the east coast of Northern America and the west coast of South America. Its time offset is UTC-5 during standard time and UTC-4 during daylight saving time.
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UTC−4 is the time offset used in the Atlantic Standard Time Zone in Canada in winter and the North American Eastern Time Zone during daylight saving time (DST), as well as other countries.
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Area codes 484, 610 and 835 are Commonwealth of Pennsylvania telephone area codes which serve the Southeast region of the state including the cities of Allentown, Bethlehem, and Reading, along with much of the Delaware Valley.
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A borough is an administrative division used in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely.
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A county seat is a term for an administrative center for a county, primarily used in the United States. In the Northeast United States, the statutory term often is shire town, but colloquially county seat is the term in use there.
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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 wealthiest county in Pennsylvania.
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Flag
Seal
Nickname: "City of Brotherly Love", "The City that Loves you Back", "Cradle of Liberty", "The Quaker City", "The Birthplace of America", "Philly".
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Wilmington is the name of many places:

People

  • Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington, British Prime Minister, 1742-1743, who gave his name to many of the places called Wilmington.

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Location Pennsylvania, USA
Nearest city Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Coordinates
Area 3,466 acres (14.03 km²)
Established State Park: 1893
National Historical Park: July 4, 1976
Total visitation
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Battle of Brandywine was a battle of the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War fought on September 11, 1777, in the area surrounding Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania.
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Longwood Gardens consists of 1,050 acres (4.2 km²) of gardens, woodlands, and meadows in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, in the Brandywine Valley.

Early history

The Longwood Garden was originally purchased from William Penn in 1700 by a fellow Quaker named George Peirce
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West Chester University of Pennsylvania

Established 1871
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19th century - 20th century
1870s  1880s  1890s  - 1900s -  1910s  1920s  1930s
1897 1898 1899 - 1900 - 1901 1902 1903

Year 1900 (MCM
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19th century - 20th century - 21st century
1880s  1890s  1900s  - 1910s -  1920s  1930s  1940s
1907 1908 1909 - 1910 - 1911 1912 1913

Year 1910 (MCMX
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