Washington County, Texas Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Washington County
U.S. county
The Washington County Courthouse in Brenham
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Texas
Founded	1837
Named for	George Washington
Seat	Brenham
Largest city	Brenham
Area
• Total	622 sq mi (1,610 km²)
• Land	604 sq mi (1,560 km²)
• Water	18 sq mi (50 km²) 2.9%
Population (2020)
• Total	35,805
• Density	57.56/sq mi (22.226/km²)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	10th

Brenham Heritage Museum

Washington County is a county in Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 35,805. Its county seat is Brenham, which is located along U.S. Highway 290 seventy-two miles northwest of Houston. The county was created in 1835 as a municipality of Mexico and organized as a county in 1837. It is named for George Washington, the first president of the United States.

Washington County comprises the Brenham, TX Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Houston-The Woodlands, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Washington-on-the-Brazos in the county is notable as the site of the signing of the Texas Declaration of Independence during the Convention of 1836. Reflecting the county's history as a destination of mid-19th-century German immigrants who came after the 1848 German revolutions, in the 2000 US Census more than one-third of residents identified as being of German ancestry.

In 2013, the syndicated television series, Texas Country Reporter, hosted by Bob Phillips, declared the highways between Brenham and Chappel Hill as the No. 2 site for the viewing of wildflowers within Texas. The first ranking went to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin.

Geography
- Major highways
- Adjacent counties
Demographics
- 2020 census
Communities
Education
See also

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 622 square miles (1,610 km²), of which 604 square miles (1,560 km²) is land and 18 square miles (47 km²) (2.9%) is water.

Major highways

Main page: List of highways in Washington County, Texas

U.S. Highway 290
State Highway 36
State Highway 105

Adjacent counties

Brazos County (north)
Grimes County (northeast)
Waller County (east)
Austin County (south)
Fayette County (southwest)
Lee County (west)
Burleson County (northwest)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1850	5,983	—
1860	15,215	154.3%
1870	23,104	51.9%
1880	27,565	19.3%
1890	29,161	5.8%
1900	32,931	12.9%
1910	25,561	−22.4%
1920	26,624	4.2%
1930	25,394	−4.6%
1940	25,387	0.0%
1950	20,542	−19.1%
1960	19,145	−6.8%
1970	18,842	−1.6%
1980	21,998	16.7%
1990	26,154	18.9%
2000	30,373	16.1%
2010	33,718	11.0%
2020	35,805	6.2%
U.S. Decennial Census 1850–2010 2010 2020

2020 census

**Washington County, Texas - Demographic Profile**
(*NH = Non-Hispanic*)
Race / Ethnicity	Pop 2010	Pop 2020	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	22,394	22,023	66.42%	61.51%
Black or African American alone (NH)	5,861	5,555	17.38%	15.51%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	61	75	0.18%	0.21%
Asian alone (NH)	432	547	1.28%	1.53%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	7	14	0.02%	0.04%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	34	140	0.10%	0.39%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)	288	1,026	0.85%	2.87%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	4,641	6,425	13.76%	17.94%
Total	33,718	35,805	100.00%	100.00%

Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.

Communities

Cities

Brenham (county seat)
Burton

Unincorporated communities

Historic communities

Cedar Creek – a mile north of Chappell Hill

Education

School districts:

Brenham Independent School District
Burton Independent School District
Giddings Independent School District
Hallettsville Independent School District

Blinn College is the designated community college for all of the county.

Washington County, Texas facts for kids

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