Chester, Georgia

Chester, Georgia
Town
Location in Dodge County and the state of Georgia
Coordinates: 32°23′42″N 83°9′13″W
Country	United States
State	Georgia
County	Dodge
Incorporated (town)	1912
Area
• Total	0.88 sq mi (2.29 km2)
• Land	0.88 sq mi (2.28 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.01 km2)
Elevation	367 ft (112 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	525
• Density	595.91/sq mi (230.21/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	31012
Area code	478
FIPS code	13-15900
GNIS feature ID	0331384

Chester is a town in Dodge County, Georgia, United States. The population was 1,596 at the 2010 census, up from 305 in 2000, due to inclusion of Dodge State Prison within the town limits.

History

The town takes its name from Chester, New York. 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.

Geography

Chester is located in northern Dodge County at 32°23′42″N 83°9′13″W (32.394965, -83.153610). 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.

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

2020 census

Chester racial composition

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.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 305 people, 133 households, and 82 families residing in the town. The population density was 349.0 inhabitants per square mile (134.7/km²). There were 167 housing units at an average density of 191.1 per square mile (73.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 54.10% White, 44.59% African American, 0.66% from other races, and 0.66% from two or more races.

There were 133 households, out of which 33.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 31.6% were married couples living together, 24.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.3% were non-families. 35.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.6% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $21,875, and the median income for a family was $26,667. Males had a median income of $20,833 versus $20,750 for females. The per capita income for the town was $13,843. About 20.5% of families and 15.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.7% of those under the age of 18 and 17.3% of those 65 or over.