| West Chester | |
| Borough | |
| Official name: Borough of West Chester | |
| Country | United States |
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| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Chester |
| Elevation | 446 ft (136 m) |
| Coordinates | |
| Area | 1.8 sq mi (5 km2) |
| - land | 1.8 sq mi (5 km2) |
| - water | 0.0 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Population | 18,461 (2010) |
| Density | 10,256.1 / sq mi (3,960 / km2) |
| Mayor | Carolyn Comitta |
| Timezone | EST (UTC-5) |
| - summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP Codes | 19380-19383, 19388 |
| Area code | 484, 610 |
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Location of West Chester in Pennsylvania
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Location of Pennsylvania in the United States
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| Website: www.west-chester.com | |
The Borough of West Chester is the county seat of Chester County, Pennsylvania,[1] United States. The population was 18,461 at the 2010 census.[2]
Valley Forge, the Brandywine Battlefield, Longwood Gardens, Marsh Creek State Park, and other historical attractions are near West Chester. West Chester University of Pennsylvania is located in the borough.
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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.[3] West Chester has been the seat of government in Chester County since 1786, and the borough incorporated in 1799.[4] 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. [5] In the eighteenth century West Chester was a center of clockmaking. In the early twentieth, an important industry was the Sharples cream separator company.[6] In the late twentieth the pioneer in microcomputers Commodore International, giving its headquarters as West Chester, was located approximately a mile northeast of the borough.
West Chester is located at (39.958678, -75.605052).[7] 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 1.8 square miles (5 km2), all of it land.
Annual high temperatures average between 38.1 °F (3.4 °C) and 85.7 °F (29.8 °C), annual low temperatures average between 19.3 °F (−7.1 °C) and 63.3 °F (17.4 °C), with the record high being 105 °F (41 °C), and record low being −16 °F (−27 °C).[8]
Annual precipitation averages 45 inches (110 cm), and annual snowfall averages 19.6 inches (50 cm). [1]
| Historical populations | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1900 | 9,524 |
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| 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% | |
As of the census[9] of 2000, there were 17,861 people, 6,265 households, and 2,662 families residing in the borough. The population density was 9,703.3 people per square mile (3,747.9/km²). There were 6,541 housing units at an average density of 3,553.5 per square mile (1,372.6/km²). 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, 0.07% Pacific Islander, and 2.00% from two or more races.Hispanic or Latino of any race was 8.94%.
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.
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, 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 connects to PA Route 100 in Exton. To the south of town, the road is known as Wilmington-West Chester Pike (US Route 202 and US Route 322).
Until September 1986, West Chester was served by SEPTA's Media/Elwyn Line commuter rail line. Service on the line was discontinued due to poor track conditions west of the Elwyn 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 nearby Exton station on SEPTA's Paoli/Thorndale Line. The county opted for the latter and service on the line was cut back to its current terminus of Elwyn. The rail line into West Chester is used by the West Chester Railroad, a heritage railroad.
Corporate headquarters include:
QVC has its headquarters in West Goshen Township,[10][11] near West Chester. Electronics Boutique, when it existed as an independent company, had its headquarters in West Goshen Township,[12][13] in proximity to West Chester.[11][14]
The borough is governed by the town 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 the Chief of Police). The mayor and council members are directly elected by borough voters. In January 2010 Carolyn Comitta took office as the borough's 58th mayor. She succeeds Richard "Dick" Yoder, who served the eight-year maximum term. Comitta is the first female mayor in borough history.[16]
West Chester Area School District manages the area's public school system, which includes three high schools: Henderson High School, West Chester East High School, and Rustin High School. West Chester University is located in the borough, south of the commercial and retail center.
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