Chester

Chester is a placename used for several towns and counties in the English-speaking world. The name derives from the Old English ceaster, which itself comes from the Latin castra, meaning a Roman fort or camp. The suffix -chester in place names often marks a site that grew around a Roman fort or through later settlement on or near such a site.

Chester, Cheshire, England, is the most prominent Chester. It is a historic walled city on the River Dee near the Welsh border. Its Roman legacy is reflected in the city walls, gates such as Eastgate and Northgate, and the Rows, a double-story late medieval shopping gallery. The city hosts Chester Cathedral and the University of Chester.

Outside the United Kingdom, several places are named Chester, most notably Chester, Pennsylvania, a city in Delaware County near Philadelphia; Chester County, Pennsylvania; and Chester, Virginia. In Canada there is Chester, Nova Scotia, a small town on the South Shore. The name also appears in other countries and in former British colonies; many were named after the English city or reflect the Latin-root etymology.