chestercity.co.uk – background on the city of chester

Chester is a city located within Cheshire in England, its status as a city (holding a cathedral) was granted in 1541. The Romans discovered Chester, and it was therefore known as a Roman Fort holding the name Deva Victrix. The city was named Chester when the Saxons took over from the Romans in the 5th Century. Interestingly a castle was constructed in Chester, near to the boarder of Wales, under the orders of William the Conqueror.
In present day, a large amount of land within the City of Chester is owned by the Duke of Westminster, this is understood to be worth a vast amount of money. In 2002 the city was announced Fairtrade City by the Fairtrade Foundation, this relates to supply chains and the ethical trading throughout these supply chains.
2007 was a landmark year for the year, the local city councils chief executive Paul Durham announced a ten year plan which would see Chester being transformed into a must see European destination. This is a major development with 460million being invested within the area, this will bring new car parks, bus exchange, performing arts centre, homes, libraries and retail space. This announcement was made in 2007 and since then a Government change has meant all public spending coming under scrutiny, announcements have still be made in relation to the funding for the regeneration of Chester although it is highly likely that funding will be reduced.
Since this announcement considerable changes have also been made to the structure of the local council, the council previously known as the City of Chester local council is now known as Cheshire West and Chester Council.
Chester holds a divers range of industries including tourism and retail. The main one being the tourist element, with many people visiting to view the architecture and landmarks. There are also two main retail shopping areas known as The Grosvenor Mall and The Forum. One major element in relation to bringing money to the area is the University of Chester which has over 15,000 students from numerous countries around the world.
Another major draw for the city is the well renowned Chester Zoo which attracts visitors in excess of one million per year. The Zoo is so affluent and popular that 225million was invested in the year of 2009.
Chester also has a football team, Chester City FC, who were granted entitlement to the football league in 1931. The club has suffered financial problems and also faced relegation in recent years, when the club entered administration a new team was formed which will now play in the Northern Premier League Division One North. Despite these previous difficulties the previous club has seen several well known football names at club, namely Ian Rush. The Liverpool legend even went on to manage Chester City FC. Other popular sports known throughout the City of Chester include basketball, hockey and a racecourse.