Chester, New Hampshire

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, 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 2006 Census estimate for Chester was 4,648 residents, which ranked 76th among New Hampshire's incorporated cities and towns.

Population Density, 2006: 178.6 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.

Type of Government	Selectmen
Budget: Municipal Appropriations, 2007	$3,144,327
Budget: School Appropriations, 2007	$10,114,630
Zoning Ordinance	1960/07
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	Full & part-time
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

2006 Total Tax Rate (per $1000 of value)

$18.22

2006 Equalization Ratio

97.2

2006 Full Value Tax Rate (per $1000 of value)

$17.53

2006 Percent of Local Assessed Value by Property Type
Residential Land and Buildings	94.9%
Commercial Land and Buildings	2.2%
Public Utilities, Current Use, and Other	2.9%

2006 Total Housing Units

1,555

2006 Single-Family Units

1,400

Single-Family Permits Issued, Net Change of Units

2006 Multi-Family Units

124

Multi-Family Permits Issued, Net Change of Units

2006 Manufactured Housing Units

Total Population

Community

County

2006

4,648

296,267

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%

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%

Annual Average

1996

2006

Civilian Labor Force

1,865

2,694

Employed

1,796

2,607

Unemployed

Unemployment Rate

3.7%

3.2%

Annual Average Covered Employment

1996

2006

Goods Producing Industries

Average Employment

100

Average Weekly Wage

$397

$968

Service Providing Industries

Average Employment

147

170

Average Weekly Wage

$453

$659

Total Private Industry

Average Employment

231

270

Average Weekly Wage

$432

$773

Government (Federal, State, and Local)

Average Employment

183

Average Weekly Wage

$418

$464

Total, Private plus Government

Average Employment

312

452

Average Weekly Wage

$429

$648

n = indicates that the data does not meet disclosure standards

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	P 1-8
Total Enrollment	686

NH Licensed Child Care Facilities, 2007:

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 BUSINESSES	PRODUCT/SERVICE	EMPLOYEES	ESTABLISHED
Chester College of New England	Education	61	1967
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

Economic & Labor Market Information Bureau, NH Employment Security, 2007. Community Response Received 09/05/07

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