The
BoroughIn the U.S. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, a borough is a self-governing municipal entity that is usually smaller than a city. There are 958 boroughs in Pennsylvania. All municipalities in Pennsylvania are classified as either cities, boroughs, or townships...
of
West Chester is the
county seatA county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of
Chester County-State parks:*French Creek State Park*Marsh Creek State Park*White Clay Creek Preserve-Demographics:As of the 2010 census, the county was 85.5% White, 6.1% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American or Alaskan Native, 3.9% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian, 1.8% were two or more races, and 2.4% were...
,
PennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 18,461 at the 2010 census.
Valley ForgeValley Forge National Historical Park is the site where the Continental Army spent the winter of 1777–1778 near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, during the American Revolutionary War. The National Historical Park preserves the site and interprets the history of the Valley Forge encampment. ...
, the
Brandywine BattlefieldBrandywine Battlefield Historic Site is a historical park that was operated by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, on , near Chadds Ford, Delaware County, Pennsylvania in the United States. It is part of the site of the Battle of Brandywine fought on September 11, 1777, during the...
,
Longwood GardensLongwood Gardens consists of over 1,077 acres of gardens, woodlands, and meadows in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, United States in the Brandywine Creek Valley...
,
Marsh Creek State ParkMarsh Creek State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Upper Uwchlan and Wallace Townships, Chester County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is the location of the man-made Marsh Creek Lake. With an average depth of 40 feet , the lake is stocked with fish and is a stop for migrating...
, and other historical attractions are near West Chester.
West Chester University of PennsylvaniaWest Chester University of Pennsylvania is a public university located in West Chester, Pennsylvania, about miles west of Philadelphia. It is one of the 14 state universities of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education . West Chester was ranked 69th in the Master's Universities ...
is located in the borough.
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 has been the seat of government in Chester County since 1786, and the borough incorporated in 1799. In the heart of town is its courthouse, a classical revival building designed in the 1840s by
Thomas U. WalterThomas Ustick Walter of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was an American architect, the dean of American architecture between the 1820 death of Benjamin Latrobe and the emergence of H.H. Richardson in the 1870s...
, one of the architects for the
CapitolThe United States Capitol is the meeting place of the United States Congress, the legislature of the federal government of the United States. Located in Washington, D.C., it sits atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall...
in
Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
In the eighteenth century West Chester was a center of clockmaking. In the early twentieth, an important industry was the Sharples cream separator company.
In the late twentieth the pioneer in microcomputers
Commodore InternationalCommodore is the commonly used name for Commodore Business Machines , the U.S.-based home computer manufacturer and electronics manufacturer headquartered in West Chester, Pennsylvania, which also housed Commodore's corporate parent company, Commodore International Limited...
, giving its headquarters as West Chester, was located approximately a mile northeast of the borough.
Geography and climate
West Chester is located at 39°57′31"N 75°36′18"W (39.958678, -75.605052). It is located 25 miles (40 km) west of Philadelphia and 17 miles (27 km) north of
WilmingtonWilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...
,
DelawareDelaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
.
According to the
United States Census BureauThe United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, 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 (40.6 °C), and record low being -16 F.
Annual
precipitationIn meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation (also known as one of the classes of hydrometeors, which are atmospheric water phenomena is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravity. The main forms of precipitation...
averages 45 inches (114.3 cm), and annual snowfall averages 19.6 inches (49.8 cm).
http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=464963&refer=&units=us
Adjacent municipalities
- West Goshen Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania
West Goshen Township is a township in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 21,866 at the 2010 census. In 2009, Money Magazine voted West Goshen as the 11th best small town in America....
- north, south, and east
- East Bradford Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania
East Bradford Township is a township in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 9,942 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...
- west
Demographics
As of the
censusA census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 17,861 people, 6,265 households, and 2,662 families residing in the borough. The
population densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
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 racesRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 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 couplesMarriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
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 incomePer capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
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 people
- Samuel Barber
Samuel Osborne Barber II was an American composer of orchestral, opera, choral, and piano music. His Adagio for Strings is his most popular composition and widely considered a masterpiece of modern classical music...
, musical composer
- Dave Barry
David "Dave" Barry is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American author and columnist, who wrote a nationally syndicated humor column for The Miami Herald from 1983 to 2005. He has also written numerous books of humor and parody, as well as comedic novels.-Biography:Barry was born in Armonk, New York,...
, newspaper columnist
- Nick Berg
Nicholas Evan "Nick" Berg was an American businessman who went to Iraq after the US invasion of Iraq. He was abducted and later beheaded according to a video released in May 2004 by Islamist militants...
, murdered hostageA hostage is a person or entity which is held by a captor. The original definition meant that this was handed over by one of two belligerent parties to the other or seized as security for the carrying out of an agreement, or as a preventive measure against certain acts of war...
- Tom Bostelle
-Career:A native of Chester County, Pennsylvania, Bostelle won an N.C. Wyeth prize from the Chester County Art Association while still very young. He credited Cezanne as a major influence in his early career, and also admired the work of artists as diverse as Giacometti, Jackson Pollock and Willem...
, painterPainting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
and sculptor
- Norman Braman
Norman Braman is a former American football team owner. He was the owner of the Philadelphia Eagles. Norman and his brother-in-law, Ed Leibowitz, officially became the owners of the Eagles on April 29, 1985. Norman owned 65 percent of the team while Ed owned 35 percent until July 16, 1986 Norman...
, former owner of the Philadelphia EaglesThe Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
football team
- Smedley Butler
Smedley Darlington Butler was a Major General in the U.S. Marine Corps, an outspoken critic of U.S. military adventurism, and at the time of his death the most decorated Marine in U.S...
, Medal of HonorThe Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
recipient and anti-war activist
- Buffalo Bill Cody, showman
- William Darlington
William Darlington was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.William Darlington was born in Birmingham, Chester County, Pennsylvania. He attended Friends School at Birmingham and spent his youth on a farm...
, botanist and United States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
member
- Jim Furyk
James Michael Furyk is an American professional golfer, 2010 FedEx Cup champion, and 2010 PGA Tour Player of the Year. He has won one major championship, the 2003 U.S. Open. Furyk is known for consistently playing at the top level and for a visibly unconventional, looping golf swing...
, professional golfFor information about professional golf see:*Professional golfer, which describes the various branches of the profession.*Professional golf tours, which covers elite professional competitive golf and links to more detailed articles about each tour....
er
- Kyle Gallner
Kyle Gallner is an American actor. He is possibly best known for his portrayal of Cassidy "Beaver" Casablancas in the Teen neo-noir television series Veronica Mars, and for guest-starring in teen sci-fi drama Smallville as superhero Bart Allen, an adaptation of the character of The Flash and...
, actor
- Bruce Haack
Bruce Clinton Haack was a musician, composer, and pioneer of electronic music. He was born in Alberta, Canada.-From Alberta to New York :...
, electronic musician and composer
- Cole Hamels
Colbert Michael "Cole" Hamels is a left-handed starting pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies. Hamels throws a four-seam fastball, a circle changeup, a curveball, and a cut fastball, which he added in 2010...
, Major League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
pitcherIn baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
- Joseph Hemphill
Joseph Hemphill was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.Hemphill was born in Thornbury Township, Pennsylvania. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania at Philadelphia in 1791. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1793 and commenced practice in West...
, United States House of Representatives member
- Joseph Hergesheimer
Joseph Hergesheimer was a prominent American writer of the early 20th century known for his naturalistic novels of decadent life amongst the very wealthy.-Biography:...
, novelist
- Anna Jarvis
Anna Marie Jarvis is the founder of the Mother's Day holiday in the United States.-Biography:...
, founder of the Mother's DayMother's Day is a celebration honoring mothers and celebrating motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on various days in many parts of the world, yet most commonly in March, April, or May...
holiday in the United States
- Bruce Larkin
Bruce Larkin is a children's book author. He is also the founder of Wilbooks, an educational publishing company. Bruce Larkin's books are primarily used to teach young children how to read. Larkin has authored more than 1000 books, both fiction and non-fiction, for beginner readers. Bruce Larkin...
, children's book author
- Sebastien Le Toux
Sébastien Le Toux is a French-American footballer who currently plays for the Philadelphia Union in Major League Soccer.-Professional:Le Toux was part of the youth setup at Rennes, and briefly played for Lorient in Ligue 2, prior to moving to the United States.Le Toux unsuccessfully tried out for...
, professional soccerMajor League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
player
- John Lilley
John Lilley is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, guitar teacher and landscape gardener, best known for being a member of rock band The Hooters.-Early life:...
, guitaristA guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
- Bam Margera
Brandon Cole "Bam" Margera is an American professional skateboarder, television and radio personality, actor and daredevil. He released a series of videos under the CKY banner and came to prominence after being drafted into MTV's Jackass crew...
, professional skateboarderSkateboarding is an action sport which involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard.Skateboarding can be a recreational activity, an art form, a job, or a method of transportation. Skateboarding has been shaped and influenced by many skateboarders throughout the years. A 2002 report...
and actorAn actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
- Jess Margera
Jesse Phillip Margera is the drummer in the band CKY, its predecessor Oil and Foreign Objects, Viking Skull, and The Company Band.-Life and career:...
, drummerA drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
- Ryan Dunn
Ryan Matthew Dunn was an American reality television personality and daredevil best known for being a member of the Jackass and Viva La Bam crew. He hosted Homewrecker and Proving Ground...
, actor
- Matisyahu, reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
musician
- Jon Matlack
Jonathan Trumpbour Matlack is an American former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher...
, Major League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
pitcherIn baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
- Charlie McDermott
Charlie McDermott is an American television and film actor. Since 2004, he has worked on a wide range of television series, including The Office, Private Practice and The Middle. He moved to Los Angeles at the age of 16....
, actorAn actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
- Muffet McGraw
-External links:...
, women's basketballWomen's basketball is one of the few women's sports that developed in tandem with its men's counterpart. It became popular, spreading from the east coast of the United States to the west coast , in large part via women's colleges...
coach
- Matthew McGrory
Matthew McGrory was an American actor, known for his great height.-Early life:McGrory was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania. McGrory studied pre-law at Widener University, where he resided in campus housing on the first floor of Howell Hall. Studied Criminal Justice at West Chester University....
(AKA "Bigfoot"), actorAn actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, known for his great height
- Kyle Nakazawa
Kyle Nakazawa is an American soccer player who currently plays for Philadelphia Union in Major League Soccer.-College and Amateur:...
, professional soccerMajor League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
player
- Sean O'Hair
Sean M. O'Hair is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour.-Early life:O'Hair was born in Lubbock, Texas...
, Professional golferIn golf the distinction between amateurs and professionals is rigorously maintained. An amateur who breaches the rules of amateur status may lose his or her amateur status. A golfer who has lost his or her amateur status may not play in amateur competitions until amateur status has been reinstated;...
- Kevin Orie
Kevin Leonard Orie is a former Major League Baseball third baseman. He is an alumnus of Indiana University, where he was a standout for the Hoosiers baseball team.-Chicago Cubs:...
, Major League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player
- Glen Osbourne
Glen Osbourne is an American professional wrestler, perhaps best known for his appearances with Eastern Championship Wrestling in the early 1990s, where he was the youngest holder of the ECW World Television Championship...
, professional wrestler
- Horace Pippin
Horace Pippin was a self-taught African-American painter. The injustice of slavery and American segregation figure prominently in many of his works.-Biography:...
, painterPainting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
- Claude Rains
Claude Rains was an English stage and film actor whose career spanned 66 years. He was known for many roles in Hollywood films, among them the title role in The Invisible Man , a corrupt senator in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington , Mr...
, actorAn actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
- David M. Rodriguez
David M. Rodriguez is a United States Army general who currently serves as the Commanding General, U.S. Army Forces Command. He previously served as Commander, International Security Assistance Force Joint Command and Deputy Commander, U.S. Forces - Afghanistan from March 2010 to July 11, 2011...
, General, U.S. Army Forces Command
- Asher Roth
Asher Paul Roth is an American rapper.-Early life:Asher Roth was born and raised in Morrisville, Pennsylvania, a small town about 20 miles northeast of Philadelphia. His mother, Elizabeth , is a yoga instructor, and his father, David Roth, is the executive director of a design firm...
, rap artist
- Joseph Rothrock
Joseph Trimbel Rothrock was an American environmentalist, recognized as the "Father of Forestry" in Pennsylvania. In 1895, Rothrock was appointed the first forestry commissioner to lead the newly formed Division of Forestry in the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture...
, botanist and environmentalistAn environmentalist broadly supports the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that seeks to improve and protect the quality of the natural environment through changes to environmentally harmful human activities"...
- Bayard Rustin
Bayard Rustin was an American leader in social movements for civil rights, socialism, pacifism and non-violence, and gay rights.In the pacifist Fellowship of Reconciliation , Rustin practiced nonviolence...
, civil rights activist
- Matt Schaub
Matthew Rutledge Schaub is the starting quarterback for the Houston Texans. He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the third round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He played college football at Virginia.-College career:...
, National Football LeagueThe National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
quarterbackQuarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
- Bud Sharpe
Bayard Heston "Bud" Sharpe is a former Major League Baseball first baseman/outfielder. He played Major League baseball in parts of two seasons-1905 and 1910....
, Major League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player
- Acey Slade
Acey Slade, , is the lead singer and guitarist of the band Acey Slade & The Dark Party. Previous to this he was the lead vocalist and guitarist in the punk rock band Trashlight Vision, which broke up September 12, 2007...
, punk rockPunk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
musician
- Kerr Smith
Kerr Van Cleve Smith is an American actor best known for playing Jack McPhee on The WB drama series Dawson's Creek, Kyle Brody in The WB's, supernatural drama, Charmed and more recently Axel Palmer in My Bloody Valentine 3D...
, actorAn actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
- Noel Jan Tyl
Noel Jan Tyl is an American humanistic astrologer and writer of many books on the subject. In the 1960s and 70s he was a bass-baritone opera singer who was particularly noted for his Wagnerian roles.-Life and career:...
, opera singer and astrologer
- Theobald Wolfe Tone
Theobald Wolfe Tone or Wolfe Tone , was a leading Irish revolutionary figure and one of the founding members of the United Irishmen and is regarded as the father of Irish Republicanism. He was captured by British forces at Lough Swilly in Donegal and taken prisoner...
, Irish RepublicanIrish republicanism is an ideology based on the belief that all of Ireland should be an independent republic.In 1801, under the Act of Union, the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland merged to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
- Washington Townsend
Washington Townsend was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.Washington Townsend was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania. He attended a private school and West Chester Academy. He was engaged as a bank teller from 1828 to 1844...
, United States House of Representatives member
- Geralyn Wolf
Geralyn Wolf is the twelfth diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Rhode Island in the Episcopal Church. Wolf was consecrated as bishop on 17 February 1996....
, EpiscopalThe Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
BishopA bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
- Richard Zobel
Richard J. Zobel was an American actor.Zobel was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania, and moved to New York City for his acting career. He starred in All's Well That Ends Well in the New York Shakespeare Festival in Central Park in 1978, and on Broadway as Levinsky in Nuts in 1980...
, actor
Transportation
West Chester is home to the
West Chester Transportation CenterThe West Chester Transportation Center is a bus terminal and parking garage in West Chester, Pennsylvania. The $1,250,000 transportation center, upon which construction began in October 2004, was opened in December 2005...
, which serves as a parking garage for the Chester County Justice Center and a
bus terminalA bus station is a structure where city or intercity buses stop to pick up and drop off passengers. It is larger than a bus stop, which is usually simply a place on the roadside, where buses can stop...
, 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 CountyDelaware County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 558,979, making it Pennsylvania's fifth most populous county, behind Philadelphia, Allegheny, Montgomery, and Bucks counties....
just outside of Philadelphia and is part of
PA Route 3Pennsylvania Route 3 is a state highway located in the southeastern portion of Pennsylvania. The route connects West Chester with Philadelphia. The divided highway that comprises much of its route is the West Chester Pike, built as a turnpike by the Philadelphia and West Chester Turnpike Company...
.
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 100Pennsylvania Route 100 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania that runs from U.S. Route 202 in West Chester, Pennsylvania to Pennsylvania Route 309 in Pleasant Corners, Pennsylvania....
in
ExtonExton is a census-designated place in West Whiteland Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. Its population was 4,842 at the 2010 census. The Exton Square Mall is located within Exton along with several other shopping centers, making Exton the major shopping district in Chester...
. To the south of town, the road is known as Wilmington-West Chester Pike (
US Route 202U.S. Route 202 runs through the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, passing through the northern and western suburbs of Philadelphia. It follows in a general southwest to northeast direction through the state, passing through West Chester, King of Prussia, Norristown,...
and
US Route 322U.S. Route 322 is a long, east–west United States Highway, traversing Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. The road is a spur of U.S. Route 22 and one of the original highways from 1926...
).
Until September 1986, West Chester was served by SEPTA's
Media/Elwyn LineThe Media/Elwyn Line is a SEPTA Regional Rail line running from Center City Philadelphia west to Elwyn in Delaware County.Originally known as the Media/West Chester Branch, service was truncated on September 19, 1986 from West Chester to its current terminus at Elwyn. Service expansion beyond Elwyn...
commuter rail line. Service on the line was discontinued due to poor track conditions west of the
ElwynElwyn is the southern terminus of the SEPTA Media/Elwyn Line. Until 1986, service continued west to West Chester. Services was suspended due to poor track conditions...
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
ExtonExton Station is a commuter rail station located in the western suburbs of Philadelphia atWalkertown Road, Exton, Pennsylvania. It is served by most Amtrak Keystone Service, Pennsylvanian , and Paoli/Thorndale Line trains....
station on SEPTA's
Paoli/Thorndale LineThe Paoli/Thorndale Line is a SEPTA Regional Rail line running from Center City Philadelphia to Thorndale in Chester County.-Route:This branch utilizes one of the oldest sections of what is now Amtrak's Keystone Corridor, an electrified 104-mile two to four-track high-speed route between Harrisburg...
. The county opted for the latter and service on the line was cut back to its current terminus of
ElwynElwyn is a town in the Philadelphia-Camden metropolitan area. Elwyn is in Middletown Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, USA. Middletown Township had a population of 16,000 in the 2000 census...
. The rail line into West Chester is used by the
West Chester RailroadThe West Chester Railroad is a privately owned and operated tourist railroad that runs between Market Street in West Chester, Pennsylvania in Chester County and the village of Glen Mills, Pennsylvania in Delaware County....
, a heritage railroad.
Economy
Corporate headquarters include:
- Commodore Business Machines (CBM), the operational headquarters of Commodore International
Commodore is the commonly used name for Commodore Business Machines , the U.S.-based home computer manufacturer and electronics manufacturer headquartered in West Chester, Pennsylvania, which also housed Commodore's corporate parent company, Commodore International Limited...
(now defunct)
- VWR International
VWR, headquartered in Radnor, Pennsylvania, is a global laboratory supply and distribution company with worldwide sales in excess of $3.6 billion in 2010....
(Lab and Scientific supplies distributor)
- Synthes
Synthes Holding AG is a multinational medical device manufacturer based in Solothurn, Switzerland and West Chester, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the world's largest maker of implants to mend bone fractures, and also produces surgical power tools and advanced biomaterials...
(Medical company)
- Sonobond Ultrasonics
Sonobond Ultrasonics is a company located in West Chester, Pennsylvania, USA, providing national and international businesses with ultrasonic welding equipment for a wide range of industries.- History :...
Ultrasonic Welding Company. Received first U.S. Patent for ultrasonic metal welding.
- CTDI - Communications Test Design Inc.
- Schramm Inc.
- Lasko Products Inc.
- Economy.com, part of Moody's Analytics
Moody’s Analytics provides capital markets and risk management professionals with credit analysis, economic research, financial risk management software, and advisory services...
QVCQVC is a multinational corporation specializing in televised home shopping. Founded in 1986 by Joseph Segel in West Goshen Township, Pennsylvania, United States, QVC broadcasts in five countries as QVC US, QVC UK, QVC Germany, QVC Japan and – QVC Italy to 200 million households...
has its headquarters in West Goshen Township, near West Chester.
Electronics BoutiqueEB Games is an American computer and video games retailer. First established as an American company in 1977 by Emmanuel Baxter with a single electronics-focused location in the King of Prussia Mall near Philadelphia, the company has grown into an international corporation...
, when it existed as an independent company, had its headquarters in West Goshen Township, in proximity to West Chester.
West Chester in media
- Many of the skits on the MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
television series Jackass, and later Jackass: The MovieJackass: The Movie is a 2002 American reality film directed by Jeff Tremaine with the tagline "Do not attempt this at home." It is a riskier and uncensored continuation of the stunts and pranks by the various characters of the MTV television series Jackass, which had completed its unique series...
were filmed in and around the borough, primarily ones featuring Bam MargeraBrandon Cole "Bam" Margera is an American professional skateboarder, television and radio personality, actor and daredevil. He released a series of videos under the CKY banner and came to prominence after being drafted into MTV's Jackass crew...
and the CKY CrewThe Camp Kill Yourself Crew are a group of friends and relatives centered around Bam Margera, many of whom are from or located in and around West Chester, Pennsylvania...
. The spin-offIn media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
show Viva La BamViva La Bam is an American reality television series that stars Bam Margera and his friends and family. The show was a spin-off from MTV's Jackass, in which Margera and most of the main cast had appeared...
was filmed almost entirely in the area, as was the movie HaggardHaggard: The Movie is a 2003 American independent comedy film based on the true story of how reality television personality Ryan Dunn's promiscuous girlfriend cheated on him. The film was financed, directed and produced by Bam Margera.- Plot :...
and the CKY videos.
- A recent documentary, Our Lady Of Victory, later released with the changed name of "The Mighty Macs" filmed many scenes in and around West Chester, including Jimmy Johns, and the Armory Building. It portrays the Immaculata University
Immaculata University is a Catholic University on King Road in East Whiteland Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania.-History:Immaculata was founded as Villa Maria College, a women's college in 1920. It was the first Catholic college for women in the Philadelphia area...
women's basketball team's road to the first ever womans NCAA Championship, when they beat West Chester University.
- Marley & Me
Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog is a New York Times bestselling autobiographical book by journalist John Grogan, published in 2005, about the thirteen years he and his family shared their life, home, and heart with Marley, a possibly neurotic, and certified "untrainable",...
, starring Jennifer AnistonJennifer Joanna Aniston is an American actress, film director, and producer, best known for her role as Rachel Green on the television sitcom Friends, a role which earned her an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.Aniston has also enjoyed a successful film career,...
and Owen WilsonOwen Cunningham Wilson is an American actor and writer, known for his roles in the films The Haunting, The Royal Tenenbaums, Zoolander, Meet the Parents, Wedding Crashers, You, Me and Dupree, Bottle Rocket, the Cars series, The Darjeeling Limited, Marley & Me, Midnight in Paris, Shanghai Noon,...
, filmed a scene along West Chester's Gay Street in 2008.
- Chester County author Bruce Mowday
Bruce E. Mowday is an author and Republican political activist who lives in Chester County, Pennsylvania. He specializes in books about local history.- Books :...
has written two books about the borough: West Chester: Six Walking Tours and West Chester
Government
The borough is governed by the
town councilA town council is a democratically elected form of government for small municipalities or civil parishes. A council may serve as both the representative and executive branch....
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 PoliceA Chief of Police is the title typically given to the top official in the chain of command of a police department, particularly in North America. Alternate titles for this position include Commissioner, Superintendent, and Chief constable...
). 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" YoderRichard Bruce "Dick" Yoder is a former Republican mayor of West Chester, Pennsylvania. Yoder was born in West Chester and has lived there his whole life. He attended West Chester East High School and after his graduation he attended Villanova University. He also served in the Marine Corps for six...
, who served the eight-year maximum term. Comitta is the first female mayor in borough history.
Education
West Chester Area School DistrictThe West Chester Area School District covers a basis, for the area of West Chester, Pennsylvania, United States. The borough of West Chester is the center of the district...
manages the area's public school system, which includes three high schools: Henderson High School,
West Chester East High SchoolWest Chester East High School is a public four-year high school located in West Chester, Pennsylvania, USA....
, and Rustin High School. West Chester University is located in the borough, south of the commercial and retail center.
External links