West Chester Has a New Walking Tour

Earlier this year the Chester County Health Department received a grant and a mission. The grant, from PA WalksWorks, was to invest in promoting walking opportunities across the county; the mission, get 5000 members of the community walking by the end of the year.

To achieve this goal the County had to set a few things in motion one of which was to establish safe, permanent walking tours.

“We worked with the County’s Planning Commission to identify routes on existing sidewalks that were accessible, in good condition, and had clearly marked crosswalks when necessary,” explained County Public Health Planner Erin Brown in an email.

So far the County has established five city walks that track along safe, well-lit streets and hit upon points of interest in each area. Their most recent tour opened last month in West Chester.

The 2.4 mile long trail loops through downtown West Chester. The route steps from Chestnut to Gay to Market down to South Brandywine over to Sharpless and back up High Street.

The walking trail is marked with small WalkWorks signs. For those looking for more detailed directions, there is also a downloadable map available through the WalkWorks website or you can pick one up at select downtown locations. The map designates points of historical interest you’ll pass on your way including the courthouse, Chester County Historical Society and the Church of the Holy Trinity.

The map also includes background and interesting facts about each of the marked locations.

In addition to West Chester there are also walks in Coatesville, Phoenixville and Kennett Square.

To register with WalkWorks go to https://chesco.walkertracker.com/ and click on “Register Now” to complete a short registration. To learn more about the County’s initiative to get residents to walk more read, “Pushing the Power of Walk”.

Cara Corridoni is a member of the West Chester Sustainability Advisory Committee and editor of Hello, West Chester, a blog dedicated to sharing local news and happenings.