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Chester

South Carolinacity

Photograph of Chester
Featured view

Chester

Total population

5,218

Median home value

$123,000

14%

Bachelor's+

Median income

$46,138

Chester$46k
National$74k
Elevation163 m
Land area8.46 km²
Weather92°F · Mostly Sunny
Coordinates34.71°, -81.21°

Demographic figures from US Census Bureau · ACS 5-year estimates. Overview below cites Wikipedia and may reference a different year.

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City facts

Elevation
163 m
Area
8.46 km²
Official website
www.chestersc.org

Facts from Wikidata (CC0).

Overview

Chester is a small rural city in Chester County, South Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, Chester had a population of 5,269. It is the county seat of Chester County. The community was segregated. Many African Americans, including the principal and teachers at Finley School, lived in East Chester.

Read more on Wikipedia

History & geography

History

While being transported to Richmond, Virginia, for his trial for treason, former Vice-President Aaron Burr passed through Chester. Burr "flung himself from his horse and cried for a rescue, but the officer commanding the escort seized him, threw him back like a child into the saddle, and marched on." The large stone he stood on has been inscribed and is preserved in the town center, and is known locally as the Aaron Burr Rock. Chester was home to Brainerd Institute, a school for African American children. The Catholic Presbyterian Church, Chester City Hall and Opera House, Chester Historic District, Colvin-Fant-Durham Farm Complex, Fishdam Ford, Kumler Hall, Lewis Inn, and McCollum Mound are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography

Chester is located just west of the center of Chester County. U.S. Route 321 bypasses the city to the west and the south, leading north to York and south to Winnsboro. South Carolina Highway 9 passes through the city center and leads east to Interstate 77 near Richburg and west to Spartanburg. Highways 72 and 121 lead northeast to Rock Hill and southwest to Whitmire. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.

Read full article on Wikipedia

Excerpted from the corresponding Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA).

Demographics & economy

Median age
38.8
Median home value
$123,000
Housing units
2,462
Poverty rate
19.4%
Unemployment
7.6%

Race & ethnicity

White
32.6%
Black
62.6%
Asian
0.9%
Hispanic
2.4%

Source: US Census Bureau — American Community Survey, 5-year estimates.

Geography

Latitude
34.7050
Longitude
-81.2132
Water area
—
View on OpenStreetMap

Coordinates & boundaries from the US Census TIGER/Line shapefiles.

Climate

Current forecast

This Afternoon
92°F
Mostly Sunny
Tonight
67°F
Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms
Tuesday
89°F
Patchy Fog then Chance Showers And Thunderstorms
Tuesday Night
64°F
Chance Showers And Thunderstorms then Showers And Thunderstorms
Wednesday
75°F
Light Rain Likely
Wednesday Night
59°F
Light Rain Likely

Forecast for Chester, SC from NOAA NWS API.

Air quality

Industrial & pollution facilities

Natural hazard risk

Health (adults)

High blood pressure
45.8%
Diabetes
18.7%
Adult obesity
44.4%
Binge drinking
12.6%
Adult smoking
22.4%
No leisure activity
39.6%

Age-adjusted prevalence estimates from CDC PLACES (latest release).

Walkability

Amenities nearby

Wildlife & biodiversity

Observations (last 5 yrs, 10 mi)
5,744
Distinct species (top 10)
10

Most-observed species

  • Turkey Vulture
    Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
    191
  • American Crow
    Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
    184
  • Northern Cardinal
    Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
    177
  • Northern Mockingbird
    Mimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
    165
  • Mourning Dove
    Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
    156
  • Eastern Bluebird
    Sialia sialis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
    133
  • Black Vulture
    Coragyps atratus (Bechstein, 1793) · Aves
    132
  • Carolina Wren
    Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
    131

Citizen-science & research observations from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF).

Schools

Total
7
Elementary
4
Middle
1
High
2
Other
0

Largest nearby schools

  • Chester Senior High
    High · Chester · 754 students · 15.1:1 ratio
  • Chester Middle
    Middle · Chester · 517 students · 13.3:1 ratio
  • Chester Park School Elementary of Inquiry
    Elementary · Chester · 409 students · 12.8:1 ratio
  • Chester Park Elementary School for the Arts
    Elementary · Chester · 360 students · 12:1 ratio
  • Academy for Teaching and Learning
    Elementary · Chester · 328 students · 13.1:1 ratio
  • Chester Park Elementary School of Literacy and Technology
    Elementary · Chester · 323 students · 12.4:1 ratio
  • Chester County Career Center
    High · Chester

Public K–12 schools within ~10 mi from Urban Institute Education Data Portal (NCES Common Core of Data, 2022).

Earthquake history

Quakes ≥ 2.5 (25 yrs, 62 mi)
26
Largest magnitude
3.6
Largest event
2022-06-29

Most recent

Events from the USGS Earthquake Catalog (global) (FDSN Event Web Service).

Photos

Sights & places nearby

Notable people from here

John Hemphill
John Hemphill
American politician (1803-1862)
John J. Hemphill
John J. Hemphill
American politician (1849-1912)
Robert W. Hemphill
Robert W. Hemphill
American politician (1915-1983)
Allison Feaster
Allison Feaster
American basketball player
Albert G. Brown
Albert G. Brown
American politician (1813-1880)
G
George McCorkle
American musician (1947-2007)
J
John McCreary
American politician (1761-1833)
Thomas J. Strait
Thomas J. Strait
American politician (1846–1924)
Ron Rash
Ron Rash
American poet, short story writer and novelist
William H. Brawley
William H. Brawley
United States federal judge (1841-1916)
A
Antonio Larell Davis
American boxer
Bobby Gage
Bobby Gage
American football player (1927-2005)
Ed Durham
Ed Durham
Major League Baseball pitcher
John Dunovant
John Dunovant
brigadier general in the Confederate States Army of the American Civil War
John Lyles Glenn, Jr.
John Lyles Glenn, Jr.
United States federal judge (1892-1938)
Marion Campbell
Marion Campbell
American football player (1929-2016)

People born within ~10 km, from Wikidata (CC0). Click any name for their Wikipedia article.

Nearby places in South Carolina

Browse all places in South Carolina →

Geography & sun

Avg solar (kWh/m²/day)
4.54
Annual solar (kWh/m²)
1,657

Elevation, sunrise/sunset and daylight from Open-Meteo. Solar climatology from NASA POWER.

Nearby airports

Public attention

Wikipedia views (last 30 days)
1,010
Avg daily Wikipedia views
34
Attention level
Quiet

Pageview totals from the Wikimedia Pageviews API.

Books about Chester

Tombstone inscriptions, Evergreen Cemetery, Chester, South Carolina
Tombstone inscriptions, Evergreen Cemetery, Chester, South Carolina
2004
Rock Hill/Lancaster/Chester South Carolina Street Map
Rock Hill/Lancaster/Chester South Carolina Street Map
GM Johnson & Associates Ltd. · 2006
The Revolutionary soldiers of Catholic Presbyterian Church, Chester, South Carolina
Mary Wylie Strange · 1978
Chester, South Carolina, initial reconnaissance survey
South Carolina State Development Board. Community Planning Division · 1969
History of Purity Presbyterian Church of Chester, South Carolina, 1787-1937
Frank Dudley Jones · 1938
Hebrew for All
Yeshiah Yisrael · 2019
Purity and its people
Edward Hood Dawson · 1987
Minutes of the ninety-first session of the South Carolina Annual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, held at Chester, South Carolina, December 13-18, 1876
South. South Carolina Conference Methodist Episcopal Church · 1877

Search results from Open Library.

Recent natural events nearby

Wildfires, storms and other events from NASA EONET (last 12 months, within 250 mi).

Ground air-quality sensors

Recently spotted species

Spinybacked Orbweaver
Spinybacked Orbweaver
Gasteracantha cancriformis
Seen 2026-09-05
Ringless Honey Mushroom
Ringless Honey Mushroom
Desarmillaria caespitosa
Seen 2026-08-30
Bathroom Moth Fly
Bathroom Moth Fly
Clogmia albipunctata
Seen 2026-08-28
Common Buckeye
Common Buckeye
Junonia coenia
Seen 2026-08-27
Eastern Box Turtle
Eastern Box Turtle
Terrapene carolina carolina
Seen 2026-08-22
Blue Dasher
Blue Dasher
Pachydiplax longipennis
Seen 2026-08-20
Imperial Moth
Imperial Moth
Eacles imperialis
Seen 2026-08-18
Carolina Mantis
Carolina Mantis
Stagmomantis carolina
Seen 2026-08-17
European Hornet
European Hornet
Vespa crabro
Seen 2026-08-11

Research-grade observations from iNaturalist (within ~15 mi).

Nearest stream gauge

Events

Gallery

Sources

  • • Wikipedia
  • • US Census Bureau (ACS 5-year estimates)
  • • NOAA National Weather Service
  • • Wikidata
  • • USGS Earthquake Catalog (global feed)
  • • NCES via Urban Institute Education Data Portal
  • • GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility)
  • • iNaturalist
  • • CDC PLACES
  • • Open-Meteo / sunrise-sunset.org
  • • Wikipedia Pageviews API
  • • Open Library
  • • NASA EONET