Chester County, Pennsylvania
Chester County, Pennsylvania | |
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Flag Seal | |
Location within the U.S. state of Pennsylvania | |
Interactive map of Chester County, Pennsylvania | |
| Coordinates: 39°58′N 75°45′W / 39.97°N 75.75°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| Founded | August 24, 1682 |
| Named after | Chester, England |
| Seat | West Chester |
| Largest borough | Tredyffrin Township |
| Government | |
| • County commission | |
| Area | |
• Total | 759 sq mi (1,970 km2) |
| • Land | 751 sq mi (1,950 km2) |
| • Water | 8.7 sq mi (23 km2) 1.1% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 534,413 |
• Estimate (2024) | 560,745 |
| • Density | 747/sq mi (288/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional districts | 5th, 6th |
| Website | chesco.org |
| Designated | October 26, 1982 |
Chester County, colloquially referred to as Chesco, 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 is the only municipality in the county that is classified as a city. The county is part of the Philadelphia metropolitan area.
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 northern Delaware County and southern Montgomery County, eastern Chester County is home to many communities that comprise part of 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.