Chester (village), New York

Chester is a village in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 3,993 at the 2020 census. It was named after the City of Chester in the Cheshire region of northwest England. Chester is part of the PoughkeepsieNewburghMiddletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger New YorkNewarkBridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined Statistical Area.

Chester, New York
Village of Chester
View south along Main Street
View south along Main Street
Etymology: From city in England
Location in Orange County and the state of New York.
Location in Orange County and the state of New York.
Location of New York in the United States
Location of New York in the United States
Coordinates: 41°21′27″N 74°16′32″W / 41.35750°N 74.27556°W / 41.35750; -74.27556
CountryUnited States
StateNew York
CountyOrange
Founded1892
Government
 • TypeVillage Hall, 47 Main Street
 • MayorChristopher Battiato
Area
 • Total2.15 sq mi (5.56 km2)
 • Land2.15 sq mi (5.56 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Highest elevation
(Unnamed hill in S of village)
572 ft (174 m)
Lowest elevation
420 ft (130 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total3,993
 • Density1,858.94/sq mi (717.67/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP Code
10918
Area code845
FIPS Code36-15297
GNIS feature ID0946539
Wikimedia CommonsChester, Orange County, New York
WebsiteVillage of Chester New York

The Village of Chester is primarily located in the northern part of the Town of Chester.

History

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The village of Chester was incorporated in 1892. At the center of a dairy industry, the village claims to be the birthplace of Philadelphia Cream Cheese. Other brands produced in Chester were Clover Brand, Cow Brand, D’isigny, Fromage De Brie, Neufchatel, Star Brand and World Brand.[2]

The village of Chester contains a historic section called Downtown Historic Chester. The Orange Heritage rail trail begins here at the site of the former Erie Railroad train station.

Geography

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Main Street, Chester, New York, March 1914

The village of Chester is located at 41°21′26″N 74°16′31″W / 41.35722°N 74.27528°W / 41.35722; -74.27528 (41.357378, -74.275488).[3] and has a total area of 2.1 square miles (5.5 km2), all land.

Highway access is provided by NY-94. Goose Pond Mountain State Park is southeast of the village.

Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note
1870686
19001,250
19101,210−3.2%
19201,049−13.3%
19301,15410.0%
19401,140−1.2%
19501,2156.6%
19601,49222.8%
19701,6279.0%
19801,91017.4%
19903,27071.2%
20003,4455.4%
20103,96915.2%
20203,9930.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[4]

As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 3,445 people, 1,396 households, and 901 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,628.0 inhabitants per square mile (628.6/km2). There were 1,455 housing units at an average density of 687.6 per square mile (265.5/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 83.45% White, 7.72% Black or African American, 0.93% Native American, 2.96% Asian, 2.61% from other races, and 2.32% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.16% of the population.

 
High Street looking towards Washingtonville, ca 1880.

There were 1,396 households, out of which 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.8% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.4% were non-families. 28.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 23.5% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 36.7% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.0 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $55,417, and the median income for a family was $65,321. Males had a median income of $47,386 versus $31,957 for females. The per capita income for the village was $24,960. About 4.2% of families and 6.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.7% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

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References

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  1. ^ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  2. ^ Discovering the Wheys and Means of Chester's Cheese History Archived March 6, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  4. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  5. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
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