Living in Chester, IL
Chester is a big small town of 6,797 people in Randolph County, Illinois. It's about 45 miles from Cape Girardeau, MO and 54 miles from St. Louis, MO, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 88°F and winter highs 40°F, with about 12 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $112k and rent runs about $760 a month.
6,797people
$112kTypical home
$760/moRent
88° / 40°Summer / winter
12"Snow
237Sunny days
101Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Big small town of 6,797
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 1,178 people per sq mi
- 54 mi to St. Louis, MO
- 45 mi to Cape Girardeau, MO
- 34 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $112k (≈$704/mo)
- Median rent $760/mo
- Median household income $81k
- Property tax about 1.6% of value
- 5.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 88°F
- Winter highs around 40°F
- Muggy summers (dew point 67°F)
- 237 sunny days a year (105 totally clear)
- 128 cloudy days a year
- 41 of 90 winter days are gray
- 101 days a year with rain or snow
- 12" of snow a year
- 4 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- 3 days a year over 100°F
- 9 nights a year below 10°F
- Usually calm
Safety
- Very low violent crime (50 per 100k)
- Very low property crime (206 per 100k)
People
- Median age 44
- 28% of households have kids
- 15% are 65 or older
- 11% have a college degree
- Mixed community
- 2% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 22 min
- 4% walk or take transit to work
- 43 mi to BLV airport
- 64 mi to STL (major hub)
- 33 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 86% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1957
- 89% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Gently rolling terrain
- Elevation 584 ft
- 507 mi to the ocean
- 105 mi to a big lake
- 18 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 62 mi to the nearest ski area
- 18 mi to the nearest campground
- 6 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 42 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 11 bars within 25 mi
- 7 coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 9 museums within 25 mi
- 1 brewery or distillery within 25 mi
- 35 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the top 48% of Illinois districts (reading)
- 11 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 2 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 32 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 33 mi to the nearest vet
- 14 mi to the nearest dog park
- 13 congregations per 10k people
- 36 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Randolph County: R+50 in 2024
- Illinois: D+11 in 2024
Natural hazards
- Very low hurricane risk
- High tornado risk
- Very low wildfire risk
- Moderate earthquake risk
- Low flood risk
- Very low drought risk
- Moderate winter storm risk
- High heat wave risk
- Very low volcano risk