Along the Delaware River 20 miles west of Philadelphia sits the City of Chester. It is the site of William Penn’s first arrival in the area in 1682, making it the oldest city in Pennsylvania. With its easy river access, Chester went from a small shipbuilding and textile town to an industrial powerhouse manufacturing steel ships for both World Wars.
In more recent years, the city has become embroiled in several controversies. In 1964, a school segregation dispute broke out in the community, resulting in protests and riots. In the late ‘70s, a rubber recycling facility in town caught fire. It burned for several days, releasing noxious fumes into the air and causing an environmental hazard that took almost a decade to clean up. In 1995, the state declared Chester a financially distressed municipality.
Despite those blemishes, the city has plenty of supporters. “There are many bright spots here,” says Jill Johnson, a Realtor with Century 21 All-Elite and a staunch Chester defender. “The city has charter schools, Widener University, the casino and the soccer stadium. It’s a welcoming place filled with positivity.”
To encourage investment, the state named Chester a Keystone Opportunity Zone, offering incentives to companies willing to locate there. Harrah’s Casino and Racetrack built a waterfront facility in the city in 2006, and Subaru Park, home to the Philadelphia Union soccer team, followed in 2010. Despite these attractions, Chester declared bankruptcy in 2022. “Chester is filled with hardworking people trying to get ahead,” Johnson says. “People care about one another. They don’t act like it’s a big city. They treat each other like it’s a small neighborhood where you say hello and wave to your neighbor.”
Enjoy a short 25 minute commute to Philadelphia from Chester.
Chester is home to Widener University.
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Opportunities for investors and first-time homebuyers
The average home price in Chester is $120,000, nearly a fifth of the $550,000 national average. With inventory at historic lows across the nation, including the Philadelphia market, first-time homebuyers often turn to areas like Chester, which promise good returns on investment. “I see investors coming in from other states to buy here,” Johnson says. “If you can get a home cheap enough and are willing to rehab it, you can make money.”
Most residential properties in Chester are classic twin homes and row houses built between 1900 and 1950 that feature brick or wood facades and resemble other homes throughout the Philadelphia area. Single-family colonial-styles, Cape Cods, bungalows and ranch-style houses are harder to find, but still abundant. They go on the market in many conditions, from run-down shells to well-maintained and updated residences. Multi-family homes, often two-unit properties with renters already in place, account for 12% of the home market in Chester.
In recent years, the city has also built new low-income housing for its elderly population, with more on the horizon. Dozens of new twin homes throughout the city are designed for first-time homebuyers. Affordable single-family homes with a base price of $100,000, and larger, three-bedroom homes with a starting price of $140,000 give lower-income buyers alternatives to renting.
Row homes are the most common home style in Downtown Chester, Pennsylvania.
Century-old Victorian style homes are found throughout Chester, Pennsylvania.
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Public transportation and other resources in Chester
SEPTA buses serve the city and use the Chester Transportation Center as their hub. The Center and Highland Avenue are two stops on SEPTA’s Wilmington/Newark commuter line, which provides service into Philadelphia, 20 miles east. Interstate 95 comes through Chester, connecting drivers to Philadelphia’s City Center and Wilmington, Delaware, 15 miles west. U.S. 322 also crosses Chester before heading to Atlantic City, a 70-mile trip. For air travelers, Philadelphia International Airport is 10 miles away on U.S. 13, which becomes Route 291 outside of Chester.
The historic J. Lewis Crozer Library on Engle Street was founded in 1769 as the Chester Library Company, one of the earliest libraries established in Pennsylvania. It was renamed in 1925 after a sizeable donation from philanthropist J. Lewis Crozer. The current building’s exterior is covered on one side with colorful murals encouraging reading and imagination.
The Crozer-Chester Medical Center is a 283-bed tertiary teaching hospital in Upland, adjacent to Chester. It offers a comprehensive emergency department, the country’s first cardiothoracic surgery program, and serves as the regional teaching campus for Drexel University College of Medicine.
Chester Upland School District and Widener University
Ranked last among Pennsylvania’s school districts in 1995, the Chester Upland School District, which serves the City of Chester, receives a D-plus from Niche. The district operates six schools, two of which are charter schools, with an enrollment of over 2,600 students. Chester Charter Scholars Academy, a K-12 school, offers an arts-integrated curriculum with a 98% graduation rate. At Chester Community Charter School, a K-8 school, all students are supplied with laptop computers, iPads or Chromebooks beginning in kindergarten.
Widener University occupies more than a dozen blocks in the city’s northeast corner and enrolls over 5,700 students. The university launched the Widener Partnership Charter School, a K-8 school, in 2006. Any charter school alum later accepted to the university is automatically eligible for a minimum $100,000 scholarship.
Chester High School - Main Campus earned a "D+" in 2025 according to Niche.com.
STEM at Showalter in Chester has 484 students in grades 8-12, according to Niche.com.
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Shops and restaurants from South Chester to downtown
Chester is a city that relies on public transportation, many area shops and restaurants are located near the bus line, like Aunt B’s Country Kitchen, which serves traditional Southern dishes in the South Chester neighborhood. Aunt B’s occupies the same building as the Chester Cultural Arts and Technology Center (CAAT), a learning space where youth and adults can get academic instruction, explore career paths and develop the skills needed for the arts and technology fields.
Duo Tacos and Bowls, a walk-up Mexican place, is a block from the Chester Transportation Center. It’s located on the Avenue of the States, Chester’s downtown area, where shoppers will find clothing stores, art galleries, retailers, the Downtown CAAT and Soul Street Lounge, a bar/restaurant that features live jazz music. Grocery stores are located near mass transit, too, such as Cousins Fresh Market on the 9th Street bus line. Residents also have access to a Walmart and a ShopRite in the Eddystone Crossings shopping mall next door.
Built on the site of a former shipbuilding company, Harrah’s Philadelphia Casino and Racetrack features slot machines, gaming tables and a harness racing track on the Chester waterfront. Visitors can choose from several bars and restaurants, including the Philly Tap & Tavern, a classic pub with a wide selection of burgers, or C-Bar, a lounge where sports fans can catch the game.
Residents of Chester enjoy visiting Harrah's Casino & Racetrack on the weekends.
Find a selection of authentic Mexican dishes at Duo Tacos and Bowls in Chester.
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Parks for nature lovers and soccer fans
Cyclists will find bike paths throughout the Widener University campus, around Subaru Park soccer stadium, and in larger green spaces throughout the city, like Taylor Memorial Arboretum. Widener University maintains the arboretum, which features dogwoods, magnolias and hollies originally planted in the 1950s. Ridley Creek borders the property, and Chester Park and Chester Park North are on either side, featuring football and soccer fields, tennis and pickleball courts, an amphitheater, a hockey rink and playgrounds.
In South Chester, Veterans Memorial Park is a standout green space known for its baseball fields, sports facilities and municipal swimming pool. The city recently broke ground on a new retention pond along the rail line next to the park to handle a flooding issue in that area. A few blocks south, Subaru Park is Chester’s 18,500-seat Major League Soccer stadium, home to Philadelphia Union. The stadium features luxury suites, a full-service restaurant and a built-in concert stage.
Kids can enjoy playing for hour outdoors at Veterans Memorial Park in Chester.
The Philadelphia Union professional soccer club call South Chester their home.
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Falling crime and mild climate numbers
According to the Pennsylvania State Police’s Uniform Crime Reporting System, violent and property crimes in Chester have decreased by nearly 50% over the last 7 years of reporting. FBI crime data confirms this decline, but shows a spike in crime between 2022 to 2023.
Chester’s climate along the Delaware River is classified as humid subtropical. This makes for milder winters with winter temperatures rarely dropping below 20 degrees. In the summer months, temperatures often climb to 85 or 90 degrees.
New residential, commercial and recreational building in Chester
Near Widener University, a new multi-use building on Providence Avenue features 57 apartments, a 60-room Best Western, a bank and the Widener Campus Store. The new University Technology Park building between Widener’s main campus and Crozer-Chester Medical Center was designed for scientists and engineers working on the latest technologies. The city also allocated $2 million toward redeveloping an old filter treatment house at 7th and Madison streets into a new recreational center. The George E. Carter Center is named after a youth mentor and leader in the community.
Jean has been in real estate buying and selling for over 10 years . Now licensed in PA and an active Police officer who have knowledge about the city to help others find their dream homes. Jean also help investors buy/ sell or hold. From a first-time home buyer, to an empty nester, to the investments that can lead to financial freedom, Jean is here to help .
Disclaimer: Certain information contained herein is derived from information provided by parties other than Homes.com. Our sources include: Accuweather, Public Records and Neustar. All information provided is deemed reliable, but is not guaranteed to be accurate and should be independently verified.
