39-461: The Warwick Furnace Farms is a historic district that is located in northern Chester County , Pennsylvania , United States that includes the ruins of an early iron furnace that was owned by Anna Rutter Nutt, widow of Samuel Nutt. Anna Rutter Nutt was the daughter of Thomas Rutter , who erected the first ironwork in Pennsylvania at Pine Forge Mansion and Industrial Site . Samuel Nutt bought
78-580: 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
117-544: 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
156-818: 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
195-571: A couple of miles of the site, including Hockley Mill Farm , to the east on Warwick Furnace Road, Warrenpoint to the north, Reading Furnace Historic District and Warwick Mills to the west, and Brower's Bridge upstream (west) on the South Branch of French Creek. Warrenpoint was owned by Nutt's partner William Branson and both are considered early iron pioneers. In 2015, the French & Pickering Creeks Conservation Trust permanently protected
234-647: 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
273-664: Is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania . It 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
312-490: 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
351-627: 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
390-702: 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
429-551: 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
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#1732798239133468-399: 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
507-515: 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
546-462: 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
585-452: 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. List of highest-income counties in
624-417: 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
663-456: The 553-acre Warwick Furnace Farm through conservation easements and the acquisition of 108 acres, which will be the future home of a public preserve. The ironmaster's house and workers' houses, the historic farmhouse and the barns in this historic district are currently used in the operation of a working farm. Chester County, Pennsylvania Chester County ( Pennsylvania Dutch : Tscheschter Kaundi ), colloquially referred to as Chesco ,
702-630: 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
741-544: 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
780-781: 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,
819-674: The United States There are 3,144 counties and county-equivalents in the United States . The source of the data is the U.S. Census Bureau and the data is current as of the indicated year. Independent cities are considered county-equivalent by the Census Bureau. As of 2020, Loudoun County, Virginia , a suburb of Washington, D.C. in Northern Virginia has a median household income of $ 147,111,
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#1732798239133858-427: 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
897-440: 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
936-833: 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
975-433: 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
1014-589: 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
1053-667: 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
1092-697: 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
1131-766: The highest of any county in the nation. The chart below depicts the 100 highest income counties in the United States by median household income according to the 2020 United States census . Virginia has the most counties in the top 100 with 18 followed by California with 11; Maryland with 10; New Jersey with nine; New York and Texas with six each; Illinois with five; Colorado , Massachusetts , and Minnesota with four each; Ohio and Pennsylvania with three each; Georgia , Indiana , Utah , and Washington with two each; and Connecticut , Washington, D.C. , Iowa , Kansas , Kentucky , New Hampshire , New Mexico , Tennessee , and Wisconsin with one each. For more detailed lists of rankings of counties and places in
1170-483: 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
1209-406: 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
Warwick Furnace Farms - Misplaced Pages Continue
1248-590: 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
1287-513: The original tracts of land for a Coventry with partners William Branson and Mordecai Lincoln, the great-great grandfather of Abraham Lincoln . The furnace was managed by George Taylor when the first Franklin stoves were cast here. The furnace operated through the 1860s and supplied the iron used in the iron-clad ship the USS Monitor during the Civil War . The 786-acre historic district
1326-611: 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
1365-597: 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
1404-665: 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
1443-549: Was listed by the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. A historical marker on the site reads: "Warwick Furnace Built 1737 by Anna Nutt & Co. Made first Franklin stoves. Supplied shot and cannon for American revolutionists." Its last iron was made in 1867. Marked 1910 Chester Co. Historical Society Several other sites listed by the National Register of Historic Places are located within
1482-489: 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
1521-413: 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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