Chester County, Pennsylvania

Chester County is a located in the  of. As of 2000, the population was 433,501. The county seat is. It is the in Pennsylvania.

Chester County is one of the three original counties of Pennsylvania created by in. It is named for,. It is part of the area.

History
Chester,, and were the three original Pennsylvania counties created by William Penn in 1682. At that time, Chester County's borders were Philadelphia County to the north, the to the west, the  to the east, and  and  to the south.

The fourth county in the state,, was formed from Chester County on May 10, 1729. On March 11, 1752 was formed from the northern section of Chester County, as well as parts of Lancaster and Philadelphia Counties.

The original Chester County seat was the naval shipbuilding city of. However, it became part of when it was formed from the eastern portion of the Chester County on ,. This took the county seat out of Chester County, so became the new county seat that year, and has remained so to the present.

The former, constructed during , was one of the largest military hospitals in the United States.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 1,968 (760 ). 1,958 km² (756 sq mi) of it is land and 10 km² (4 sq mi) of it (0.51%) is water.

Adjacent counties

 * (north)
 * (northeast)
 * (east)
 * (southeast)
 * (south)
 * (west)

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 433,501 people, 157,905 households, and 113,375 families residing in the county. The was 221/km² (573/sq mi). There were 163,773 housing units at an average density of 84/km² (217/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 89.21%, 6.24% or , 0.15% , 1.95% , 0.03% , 1.35% from , and 1.06% from two or more races. 3.72% of the population were or  of any race. 18.0% were of, 17.3% , 13.1% , 10.1% and 5.6%  ancestry according to.

There were 157,905 households out of which 35.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.50% were 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 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. Males had a median income of $51,223 versus $34,854 for females. The for the county was $31,627. About 3.10% of families and 5.20% of the population were below the, including 5.10% of those under age 18 and 5.50% of those age 65 or over.

Politics
As of, there are 303,342 registered voters in Chester County. In the past Chester County has been reliably Republican. In recent elections however it has been trending. In 2000 Gore lost it by almost 10 percent but in 2004 George Bush defeated John Kerry by a much smaller margin of only 4 percent.


 * : 95,153 (31.37%)
 * : 156,373 (51.55%)
 * Other Parties: 51,816 (17.08%)

Government
Chester County is administered by a three-person Board of Commissioners, who are elected for four-year terms, which take place in the year preceding US Presidential elections. The Commissioners have selective policy-making authority to provide certain local services and facilities on a county-wide basis. Accordingly, the commissioners are responsible for the management of the fiscal and administrative functions of the county.

Commissioners

 * Carol Aichele
 * Patrick O’Donnell
 * Donald A. Mancici

Other Elected Officials

 * Teena Peters, Clerk of Courts
 * Valentino R. DiGiorgio, III, Controller
 * Robert O. Satriale, Coroner
 * Joe Carroll, District Attorney
 * Martha E. Smith, Jury Commissioner
 * Mimi Sack, Jury Commissioner
 * Bryan Walters, Prothonotary
 * Terence Farrell, Recorder of Deeds
 * Paula Gowen, Register of Wills
 * , Sheriff
 * Alan Randzin, Treasurer

Municipalities
Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities:, , townships, and, in at most two cases,. The uses community names and boundaries that usually do not correspond to 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
s are geographical areas designated by the for the purposes of compiling demographic data. They are not actual jurisdictions under Pennsylvania law. Other unincorporated communities, such as villages, may be listed here as well.



Colleges and universities

 * (partially in )
 * (Exton and Downingtown Campuses)
 * (Exton Campus)
 * (Exton Campus)
 * (Exton Campus)
 * (Exton Campus)

Public School Districts

 * Avon Grove School District

Independent schools

 * (Administered by )
 * Windsor Christian Academy
 * Windsor Christian Preschool
 * Upland Country Day School (UCDS) - Pre-K through 9th Grade
 * Windsor Christian Academy
 * Windsor Christian Preschool
 * Upland Country Day School (UCDS) - Pre-K through 9th Grade
 * Windsor Christian Academy
 * Windsor Christian Preschool
 * Upland Country Day School (UCDS) - Pre-K through 9th Grade