[9] In the heart of town is its courthouse, a classical revival building designed in the 1840s by Thomas U. Walter, one of the architects for the Capitol in Washington, D.C.[10] In the 18th century West Chester was a center of clockmaking.

Irish revolutionary Theobald Wolfe Tone briefly lived in West Chester during his exile.

[11][12] In the early 20th century, an important industry was the Sharples cream separator company.

[13] In the late 20th century, Commodore International, one of the pioneers of home computers, giving its headquarters as West Chester, was located approximately a mile northeast of the borough.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.8 square miles (5 km2), all land.

As with much of southeastern Pennsylvania east of the Appalachian Mountains, West Chester lies in the transition zone between the humid continental (Köppen: Dfa) and humid subtropical (Köppen: Cfa) climate zones, with generally more characteristics of the former than the latter.

[29] The Francis Harvey Green Library on the university campus has additional collections.

[32] Radio station WCUR (91.7 FM) broadcasts from the borough and is managed by university students.

[33] The flag of West Chester was officially adopted by Borough Council and debuted in early 2019, after a contest sponsored by local business The Fence Authority.

The six gold ribbons on the flag represent the six original streets of West Chester: Market, Gay, High, Chestnut, Walnut, and Church.

Three of SEPTA's Suburban Division bus routes serve West Chester.

Service on the line was discontinued because of poor track conditions west of Elwyn station.

At the time, SEPTA had limited funds for the necessary repairs and offered Chester County the option of either improving the rail line or expanding parking availability at the nearby Exton station on SEPTA's Paoli/Thorndale Line.

Led by the Borough Manager, there are seven council members, each representing one of the seven voting wards.

[45] Previously the following also included sections in West Chester borough: Exton, Fern Hill, Glen Acres, Mary C. Howse, and Penn Wood.

Under some zoning proposals c. 2018, Exton, Glen Acres, Howse, and Penn Wood would no longer serve portions of West Chester borough.

Incorporated in 1872, the library rented rooms to house its collections until March 1888, when the library opened at its current location at 415 North Church Street, on land donated by Hannah M. Darlington, who also donated the Tiffany-style stained-glass windows.

[56] The library became permanently free and open to the public in 1905, coming under the authority of the borough council and school board.

The West Chester Garden Club landscaped the grounds and erected a wall around the courtyard in 1934.

[57] West Chester has a variety of places to visit, including restaurants, shops, parks, and historical sites.

[58] People can also explore Downtown West Chester, which features a selection of dining and retail options along with historical buildings.

[59] West Chester is home to West Chester United SC, a lower level professional soccer club that currently competes in both the National Premier Soccer League and USL League Two.