Chester, California facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Chester
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Aerial photograph of Chester, California.
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Location in Plumas County and the state of California
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 Chester, California
Location in the United States
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  California |
| County | Plumas |
| Area | |
| • Total | 7.37 sq mi (19.08 km2) |
| • Land | 7.29 sq mi (18.87 km2) |
| • Water | 0.08 sq mi (0.21 km2) 1.1% |
| Elevation | 4,534 ft (1,382 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 2,187 |
| • Density | 300.08/sq mi (115.87/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific (PST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| ZIP code |
96020
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| Area code(s) | 530 |
| FIPS code | 06-12930 |
| GNIS feature IDs | 277487; 2408021 |
Chester (once called Big Meadows) is a small community in Plumas County, California, United States. It's located right on the edge of Lake Almanor, about 30 miles (48 km) north-northwest of Quincy. You can find Chester along State Route 36. The local ZIP code is 96020. In 2020, about 2,187 people lived here.
Chester's main jobs come from making lumber and from people visiting for fun. It's the main shopping area for the Lake Almanor region. Many visitors come here, which helps the local businesses. Some people also move here, leading to new construction.
Contents
History
Chester was started by two settlers. One came from Chester, Vermont, and the other from Chester, Missouri. They both liked the name, so they picked it for their new town! The post office in Chester first opened in 1894.
Geography
Chester is located at coordinates 40°18′10″N 121°14′5″W.
The community covers about 7.37 square miles (19.08 km²). Most of this area is land, with a small part being water.
Chester sits in a special spot where two big mountain ranges meet. It's near the northern end of the Sierra Nevada mountains and the southern end of the Cascade Range, which has volcanoes.
Climate
Chester has a climate that's a mix of different types. Winters are cold and get a lot of snow. Summers are dry, with warm days but cool nights.
| Climate data for Chester, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1957–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 65 (18) |
70 (21) |
77 (25) |
84 (29) |
93 (34) |
98 (37) |
104 (40) |
103 (39) |
100 (38) |
90 (32) |
76 (24) |
62 (17) |
104 (40) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 52.9 (11.6) |
57.6 (14.2) |
65.6 (18.7) |
74.6 (23.7) |
82.5 (28.1) |
90.2 (32.3) |
95.2 (35.1) |
94.0 (34.4) |
89.2 (31.8) |
80.4 (26.9) |
65.2 (18.4) |
51.9 (11.1) |
96.3 (35.7) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 42.2 (5.7) |
45.6 (7.6) |
50.5 (10.3) |
57.1 (13.9) |
66.8 (19.3) |
76.6 (24.8) |
86.1 (30.1) |
85.0 (29.4) |
78.9 (26.1) |
65.9 (18.8) |
50.6 (10.3) |
41.2 (5.1) |
62.2 (16.8) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 31.5 (−0.3) |
34.1 (1.2) |
38.4 (3.6) |
43.7 (6.5) |
51.5 (10.8) |
59.6 (15.3) |
66.8 (19.3) |
65.3 (18.5) |
59.4 (15.2) |
49.5 (9.7) |
38.5 (3.6) |
31.2 (−0.4) |
47.5 (8.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 20.8 (−6.2) |
22.5 (−5.3) |
26.3 (−3.2) |
30.2 (−1.0) |
36.1 (2.3) |
42.7 (5.9) |
47.6 (8.7) |
45.7 (7.6) |
39.9 (4.4) |
33.1 (0.6) |
26.4 (−3.1) |
21.1 (−6.1) |
32.7 (0.4) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 6.1 (−14.4) |
8.0 (−13.3) |
13.7 (−10.2) |
19.6 (−6.9) |
25.5 (−3.6) |
31.5 (−0.3) |
38.6 (3.7) |
36.8 (2.7) |
29.5 (−1.4) |
23.3 (−4.8) |
14.6 (−9.7) |
6.5 (−14.2) |
1.3 (−17.1) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −11 (−24) |
−10 (−23) |
−3 (−19) |
5 (−15) |
14 (−10) |
24 (−4) |
27 (−3) |
27 (−3) |
15 (−9) |
12 (−11) |
3 (−16) |
−16 (−27) |
−16 (−27) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 6.18 (157) |
5.11 (130) |
5.48 (139) |
2.51 (64) |
1.90 (48) |
0.77 (20) |
0.36 (9.1) |
0.15 (3.8) |
0.31 (7.9) |
1.70 (43) |
3.31 (84) |
6.54 (166) |
34.32 (871.8) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 31.9 (81) |
23.9 (61) |
17.0 (43) |
3.8 (9.7) |
0.2 (0.51) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.3 (0.76) |
10.1 (26) |
22.4 (57) |
109.6 (278.97) |
| Average extreme snow depth inches (cm) | 23 (58) |
26 (66) |
20 (51) |
7 (18) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
4 (10) |
15 (38) |
36 (91) |
| Average precipitation days | 12.2 | 10.5 | 12.0 | 9.3 | 7.2 | 3.5 | 1.6 | 1.3 | 2.1 | 5.3 | 8.8 | 11.8 | 85.6 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 5.3 | 4.0 | 2.7 | 1.3 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.9 | 4.4 | 19.8 |
| Source 1: NOAA | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: National Weather Service | |||||||||||||
Population Facts
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 2000 | 2,316 | — | |
| 2010 | 2,144 | −7.4% | |
| 2020 | 2,187 | 2.0% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1850–1870 1880-1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 |
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In 2020, Chester had a population of 2,187 people. This was a small increase from 2,144 people in 2010.
Who Lives in Chester?
In 2010, most people in Chester were White (about 91%). There were also smaller groups of Native American, Asian, African American, and Pacific Islander residents. About 8% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.
Most people (99.4%) lived in regular homes. There were 943 households in total. About 26% of these households had children under 18. Many households (48%) were married couples.
The average age in Chester in 2010 was about 45 years old. About 22% of the people were under 18, and 14.5% were 65 or older.
Fun Things to Do
Chester is a great place for outdoor activities! Within 50 miles, you can find many trails and campgrounds run by the California Department of Forestry (CDF) and the U.S. Forest Service.
You can also visit Lassen Volcanic National Park nearby, which has amazing volcanoes and hot springs. Drakesbad is another cool spot.
Lake Almanor is a very popular place for fishing, boating, and hunting. The lake is full of different kinds of fish and birds. Chester and the Lake Almanor area have many resorts and restaurants. These places are busy in the summer with tourists. In winter, it's quieter, but Chester is a good stop for people going to ski resorts like Mount Shasta and Lake Tahoe.
The Boy Scouts of America also have a camp called Camp Fleischmann in this area.
Local Economy
Chester's main industries are making lumber and welcoming tourists. Collins Pine, a company that makes wood products, has been working here since the 1940s. They use a special plan called "sustained yield" where they only cut down certain trees. This helps make sure there are always trees for the future. Their forest practices are even certified as sustainable!
While Collins Pine is still a big employer, Chester's economy also relies a lot on tourism. Lake Almanor is a popular vacation spot, and Chester is the main place for shopping and services in the area. All four gas stations and the only full-sized grocery store in the Almanor basin are in Chester.
Famous People from Chester
- Chuck Norris (born 1940), a famous American actor. His wife, Gena Norris, was born in Chester, and they have a vacation home here.
- Tony Miller (born 1948), who used to be the California Secretary of State, a government job.
- Marie Mason Potts (1895–1978), a Mountain Maidu Native American journalist and activist. She was born in Big Meadows, which is what Chester was called before.
See also
In Spanish: Chester (California) para niños
