Chester (Illinois)
| Chester | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname : Home of Popeye | |||
Location in Illinois
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| Basic data | |||
| Foundation : | 1829 | ||
| State : | United States | ||
| State : | Illinois | ||
| County : | Randolph County | ||
| Coordinates : | 37 ° 55 ′ N , 89 ° 49 ′ W | ||
| Time zone : | Central ( UTC − 6 / −5 ) | ||
| Residents : | 8,400 (as of: 2000) | ||
| Population density : | 560 inhabitants per km 2 | ||
| Area : | 15 km 2 (approx. 6 mi 2 ) of which 15 km 2 (approx. 6 mi 2 ) are land |
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| Height : | 204 m | ||
| Postal code : | 62233 | ||
| Area code : | +1 618 | ||
| FIPS : | 17-13139 | ||
| GNIS ID : | 406027 | ||
| Website : | www.chesterill.com | ||
| Mayor : | Joe Eggemeyer | ||
Chester is a small town in the south of the US -amerikanischen State of Illinois 101 km south of St. Louis . Chester is located on the Mississippi , has a population of 8,400 and is the administrative seat of Randolph County .
From Chester native E. C. Segar , creator of the comic -Figur Popeye .
Natural parks and historical sites
There are a number of state parks and historical sites in the Chester area . Historic Fort Kaskaskia has a good view of the Mississippi. Opposite the fort is Kaskaskia Island, the only place in Illinois west of the Mississippi and the first capital of Illinois. Masses are still held every week in a historic church on the island that was founded by the French explorer Jacques Marquette . About five miles northeast of Chester is Randolph County State Recreation Area , a popular fishing, riding, and hiking area. The Turkey Bluffs State Fish and Wildlife Area is south of Chester . Part of the Middle Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge , which is part of the Mark Twain National Wildlife Refuge Complex , extends along the Mississippi near Chester .
history
The city of Chester, the administrative seat of Randolph County, has always been closely linked to the Mississippi through its history.
Due to its location, the surrounding area was a good settlement area from the start. On September 30, 1816 acquired John McFerron 47 acres (19 hectares ) land from the government. McFerron operated a river ferry and was also a judge at the court in nearby Kaskaskia. When Illinois joined the Union in 1819, he represented the area as a Senator in the Illinois General Assembly during the first legislative term .
The founding of the city is usually attributed to Samuel Smith . In 1829 he had houses built in what was then called Smith's Landing , a new ferry was installed and a mill began to be built. His wife came from the city of Chester in England , after which the new settlement was now named. Smith also opened a hotel for passengers on his ferry.
The first item industrially manufactured in Chester in the early days was castor oil , which was used as a lubricant. With the emergence and growth of the oil industry, this industry lost its importance, but unlike other places in the area, Chester retained a prominent position because of its convenient location on the banks of the Mississippi River, which made it easy to trade. Ship connections existed to St. Louis and New Orleans .
In 1837 Nathan Cole founded a sawmill that could also grind grain at the same time. A few years later this company was converted into a pure flour mill, which is now part of the ConAgra Foods group. Nathan Cole's company installed the first electrical generator to power the city's street lights. Today this generator can be viewed at the Ford Museum in Dearborn , Michigan.
The first brick house was built in 1834. During the floods in 1844, the Bellair steamship hit it and also destroyed the city prison.
The river was mainly used as a traffic route, so a regular service was added that connected Chester with St. Louis three times a week. Chester became a preferred river port. Charles Dickens and his wife used Chester as a stopover in 1842, Mark Twain was a pilot on the Mississippi from 1857 until the start of the American Civil War and often stayed in Chester.
A cholera epidemic struck Chester in 1832–33, costing many victims. To the south of the mill, several tombstones still remind of the places where cholera victims who died at the time are buried by the passing steamships.
The Illinois State Prison was first established in Chester. This emerged from a camp for Confederate prisoners of war who were transferred to the federal prison in Alton . The old brick building is still there today.
When Randoph County's administrative headquarters moved from Kaskaskia to Chester, the files were first stored in a schoolhouse that was used as a temporary courthouse until the new one was opened in 1948. The stone extension, today's archive, was completed in 1863 and is now also used as a museum.
The old buildings that stood along the river have now been torn down. Nevertheless, a number of old houses have been preserved on the hills above the city, giving an impression of that time.
The city of Chester has grown steadily since the settlement. Houses and shops were built along the river bank, and most of the residents still live near the river today. The city expanded in different directions and two separate settlement centers gradually emerged: McGuireville and Camptown. Today these form a unit again.
media
Chester has its own cable channel that reports on regional events.
There is a regional newspaper , the Randolph County Herald Tribune, and a radio station.
In 1967 Chester was filming location for the film In the Heat of the Night , 1993 for On the Run , 1994 for the documentary Hoop Dreams and 2000 for the motion picture Poor White Trash .
geography
Chester is located at latitude 37 ° 54 '50 "north and longitude 89 ° 49' 23" west.
The extension of the city is 15.3 km², which consists almost exclusively of land.
Demographic data
In the 2000 census, the population was 8400. These were distributed over 2018 households in 1283 families. The population density was 339.9 / km². There were 2229 buildings, which corresponds to a density of 146.1 / km².
The population in 2000 was 94.87% white , 3.59% African American , 0.15% American Indian , 0.21% Asian and 0.25% other. 0.93% said they came from at least two of these groups. 0.75% of the population consisted of Hispanics belonging to any of the above groups.
22.4% were under 18 years of age, 8.1% between 18 and 24, 27.9% between 25 and 44, 21.9% between 45 and 64 and 19.7% 65 and older. The average age was 40 years. For every 100 women there were statistically 105.4 men, 102.1 among the over 18 year olds.
The median family income at $ 49,426. The average income for men was $ 36,103 and that of women was $ 22,239. The per capita income was $ 22,190. Around 5.4% of families and 9.7% of the total population had their income below the poverty line .
Individual evidence
- ^ Find a County
- ↑ www.popeye.com
- ^ Kaskaskia Island
- ↑ Middle Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge
- ^ History of Chester
- ↑ Randolph County Herald Tribune
- ↑ Titles with locations including Chester, Illinois, USA
- ^ US Census Bureau - Chester, Illinois