Chester, South Carolina

13 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1941 and the latest in 1986. It stands in the Chester census division. It lies in ZIP code area 29706. The Survey maps it on the Chester quadrangle. 5,269 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 535 feet above sea level.

Research this city

Chester within Chester County

On record in Chester

Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.

On the National Register 10 records

Catholic Presbyterian Churchlisted 1971
Chester City Hall and Opera Houselisted 1973
Chester Historic Districtlisted 1972
Colvin-Fant-Durham Farm Complexlisted 1992
Fishdam Fordlisted 1973
Kumler Halllisted 1983
Lewis Innlisted 1971
James Phinney Houselisted 2016
Chester Historic District (Boundary Increase)listed 1988
Finley High Schoollisted 2025

Surveyed buildings and structures 1 record

Obadiah Sealy House, State Route 9, Chesterfederal building survey, 2 photographs

Population over time

3 figures

Chester fell from 6,476 to 5,269 between 2000 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

Year	People	Change
2000	6,476
2010	5,607	-869 (-13%)
2020	5,269	-338 (-6%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

7 surveys from 13 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

1941 USGS Spartanburg quadrangle1:250000
1953 USGS Spartanburg quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
1960 USGS Spartanburg quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
1963 USGS Spartanburg quadrangle1:250000
1964 USGS Spartanburg quadrangle1:250000
1969 USGS Chester quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
1986 USGS Spartanburg quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings

Photographs

2 photographs,

Taken for the Office of War Information and the Farm Security Administration, who photographed the country between 1935 and 1944. Works of United States government photographers, with no known restriction on use. Each opens its catalogue record.

Obadiah Sealy House, State Route 9, Chester, Chester County, SC
Photographer not recorded. Library of Congress

Rocky Mount Canal, Lock Keeper's House, Great Falls, Chester County, SC
Photographer not recorded. Library of Congress

Fires near this place

166 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 166 fires within 5 miles of Chester between 1992 and 2020, burning about 430 acres in total. 3 started naturally. 5 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause	Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined	90
Debris and open burning	44
Equipment and vehicle use	7
Misuse of fire by a minor	7
Railroad operations and maintenance	6
Arson/incendiarism	5
Natural	3
Smoking	2
Recreation and ceremony	1
Other causes	1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

Date	Cause	Size	Reported by	Name on the report
8 September 1997	Debris and open burning	2.0 acres	South Carolina Forestry Commission	not named
4 September 1999	Debris and open burning	under an acre	South Carolina Forestry Commission	not named
30 September 1994	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	2.0 acres	South Carolina Forestry Commission	not named
22 September 2010	Debris and open burning	1.0 acres	South Carolina Forestry Commission	not named
2 September 1999	Debris and open burning	5.0 acres	South Carolina Forestry Commission	not named
15 September 1992	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	7.0 acres	South Carolina Forestry Commission	not named
8 August 2002	Debris and open burning	2.0 acres	South Carolina Forestry Commission	not named
5 August 1998	Arson/incendiarism	4.0 acres	South Carolina Forestry Commission	not named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Chester County

Storms near this place

60 of 81 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Chester in 81 storm reports between 1993 and 2025: 48 thunderstorm wind, 24 hail, 3 tornado, 2 flood. The reports record 1 death. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

When	Event	Place named	Harm	What the report says
May 2020	Lightning	Chester	1 killed	County comms reported a 32-year-old man was struck and killed by lightning when getting out of his vehicle on York St.
September 2004	Tornado (F1)	Chester	$100,000	This brief tornado blew down several trees and damaged or destroyed 2 small trailers shortly after touching down. It then moved north and lifted a portion of the roof from a well-constructed home. The garage wall was blown inward about 1 foot at this same location. A carport next to the home was also detroyed. Several trees were blown down and a small trailer destroyed at a hunting club before the tornado lifted.
March 1996	Thunderstorm Wind	Chester	$100,000	no account filed
July 2005	Thunderstorm Wind	Chester	$75,000	Two outbuildings were destroyed and a cinderblock well house was damaged at Dixie Stockyard along highway 21 near the York Co line. Shingles were torn off a house and a resteraunt on the premises. Two trees were blown down in this area, including a large oak tree that fell on and heavily damaged a vacant house.
June 1995	Thunderstorm Wind	Chester	$45,000	no account filed
April 2001	Thunderstorm Wind	Chester	$15,000	no account filed
May 2003	Thunderstorm Wind	Chester	$5,000	Trees were blown down. One tree fell on a car.
July 2005	Thunderstorm Wind	Chester	$3,000	Numerous trees snapped off and uprooted around highway 97 northwest of Chester. In addition, some storage buildings were picked up and tossed about 50 feet. The damage was concentrated along a 2 to 3 mile long, one half mile wide swath. A home in the area received some damage to a chimney and an antenna.
March 2002	Flood	Chester	$2,000	Torrential rainfall caused local flooding in Chester. Water entered at least 2 homes within a low-lying area of town.
June 2003	Thunderstorm Wind	Chester	$1,000	A large tree was blown onto part of a house, causing relatively minor damage.
May 2002	Thunderstorm Wind	Chester	$1,000	Trees and powerlines were blown down.
April 2002	Thunderstorm Wind	Chester	$1,000	A few trees were blown down.
March 2025	Thunderstorm Wind	Chester	-	Public reported (via social media) a couple of trees blown down around the city of Chester.
August 2023	Thunderstorm Wind	Chester	-	County comms reported multiple trees blown down between Chester and Great Falls.
August 2021	Thunderstorm Wind	Chester	-	County comms reported trees and power lines blown down on McFadden St.
August 2018	Thunderstorm Wind	Chester	-	Amateur radio operator reported trees blown down along Harris and Hardin streets.
June 2016	Thunderstorm Wind	Chester	-	Highway Patrol reported trees blown down on Beltline Rd, Brendale Dr in Chester, and on Hardin Strait Rd at York St.
June 2014	Thunderstorm Wind	Chester	-	County comms reported multiple trees blown down on Park Dr.
May 2014	Hail	Chester	-	Public reported nickel size hail.
May 2014	Hail	Chester	-	Public reported up to golf ball size hail north of the Leeds community.
July 2013	Thunderstorm Wind	Chester	-	A tree was blown down on Hillbright Rd close to highway 72. Another tree was blown down nearby on Stringfellow Rd near highway 72.
August 2010	Thunderstorm Wind	Chester	-	Trees were blown down on the east side of Chester, including on Hardin St and Beltline Rd.
December 2009	Heavy Rain	Chester	-	Saluda Rd was closed at the intersection of Foote St due to urban flooding.
March 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	Chester	-	Trees and power lines blown down across the northern half of the county.
March 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	Chester	-	Trees and power lines blown down across the northern half of the county.
June 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	Chester	-	Two trees were blown down on Aiken Creek Rd.
June 2008	Hail	Chester	-	Hail reported from Chester west to near the Union county line.
June 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	Chester	-	Trees were blown down.
June 2007	Hail	Chester	-	Reported near the intersection of Boyd Rd and Great Falls Rd.
August 2007	Thunderstorm Wind	Chester	-	Tees blown down along highway 72 near the York County line.
April 2007	Thunderstorm Wind	Chester	-	A few large limbs blown down.
April 2007	Hail	Chester	-	Reported on Yarborough Rd.
July 2007	Thunderstorm Wind	Chester	-	Trees blown down on McCandless Rd and on a golf course.
June 2006	Thunderstorm Wind	Chester	-	Seven trees down, some uprooted, some snapped off approximately 8 feet from the ground on Yarborough Rd and West Chester School Rd.
May 2006	Hail	Chester	-	One tree was also downed at highway 97 and Aiken Creek Rd.
November 2006	Thunderstorm Wind	Chester	-	Two trees blown down near Chester.
September 2004	Thunderstorm Wind	Chester	-	A few trees were blown down along highway 72. There were also some power outages in the area.
November 2004	Thunderstorm Wind	Chester	-	Trees blown down along highway 215 and highway 72 in the southwest part of the county.
November 2003	Thunderstorm Wind	Chester	-	Trees were blown down at highway 9 and Baton Rouge Rd.
February 2003	Flash Flood	Chester	-	After a night of steady rainfall, heavier early afternoon showers resulted in flooding along several creeks and streams in the eastern half of the county. Some of these overflowing streams flooded adjacent roads.
May 2003	Thunderstorm Wind	Chester	-	Trees were blown down.
May 2003	Thunderstorm Wind	Chester	-	Numerous trees were blown down.
June 2001	Thunderstorm Wind	Chester	-	Highway patrol reported numerous trees down between Chester and Richburg.
July 2001	Flood	Chester	-	Bypass flooded in low spots during slow moving thunderstorms. No known stream flooding.
August 2001	Thunderstorm Wind	Chester	-	Trees and power lines blown down halfway between Chester and Rock Hill.
September 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	Chester	-	Several trees were blown down.
September 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	Chester	-	Many trees were blown down and one tree fell on a house.
August 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	Chester	-	A number of trees and power lines were blown down in and around the city.
August 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	Chester	-	A severe wind blew a roof off a store and onto a vehicle.
September 1998	Thunderstorm Wind	Chester	-	A few trees and power lines were blown down from Chester to the east of town.
August 1994	Tornado (F1)	Chester	-	Tornado touched down near Woods Ferry Road between highways 9 and 72 blowing down trees.
April 1993	Hail	Chester	-	Hail up to golfball-size was reported by the sheriff's office.
April 2011	Hail	Chester	-	no account filed
April 2008	Hail	Chester	-	no account filed
June 2008	Hail	Chester	-	no account filed
June 2007	Hail	Chester	-	no account filed
April 2007	Hail	Chester	-	no account filed
July 2006	Hail	Chester	-	no account filed
June 2006	Hail	Chester	-	no account filed
May 2005	Hail	Chester	-	no account filed

Every storm recorded in Chester County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Place	Distance	Sheets
Brooklyn	0.4 miles	13
Rolling Hills Estates	1.1 miles	13
York Terrace	1.2 miles	13
Eureka Mills	1.3 miles	13
Gayle Mill	1.4 miles	13
Eureka Mill	1.4 miles	13
Hilltop Acres	1.5 miles	13
Cedar Grove	1.5 miles	13

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on Chester	An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q2323222	The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1247275. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.