Why you'd want to live in Chester County
Chester County is a county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 498,886. The county seat is West Chester. Chester County was one of the three original Pennsylvania counties created by William Penn in 1682. Chester County is located in southeast Pennsylvania in the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area. The County was created by William Penn in 1682 as one of the three original counties of Pennsylvania. There are now 67 counties in Pennsylvania. Chester County is 759 square miles or approximately 485,600 acres in size. The highest elevation is 1071 ft. in the Welsh Mountains in Honey Brook Township. The lowest elevation is 70 feet above sea level along the Schuylkill River at the Montgomery County line. The County is a 3rd Class County with a three member Board of County Commissioners. There are 73 municipalities, consisting of 1 city, 15 boroughs, and 57 townships. All of the townships are Townships of the 2nd Class except Caln, which is a Township of the 1st Class. The Class of a township is determined by the State based on established criteria. 14 school districts provide K-12 public education in the County. There are six County parks (Hibernia, Nottingham, Warwick, Springton Manor, Black Rock Sanctuary, and Wolf’s Hollow). There are also many Federal, State, and municipal parks. The population of the county in the 2010 census was 498,886 people. The population estimate for 2014 is 512,784. (2014 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates) Chester County is the 7th most populated county in Pennsylvania (2010 Census) Of the population 25 years or older, 92.3% are high school graduates, 49.3% have a bachelor’s degree or higher, and 20.2% have a graduate or professional degree. (2014 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates) There were 195,657 housing units in the county as of 2014, an increase from 192,462 in the 2010 Census. (2014 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates) The median sales price of all homes sold in the county in 2014 was $315,000.
