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Chester New Hampshire Community Profile

 Chester new hampshire community profile
Chester, NH
Community Contact Town of Chester Planning Department
Cynthia Robinson, Planning Coordinator
Municipal Office Building, PO Box 217
Chester, NH 03036

Telephone (603) 887-5629
Fax (603) 887-4404
E-mail chstrpl@gsi.net
Web Site www.chesternh.org

Municipal Office Hours Monday through Friday 8 am - 4 pm: Town Clerk/Tax Collector: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, 8 am - 12:30 pm, and Tuesday, 8 am - 3:30 pm

County Rockingham
Labor Market Area Nashua NH-MA NECTA Division, NH Portion
Tourism Region Merrimack Valley
Planning Commission Southern NH
Regional Development Rockingham Economic Development Corp.

Election Districts
US Congress
 District 1
Executive Council
 District 3
State Senate
 District 17
State Representative
 Rockingham County District 7
Incorporated: 1722
Origin: Chester was first known as the chestnut country, and may have been the first of the settlement grants by the Governor of Massachusetts in 1722 for expansion of New Hampshire's seacoast settlements. Many new settlers were from Hampton, Newbury, Kingston, and Portsmouth, which were considered overcrowded. Settlers were required to plant, build houses, lay out roads, and construct a church and schoolhouse, or they would forfeit the land. The name Chester apparently came from Cheshire County in England, whose county seat is Chester, and Earl of Chester is a title held by the Prince of Wales. The towns of Auburn, Candia, Derryfield (renamed Manchester), Hooksett, and Raymond were later formed from Chester's original 100 square mile grant.
Villages and Place Names: North Chester

Population, Year of the First Census Taken: 1,902 residents in 1790
Population Trends: Population change for Chester totaled 3,056 over 50 years, from 807 in 1950 to 3,863 in 2000. The largest decennial percent change was a 45 percent increase between 1970 and 1980; the smallest, a 30 percent increase between 1950 and 1960. The 2005 Census estimate for Chester was 4,636 residents, which ranked 76th among New Hampshire's incorporated cities and towns.

Population Density, 2005: 178.1 persons per square mile of land area. Chester contains 26.0 square miles of land area and 0.1 square miles of inland water area.
MUNICIPAL SERVICES
Type of Government Selectmen
Budget: Municipal Appropriations, 2006 $3,032,207
Budget: School Appropriations, 2006 $10,114,630
Zoning Ordinance 1960/06
Master Plan 2006
Capitol Improvement Plan Yes
Industrial Plans Reviewed By Planning Board

Boards and Commissions
Elected:
 Selectmen; Library, Budget
Appointed:
 Planning; Zoning; Conservation; Recreation

Public Library Chester Public

EMERGENCY SERVICES
Police Department Full-time
Fire Department Volunteer
Town Fire Insurance Rating 9/10
Emergency Medical Service Municipal

Nearest Hospital(s) Distance Staffed Beds
Parkland Medical Center, Derry 7 miles 86
Elliot Hospital, Manchester 11 miles 296

UTILITIES
Electric Supplier PSNH; NH Electric Coop.
Natural Gas Supplier None
Water Supplier Private wells

Sanitation Private septic
Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant No
Solid Waste Disposal
Curbside Trash Pickup
 Private
Pay-As-You-Throw Program
 No
Recycling
 Mandatory

Telephone Company Granite State; Verizon
Cellular Telephone Access Yes
Cable Television Access Yes
Public Access Television Station Yes
High Speed Internet Service:  
Business
 Yes
Residential
 Yes

PROPERTY TAXES (NH Dept. of Revenue Adminstration) 
2005 Total Tax Rate (per $1000 of value) $30.96
2005 Equalization Ratio 53.3
2005 Full Value Tax Rate (per $1000 of value) $16.40

2005 Percent of Property Valuation by Type
Residential Land and Buildings
 94.9%
Commercial Land and Buildings
 1.9%
Other Property including Utilities
 3.2%

HOUSING (NH Office of Energy and Planning) 
2005 Total Housing Units 1,537
   
2005 Single-Family Units 1,390
Building Permits Issued
 10
2005 Multi-Family Units 120
Building Permits Issued
 0
2005 Manufactured Housing Units 27
   
DEMOGRAPHICS (US Census Bureau) 
Total Population Community County
2005 4,636 295,076
2000 3,863 278,748
1990 2,744 246,744
1980 2,006 190,345
1970 1,382 138,951

Census 2000 Demographics
Population by Gender
Male
 1,875
Female
 1,917

Population by Age Group
Under age 5
 315
Age 5 to 19
 961
Age 20 to 34
 564
Age 35 to 54
 1,422
Age 55 to 64
 300
Age 65 and over
 230
Median Age
 35.7 years

Educational Attainment, population 25 years and over
High school graduate or higher
 92.0%
Bachelor's degree or higher
 31.1%

ANNUAL INCOME, 1999 (US Census Bureau) 
Per capita income $23,842
Median 4-person family income $75,092
Median household income $68,571

Median Earnings, full-time, year-round workers
Male
 $44,056
Female
 $35,382

Families below the poverty level 3.4%

LABOR FORCE (NHES - ELMI) 
Annual Average 1995 2005
Civilian Labor Force
 1,770 2,673
Employed
 1,690 2,579
Unemployed
 80 94
Unemployment Rate
 4.5% 3.5%

EMPLOYMENT & WAGES (NHES - ELMI) 
Annual Average Covered Employment 1995 2005
Goods Producing Industries  
Average Employment
 87 105
Average Weekly Wage
 $355 $897
   
Service Providing Industries  
Average Employment
 138 206
Average Weekly Wage
 $387 $590
   
Total Private Industry  
Average Employment
 225 311
Average Weekly Wage
 $375 $694
   
Government (Federal, State, and Local)  
Average Employment
 81 161
Average Weekly Wage
 $354 $482
   
Total, Private plus Government  
Average Employment
 305 473
Average Weekly Wage
 $369 $622
n = indicates that the data does not meet disclosure standards
EDUCATION/CHILD CARE FACILITIES (NH Dept. of Education)
Schools students attend: Chester operates grades 1-8; grades 9-12 are tuitioned to Pinkerton Academy (Derry) District: SAU 14
Career Technology Center(s): Pinkerton Academy, Derry; Salem High School Vocational Center Region: 17

Educational Facilities Elementary Middle/Junior High High School Private/Parochial
Number of Schools
 1
Grade Levels
 1-8
Total Enrollment
 620
NH Licensed Child Care Facilities, 2006: Total Facilities: 5 Total Capacity: 83
Nearest Community/Technical College: Manchester; Nashua
Nearest Colleges or Universities: Chester College of New England; Hesser; Southern NH University; UNH-Manchester
LARGEST EMPLOYERS PRODUCT/SERVICE EMPLOYEES ESTABLISHED
Chester College of New England Education 61 1967
Genesis Woodcraft Wooden housewares, accessories 18 1979
Stone Machine Co., Inc. Machine shop 15 1980
TRANSPORTATION  (Distance estimated from city / town hall)
Road Access US Routes
  State Routes 102, 121, 121A
Nearest Interstate, Exit I-93, Exit 4
         Distance 8 miles
Railroad No
Public Transportation No

Nearest Public Use Airport, General Aviation
Manchester-Boston Regional
Runway
 9,250 ft. asphalt
Lighted?
 Yes  Navigational Aids? Yes
Nearest Airport with Scheduled Service
Manchester-Boston Regional Distance 15 miles
Number of Passsenger Airlines Serving Airport 8

Driving distance to selected cities:
Manchester, NH
 14 miles
Portland, ME
 86 miles
Boston, MA
 49 miles
New York City, NY
 253 miles
Montreal, Quebec
 269 miles

COMMUTING TO WORK (US Census)
Workers 16 years and over  
Drove alone, car/truck/van
 84.2%
Carpooled, car/truck/van
 6.8%
Public transportation
 1.2%
Walked
 0.6%
Other Means
 0.0%
Worked at home
 7.2%
Mean Travel Time to Work 32.2 minutes
Percent of Working Residents:
Working in community of residence
 16%
Commuting to another NH community
 63%
Commuting out-of-state
 21%
    
RECREATION, ATTRACTIONS, AND EVENTS
X Municipal Parks
YMCA/YWCA
Boys Club/Girls Club
Golf Courses
Swimming: Indoor Facility
Swimming: Outdoor Facility
Tennis Courts: Indoor Faclity
Tennis Courts: Outdoor Facility
Ice Skating Rink: Indoor Facility
Bowling Facilities
Museums
Cinemas
Performing Arts Facilities
Tourists Attractions
X Youth Organizations (i.e., Scouts, 4-H)
X Youth Sports: Baseball
X Youth Sports: Soccer
Youth Sports: Football
X Youth Sports: Basketball
Youth Sports: Hockey
Campgrounds
X Fishing/Hunting
X Boating/Marinas
Snowmobile Trails
Bicycle Trails
Cross Country Skiing
X Beach or Waterfront Recreational Area
Overnight or Day Camps
   
Nearest Ski Area(s): McIntyre
   
Other: Summer programs
Copyright 2006 Economic & Labor Market Information Bureau, NH Employment Security. All Rights Reserved. Updated 06/02/06

All information regarding the communities is from sources deemed reliable and is submitted subject to errors, omissions, modifications, and withdrawals without notice. No warranty or representation is made as to the accuracy of the information contained herein. Specific questions regarding individual cities and towns should be directed to the community contact.