Chester, Georgia

Town in Georgia, United States

32°23′42″N 83°9′13″W / 32.39500°N 83.15361°W / 32.39500; -83.15361CountryUnited StatesStateGeorgiaCountyDodgeIncorporated (town)1912Area

^[1]

• Total0.88 sq mi (2.29 km²) • Land0.88 sq mi (2.28 km²) • Water0.00 sq mi (0.01 km²)Elevation

367 ft (112 m)Population

(2020)

• Total525 • Density595.91/sq mi (230.21/km²)Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)ZIP code

31012

Area code478FIPS code13-15900^[2]GNIS feature ID0331384^[3]

Chester is a town in Dodge County, Georgia, United States. The population was 1,596 at the 2010 census,^[4] up from 305 in 2000, due to inclusion of Dodge State Prison within the town limits. By 2020, its township population was 525.

History

The town takes its name from Chester, New York.^[5] The Georgia General Assembly incorporated the place in 1902 as the "Town of Chester", with municipal corporate limits extending in a one-mile radius from the Wrightsville and Tennille Railroad depot.^[6]

Geography

Chester is located in northern Dodge County at 32°23′42″N 83°9′13″W / 32.39500°N 83.15361°W / 32.39500; -83.15361 (32.394965, -83.153610).^[7] Georgia State Route 126 passes through the town as Main Street, leading west 13 miles (21 km) to Cochran and southeast 8 miles (13 km) to Cadwell. Georgia State Route 257 joins SR 126 on Main Street through the center of Chester, but leads northeast 7 miles (11 km) to Dexter and southwest 9 miles (14 km) to Empire. Eastman, the Dodge County seat, is 15 miles (24 km) to the south via Chester Highway.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Chester has a total area of 0.89 square miles (2.3 km²), all land.^[4]

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1910	278	—
1920	397	42.8%
1930	267	−32.7%
1940	281	5.2%
1950	315	12.1%
1960	377	19.7%
1970	409	8.5%
1980	409	0.0%
1990	1,072	162.1%
2000	305	−71.5%
2010	1,596	423.3%
2020	525	−67.1%
U.S. Decennial Census^[8]

Chester racial composition as of 2020^[9]
Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	190	36.19%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	318	60.57%
Asian	2	0.38%
Other/Mixed	5	0.95%
Hispanic or Latino	10	1.9%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 525 people, 194 households, and 127 families residing in the town.

References

^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
^ ^a ^b "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Chester town, Georgia". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Retrieved October 22, 2015.^{[dead link]}
^ Krakow, Kenneth K. (1975). Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins (PDF). Macon, GA: Winship Press. p. 42. ISBN 0-915430-00-2.
^ Acts Passed by the General Assembly of Georgia. J. Johnston. 1903. p. 363.
^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 18, 2021.