Chester

Chester is a city in and the county seat of Randolph County, Illinois, on a bluff above the Mississippi River. The population was 6,814 at the 2020 census. Chester is the "Home of Popeye," where a 6-foot (1.8 m), 900-pound (410 kg) bronze statue of the Sailor Man stands in the Elzie C. Segar Memorial Park, which honors Popeye's creator, Elzie Segar. Chester's big event is its annual Popeye Picnic and parade, held the weekend after Labor Day. Most of the characters are added each year, and to date includes "Olive Oyl," "Castor Whiffle," and "Pappy Pappy" The town was named after Chester, England, the city from where Samuel Smith's wife Jane Smith was from. The first business in Chester was a general store that opened in 1830 along with a castor oil press established by R. B. Servant, who furnished farmers with seed and growing methods to later buy the beans they produced for oil extraction. The H.C. Cole Milling Company was founded by Nathan Cole in 1839. It started out as a small sawmill with a corn-grinding attachment which encouraged the townspeople to plant grains, and in a short time the first Cole flour mill was built. The Prim Hosiery Mill was a knitting mill that began operations under Joshua Richman with 50 employees and produced over 300,000 pairs of stockings a month with annual payroll exceeding $700,000.

History

The town of Chester was named after Chester, England, the city from where Samuel Smith's wife was from. The first business in Chester was a general store that opened in 1830 along with a castor oil press. The Prim Hosiery Mill was a knitting mill that began operations under Joshua Richman with 50 employees in 1925. The International Shoe Company was founded in 1916 in the center of town where the Gilster Mary Lee Corp. is today. Chester Pool was completed in 1941 as part of a Works Progress Administration (WPA) public works program to create employment during the Great Depression. The pool has been closed since 2014 due to leaks and other deterioration issues, as well as high repair costs, the pool was closed due to high repairs costs. The H.C. Cole Milling Company started out as a small sawmill with a corn-grinding attachment which encouraged the townspeople to plant grains, and in a short time the first Cole flour mill was built. Nathan Cole also brought the first electric generator to Chester and used the surplus of power from the mill to operate street lights. The generator is now on display at the Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. During World War Two, the factory operated primarily by women produced military/combat boots for the troops in service. In 1953, payroll reached over $2,000,000. The factory was closed by the company in the early 1960s after 45 years of operation. The mill still exists in Chester but it is now operated by Ardent Mills.

Home of "Popeye"

Chester is the "Home of Popeye," where a 6-foot (1.8 m), 900-pound (410 kg) bronze statue of Pop Eye the Sailor Man stands in the Elzie C. Segar Memorial Park. The park is located next to the Chester Bridge. Chester's big event is its annual Popeye Picnic and parade, held the weekend after Labor Day. Popeye fans travel from all over the United States and the world to partake in the weekend activities. Most of the events and entertainment are free and all are family friendly. New statues honoring the other Thimble Theater characters are added each year."The Popeye and Friends Character Trail" is spread throughout Chester and to date includes: "Olive Oyl, Swee' Pea, and Jeep," "Bluto," "Castor Oyl and Whiffle Hen," "Cole Oyl," and "Pipeye, Pupeye, Peepeye and Poopeye, Popeye's four nephews" The parade consists of local school bands, band fronts, dance teams and cheerleaders, floats from various businesses, fire departments, politicians marching, clowns passing out stickers and candy, and finally horses trail the parade. Many people and businesses help sponsor the picnic and donate money and time. The Popeye Parade is held on a Saturday morning. Before the parade there is a walk and run for anyone who wants to participate. Medals and trophies are awarded to the top runners and walkers in each age category. A Popeye T-shirt is included with each entry.

Parks and historic sites

The Chester area includes a number of state parks and historic sites. The Fort Kaskaskia State Historic Site has a beautiful overlook of the Mississippi River. The Liberty Bell of the West, older than the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, is located near the church on the island and was a gift from King Louis XV of France. Chester's Evergreen Cemetery is the burial site of the first governor of Illinois, Shadrach Bond, and U.S. Senator Elias Kent Kane, Illinois' first Secretary of State and architect of the state constitution. The Randolph County State Recreation Area has a 65-acre (260,000 m2) lake for fishing as well as hiking and equestrian trails. South of Chester is the Turkey Bluffs State Fish and Wildlife Area, which has many scenic overlooks and trails to spot its namesake turkeys. Additionally, Cole Memorial Park is located within the city limits of Chester. Part of the Middle Mississippi River National Wildlife refuge, a division of the Mark Twain National Wildlife Refuge Complex, is Located along the Mississippi river at Chester. The Illinois State Museum is located in the city of Urbana and is open to the public. It is located on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbanasville, which was founded in 1858. It was the site of Illinois' second state capital, which opened in 1859. The state museum is also home to the Illinois State Library, which is housed in an 18th-century building.

Bridges

Chester is connected to Perry County, Missouri via a river bridge known as the Chester Bridge. The Chester Bridge was first constructed on August 23, 1942, as a toll bridge. Sections of this bridge were destroyed by a storm in July 1944, but it was reopened in August 1946. Tolls ceased to be collected on January 1, 1989. The bridge is located on the Missouri River, near the town of Chester, Missouri. It was built in 1942, and was originally a toll-free bridge, but became a free-standing bridge in 1946. It is the only bridge in the state to carry the U.S. state of Missouri's population of more than 100,000. It has a total length of 2.5 miles (3.5 kilometers) and is located in Perry County. It connects Chester with Perry County by way of the Chester River, which flows into the Mississippi River. It opened in 1946, and has been open to the public ever since. It cost $1.5 million to build and was toll free until 1989, when it became free-to-use. It remains open to traffic to this day, and is a popular tourist attraction in the area. It also serves as a route for travelers to and from Perry County and beyond. It can be reached by foot or by car via a series of small roads known as Chester Road and Chester Road. It carries the Missouri and Missouri Turnpike, which runs through the town, and a number of smaller roads that lead to Chester.

Claims to fame

The Chester post office contains a federally commissioned mural, Loading the Packet, painted by Fay E. Davis. Charles Dickens, the author of A Christmas Carol and Great Expectations, visited Chester with his wife. Mark Twain, a pilot on the Mississippi River between 1857 and the Civil War, supposedly on many of his trips stayed at Chester's Cliff House, a fine river hostelry. Chester was the filming location of scenes from the 1967 movie In the Heat of the Night and was only mentioned in the 1993 movie The Fugitive. A former postal employee favored the mural so strongly that he said if the building should catch fire, the mural should be saved rather than the mail. The post office is located on the banks of the Mississippi, near the town of Chester, Mississippi. The town has a population of about 2,000, with the majority of its residents living in or near the city of Chester. The city is home to the U.S. Post Office, which was established in 1841. It was the location of the opening of Chester's first post office in 1842. It is also the site of a post office, which opened in 1844. Chester's post office was also the location for the filming of the film In the heat of the night, which took place in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The U.N. Embassy in Washington, D.C. is based in Chester, and has a consulate in the city. Chester is located at the junction of the Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tombstone rivers.

Geography

Chester is located at 37°5450N 89°4923W (37.913947, -89.823140).According to the 2010 census, Chester has a total area of 5.826 square miles (15.09 km²) of which 99.73% is land and 0.016 sq miles (0.04 km²), or 0.27% is water. Chester is located on the Ohio River, which runs through the town. Chester was named after Chester, Ohio, a town in the U.S. state of Ohio. It is located in the Ohio Valley, one of the most populated areas of the state. The town has a population of 2,827. It has a latitude and longitude of 37.5450 miles (89.4923 kilometers) and a longitudeof 89.845 miles (91.085 kilometers) The city's name is derived from the Chester River, a river that flows through the city. The Chester River is a tributary of the Ohio and Ohio rivers, which flows through Chester. The city is also known as the "Chester River" or the "Pennsylvania River" because of its name. It was once known as "The Chester River" due to its location in the Pennsylvanian region of the United States. The river was once a source of water for the town of Chester, which is now part of the Great Lakes region. It also is known for its coal mining history.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 8,400 people, 2,018 households, and 1,283 families residing in the city. The population density was 879.9 inhabitants per square mile (339.7/km²). There were 2,229 housing units at an average density of 378.3 per squaremile (146.1/ km²) The racial makeup of the city was 94.87% White, 3.59% African American, 0.15% Native American,0.21% Asian, 0,04% Pacific Islander, and 0.93% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.75% of the population. The city's population was spread out, with 22.4% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 21.9%) and 19.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median income for a household in theCity was $39,079, and the median income. for a family was $49,426. The per capita income for the City was $22,190. About 11.8% of those under age 18 and 13.7%. of those age 65 or over. were below the poverty line, including 11.7. of those who were aged 65 and over. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was2.92.

Government and infrastructure

The Illinois Department of Corrections Menard Correctional Center is located in Chester. Prior to the January 11, 2003 commutation of death row sentences, male death row inmates were housed in Menard, Tamms, and Pontiac correctional centers. After that date, only Pontiac continued to host themale death row. Menard is the largest of the three correctional centers, with a population of more than 100,000 inmates. It is the only correctional center in the state that is not located in the city of Chicago or the state of Illinois. It was built in the 1950s and 1960s as part of the state's first prison system, which opened in 1871. It has a capacity of about 50,000 prisoners. It also has a maximum security unit, which can hold up to 1,500 inmates at a time, and a minimum security unit that can house up to 20. It's the only prison in Illinois that is located outside of the Chicago area, and the only one in Illinois. The state has a total of 12 prisons, including two in the Chicago suburbs. The prison system has a budget of about $1.2 billion and is the second-largest in the U.S. after the federal government. It opened in the 1970s and is located on the outskirts of Chicago. It first opened as a state prison in 1881. It became a state-run prison in the 1980s and has been in the same location since the 1990s. In 2002, it became the largest correctional center, with an enrollment of about 1,100.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Chester, Randolph County, Illinois = 97.5. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 20. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 40. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Chester = 4.1 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 6,814 individuals with a median age of 40.6 age the population dropped by -3.93% in Chester, Randolph County, Illinois population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 1,173.61 residents per square mile of area (453.14/km²). There are average 2.29 people per household in the 1,975 households with an average household income of $46,087 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 9.70% of the available work force and has dropped -5.44% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 19.42%. The number of physicians in Chester per 100,000 population = 82.7.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Chester = 41.9 inches and the annual snowfall = 14.9 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 94. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 202. 92 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 20.1 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 41, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Chester, Randolph County, Illinois which are owned by the occupant = 66.20%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 52 years with median home cost = $65,340 and home appreciation of -7.69%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $12.94 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,395 per student. There are 16.4 students for each teacher in the school, 1015 students for each Librarian and 1015 students for each Counselor. 5.16% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 7.53% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 3.64% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).