Founded in 1642, Chester is the oldest City in Pennsylvania. In the late 1670's William Penn was given a grant of land from Charles II of England to pay off a crown debt owed to Penn's father. William Penn landed on his newly acquired colony in 1682 and immediately changed the name of the settlement to Chester, after a place in Europe where one of his closest friends was born. For the first two hundred years, Chester was prosperous manufacturing community with industries concentrating on machinery, metal manufacturing, locomotive and shipbuilding, textiles and oil refineries. These strong industries fueled steady population and employment growth.
During the early 1900's, Chester experienced its first major growth period stimulated by World War I. The population grew significantly from 38,000 in 1910 to 58,000 in 1920 as people moved into the city to fill the many jobs generated by the war.
The rapid expansion of Chester's industrial base and the need for workers to support this growth provided many jobs in Chester and vicinity. The job growth also created a demand for housing and other services. After this initial growth and during the depression years, economic development activity stabilized. Manufacturing employment dropped significantly and Chester as well as the rest of the country was experiencing lean times.
World War II stimulated a second period of economic prosperity. Employment increased and housing demands grew. Business and industry were operating at an all time high in the City. By 1950, Chester's population peaked at 66,039. But, the post-war economy had a negative impact on Chester as it did on many industrial cities at the time. By the mid-1950's Chester began its decline with many social and economic characteristics changing faster than the City could adjust. Employment declined as major industries moved out of the City, retail growth declined, the rest of Delaware County (which had once relied on Chester for employment opportunities) became more independent. However, since 1996 Chester began to dramtically emerge from this decline and has, thus far, seen an influx of over $1.3 billion in public and private investment.
Culturally, the City is rich with history and includes many significant facts and events:
- Pennsylvania's first court was held in Chester and the Courthouse is still standing.
- The first National Bank in the county was located in Chester.
- Chester was a critical section of the Underground Railroad for run away slaves.
Chester is uniquely positioned geographically with easy access to major roadways such as I-95 and I-476, waterways such as the Delaware River, air and railway transportation. Chester's location is one of the best on the northeast corridor. But beyond these attributes, Chester has great strengths and opportunities. Many major companies have reinvested millions of dollars into the community. Widener University is a major learning institution and provides many resources for community use. But, most of all, the strength of Chester lies in the attitudes and desires of the residents, the City government and many organizations in developing a vision and seeking ways to improve the standards of living for all of those who work and live in Chester.
An excellent website for those interested in learning more about the city and its history can be found at www.oldchesterpa.com.
Contributed by chestercity.com