Chester, California
Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox settlement Chester (formerly Big Meadows) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Plumas County, California, United States.<ref name=gnis/> Chester is located on Lake Almanor, Template:Convert north-northwest of Quincy.<ref name=CGN>Template:California's Geographic Names</ref> The town is located along State Route 36. The US Postal Service ZIP code for the community is 96020. The population was 2,187 at the 2020 census, up from 2,144 at the 2010 census.
The primary industries in Chester are lumber production and tourism. Chester serves as the retail center for the Lake Almanor region of California, and derives a significant portion of its economy from the tourist trade, and to a lesser degree from construction to new residents and businesses.
History
The town was founded and named by two settlers, one from Chester, Vermont, and another from Chester, Missouri.<ref name=CGN/> The Chester post office opened in 1894 and moved in 1908.<ref name=CGN/>
Geography
Chester is located at Template:Coord (40.302395, -121.234672).<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref>
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of Template:Convert. Template:Convert of it is land and Template:Convert of it (1.10%) is water.
Chester is situated almost directly over the buried north end of the fault-block Sierra Nevada<ref>Roadside Geology of Northern California. Alt and Hyndman 1975.Map Page 222</ref> and the southernmost end of the volcanic Cascade Range.
Climate
According to the Köppen climate classification, Chester has a transitional Csb/Dsb climate. Winters are cold and very snowy. Summers are dry, with hot days and cold nights.
Demographics
Chester first appeared as an unincorporated community in the 1960 U.S. census<ref name=1970CensusCA/> and as a census designated place in the 1980 United States census.<ref name=1980CensusCA/>
2020
| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>Template:Cite web</ref> | Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref> | Pop 2020<ref name=2020CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref> | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 2,062 | 1,828 | 1,855 | 89.03% | 85.26% | 84.82% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 5 | 7 | 3 | 0.22% | 0.33% | 0.14% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 44 | 41 | 18 | 1.90% | 1.91% | 0.82% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 8 | 21 | 27 | 0.35% | 0.98% | 1.23% |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0.13% | 0.19% | 0.05% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0.00% | 0.09% | 0.18% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 54 | 63 | 104 | 2.33% | 2.94% | 4.76% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 140 | 178 | 175 | 6.04% | 8.30% | 8.00% |
| Total | 2,316 | 2,144 | 2,187 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
The 2020 United States census reported that Chester had a population of 2,187. The population density was Template:Convert. The racial makeup of Chester was 87.3% White, 0.1% African American, 0.9% Native American, 1.2% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 1.7% from other races, and 8.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.0% of the population.<ref name=DP1>Template:Cite web</ref>
The census reported that 98.9% of the population lived in households, 0.1% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 1.0% were institutionalized.<ref name=DP1/>
There were 1,035 households, out of which 21.1% included children under the age of 18, 43.9% were married-couple households, 6.8% were cohabiting couple households, 25.2% had a female householder with no partner present, and 24.2% had a male householder with no partner present. 35.6% of households were one person, and 17.9% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.09.<ref name=DP1/> There were 606 families (58.6% of all households).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The age distribution was 18.0% under the age of 18, 3.8% aged 18 to 24, 19.1% aged 25 to 44, 29.2% aged 45 to 64, and 29.9% who were 65Template:Nbspyears of age or older. The median age was 53.3Template:Nbspyears. For every 100 females, there were 105.0 males.<ref name=DP1/>
There were 1,250 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert, of which 1,035 (82.8%) were occupied. Of these, 64.7% were owner-occupied, and 35.3% were occupied by renters.<ref name=DP1/>
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $80,142, and the per capita income was $46,687. About 0.0% of families and 5.9% of the population were below the poverty line.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2010
At the 2010 census Chester had a population of 2,144. The population density was Template:Convert. The racial makeup of Chester was 1,954 (91.1%) White, 10 (0.5%) African American, 46 (2.1%) Native American, 21 (1.0%) Asian, 4 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 37 (1.7%) from other races, and 72 (3.4%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 178 people (8.3%).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The census reported that 2,131 people (99.4% of the population) lived in households, 1 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 12 (0.6%) were institutionalized.
There were 943 households, 249 (26.4%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 454 (48.1%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 81 (8.6%) had a female householder with no husband present, 46 (4.9%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 73 (7.7%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 3 (0.3%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 288 households (30.5%) were one person and 95 (10.1%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.26. There were 581 families (61.6% of households); the average family size was 2.81.
The age distribution was 465 people (21.7%) under the age of 18, 154 people (7.2%) aged 18 to 24, 456 people (21.3%) aged 25 to 44, 758 people (35.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 311 people (14.5%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 44.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.7 males.
There were 1,237 housing units at an average density of 167.9 per square mile, of the occupied units 568 (60.2%) were owner-occupied and 375 (39.8%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.5%; the rental vacancy rate was 15.7%. 1,317 people (61.4% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 814 people (38.0%) lived in rental housing units.
Activities and features
Chester is near several areas of interest for outdoor activities, within a 50-mile radius the town has numerous CDF and USFS trails and campgrounds, Lassen Volcanic National Park, Drakesbad and Lake Almanor are other areas of interest for vacationers and tourists with outdoor hobbies. The Boy Scouts of America's Nevada Area Council also operates Camp Fleischmann in the region.
Lake Almanor is a popular hunting, fishing and boating destination. The lake is home for a variety of fish and bird species, many of which make for good sport and game. Chester and the greater Lake Almanor area are home to many seasonal and year-round resorts and restaurants that cater to the locals and the summer seasonal tourists. The winter tourism tends to be quieter, the town is often a way point for people traveling to ski resorts at Mount Shasta and Lake Tahoe.
Economy
The primary industries in Chester are lumber production and tourism. Collins Pine (a division of The Collins Companies) has been in operation since the 1940s under a "sustained yield" management plan using selective harvesting. The company's forest management practices have been certified as FSC sustainable by Scientific Certification Systems, which designated it a "state-of-the-art well-managed forest." Template:Citation needed Collins no longer maintains the distinction of Chester's dominant employer, though it remains the single business with the most employees. Template:Citation needed
Other logging companies operating in the area are Roseburg Forest Products, and Sierra Pacific Industries. Clear cutting is performed in the area.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Lake Almanor has developed as a vacation/tourist destination and Chester serves as the retail center for the area. All of the Almanor basin's four gas stations are located in Chester, as well as the Almanor basin's only full-sized grocery store.
Politics
In the state legislature, Chester is in Template:Representative,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Template:Representative.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Federally, Chester is in Template:Representative.<ref>Template:Cite GovTrack</ref>
Education
The school district is Plumas Unified School District.<ref>Template:Cite map - Text list</ref> Chester Elementary School, Chester Junior Senior High School, and Almanor High School (continuation) are part of Plumas USD, based in Quincy.
The Chester Learning Center is a private charter school. It is accredited K-12 by the WASC, Western Association of Schools and Colleges and managed by the Plumas Charter School system.
Notable people
- Chuck Norris (born 1940), American actor whose wife Gena Norris was born in Chester. They have a vacation home in Chester.
- Tony Miller (born 1948), former California Secretary of State
- Marie Mason Potts (1895–1978), Mountain Maidu Native American journalist and activist; born in Big Meadows<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>
References
Template:Sister bar Template:Plumas County, California Template:Sierra Nevada