Washington County is a
county
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
located in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
of
Iowa
Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...
. As of the
2020 census, the population was 22,565.
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 ...
is
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
.
Washington County is included in the
Iowa City
Iowa City, offically the City of Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is the home of the University of Iowa and county seat of Johnson County, at the center of the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the time ...
Metropolitan Statistical Area
In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...
.
History
Washington County was originally formed in 1838 as Slaughter County in honor of
William B. Slaughter, the secretary of
Wisconsin Territory
The Territory of Wisconsin was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 3, 1836, until May 29, 1848, when an eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Wisconsin. Belmont was ...
. The county, still named Slaughter County, became part of
Iowa Territory
The Territory of Iowa was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1838, until December 28, 1846, when the southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Iowa. The remaind ...
on July 4, 1838, when it was organized. To honor
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 county opted to change its name on January 25, 1839. The first settlers arrived in Washington County in 1835. The homesteads did not start until 1836. A town, Astoria, was built in the present township of Oregon; it became the first county seat and housed the first court house. The county seat was moved to the city of Washington in 1839.
The first religious society, organized by Reverend J.L. Kirkpatrick, a Methodist minister was created in 1839.
The first newspaper was established in 1853; it was published for two years. In 1856 another newspaper started up; it has continued to the present.
[An illustrated history of the state of Iowa, being a complete civil, political, and military history of the state, from its first exploration down to 1875]
Archive.org. Retrieved September 5, 2013. The major waterways through Washington County are the
Skunk
Skunks are mammals in the family Mephitidae. They are known for their ability to spray a liquid with a strong, unpleasant scent from their anal glands. Different species of skunk vary in appearance from black-and-white to brown, cream or ginge ...
and
English Rivers, and
Crooked Creek Crooked Creek may refer to:
Streams In Australia
* Crooked Creek (Clyde River), a tributary of the Clyde River in New South Wales
* Crooked Creek (Walsh River), a tributary of the Walsh River in Queensland
In the United States
* Crooked Cree ...
. Timber is found in abundance around these waterways, which has allowed a timber industry to grow up.
In 1855 Washington hosted the county's first bank. The county population swelled after 1858, when a railway line belonging to the Mississippi and Missouri Railroad was laid there.
[
]
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.4%) is water.
Major highways
* U.S. Highway 218
* Iowa Highway 1
Iowa Highway 1 (Iowa 1) is a state highway (Iowa), state highway in the U.S. state of Iowa that extends from Keosauqua, Iowa, Keosauqua to Anamosa, Iowa, Anamosa. It travels nearly , mainly through rich farmland and small communities. Iowa ...
* Iowa Highway 22
Iowa Highway 22 (Iowa 22) is a west–east state highway that traverses primarily rural areas in east-central Iowa. The highway begins near Thornburg at an intersection with Iowa Highway 21 and ends in southwestern Davenport, at U.S. High ...
* Iowa Highway 27
O scale (or O gauge) is a scale commonly used for toy trains and rail transport modelling. Introduced by German toy manufacturer Märklin around 1900, by the 1930s three-rail alternating current O gauge was the most common model railroad sc ...
* Iowa Highway 78
Iowa Highway 78 (Iowa 78) is a state highway which runs from east to west in southeastern Iowa. The route begins east of Martinsburg at Iowa Highway 149, and ends at U.S. Highway 61 east of Morning Sun. The route has existed since the 1920s, w ...
* Iowa Highway 92
Iowa Highway 92 (Iowa 92) is a state highway that runs from east to west across the state of Iowa. Iowa 92 is long. It begins at the Missouri River in Council Bluffs, where it is a continuation of Nebraska Highway 92. It stretches across ...
Adjacent counties
* Iowa County (northwest)
* Johnson County (northeast)
* Louisa County (east)
* Henry County (southeast)
* Jefferson County (southwest)
* Keokuk County (west)
Demographics
2000 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 2000, there were 20,670 people, 8,056 households, and 5,631 families residing in the county. The population density
Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...
was . There were 8,543 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 97.04% 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 ...
, 0.29% 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 have o ...
or 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 ...
, 0.19% Native American, 0.25% Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.03% Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...
, 1.51% from other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 0.68% from two or more races. 2.73% of the population were 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 ...
or Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race.
There were 8,056 households, out of which 31.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.30% were married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 6.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.10% were non-families. 26.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.10% under the age of 18, 7.00% from 18 to 24, 26.80% from 25 to 44, 22.30% from 45 to 64, and 17.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.10 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $39,103, and the median income for a family was $45,636. Males had a median income of $29,592 versus $22,818 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 county was $18,221. About 5.10% of families and 7.60% 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 10.30% of those under age 18 and 7.30% of those age 65 or over.
2010 census
The 2010 census recorded a population of 21,704 in the county, with a population density of . There were 9,516 housing units, of which 8,741 were occupied.
2020 census
The 2020 census recorded a population of 22,565 in the county, with a population density of . 95.31% of the population reported being of one race. 83.15% were non-Hispanic White, 0.83% were Black, 7.14% were Hispanic, 0.31% were Native American, 0.51% were Asian, 0.01% were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander and 8.04% were some other race or more than one race. There were 9,573 housing units, of which 8,916 were occupied.[
]
Education
The county is served by 3 school districts
*Highland Community School District
The Highland Community School District is a rural public school district headquartered in unincorporated Washington County, Iowa, that serves much of eastern Washington County and a small portion of southern Johnson County, including Riverside, ...
* Mid-Prairie Community School District
*Washington Community School District.
Highland Community School District includes:
* Highland Elementary School
*Highland Middle School
*Highland High School
Communities
Cities
*Ainsworth
Ainsworth may refer to:
Places
;Canada
*Ainsworth Hot Springs, British Columbia
;United Kingdom
*Ainsworth, Greater Manchester, England
;United States
* Ainsworth, Indiana
*Ainsworth, Iowa
*Ainsworth, Nebraska
*Ainsworth, Wisconsin
*Ainsworth, Wa ...
*Brighton
Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...
* Coppock
* Crawfordsville
* Kalona
*Riverside
Riverside may refer to:
Places Australia
* Riverside, Tasmania, a suburb of Launceston, Tasmania
Canada
* Riverside (electoral district), in the Yukon
* Riverside, Calgary, a neighbourhood in Alberta
* Riverside, Manitoba, a former rural m ...
*Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
*Wellman Wellman may refer to:
* ''Wellman'' (film), a 2003 Croatian documentary film about a well excavator
*Wellman House, a historic site in Friendship, New York
Cities and communities
*Wellman, Iowa, a city in Washington County, Iowa, near Iowa City
*W ...
* West Chester
Unincorporated communities
*Noble
A noble is a member of the nobility.
Noble may also refer to:
Places Antarctica
* Noble Glacier, King George Island
* Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land
* Noble Peak, Wiencke Island
* Noble Rocks, Graham Land
Australia
* Noble Island, Great B ...
* Rubio
* Haskins
Townships
* Brighton
Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...
* Cedar
Cedar may refer to:
Trees and plants
*''Cedrus'', common English name cedar, an Old-World genus of coniferous trees in the plant family Pinaceae
*Cedar (plant), a list of trees and plants known as cedar
Places United States
* Cedar, Arizona
* ...
* Clay
Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4).
Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...
* Crawford
Crawford may refer to:
Places Canada
* Crawford Bay Airport, British Columbia
* Crawford Lake Conservation Area, Ontario
United Kingdom
* Crawford, Lancashire, a small village near Rainford, Merseyside, England
* Crawford, South Lanarkshire, a ...
* Dutch Creek
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People ...
* English River
* Franklin
Franklin may refer to:
People
* Franklin (given name)
* Franklin (surname)
* Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class
Places Australia
* Franklin, Tasmania, a township
* Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...
* Highland
Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally speaking, upland (or uplands) refers to ranges of hills, typically from up to while highland (or highlands) is ...
* Iowa
Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...
* Jackson
Jackson may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name
Places
Australia
* Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region
* Jackson North, Qu ...
* Lime Creek
* Marion Marion may refer to:
People
*Marion (given name)
*Marion (surname)
*Marion Silva Fernandes, Brazilian footballer known simply as "Marion"
*Marion (singer), Filipino singer-songwriter and pianist Marion Aunor (born 1992)
Places Antarctica
* Mario ...
* Oregon
Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
* Seventy-Six
* Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
Population ranking
The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Washington County.[
† ''county seat''
]
Politics
See also
* Washington County Courthouse
*
References
External links
Washington County government's website
{{Coord, 41, 20, 05, N, 91, 43, 11, W, region:US-IA_type:adm2nd_source:dewiki, display=title
1838 establishments in Wisconsin Territory
Populated places established in 1838
Iowa City metropolitan area