Washington County, Pennsylvania facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Washington County
U.S. county
Washington County Courthouse
Flag
Location within the U.S. state of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
Founded	March 28, 1781
Named for	George Washington
Seat	Washington
Largest city	Washington
Area
• Total	861 sq mi (2,230 km2)
• Land	857 sq mi (2,220 km2)
• Water	3.9 sq mi (10 km2)  0.5%%
Population
• Estimate  (2019)	206,865
• Density	243/sq mi (94/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	14th

Washington County is a county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 207,820. Its county seat is Washington.

Washington County is part of the Pittsburgh, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The county is home to Washington County Airport, three miles (5 km) southwest of Washington.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 861 square miles (2,230 km²), of which 857 square miles (2,220 km²) is land and 3.9 square miles (10 km²) (0.5%) is water.

Adjacent counties

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 202,897 people, 81,130 households, and 56,060 families residing in the county. The population density was 237 people per square mile (91/km²). There were 87,267 housing units at an average density of 102 per square mile (39/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.27% White, 3.26% Black or African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.19% from other races, and 0.82% from two or more races. 0.58% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 18.3% were of German, 17.2% Italian, 10.6% Irish, 8.6% English, 7.9% Polish and 6.2% American ancestry.

There were 81,130 households, out of which 28.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.20% were married couples living together, 10.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.90% were non-families. 27.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.20% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 27.20% from 25 to 44, 25.00% from 45 to 64, and 17.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 92.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.00 males.

As of 1800, this county was largely settled by people of Scot-Irish heritage because "prime lands" were already taken by the Germans and the Quakers.

Landmarks and events

The F. Julius LeMoyne House serves as the headquarters of the Washington County Historical Society.

Washington County is the home of the PONY Baseball and Softball International Headquarters and is the home of the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum. Washington County is also famous for its Rock Shelters at Meadowcroft Village, which are one of the best preserved and oldest Pre-Clovis Native American dwellings in the country. The county has 21 covered bridges still standing.

The Whiskey Rebellion culminated in Washington. The home of David Bradford, one of the rebellion leaders, is located in Washington and is a national landmark. Just a couple blocks away is the F. Julius LeMoyne House, which serves as the headquarters of the Washington County Historical Society.

Washington County is the home of the first crematory in the United States.

In 1981, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission installed a historical marker noting the historic importance of the county.

Communities

Map of Washington County, Pennsylvania with municipal labels showing cities and boroughs (red), townships (white), and Census-designated places (blue).

Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities: cities, boroughs, townships, and, in at most two cases, towns. The following cities, boroughs and townships are located in Washington County:

Cities

• Monongahela
• Washington (county seat)

Boroughs

Townships

Census-designated places

Census-designated places are geographical areas designated by the U.S. Census Bureau for the purposes of compiling demographic data. They are not actual jurisdictions under Pennsylvania law.

Unincorporated communities

Former communities

• Allen Township
• Bethlehem Township
• East Pike Run Township
• Granville
• Pike Run
• Pike Run Township
• Smallwood
• South Canonsburg (annexed to Canonsburg in 1911)

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Washington County.

† county seat

Education

Colleges and universities

• California University of Pennsylvania in California Borough
• Community College of Allegheny County Washington branch in North Franklin Township
• Washington & Jefferson College in the City of Washington and East Washington Borough
• Waynesburg University- Southpointe Center Campus in Cecil Township.

Public school districts

Map of Washington County, Pennsylvania School Districts

• Avella Area School District
• Bentworth School District
• Bethlehem-Center School District
• Brownsville Area School District (also in Fayette County)
• Burgettstown Area School District
• California Area School District
• Canon-McMillan School District
• Charleroi School District
• Chartiers-Houston School District
• Fort Cherry School District (also in Allegheny County)
• McGuffey School District
• Peters Township School District
• Ringgold School District
• Trinity Area School District
• Washington School District

Served by

• Intermediate Unit 1 – Coal Center
• Mon Valley Career and Technology Center – Charleroi
• Western Area Career and Technology Center – Canonsburg

Private schools

Libraries

Citizens Library in Washington, PA

Notable people

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Washington (Pensilvania) para niños