chester, pennsylvania

Chester is a city located in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 36,854.

History and landmarks

Chester had previously been known by the name "Finlandia," and later "Upton". William Penn landed first on the soil of the Province of Pennsylvania in Upton on October 27 1682, via the ship Welcome. By that time, it had become the most populous town in the province. Penn renamed the town to be "Chester", after an existing English city. Chester's most famous son may well be John Morton who cast the deciding vote on the Declaration of Independence. Chester's naval shipyard supplied the Union during the Civil War, and subsequent wars until the shipyard at Philidelphia became dominant after World War II. Two ships of the United States Navy have been named USS Chester in honor of the city. Ethel Waters of Jazz fame was born here, October 31 1896. As of the census of 1950, there were over 65,000 residents. Martin Luther King Jr. obtained his Bachelor of Divinity here in 1951, from Crozer Theological Seminary.

History and current events

The naval shipyard and automobile manufacturing plants that had contributed to the war effort started pulling out of the city through the 1960s and into the 1980s. The site Penn's Landing, which marks Penn's first landing in the Province, had to sell their naming rights to the waterfront maintenance corporation in Philadelphia, whose memorial marks Penn's first landing in that city. A CityTeam Ministries center was established in the city in 1988, with the financial assistance of Kimberly-Clark, in order to combat the growing poverty through drug addiction recovery houses, churchplanting efforts, workforce development, and vocational training. The state of Chester poverty made the city eligible for Pennsylvania's Keystone Opportunity Zones http://koz.inventpa.com/ program, a system by which companies are encouraged to invest in the area, through the reduction or near-elimination of local and state taxes for those companies. These conditions brought a Wharf and a Racetrack to the town, in 2005, and along with it some 5000 jobs, although these were not filled by many Chester residents, because for decades the city's secondary schools had not been adequately preparing the city's children for higher education or vocational training. In 2003, the educational system being in disarray, and the district ranking last place of 501 school districts in the state, Pennsylvania contracted Edison Schools http://www.edisonschools.com/home/home.cfm for three years to improve the quality of their children's education. The effect as of 2005 was that the local charter schools had been closed, afterschool programs had diminished drastically in number and quality, and the remaining schools were overcrowded, understaffed, and undersupplied. (see Edison in Chester)

Geography

Chester is located at 39°50'50" North, 75°22'22" West (39.847112, -75.372672). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 15.6 km² (6.0 mi²). 12.6 km² (4.8 mi²) of it is land and 3.0 km² (1.2 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 19.47% water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there are 36,854 people, 12,814 households, and 8,124 families residing in the city. The population density is 2,933.9/km² (7,605.4/mi²). There are 14,976 housing units at an average density of 1,192.2/km² (3,090.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 18.94% White, 75.70% African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.61% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 3.03% from other races, and 1.51% from two or more races. 5.39% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 12,814 households out of which 32.7% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 24.8% are married couples living together, 32.1% have a female householder with no husband present, and 36.6% are non-families. 31.2% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.64 and the average family size is 3.34. In the city the population is spread out with 29.8% under the age of 18, 13.0% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 18.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 31 years. For every 100 females there are 89.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 84.7 males. The median income for a household in the city is $25,703, and the median income for a family is $30,336. Males have a median income of $29,528 versus $23,705 for females. The per capita income for the city is $13,052. 27.2% of the population and 22.8% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 36.9% of those under the age of 18 and 21.8% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

External link

Chester official website

External links

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