Congratulations on choosing West Chester as your home!

A blend of residential, professional and recreational development has made West Chester a place “Where Families Grow and Businesses Prosper.”

The community’s vibrancy and the heart of its residents have made West Chester “One of America’s Best Places to Live.” West Chester has been named to Money Magazine’s prestigious national list recognizing the top 100 communities with populations between 50,000 and 300,000.

West Chester’s nearly 35 square miles is home to more than 64,000 residents and more than 3,600 businesses with a tax base of 40% commercial and 60% residential.

Nearly 37% of West Chester’s residents are between the ages of 35 and 54. The median home value is $203,874 and of West Chester’s more than 22,000 housing units, more than 70% are single family homes.

West Chester is served by the Lakota Local Schools with an enrollment of nearly 17,000 students in 23 schools. Lakota Local Schools ranks among the state’s top school districts for academic excellence. 

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West Chester's Story

West Chester Township lies within an oval area geologically known as the "Cincinnati Arch." This area has been one of the best on the continent for collecting fossils because the Miami Valley was once at the bottom of an ancient ocean.

In Ohio, Butler County is second only to Ross County in the number of antiquities and Native American mounds discovered. At one time, West Chester claimed 11 mounds.

By nationality, the largest group of early community inhabitants were German. The Irish were the next largest group followed by the English. Those who settled here were merchants, blacksmiths, tanners and millers, but these groups were out-numbered by farmers. These farmers were attracted to West Chester by its beauty and quality of the land.

One of West Chester's first settlers was Joseph McMaken. Born in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, in 1755, McMaken applied for land in West Chester on July 4, 1791. Other notable settlers were: Joseph Cox (1767-1842), the Swearingen family (1700s), Samuel Seward (1754-1828), Abraham Montanye (1752-1828), Matthew Van Dine, Jr. (1752-1837), Isaac Paxton, and Michael and John Ayers.

On March 24, 1803, the Ohio General Assembly passed an Act for the division of Hamilton County, establishing Butler County. The new county was named for General Richard Butler, a Revolutionary War hero.

On June 2, 1823, the County Commissioners met and petitioned for the division of Liberty Township, and that this new township be called Union Township, which eventually became West Chester Township.

Transportation became a challenge as population continued to grow. There were no roads, only trails. The only suitable means of transportation during this time was by horseback or foot. The railroads and the Miami Erie Canal changes the face of early Union Township by fueling the development of small communities within the larger Union Township. Port Union, Rialto, Tylersville, Gano, Pisgah and West Chester were stops on the rail lines and/or canal and created opportunity for commerce.

The community continued to flourish as the beer barons of Cincinnati built summer homes, hard-working farmers tilled the fields and ice houses supplied ice to the eateries of Cincinnati.

The community remained known as Union Township for more than 100 years until June 28, 2000, when Union Township residents voted to adopt the name West Chester Township. Residents petitioned to claim the name West Chester to reduce confusion with other Union townships in the state and to better reflect the identity of the area.

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