The Chester County area offers a varied choice for housing, from historic homes to farms or subdivisions. Within the City limits of Chester is a large Registered Historic District of homes dating from 1835. Styles range from Queen Anne to Craftsman to brick ranch. On tree-lined streets the homes reflect the eclectic designs of the early builders in Chester and shed a quiet charm upon the surroundings. A recent revitalization of the downtown replaced the early period lights and trees and the new look enhances the artistry of the buildings and homes.

The outlying area around the town has developed since the end of World War II and has a variety of homes on restricted lots. Many of the subdivisions have acre-plus lots, wooded and private. Brick homes are popular in the South and many are scattered through these areas. Newer vinyl- sided homes and combinations of brick and vinyl are the recent choice of builders. In the area around Richburg and the I-77 interchange are several new subdivisions featuring large wooded lots; Cherry Hills, one new subdivision, has a lake. Victorian Hills and Britts Meadow are other new areas. Most of the new homes built in recent years are in this area of Chester County.

Great Falls, on the Southeastern corner of the County, is a smaller town that offers housing much like the Chester area. In addition Lake Water and the Fishing Creek Reservoir offer lakeside living. This area of South Carolina still offers peaceful country dwellings scattered throughout the rest of the County in the communities of Lowrys, Lando, Lewis Turnout, Edgemoor, and Fort Lawn. The selection of homes in Chester County is varied and interesting for any potential buyer.

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The Chester County School District has approximately 6,868 students and 765 employees. The district has three elementary schools, three middle schools, three high schools, one career center and one adult education center. The school system operates with a $29.3 million budget. Sixty percent of teachers have a Master’s degree or higher. In addition to the basic program of studies, the Chester County School District offers a variety of programs designed to meet special needs. These include gifted/talented, academic assistance, state-of-the-art wireless technology computer program, two-way interactive distance learning studios at all high schools, honors classes, advanced placement, college preparatory, pre-kindergarten, full day kindergarten, career education and arts in education. The business community sponsors Communities In Schools and Junior Achievement. Business partners also sponsor Homework Centers.

The Chester County School District strongly supports the concept of community involvement in the education of students. School-business partnerships and volunteer programs are in place and have won numerous state awards and recognitions. The involvement of parents and other citizens is also an active component of the school system.

Modern facilities are a real plus in Chester County. Three new school facilities were completed in 1993 as a result of a $22.5 million bond referendum. A $19 million bond referendum was approved in 1996 for a new Chester Middle School, and additions and renovations to two other schools.

All Chester County Schools are fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the State Department of Education. Secondary and continuing education is provided to Chester County residents by nearby York Technical College, located next door in York County. Students may also attend classes at the new Long Distance Learning Center, created in partnership with Chester Telephone. This satellite campus is conveniently located on York Street in Chester.

York Technical College opene in 1964 as a technical Education Center and began with 60 students enrolled in seven programs all housed in one building. The College has grown in the past three decades from the initial enrollment to over 3,600 credit students in more than 50 credit programs. The College campus has also grown from one building to fourteen. In 1974, York County Technical Education Center became York Technical College.

York Tech is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award Associate Degrees, Diplomas, and Certificates. York Tech also has established and maintains agreements with area vocational schools and area senior colleges to aid the transfer of student work both to and from the College.

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The Chester County Hospital and Nursing Center, located in Chester is a publicly owned full-service acute care hospital and long-term care center. The hospital has 82 acute care beds and 100 long-term care beds, a 12-suite day hospital, an emergency room staffed 24 hours a day, and a new surgical wing. The entire hospital underwent a $15 million renovation project in the past few years. Physicians are associated with the hospital in areas including family practice, internal medicine, general surgery, radiology, neurology, ENT, OB/GYN, ophthalmology, pathology, and orthopedic surgery. Chester County has an Emergency Medical Service with ambulance substations located in several areas of the county.

The Chester County Health Department provides basic medical care through centers in Chester and Great Falls. There are also private offices of physicians, dentists, and other health care professionals in Chester, Great Falls and Richburg.

Piedmont Healthcare System, located in Rock Hill, is dedicated to bringing comprehensive health care to the people living in York, Chester and Lancaster Counties. It is committed to enhancing service availability and advanced technology. The scope of services has expanded from heart surgery and other acute hospital centers of excellence to ambulatory operations, pain care and sleep studies.

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Chester County is strategically located in the center of three large commercial areas, Charlotte- Mecklenburg in North Carolina, Greenville-Spartanburg, and Columbia in South Carolina. Rail and major highway transportation in all directions is readily available, and has led to an organized, planned expansion of the industrial base.

While textiles is still considered a major employer in the region, other multi-national industries have made Chester County a truly diversified place. Plastics, steel, glass, fiberglass, paper, wood products, and several types of specialty chemicals are all manufactured in Chester County. Major industries throughout the State are supported by many smaller companies in the county.

All of these industries are in turn supported by a host of retail establishments, financial institutions, repair facilities and other necessary infrastructure, making Chester County an ideal place for future economic expansion. The people of the area also posses a strong work ethic, and a willingness to be trained in new skill areas, supported strongly by the Chester County School system and York Technical College.

Approximately 300 businesses make up the membership of the Chester County Chamber of Commerce. Members make frequent use of services and resources offered by the Chamber, including Industrial roundtables, Human Resources roundtables, small business seminars, and many networking events for all their employees. The Education Committee of the Chamber annually sponsors the most famous Teachers Appreciation Day in the State, with business partners coming together in a huge way to show our teachers the support they need to make the business-education partnership work.

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