Washington is a city in

Beaufort County, North Carolina Beaufort County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 44,652. Its county seat is Washington. The county was founded in 1705 as Pamptecough Precinct. Originally included in Bath Cou ...

, United States, located on the northern bank of the

Pamlico River The Pamlico
, from the North Carolina Collection's website at the

. The population was 9,744 at the 2010 census. It is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

of Beaufort County. It is commonly known as "Original Washington" or "Little Washington" to distinguish it from

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

The closest major city is Greenville, approximately to the west. Established in 1776 on land donated by Col. James Bonner, Washington is the first city named after

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

, the first president of the United States.

History

The settlement at the current location of the city was founded in the 1770s by James Bonner on his land and was known as Forks of the Tar. In 1776, it was renamed Washington. During the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, Washington served as a supply port when major neighboring ports were under British siege.

Geography

Climate

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

2020 United States Census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, there were 9,875 people, 4,038 households, and 2,251 families residing in the city.

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2010, there were 9,744 people and 4,246 households in the city. The population density was 1,190.0 people per square mile (459.4/km). There were 4,754 housing units at an average density of 580.5 per square mile (224.1/km). The racial composition of the city was: 49.0%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 45.50%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 5.5%

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino American Hispanic and Latino Americans ( es, Estadounidenses hispanos y latinos; pt, Estadunidenses hispânicos e latinos) are Americans of Spanish and/or Latin American ancestry. More broadly, these demographics include all Americans who identify as ...

, 0.5% Asian American, 0.2% Native American, 0.1%

Native Hawaiian Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, First Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians) ( haw, kānaka, , , and ), are the indigenous ethnic group of Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaii ...

or Other Pacific Islander, and 1.50%

two or more races 2 (two) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 1 and preceding 3. It is the smallest and only even prime number. Because it forms the basis of a duality, it has religious and spiritual significance in many cultur ...

. There were 4,754 households, out of which 22.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.3% were married couples living together, 21.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.8% were non-families. 33.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.93. In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 24.7% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 19.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 77.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 70.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $22,057, and the median income for a family was $30,280. Males had a median income of $26,053 versus $21,641 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $14,319. About 23.3% of families and 28.7% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 42.8% of those under age 18 and 19.3% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

Washington has a range of historical buildings and landmarks, with some dating back to colonial and Victorian eras. Historic sites include the Bank of Washington, West End Branch, Beaufort County Courthouse, Bowers-Tripp House, North Market Street Historic District, Rosedale, Washington Historic District, and Zion Episcopal Church are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. A Farmer's and Artisan's Market is held regularly on the town's green areas on the waterfront. The North Carolina Estuarium, located on the

Pamlico River The Pamlico
, from the North Carolina Collection's website at the

, includes more than 200 scientific and historic exhibits relating to the ecology of North Carolina's estuaries, the

Tar Tar is a dark brown or black viscous liquid of hydrocarbons and free carbon, obtained from a wide variety of organic materials through destructive distillation. Tar can be produced from coal, wood, petroleum, or peat. "a dark brown or black bit ...

-Pamlico River and

Pamlico Sound Pamlico Sound ( ) is a lagoon in North Carolina which is the largest lagoon along the North American East Coast, extending long and 15 to 20 miles (24 to 32 km) wide. It is part of a large, interconnected network of lagoon estuaries that in ...

. The Estuarium also includes a 3/4 mile boardwalk along the Pamlico River. The Turnage Theatre, a restored historic

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

and movie theater, reopened in the downtown area in 2014 and hosts plays and other types of live entertainment. Between 1993 and 2017 a downtown music and art festival called "Music in the Streets" was held every third Friday during summer to attract people to downtown shops and restaurants. A cannonball from the

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

attack on Washington during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

is displayed in an attorney's office on Water Street, and many nearby towns also contain Civil War artifacts and museums. Civil War re-enacters meet in the outskirts of Washington every year. BHM Regional Library operates the Washington Public Library.

Education

Public education is administered by Beaufort County Schools. Schools located in Washington include: * Early College High School * Eastern Elementary School * J.C. Tayloe Elementary School * John Small Elementary School * P.S. Jones Middle School * Washington High School

Media

Print

The ''

Washington Daily News The ''Washington Daily News'' is an American, English language daily newspaper headquartered in and serving Washington, North Carolina and Beaufort County, North Carolina. It was established in 1909. The paper also uses Facebook for sharing new ...

'' was awarded the

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...

for Meritorious Public Service in 1990 for a series of stories concerning local water contamination, making it the smallest daily newspaper in history to win the award. In 2009, the newspaper ''The Beaufort Observer'' went from a bi-monthly print publication to an online publication.

Television

WITN is licensed to Washington.

Radio

The following radio stations are licensed to Washington: * 93.3 FM:

WERO Wero (meaning "to cast a spear"), also known as taki, is a traditional Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori p ...

Bob 93.3 * 97.5 FM:

WLGT WLGT (97.5 FM, ''97.5 & 104.5 The Bridge'') is an American radio station licensed to Washington, North Carolina, United States. It serves the Greenville-New Bern area. The station is currently owned by Media East LLC. History In 1989, Henry Hint ...

97.5 The Bridge * 1320 AM:

WTOW WTOW (1320 AM) was a radio station broadcasting a Gospel music format. Licensed to Washington, North Carolina, United States, the station was owned by Shabach Media Group. As of June 1, 2018, the station went silent. History 2003 license renewal ...

Washington Original Gospel Station

Notable people

Bam Adebayo Edrice Femi "Bam" Adebayo (born July 18, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats before being selected by the He ...

, NBA player for the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...

Herbert Covington Bonner Herbert Covington Bonner (May 16, 1891 – November 7, 1965) was a Democratic U.S. Congressman from North Carolina between 1940 and 1965. Born in Washington, North Carolina, Bonner attended school in Warrenton. He served in the United Stat ...

, Democratic congressman from

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

(1940–1965) * Churchill C. Cambreleng, congressman (1821–1839) and US Minister to Russia * Terrance Copper, former NFL player * Josephus Daniels,

Secretary of the Navy The secretary of the Navy (or SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department (component organization) within the United States Department of Defense. By law, the se ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, and Ambassador to Mexico under President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Administration. * Susan Dimock, pioneer in American medicine and women's health. Studied at the

University of Zurich The University of Zürich (UZH, german: Universität Zürich) is a public research university located in the city of Zürich, Switzerland. It is the largest university in Switzerland, with its 28,000 enrolled students. It was founded in 1833 f ...

in 1871, and practiced in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. * Tillie Ehringhaus, First Lady of North Carolina * Murray Hamilton, actor, best remembered for his playing the mayor in ''Jaws'' and Mr. Robinson in ''The Graduate'' *

Brad Linaweaver Bradford Swain Linaweaver (September 1, 1952 – August 29, 2019) was an American science fiction writer, film producer, actor, and magazine publisher. Over a 40-year career, he completed a body of work including novels, short stories, and scree ...

, science fiction writer, film producer and screenwriter, magazine publisher. *

Henry Churchill de Mille Henry Churchill de Mille (September 17, 1853 – February 10, 1893) was an American businessman and Georgist, and the father of film pioneers Cecil B. de Mille and William C. de Mille, and the paternal grandfather of the dancer and choreograp ...

, playwright and the father of film pioneers

Cecil B. DeMille Cecil Blount DeMille (; August 12, 1881January 21, 1959) was an American film director, producer and actor. Between 1914 and 1958, he made 70 features, both silent and sound films. He is acknowledged as a founding father of the American cine ...

and

William C. deMille William Churchill deMille (July 25, 1878 – March 5, 1955), also spelled de Mille or De Mille, was an American screenwriter and film director from the silent film era through the early 1930s. He was also a noted playwright prior to moving into ...

and the grandfather of the dancer and choreographer

Agnes de Mille Agnes George de Mille (September 18, 1905 – October 7, 1993) was an American dancer and choreographer. Early years Agnes de Mille was born in New York City into a well-connected family of theater professionals. Her father William C. deMill ...

* Walter Rasby, former NFL player *

Dominique Wilkins Jacques Dominique Wilkins (born January 12, 1960) is an American former professional basketball player who primarily played for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Wilkins was a nine-time NBA All-Star, a seven-time All ...

, nine-time NBA All-Star, noted as one of the best dunkers in NBA history, earning the nickname "The Human Highlight Film." In 2006, Wilkins was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. * Willie Williams, Karateka and mixed martial artist *

Ryan Zimmerman Ryan Wallace Zimmerman (born September 28, 1984) is an American former professional baseball first baseman and third baseman who played 16 seasons for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball (MLB). Zimmerman graduated from Kellam Hig ...

, MLB player for the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

Notes

References

External links

City of Washington official website

Washington Visitors Center
* {{Authority control 1776 establishments in North Carolina Cities in Beaufort County, North Carolina Cities in North Carolina County seats in North Carolina North Carolina in the American Civil War Populated places established in 1776 Populated places on the Pamlico River