West Chester, Pennsylvania

The Borough of West Chester is the county seat of Chester County, PennsylvaniaTemplate:GR, United States.

Philadelphia is 25 miles to the east and Wilmington 17 miles to the south. Valley Forge, the Brandywine Battlefield, Longwood Gardens, and other historical attractions are near West Chester.

The West Chester University of Pennsylvania is located here. Greek Revival architecture along High Street earned West Chester the nickname "Athens of the West".

In 1900, 9,524 people lived here; in 1910, 11,767; in 1920, 11,717; and in 1940, 13,289 lived here. In 2000, the US census recorded 17,861 residents.

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. West Chester was settled in the early 18th century, principally by members of the Society of Friends. 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, DC. West Chester is part of the rapidly growing suburban complex surrounding Philadelphia.

Geography and Climate

West Chester is located at 39°57′31″N 75°36′18″W (39.958678, -75.605052).Template:GR 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 (4.8 km²), all of it land.

Annual high temperatures average between 38.1 and 85.7 °F, annual low temperatures average between 19.3 and 63.3 °F, with the record high being 105 °F, and record low being -16 °F.

Annual precipitation averages 45 inches every year, and annual snowfall averages 19.6 inches every year. [1]

Adjacent Municipalities

• West Goshen Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania - north, south, and east
• East Bradford Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania - west

Demographics

File:373869116 l.jpg

Old Chester County Courthouse. The new Chester County courthouse is located at West Market St. and North Darlington St

As of the censusTemplate:GR 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/sq mi (1,372.6/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 75.44% White, 17.08% African American, 8.94% Hispanic or Latino, 3.64% from other races, 1.46% Asian, 0.31% Native American, 0.07% Pacific Islander, and 2.00% from two or more races.

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.

Notable Residents

• Humor columnist Dave Barry got his start in journalism reporting for the borough's The Daily Local News.
• The famous Irish patriot and martyr Theobald Wolfe Tone briefly lived here.
• Birthplace of guitarist John Lilley of rock band The Hooters
• Birthplace of professional golfer Jim Furyk
• Classical composer Samuel Barber was born in West Chester in 1910.
• Actor Claude Rains made his home here at the corner of Church and Dean Streets.
• Murdered hostage Nick Berg
• William Darlington, M.D., noted botanist and congressman.
• Birthplace of civil rights activist Bayard Rustin who has a West Chester school named after him.
• Decorated war veteran and later anti-war activist, twice winner of The Congressional Medal of Honor(United Sates Marine Corps) Smedley Butler
• American artist Horace Pippin
• Skateboarder and Jackass co-founder Bam Margera and several other CKY Crew members including Ryan Dunn, Chris Raab, Brandon DiCamillo, Brandon Novak, Rake Yohn, Jess Margera and Vincent Margera. The town and various local businesses have been featured in Jackass, Viva La Bam, Haggard: The Movie and the CKY videos.
• Birthplace of Jewish reggae musician Matisyahu.
• Birthplace of actor Matthew McGrory (AKA "Bigfoot"), named as having the largest feet in the world (size 29 1/2) by the Guinness Book of World Records in 1992. McGrory acted in such films as Bubble Boy, Men in Black II, House of 1000 Corpses and Big Fish. He was also a member of the "Wack Pack" on The Howard Stern Show.
• Actor Kerr Smith, of Dawson's Creek and Final Destination.
• Glen Osbourne, professional wrestler
• Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub attended West Chester East High School.
• Musical act Plow United who penned a tribute to the town in their song "West Chester Nuclear Winter."
• CKY band members Deron Miller, Chad I. Ginsburg and Jess Margera.
• Birthplace of baseball pitcher Jon Matlack who pitched for the New York Mets and the Texas Rangers.
• Episcopal Bishop of Rhode Island Geralyn Wolf was a native of West Chester and attended West Chester University
• Birthplace of American actor Kyle Gallner, who has acted in such shows as Veronica Mars and Big Love
• Professional golfer Sean O'Hair currently resides in West Chester.
• Professional baseball player Cole Hamels currently resides in West Chester
• American artist Tom Bostelle
• Author Joseph Hergesheimer lived in West Chester and is buried in its Oaklands Cemetery. He was visited frequently by H. L. Mencken while he lived here
• Showman Buffalo Bill Cody, whose house still stands on East Washington Street
• Noted botanist and environmentalist Joseph Rothrock spent much of his life in West Chester, and died here in 1922. His house still stands on the corner of Church and Lafayette Streets.

Transportation

West Chester is home to the West Chester Transportation Center, which serves as a parking garage for the soon-to-be-opened 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 1986, West Chester was served by SEPTA's R3 commuter rail line. Service on the line was discontinued due to fair 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 R5 commuter rail line. The county unceremoniously opted for the latter, and service on the R3 was cut back to its current terminus of Elwyn, Pennsylvania. The rail line into West Chester is used by the West Chester Railroad, a heritage railroad.

Corporate Headquarters

• QVC
• Electronics Boutique- Merged with Gamestop Corporation - EB Headquarters Closed and moved to Gamestop Headquarters in Grapevine, Texas
• Commodore Business Machines (CBM), the operational headquarters of Commodore International (now defunct)
• VWR International (Lab and Scientific supplies distributor)
• Synthes (Medical company)

West Chester in Media

• Many of the skits on the MTV television series Jackass, and later Jackass: The Movie were filmed in and around the borough, primarily ones featuring Bam Margera and the CKY Crew. The spin-off show Viva La Bam was filmed almost entirely in the area, as was the movie Haggard and the CKY videos. Margera has become something of a one-man publicity machine for West Chester, a status that allowed him to get the city's permission to close off some of West Chester's main streets to film portions of Haggard. Many local businesses such as Fairman's skateshop, Mad Platter records, Duffer's Pub and even West Chester University have benefitted from exposure in such projects.
• QVC broadcasts originate from studios in West Goshen Township, just east of West Chester.
• A recent documentary, Our Lady Of Victory, filmed many scenes in the borough of West Chester. It portrays the Immaculata University's women's basketball team road to the NCAA Championship.
• Marley & Me, starring Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson filmed a scene along West Chester's Gay Street in 2008.

Government

The borough is governed by the Borough Council form of government. Led by a Borough Manager, there are seven Council Members, representing the seven voting wards. They control all departments except the Police Department (the Mayor directs the activities of the Police Department through the Chief of Police). As well as a mayor, they are elected by the citizens. The current mayor is Richard "Dick" Yoder, who will serve until 2010.

Education

West Chester is home to the West Chester Area School District, the public school system for the area. Also, West Chester University is located in West Chester.

External links

• Borough of West Chester
• West Chester Life Magazine
• West Chester Daily Local News
• West Chester Area School District
• West Chester news from the Philadelphia Inquirer