Chester is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

Rockingham County, New Hampshire Rockingham County is a county in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. As of the 2020 census, the population was 314,176, making it New Hampshire's second-most populous county. The county seat is Brentwood. Rockingham County is part of the Boston ...

, United States. The population was 5,232 at the 2020 census, up from 4,768 at the 2010 census. It was home to the now defunct Chester College (formerly White Pines College).

History

From ''Statistics and Gazetteer of New-Hampshire'', 1875:

"Chester is considered one of the old towns of the state. In 1719, about eighty persons, chiefly from
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
and Hampton, formed an association, for the purpose of securing a tract of land in the "Chesnut Country" (so called) and stationed three men upon this tract, to hold possession until they should procure a lawful title. After considerable difficulty they obtained a grant of land, ten miles 6 kmsquare. Immediately the settlement was commenced by several persons from
Rye Rye (''Secale cereale'') is a grass grown extensively as a grain, a cover crop and a forage crop. It is grown principally in an area from Eastern and Northern Europe into Russia. It is much more tolerant of cold weather and poor soil than o ...
and Hampton, among whom were Samuel Ingalls, Jonathan Goodhue, Jacob Sargent, Ebenezer Dearborn, Robert Smith, E. Colby and S. Robie, who contributed largely to the permanent success of the enterprise. On the 8th of May, 1722 the township which had hitherto been called Cheshire, was incorporated under its present name, and comprising an area of over 120 square miles 10 km²"Article i
''Statistics and Gazetteer of New-Hampshire'' (1875)
/ref>

Chester once included

Candia The name Candia can refer to: People * The House of Candia, a noble family from Savoy (14th-16th) * Alfredo Ovando Candía, 56th president of Bolivia * Antoinette Candia-Bailey, American academic administrator * Cecilia Maria de Candia, British-It ...

, set off in 1763. It may have been the first of the settlement grants by

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

selected for expansion of growing populations in the seacoast. The name may be derived from

Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...

, the

county town In Great Britain and Ireland, a county town is usually the location of administrative or judicial functions within a county, and the place where public representatives are elected to parliament. Following the establishment of county councils in ...

of the county of

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

Earl of Chester The Earldom of Chester () was one of the most powerful earldoms in medieval England, extending principally over the counties of Cheshire and Flintshire. Since 1301 the title has generally been granted to heirs apparent to the English throne, ...

is a title held by the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

. In 1822, a portion of Hooksett was taken from Chester. In 1845, the portion of the town known as Long Meadows was incorporated under the name of Auburn. Image:The Common, Chester, NH.jpg, The Common Image:Town Hall & Soldiers' Monument, Chester, NH.jpg, Town Hall in 1913 Image:Chester Street looking East, Chester, NH.jpg, Blacksmith Shop in 1909 Image:Chester Street, Chester, NH.jpg, Chester Street

Geography

Chester is in southeastern

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

, in the western part of Rockingham County. The highest point in town is found on an unnamed hill west of Bell Hill and northwest of Harantis Lake; it has two knobs of almost equal elevation of at least , according to the most recent (2011–2012) USGS 7.5-minute topographical map. According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the town has a total area of , of which are land and , or 0.43%, are water. The Exeter River rises in Chester. The area of Chester drained by the Exeter and its tributary Towle Brook lies within the

Piscataqua River The Piscataqua River (Abenaki language, Abenaki: ''Pskehtekwis'') is a tidal river forming the boundary of the U.S. states of New Hampshire and Maine from its origin at the confluence of the Salmon Falls River and Cochecho River to the Atlant ...

(Coastal)

watershed Watershed may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, an area of land where surface water converges (North American usage) Music * Watershed Music Festival, an annual country ...

, while the western edge of town drains west toward Massabesic Lake and is in the

Merrimack River The Merrimack River (or Merrimac River, an occasional earlier spelling) is a river in the northeastern United States. It rises at the confluence of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee rivers in Franklin, New Hampshire, flows southward into M ...

watershed.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 3,792 people, 1,214 households, and 1,011 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,247 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.97%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.26%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.42% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.16% from other races, and 0.87% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 0.82% of the population. There were 1,214 households, out of which 45.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 73.3% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.7% were non-families. 11.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.09 and the average family size was 3.38. In the town, the population was spread out, with 31.0% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 32.1% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 6.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.4 males. The median income for a household in the town was $68,571, and the median income for a family was $75,092. Males had a median income of $44,056 versus $35,382 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $23,842. About 3.4% of families and 5.0% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 5.9% of those under age 18 and 5.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Elementary and

middle school Middle school, also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school, is an educational stage between primary school and secondary school. Afghanistan In Afghanistan, middle school includes g ...

students attend Chester Academy (public).

High school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

students attend

Pinkerton Academy Pinkerton Academy is a secondary school in Derry, New Hampshire, United States. It serves roughly 3,269 students, making it by far the largest high school in New Hampshire, more than 1,300 students greater than the next largest high school. Pi ...

Derry Derry, officially Londonderry, is the second-largest City status in the United Kingdom, city in Northern Ireland, and the fifth-largest on the island of Ireland. Located in County Londonderry, the city now covers both banks of the River Fo ...

, a privately operated school that contracts with the towns of Derry, Auburn, Chester, Candia, Hooksett, and

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, England, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, located mainly in the London Borough of Camden, with a small part in the London Borough of Barnet. It borders Highgate and Golders Green to the north, Belsiz ...

Infrastructure

Transportation

Three New Hampshire state routes cross Chester. * NH 102 follows Derry Road and Raymond Road through town, running from Derry in the southwest to Raymond in the northeast. * NH 121 follows Chester Street and Haverhill Road through town, running from Auburn in the west to Hampstead (via small bits of Derry and Sandown) in the southeast. * NH 121A begins in town just east of the center of town at an intersection with NH 121, and goes east along Sandown Road into Sandown.

Notable people

* Charles H. Bell (1823–1893), 38th

governor of New Hampshire The governor of New Hampshire is the head of government of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. The governor is elected during the biennial state general election in November of even-numbered years. New Hampshire is one of only two states, along w ...

and son of John Bell * John Bell (1765–1836), 12th

* Samuel Bell (1770–1850), 8th

and brother of John Bell * Samuel Newell Bell (1829–1889), congressman and grandson of Samuel Bell * Timothy Dexter (1747–1806), businessman, eccentric writer *

Daniel Chester French Daniel Chester French (April 20, 1850 – October 7, 1931) was an American sculpture, sculptor in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His works include ''The Minute Man'', an 1874 statue in Concord, Massachusetts, and his Statue of Abr ...

(1850–1931), sculptor * George Cochrane Hazelton (1832–1922), congressman from

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

; brother of Gerry Whiting Hazelton * Gerry Whiting Hazelton (1829–1920), congressman from

; brother of George Cochrane Hazelton * Arthur Livermore (1766–1853), congressman

References

External links

* {{authority control Towns in Rockingham County, New Hampshire Towns in New Hampshire