Chester, Popeye creator's hometown, offers history and small-town life
Chester is a historic river community in Randolph County with about 8,000 residents. The county seat is home to Elzie Segar, who created the famous cartoon character Popeye. Today, the city has an art trail, statues and a local museum dedicated to the popular caricature. With local businesses and amenities like public schools and parks right in the community, Chester offers self-sustained small-town living. “In general, Chester has an affordable housing market. A unique and big thing about Chester is there are several state facilities in town that provide many good paying jobs,” says Bruce A Luthy Jr, local Chester resident and owner of Golden Key Realty. “This helps drive the local economy and housing market.”
A diverse housing stock in Chester
Situated on a bluff above the Mississippi River, the city has green hillsides and is surrounded by stretches of farmland. The city center follows a gridded street layout, which transitions to winding roads out in the country areas. With open lawns, occasional sidewalks and mature trees covering the landscape, houses are often perched on rolling slopes and have detached garages. The housing stock includes 1900s cottages, Craftsman bungalows, Minimal Traditional builds, raised ranches and Colonial Revivals. Prices are typically from $80,000 to $180,000, with fixer-uppers going between $15,000 and $65,000. Waterfront properties and renovated homes with multiple acres of land can sell between $190,000 and $400,000. “Inventory is low at the moment and prices are rising,” Luthy says. “Average price range is $75,000 and $200,000, and this will catch the majority of the market.”
Shopping and dining options along highway corridors
Local restaurants and businesses line around downtown and the highway corridors. Walmart and Rozier's Country Market cover daily essentials and groceries. The family-owned buffet Reids' Harvest House serves classic home-style American food. Repurposed from an 1830 historic landmark building into a modern brewpub by St. Nicholas Brewing Co, the waterfront St. Nicholas Landmark serves classic pub food and offers views of the Mississippi River. Fans of the cartoon character Popeye can visit the Popeye Museum or see the statue of Popeye by Chester Bridge.
Chester's parks mix active play areas with scenic water views
Cohen Recreation Complex features tennis and pickleball courts, and sports fields for soccer, baseball and softball. Cole Memorial Park is a nature park with picnic areas, playgrounds, trails and a bike path, as well as a disc golf course. Located by the city’s welcome center and Chester Bridge, Segar Memorial Park overlooks the river and has tables for picnicking. Chester Country Club has a nine-hole course and is open to the public.
Public schools that serve Chester
Chester Community Unit School District No. 139 serves the city. Students may enroll in Chester Grade School, which has a B-minus grade from Niche and covers kindergarten to eighth grade. Chester High School earns a C-plus, offering athletic programs for cross country, football, golf, basketball and baseball. Several private religious schools are also in Chester, including St. Mary's Catholic School and St John Evangelical Lutheran School, both of which serve students from kindergarten to eighth grade and do not have Niche scores.
Events and celebrations in Randolph County
The city’s fall festival has many cooking contests, including pie baking and chili cook-offs. Christmas on the River celebrates the winter holidays with a tree lighting ceremony, a lighted parade, a vendor and craft market and a street party. In honor of the popular cartoon, the city established the Popeye and Friends Character Trail. Over 20 statues of characters from the comic strip are placed around the city for visitors to explore.
Distance to St. Louis and local hospital
Several highway pass through Chester, including U.S. Route 51 and Illinois Routes 150 and 3. St. Louis is approximately 60 miles away via IL-3, and St. Louis Lambert International Airport is about 80 miles north. “The city is building a new bridge that will increase the community’s access to the interstate and to Missouri,” Luthy says. Memorial Hospital is on State Street, offering emergency, impatient and outpatient care and specialty services.
