Chester, Massachusetts
| Chester, Massachusetts | ||
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| Town | ||
Town Hall
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 Location in Hampden County in Massachusetts |
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| Coordinates: 42°16′45″N 72°58′45″W / 42.27917°N 72.97917°WCoordinates: 42°16′45″N 72°58′45″W / 42.27917°N 72.97917°W | ||
| Country | United States | |
| State | Massachusetts | |
| County | Hampden | |
| Settled | 1760 | |
| Incorporated | 1783 | |
| Government | ||
| • Type | Open town meeting | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 37.1 sq mi (96.2 km2) | |
| • Land | 36.7 sq mi (95.1 km2) | |
| • Water | 0.4 sq mi (1.0 km2) | |
| Elevation | 601 ft (183 m) | |
| Population (2000) | ||
| • Total | 1,308 | |
| • Density | 35.6/sq mi (13.7/km2) | |
| Time zone | Eastern (UTC-5) | |
| • Summer (DST) | Eastern (UTC-4) | |
| ZIP code | 01011 | |
| Area code(s) | 413 | |
| FIPS code | 25-13485 | |
| GNIS feature ID | 0619385 | |
Chester is a town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, situated in the western part of the state. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts metropolitan statistical area. The town includes the Chester Factory Village Historic District. The total population was 1,337 in the 2010 census.
The area opened for settlement in the 1750s as Township No. 9, chartered as Murrayfield on October 31, 1765. The town was incorporated as Chester on February 21, 1783. The Western Railroad (later Boston & Albany Railroad) opened to Chester on May 24, 1841.
On August 2, 1975, the temperature in Chester rose to 107 °F (42 °C). This remains the hottest temperature ever recorded in the state of Massachusetts, along with a similar reading in New Bedford on the same day. However, on January 12, 1981, the temperature at Chester fell to −35 °F (−37 °C), the coldest temperature ever recorded in Massachusetts. Thus, it is only one of three cities in the United States which has recorded both its state's extreme temperatures, the others being Millsboro, Delaware and Warsaw, Missouri.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 37.1 square miles (96 km2), of which 36.7 square miles (95 km2) is land and 0.4 square miles (1.0 km2) (1.08%) is water. It is drained by the west branch of the Westfield River.
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