Chester, Illinois
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Chester is a city located in Randolph County, Illinois. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 8,400. It is the county seat of Randolph CountyTemplate:GR.
Chester was the birthplace of Elzie Segar, creator of the comic character, Popeye. There is a statue of Popeye in the town. See the Roadside America description (http://www.roadsideamerica.com/set/popeye.html) of the statue and its problems with vandals.
See also: Crystal City, Texas for another statue.
Geography
Chester is located at 37°54'50" North, 89°49'23" West (37.913947, -89.823140)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 15.3 km² (5.9 mi²). 15.3 km² (5.9 mi²) of it is land and 0.17% is water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 5,185 people, 2,018 households, and 1,283 families residing in the city. The population density is 339.9/km² (879.9/mi²). There are 2,229 housing units at an average density of 146.1/km² (378.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 94.87% White, 3.59% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.21% from other races, and 0.93% from two or more races. 0.75% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 2,018 households out of which 28.7% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.9% are married couples living together, 10.3% have a female householder with no husband present, and 36.4% are non-families. 32.1% of all households are made up of individuals and 17.0% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.32 and the average family size is 2.92.
In the city the population is spread out with 22.4% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 19.7% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 40 years. For every 100 females there are 105.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 102.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $39,079, and the median income for a family is $49,426. Males have a median income of $36,103 versus $22,239 for females. The per capita income for the city is $22,190. 9.7% of the population and 5.4% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 11.8% of those under the age of 18 and 13.7% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.