Chester

Chester is a city in and the administrative centre of Cheshire in northwest England. Lying on the River Dee, next to the border with Wales and a little to the south of Liverpool, it is home to 80,121 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider new unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the 2001 Census. Chester was granted city status in 1541.

The Historic city of Chester was built as the roman city on the River Dee called Deva, and it continued to grow during the Middle Ages. After WWII there were many suburban developments. It is known as 'England's Walled City' as it has its walls mostly intact, and many medieval town houses now converted for retail use. This includes the famous 'Rows' (two-tier shopping streets) which have existed since the Middle Ages. Often a popular tourist destination with people coming to walk the walls or visit the nearby Chester Zoo, the largest zoo in the UK.

The city has both links and rivalries with the nearby Welsh town of Wrexham. Its Welsh name is Caer, and many Welsh names for English cities begin with Caer-. A person from Chester is called a Cestrian.

www.chester.com/