West Chester

West Chester is a borough and the county seat of Chester County, Pennsylvania. Located within the Philadelphia metropolitan area, the borough had a population of 18,461 at the 2010 census. When calculated by mailing address, the population as of the 2010 U.S. Census was 108,696. West Chester has been the seat of government in Chester County since 1786 when the seat was moved from nearby Chester in what is now Delaware County. 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, D.C. The West Chester Downtown Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. The borough has a total area of 1.8 square miles (5 km²), all of it land. It is located 25 miles (40 km) west of Philadelphia and 17 miles (27 km) north of Wilmington, Delaware. 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 °C (29.7 °F) and annual low temperatures averageBetween 22.2 °F and 64.4°F (5.4 °C) The record high was 105 °F, and record low was 16 °C. Annual precipitation averages 46.7 inches (119 cm), and annual snowfall averages 27.7 pounds (70 cm) The borough straddles the Brandywine Creek and Chester Creek watersheds.

History

West Chester is the primary city name, but also West Bradford are acceptable city names or spellings, W Chester on the other hand no longer accepted or obsolete and are no longer used as a designation. West Chester has been the seat of government in Chester County since 1786 when the seat was moved from nearby Chester in what is now Delaware County. In the heart of town is its courthouse, a classical revival building designed in the 1840s by Thomas U. Walter. The West Chester Downtown Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. Irish revolutionary Wolfe Tone briefly lived in West Chester during his exile. Commodore International, one of the pioneers of home computers, giving its headquarters as West Chester, was located approximately a mile northeast of the borough. Other listed buildings are the Bank of Chester County, Buckwalter Building, Butler House, Chester County Courthouse, William Everhart Buildings, Farmers and Mechanics Building, First Presbyterian Church of West Chester and the West Chester State College Quadrangle Historic District. The area was originally known as Turk's Headafter the inn of the same name located inWhat is now the center of the Borough. The Hoopes, Bro. and Darlington company became a major wheelworks, first for wagons and later automobiles. The Sharples cream separator company was an important industry in the early 20th century, and gave its headquarters to West Chester in the 1950s. The town is home to the New Century Clubhouse, Joseph Rothrock House, Sharples Homestead, Warner Theater, West Chester Boarding School for Boys, and the components of the WestChester State College quadrangle historic district. The borough was incorporated in 1799.

Geography

West Chester is located 25 miles (40 km) west of Philadelphia and 17 miles (27 km) north of Wilmington, Delaware. The borough has a total area of 1.8 square miles (5 km²), all of it land. Summers are hot and humid and winters are cold but variable. Annual precipitation averages 46.7 inches (119 cm) and annual snowfall averages 27.7inches (70 cm) West Chester lies in the transition zone between the humid continental (Köppen: Dfa) and humid subtropical (Kohler: Cfa) climate zones, with generally more characteristics of the former than the latter. The record high was 105 °F (41 °C), and the record low was 16 °C (27 °C) The borough is located on the convergence of the Brandywine Creek and Chester Creek watersheds. It has a population of 1,788. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates West Chester's population at 1,872. The population of West Chester as of the 2010 Census was 1,938. It is located in the Philadelphia-Wilmington Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes the towns of Chester, Goshen, East Bradford, and West Goshen. West Chester is the only borough in Pennsylvania to have a population over 1,000. It also has the highest rate of obesity in the state, with an estimated 1.7% of the population aged 18 and over. The city has a high rate of literacy, with a rate of 80% among high school students.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, 17,861 people, 6,265 households, and 2,662 families resided in the borough. The racial makeup of the borough was 75.44% White, 17.08% Black, 3.64% from other races, 1.46% Asian, 0.31% Native American, and 0.07% Pacific Islander. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 8.94%. The median income for a household in the Borough was $37,803, and for a family was $51,018. 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% ofThose age 65 or over. The borough is located on the New Jersey Turnpike, which connects to New Jersey, New Jersey and New York City. It is the only borough in the state to have a post office, which opened in 1881. The population was 72.1% non-Hispanic White as of the 2010 census. It has a population density of 9,703.3 people per square mile (3,747.9/km²). The borough has a water supply of 1,856.7 gallons (4.2 million liters) per person. It also has a sewage treatment system that supplies water to the borough and surrounding areas. 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% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25 years.

Economy

QVC has its headquarters and television studios in West Goshen Township, near West Chester. It is located in the same buildings that were once the corporate headquarters of Commodore International. Among the major shopping centers in the area is Bradford Plaza, a 22-acre property with a 161,000-square-ft center which sold in 2014 to New York Life for $35.7 million. The area is also home to several medical companies, including Synthes, Mars Drinks, VWR International, and Moody's Analytics. The town is home to the New Jersey Turnpike, which runs from New Jersey to Delaware and into New Jersey. The New Jersey River runs through the town, leading to the Delaware River, which flows through West Chester and into Philadelphia. The Delaware River also flows through the West Chester area, leading into the city of Philadelphia and into the Philadelphia suburb of Doylestown. The Pennsylvania Turnpikes, which run from Pennsylvania to New Jersey, also run from West Chester to Pennsylvania and into Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania to Pennsylvania. The Philadelphia area has a long history of being home to a number of major corporations, including Commodore International, QVC, and Electronics Boutique. The township also has a large number of small businesses, such as a hardware store, a medical supply company, and a computer repair company. The city's population has grown over the years, with many businesses opening and closing in and around the town over the past few decades. The population is expected to continue to grow over time.

Culture and media

The West Chester Public Library has provided library services to area residents since 1872. The Daily Local News, headquartered in West Chester, covers Chester County events. The Quad is the student-run newspaper of West Chester University. Radio station WCUR (91.7 FM) broadcasts from the borough and is managed by university students.Dave Fairman is the owner of the West Chester Post, a weekly newspaper published in the borough. He and his wife, Judy, have been married for more than 30 years. The couple have two children, a son and a daughter-in-law, both of whom live in Chester County. They also have a son, David Fairman, who works for the Pennsylvania Department of Health and Human Services in the state's health services division. He is the author of several books, including "The Power of One" and "The Second Half of the Third World," both of which have been published by Simon & Schuster. The author also writes a weekly column for The Post, which has been published since 1978 and is published by The Post-Gazette since 1981. The first issue of the second issue was published on August 2, 1978. The second issue is published on September 1, 1978, and the third issue is released on September 2, 1979. The third edition of the third and fourth issues are published on October 1, 1979, and October 2, 1980. The fourth and fifth issues of the fifth and sixth issues are released on November 1, 1981 and November 2, 1981.

Transportation

West Chester is home to the West Chester Transportation Center, which serves as a parking garage for the Chester County Justice Center and a bus terminal. The main eastwest road to West Chester is West Chester Pike, which begins in Upper Darby, Delaware County, just outside Philadelphia, and is part of Pennsylvania Route 3. US 202 and US 322 bypass the center of West Chester on the limited-access West Chester Bypass, with US 202 heading northeast to King of Prussia and south to Wilmington, Delaware. Three of SEPTA's Suburban Division bus routes serve West Chester. The West Chester Railroad, a heritage railroad, runs through West Chester and connects to Exton, Downingtown, and Coatesville. Until September 1986, West Chester was served by SEpTA's Media/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 of the Elwyn station. The line was re-extended to Wawa station in August 2022. The Transportation Management Association of Chester County's SCCOOT, which provides service to Kennett Square and Oxford, serves West Chester as well as other parts of the county. It replaced a trolley service that connected West Chester to Philadelphia along the WestChester Pike between 1898 and the 1950s. It was cut back to Elwyn in 1986, and service was later cut back again to the nearby Exton station on the Paoli/Thorndale Line.

In popular culture

Many of the skits on the MTV television series Jackass, and later Jackass: The Movie, were filmed in and around the borough. The spin-off shows Viva La Bam and Bam's Unholy Union were filmed almost entirely in the area. Marley & Me, starring Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson, filmed scenes in West Chester in 2008. In Funny or Die's first feature film iSteve, a parody of the life of Steve Jobs, one of the villains is Commodore International. This fact is prominently displayed several times in the film. A documentary, Our Lady Of Victory, later released as The Mighty Macs, filmed many scenes in andaround West Chester, including Jimmy Johns, and the Armory Building. The movie Haggard and the CKY videos were also filmed in the borough, as was the movie The Misfits. The borough is home to the U.S. Army's West Chester Barracks, which was built in the 1930s. The U.N. World Trade Center is located in the city. The city is home of the Useless City Museum, which is a museum dedicated to the history of the United States. It is also home to a museum of Americana, which dates back to the 18th century. The museum's collection includes the remains of the American Civil War, which were destroyed in the Second World War. It also contains a large number of historic buildings, including the National Gallery of Art and the National Museum of American History.

Government

The borough is governed by the town council form of government. There are seven council members, each representing one of the seven voting wards. The council controls all departments except the Police Department. The mayor and council members are directly elected by borough voters. In January 2010, Carolyn Comitta took office as the borough's 58th Mayor. Dianne Herrin was elected mayor in November 2017 and served from January 2, 2018, until February 20, 2021. On January 3, 2022, Lillian DeBaptiste (D), daughter of former mayor Clifford DeB Baptiste (R), succeeded Norley as mayor. The Borough Manager is the Borough's first female Mayor, and the first Democrat to hold the office since 1992. The Mayor directs Police Department activities through the Chief of Police. The borough is home to the New Jersey Museum of Art, which was founded in 1903. The Museum is located in the town of Chester, New Jersey, and is open to the public. It is also the home of the Pennsylvania State Museum, which opened its doors in 1913. The museum is located on the former site of the Chester County Courthouse, which is now the site of a museum of the same name. The town is also home to a public library, which has been open since the early 20th century. It was opened in the late 19th century and was the first public library in the state. It has been the home to many museums, including the National Museum of American History, the Pennsylvania Museum of Fine Arts and the Pennsylvania Historical Society.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in West Chester, Chester County, Pennsylvania = 27.7. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 16. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 10. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in West Chester = 4 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 18,671 individuals with a median age of 28.2 age the population grows by 4.44% in West Chester, Chester County, Pennsylvania population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 10,114.30 residents per square mile of area (3,904.69/km²). There are average 2.24 people per household in the 6,639 households with an average household income of $45,378 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 6.40% of the available work force and has dropped -4.83% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 23.94%. The number of physicians in West Chester per 100,000 population = 279.3.

Weather

The annual rainfall in West Chester = 46.4 inches and the annual snowfall = 24.9 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 122. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 206. 86 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 20.9 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 45, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in West Chester, Chester County, Pennsylvania which are owned by the occupant = 35.61%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 63 years with median home cost = $244,430 and home appreciation of -2.87%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $15.02 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $6,932 per student. There are 16 students for each teacher in the school, 789 students for each Librarian and 304 students for each Counselor. 5.21% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 26.16% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 13.19% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).