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50-504: The 107-square-mile (280 km) White Clay Creek watershed is home to nearly 100,000 people and includes parts of Chester County, Pennsylvania and New Castle County, Delaware . The Pennsylvania portion still retains a rural character while the Delaware portion is more suburbanized. Sediment eroded from the rolling hills of Chester County is carried into the White Clay, probably accounting for

100-574: A 2007 estimate). Males had a median income of $ 51,223 versus $ 34,854 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 31,627. About 3.10% of families and 5.20% of the population were below the poverty line , including 5.10% of those under age 18 and 5.50% of those age 65 or over. The region was originally occupied by the Lenni Lenape people, who greeted European settlers in the seventeenth century with amity and kindness. British settlers were mostly English, Scotch-Irish and Welsh in ethnicity. From

150-533: A State Senator whose district includes northern Chester County, carried the county by a slim margin of 50 votes ) Emphasizing its Democratic shift even further, Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump by 17.1 points in Chester County in the 2020 election; Trump's percentage of votes was the lowest for any Republican since 1912. Such a major shift in the county was a major factor in Biden's success in flipping Pennsylvania back into

200-805: A county-wide basis. Accordingly, the commissioners are responsible for the management of the fiscal and administrative functions of the county. Currently, the Democrats hold a majority on the board, with Commissioners Josh Maxwell and Marian Moskowitz holding two of the three seats. County law requires the minority party to be represented with one seat, which is held by Eric Roe of the Republican Party. As of December 30, 2023 : As of December 30, 2023 : As of January 3, 2023: As of January 3, 2023: As of January 3, 2023: As of January 3, 2023: School districts include: The Chester County Library System in southeastern Pennsylvania

250-647: A major part of the county's economy, and the number of horse farms is increasing in the county. Mushroom growing is a specialty in the southern portion of the county. Chester County is the only county to border both Delaware and Maryland . Elevations (in feet): High point—1020 Welsh Mt., Honeybrook Twp. Other high points—960 Thomas Hill, Warwick Twp; 960 Barren Hill, West Caln Twp. Low point—66 Schuylkill River, Chester-Montgomery county line. Cities and boroughs: Coatesville 314; Downingtown 255; Kennett Square 300; Oxford 535; Parkesburg 542; Phoenixville 127; Spring City 114; West Chester 459. Lanchester Landfill, located on

300-742: Is a plateau region located in the Eastern United States . It is situated between the Atlantic Plain and the Blue Ridge Mountains , stretching from New York in the north to central Alabama in the south. The Piedmont Province is a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Highlands physiographic division and consists of the Piedmont Upland, and the Piedmont Lowlands sections. The Atlantic Seaboard Fall Line marks

350-526: Is complex, with numerous rock formations of different materials and ages intermingled with one another. Essentially, the Piedmont is the remnant of several ancient mountain chains that have since been eroded. Geologists have identified at least five separate events which have led to sediment deposition, including the Grenville orogeny (the collision of continents that created the supercontinent Rodinia ) and

400-601: Is its southern boundary.) The fall line, where the land rises abruptly from the coastal plain, marks the limit of navigability on many major rivers, so inland ports sprang up along it. Within the Piedmont region itself, there are several areas of urban concentration, the largest being the Atlanta metropolitan area in Georgia. The Piedmont cuts Maryland in half, covering the Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area . In Virginia ,

450-534: Is located in the Delaware Valley region, located in the southeastern part of the state. As of the 2020 census , the population was 545,823. increasing by 7.1% from 498,886 in 2010 . The county seat is West Chester . The most populous of the county's 73 municipalities, including cities, boroughs, and townships,) is Tredyffrin Township . The most populous boroughs are West Chester and Phoenixville . Coatesville

500-484: Is the only municipality in the county that is classified as a city. Chester County was one of the three original Pennsylvania counties created by William Penn in 1682. It was named for Chester , England. It is part of the Philadelphia - Camden - Wilmington , PA- NJ - DE - MD metropolitan statistical area . Along with southwest Delaware County , eastern Chester County is home to many communities that comprise part of

550-612: The Appalachian orogeny during the formation of Pangaea . The last major event in the history of the Piedmont was the break-up of Pangaea, when North America and Africa began to separate. Large basins formed from the rifting and were filled by the sediments shed from the surrounding higher ground. The series of Mesozoic basins is almost entirely located inside the Piedmont region. Piedmont soils are generally clay -like ( Ultisols ) and moderately fertile. In some areas they have suffered from erosion and over-cropping, particularly in

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600-602: The Episcopal St. Mary's , St. Paul's , and St. Peter's churches, and Washington Memorial Chapel . The First Presbyterian Church of West Chester , Coventryville United Methodist Church , which is part of the Coventryville Historic District , and Beth Israel Congregation of Chester County , a Conservative synagogue in Coatesville, a site of Eastern European immigration in the 20th century, are located in

650-518: The Italian : Piemonte , meaning " foothill ", ultimately from Latin "pedemontium", meaning "at the foot of the mountains", similar to the name of the Italian region of Piedmont ( Piemonte ), abutting the Alps . The surface relief of the Piedmont is characterized by relatively low, rolling hills with heights above sea level between 200 feet (50 m) and 800 feet to 1,000 feet (250 m to 300 m). Its geology

700-670: The Lincoln Highway and later U.S. Route 30 . This road is still named Lancaster Avenue in most of the Chester County towns it runs through. The first railroad , which became the Pennsylvania Railroad , followed much the same route, and the Reading Railroad progressed up the Schuylkill River to Reading . Industry tended to concentrate along the rail lines. Easy transportation allowed workers to commute to urban jobs, and

750-535: The Philadelphia Main Line western suburbs of Philadelphia. As of 2020, the county had the highest median household income level in Pennsylvania, and the 35th-highest in the nation . Philadelphia , Bucks , and Chester were the three counties created by William Penn on August 24, 1682, in the colonial-era Province of Pennsylvania . At the time, Chester County's borders were Philadelphia County to

800-399: The Schuylkill River . Many of the soils are fertile, rich loam as much as twenty-four inches thick; together with the temperate climate, this was long a major agricultural area. Because of its proximity to Philadelphia, Chester County has seen large waves of development over the past half-century due to suburbanization. Although development in Chester County has increased, agriculture is still

850-505: The U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 759 square miles (1,970 km ), of which 751 square miles (1,950 km ) is land and 8.7 square miles (23 km ) (1.1%) is water. The topography consists of rolling hills and valleys and it is part of the region known as the Piedmont . Watersheds that serve Chester County include the Octoraro , Brandywine , and Chester creeks, and

900-456: The Welsh Tract was in eastern Chester County, and Welsh place names, given by early settlers, continue to predominate there. The fourth county in the state, Lancaster County , was formed from Chester County on May 10, 1729. On March 11, 1752, Berks County was formed from the northern section of Chester County and parts of Lancaster and Philadelphia counties. The original Chester County seat

950-493: The 104 drug overdoses recorded by the coroner, an estimated 77 percent involved the presence of fentanyl. One of the reasons for the decline in overdose deaths was "the saturation across the county of Narcan , the anti-opioid nasal spray that can revive someone suffering an overdose." In 2019, any resident of Chester County could obtain a free Narcan dose at community training events across the county. Piedmont (United States) The Piedmont / ˈ p iː d m ɒ n t /

1000-417: The 2010 census, the county was 82.1% White Non-Hispanic, 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 some other race. 6.5% of the population were Hispanic or Latino. As of the census of 2000, there were 433,501 people, 157,905 households, and 113,375 families residing in the county. The population density

1050-616: The Delaware Valley; it is one of the fastest growing in the entire Northeastern section of the United States. In keeping with its colonial history, Chester County is home to a number of historic Quaker buildings, including Birmingham , Birmingham Orthodox , Bradford , Caln , Old Kennett , Parkersville , Westtown , and Uwchlan meeting houses . Other historic religious buildings include St. Malachi Church , southeastern Pennsylvania's oldest active Catholic mission church, and

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1100-534: The Democratic column. On November 8, 2017, Democrats made historic inroads in Chester County by winning their first county row office seats in history, picking up four row office seats. On November 5, 2019, Democrats swept the county row office seat elections and took a majority on the Board of Commissioners, both firsts in the county's history. In both the 2021 and 2023 elections, Democrats followed up with another sweep of

1150-646: The Piedmont's eastern boundary with the Coastal Plain. To the west, it is mostly bounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains , the easternmost range of the Appalachians. The width of the Piedmont varies, being quite narrow above the Delaware River but nearly 300 miles (475 km) wide in North Carolina . The Piedmont's area is approximately 80,000 square miles (210,000 km ). The French word Piedmont comes from

1200-775: The Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney , by a very small margin of 0.2%, or about 500 votes. In 2016, despite Pennsylvania voting for a Republican presidential candidate for the first time since 1988, Chester County voted more Democratic than in 2012, with Hillary Clinton leading Donald Trump by over 25,000 votes or 9.4 percentage points; a 9.2 percentage point swing from 2012. The only two statewide winners in 2016 to carry Chester County were U.S. Senator Pat Toomey (R) and Pennsylvania State Treasurer Joe Torsella (D). Republican candidates John Brown and John Rafferty carried Chester County, though both lost their races for Auditor General and Attorney General, respectively (Rafferty,

1250-539: The South where cotton was historically the chief crop. In the central Piedmont region of North Carolina and Virginia , tobacco is the main crop, while in the north region there is more diversity, including orchards , dairying , and general farming . The portion of the Piedmont region in the Southern United States is closely associated with the Piedmont blues , a style of blues music that originated there in

1300-427: The age of 18 living with them, 60.50% were married couples living together, 8.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.20% were non-families. 22.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.15. In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.20% under

1350-440: The age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 30.40% from 25 to 44, 23.80% from 45 to 64, and 11.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 96.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.10 males. The median income for a household in the county was $ 65,295, and the median income for a family was $ 76,916 (these figures had risen to $ 80,818 and $ 97,894 respectively as of

1400-823: The border of Chester and Lancaster Counties, captures methane which is sold for renewable natural gas credits, and piped to seven local businesses. This reduces the county's methane emissions , and provides an alternative to fracking for shale gas . In addition, several companies have their headquarters or a major presence in the county including Bentley Systems , EBS Healthcare, Main Line Health , Lavazza North America (formerly Mars Drinks), Depuy Synthes (part of Johnson & Johnson ), Metabo , QVC , Hankin Group, Axalta Coating Systems , CTDI, Pactiv , Ricoh Americas, Blinding Edge Pictures , J.G. Wentworth , The Vanguard Group , and Victory Brewing Company among others. As of

1450-433: The county row offices, along with retaining their majority on the Board of Commissioners. Chester County is administered by a three-person Board of Commissioners who serve four-year terms. Elections take place in the odd-numbered years that precede U.S. presidential elections, with the next election scheduled for 2027. The commissioners have selective policy-making authority to provide certain local services and facilities on

1500-585: The county. Chart of Voter Registration As of November 18, 2024, there were 396,404 registered voters in Chester County. Chester County has historically been reliably Republican at the county level. After voting Democratic in 1856 for Pennsylvania native James Buchanan , it only did so three more times in the next 160 years—in 1912, 1964, and 2008. In recent elections, however, the county has been trending Democratic, although not as overwhelmingly as its fellow Main Line counties of Montgomery and Delaware . It remains

1550-555: The creek's name. The majority of the stream is in the Piedmont region which is characterized by rolling hills, plateaus, and stream valleys. The southern portion of the stream, near Newark is in the Atlantic Coastal Plain , a relatively flat area that is dotted with large tidal wetlands. The White Clay Creek empties into the Christina River at Churchman's Marsh. The East Branch, 13.5 miles (21.7 km) long, arises near

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1600-543: The creek, some of them using parts of the Pomeroy & Newark roadbed, which follows the creek to the outskirts of Newark . The creek then turns away to the east, receiving Middle Run and Pike Creek . As it approaches the Christina estuary, the valley opens up, and it passes Delaware Park . Mill Creek flows into it, shortly followed by its largest tributary, Red Clay Creek . The conjoined streams turn southwest and then back to

1650-555: The east as they loop around Bread and Cheese Island , formed between the Red Clay, White Clay, and Hershey Run by a backchannel now filled. Just after passing the island, White Clay Creek enters the Christina approximately 5 miles (8 km) southwest of Wilmington at Churchman's Marsh. The river's historical sites include lime kilns and 19th-century mills. Its lower course includes the most extensive Piedmont forests remaining in Delaware that are home to several key species, including

1700-645: The eastern portion of the county separated and formed the new Delaware County in 1789 with the City of Chester as its county seat. Much of the history of Chester County arises from its location between Philadelphia and the Susquehanna River . The first "road to the West," a reference to Lancaster County, passed through the central part of Chester County, following the Great Valley westward; with some realignments, it became

1750-591: The federally listed endangered bog turtle . In 2000, the United States Congress designated 190 miles (310 km) of White Clay Creek and its tributaries as part of the National Wild and Scenic River program. Chester County, Pennsylvania Chester County ( Pennsylvania Dutch : Tscheschter Kaundi ), colloquially referred to as Chesco , is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania . It

1800-672: The following table is based on the 2020 census of Chester County. † county seat Chester County has four distinct seasons and has a hot-summer humid continental climate ( Dfa ) except for some far southern lowlands and areas along the Schuylkill River which have a humid subtropical climate ( Cfa ). The hardiness zone 7a except for 7b near the Brandywine Creek in Birmingham Township. [1] In both 2018 and 2019, deaths from drug overdoses in Chester County declined. Of

1850-471: The hamlet of Upland in West Marlborough Township . Flowing southward, it passes through Avondale , where it is joined by Trout Run . From Avondale, the former Pomeroy and Newark Railroad , abandoned in 1939, follows the creek southward. Further south, after the confluence of Egypt Run , the creek begins to turn and meander in a narrow gorge, passing through Landenberg , formerly a mill town and

1900-718: The junction of the Pomeroy & Newark with the Wilmington and Western Railroad . Exiting the gorge into a broader valley, the creek receives Broad Run shortly after entering the White Clay Creek Preserve . It joins the main body of the White Clay Creek in the Preserve, at the lost community of Yeatman . The Middle Branch, 11.4 miles (18.3 km) long, originates in Londonderry Township . Flowing southward along

1950-635: The late 19th century. According to the Piedmont Blues Preservation Society, most Piedmont blues musicians came from Virginia, North and South Carolina, and Georgia. During the Great Migration , African Americans migrated to the Piedmont. With the Appalachian Mountains to the west, those who might otherwise have spread into rural areas stayed in cities and were thus exposed to a broader mixture of music than those in, for example,

2000-478: The late 19th to early 20th century, the industrial areas of the region, such as Coatesville, attracted immigrants and job seekers from Germany and Ireland, Eastern Europe, Italy, and the American rural South, with both black and white migrants coming north. Later Hispanic immigrants have included Puerto Ricans and, most recently, Mexicans. Long a primarily rural area, Chester County is now the fastest-growing county in

2050-546: The main stem. The main stem of White Clay Creek is formed by the junction of the West and Middle branches. From here, it enters a narrow valley and then the White Clay Creek Preserve, meeting the East Branch at Yeatman. It flows south through the White Clay Creek Preserve and enters New Castle County, Delaware and White Clay Creek State Park approximately 12 miles (19 km) west of Wilmington . Trails parallel

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2100-406: The most conservative of these three. In 2000, George W. Bush defeated Al Gore in the county by almost 10%, but in 2004, John Kerry cut Bush's margin of victory by over half, to just 4.5%. In 2008, Chester County voted for Barack Obama by 9%. In 2009, with a smaller turnout, Republican candidates swept all county-row offices, winning with an average margin of 20%. In 2012, the county voted for

2150-573: The north, the ill-defined western edge of the colony, located approximately at the Susquehanna River to the west, the Delaware River to the east, and Delaware and Maryland to the south. Chester County replaced the Pennsylvania portion of New Netherland 's upland in New York , which was officially eliminated when Pennsylvania was chartered on March 4, 1681, and ceased existing in June of that year. Much of

2200-592: The rise of the suburbs followed. To this day, the county's developed areas extend along major lines of transportation. During the American Revolutionary War , the Battle of Brandywine was fought in the southeastern part of the county. The Battle of the Clouds and the Battle of Paoli both took place in the northeastern part of the county, along with George Washington 's encampment at Valley Forge . According to

2250-466: The rural Mississippi delta. Thus, Piedmont blues was influenced by many types of music, such as ragtime , country, and popular songs — styles that had comparatively less influence on blues music in other regions. Many major cities are located on the Atlantic Seaboard fall line , the eastern boundary of the Piedmont. (In Georgia and Alabama, where the Piedmont runs mostly east to west, the fall line

2300-584: The townships, and usually only have the same names as the municipalities for the cities and boroughs. The names used by the post office are generally used by residents to describe where they live. The following cities, boroughs and townships are located in Chester County: Census-designated places are unincorporated communities designated by the U.S. Census Bureau for the purposes of compiling demographic data. They are not actual jurisdictions under Pennsylvania law. The population ranking of

2350-526: The western edge of West Grove , it turns east, south again, and then east again to meet Indian Run . Turning south, it cuts sharply through the hills near Chesterville and meets the West Branch to form the main stem. The West Branch, 8.0 miles (12.9 km) long, rises near Kelton and flows south and east through New London Township , gradually turning to the east where it meets the Middle Branch to form

2400-665: Was 573 inhabitants per square mile (221/km ). There were 163,773 housing units at an average density of 217 units per square mile (84/km ). The racial makeup of the county was 89.21% White , 6.24% Black or African American , 0.15% Native American , 1.95% Asian , 0.03% Pacific Islander , 1.35% from other races , and 1.06% from two or more races. 3.72% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 18.0% were of Irish , 17.3% German , 13.1% Italian , 10.1% English and 5.6% American ancestry . 91.4% spoke English and 3.7% Spanish as their first language. There were 157,905 households, out of which 35.10% had children under

2450-485: Was organized in 1965. It is a federated system composed of a District Center Library in Exton and sixteen member libraries. The system provides materials and information for life, work and pleasure. Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities: cities , boroughs , townships , and, in at most two cases, towns . The post office uses community names and boundaries that usually do not correspond to

2500-413: Was the City of Chester , a center of naval shipbuilding, at the eastern edge of the county. In an effort to accommodate the increased population of the western part of the county, the county seat was moved to a more central location in 1788; in order to mollify the eastern portion of the county, the village, known as Turk's Head, was renamed West Chester . In response to the new location of the county seat,

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