Washington County, Illinois
Template:Short description Template:Distinguish Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox U.S. county
Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 13,761.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Its county seat is Nashville.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> It is located in the southern portion of Illinois known locally as "Little Egypt".
History
Washington County was formed on January 2, 1818, out of St. Clair County. It was named for George Washington. Despite its relative proximity to the Illinois suburbs of St. Louis, Missouri, the county is not considered part of the St. Louis metropolitan area, also known as the Metro-East. In 1813, the Lively Massacre occurred near Little Crooked Creek. In 1959, the state established the Washington County State Recreation Area.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Washington County was initially settled by immigrants from Kentucky who moved northward out of that state in the early 1800s. In the late 1800s there were (relatively) large numbers of immigrants who settled in Washington County, and by the early 1900s there were large numbers of first-generation immigrants still living in Washington County. They primarily came from the four countries of Germany, Poland, Ireland and England.<ref>History of Washington County, Illinois: With Illustrations Descriptive of Its Scenery, and Biographical Sketches of Some of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers by McDonough</ref>
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Washington County from its 1818 creation to 1824 -
Washington County in 1824, reduced to its current borders by the creation of Clinton County
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (0.2%) is water.<ref name="census-density"/> There are many lakes, rivers, streams, and creeks in this area, including the Kaskaskia River, which is the county's northern border.
Climate and weather
Template:Climate chart In recent years, average temperatures in Nashville have ranged from a low of Template:Convert in January to a high of Template:Convert in July, although a record low of Template:Convert was recorded in December 1989 and a record high of Template:Convert was recorded in July 1980. Average monthly precipitation ranged from Template:Convert in January to Template:Convert in May.<ref name="weather">Template:Cite web</ref> On November 17, 2013, an EF4 tornado swept through the area, destroying homes and causing two fatalities.
Public transit
Major highways
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Adjacent counties
- Clinton County (north)
- Marion County (northeast)
- Jefferson County (east)
- Perry County (south)
- Randolph County (southwest)
- St. Clair County (west)
Demographics
2020 census
| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 1980<ref name=1980Census>Template:Cite web</ref> | Pop 1990<ref name=1990Census>Template:Cite web</ref> | Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>Template:Cite web</ref> | Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref> | Pop 2020<ref name=2020CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref> | % 1980 | % 1990 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 15,299 | 14,816 | 14,846 | 14,260 | 12,976 | 98.88% | 99.00% | 98.01% | 96.90% | 94.30% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 38 | 46 | 49 | 94 | 85 | 0.25% | 0.31% | 0.32% | 0.64% | 0.62% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 23 | 31 | 33 | 13 | 25 | 0.15% | 0.21% | 0.22% | 0.09% | 0.18% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 19 | 23 | 27 | 41 | 65 | 0.12% | 0.15% | 0.18% | 0.28% | 0.47% |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) | x <ref>included in the Asian category in the 1980 Census</ref> | x <ref>included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census</ref> | 4 | 4 | 20 | x | x | 0.03% | 0.03% | 0.15% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 26 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 15 | 0.17% | 0.01% | 0.04% | 0.02% | 0.11% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | x <ref>not an option in the 1980 Census</ref> | x <ref>not an option in the 1990 Census</ref> | 75 | 104 | 351 | x | x | 0.50% | 0.71% | 2.55% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 67 | 48 | 108 | 197 | 224 | 0.43% | 0.32% | 0.71% | 1.34% | 1.63% |
| Total | 15,472 | 14,965 | 15,148 | 14,716 | 13,761 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
2010 census
As of the 2010 United States census, there were 14,716 people, 5,926 households, and 4,112 families residing in the county.<ref name="census-dp1">Template:Cite web</ref> The population density was Template:Convert. There were 6,534 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert.<ref name="census-density">Template:Cite web</ref> The racial makeup of the county was 97.7% white, 0.7% black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% American Indian, 0.4% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.3% of the population.<ref name="census-dp1"/> In terms of ancestry, 53.6% were German, 14.0% were Polish, 13.1% were Irish, 7.7% were English, and 6.1% were American.<ref name="census-dp2">Template:Cite web</ref>
Of the 5,926 households, 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.6% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.6% were non-families, and 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.93. The median age was 42.3 years.<ref name="census-dp1"/>
The median income for a household in the county was $51,440 and the median income for a family was $64,171. Males had a median income of $44,272 versus $30,683 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,846. About 5.5% of families and 9.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.2% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.<ref name="census-dp3">Template:Cite web</ref>
Education
The county is served by six school districts:<ref>Template:Cite web Template:Dead link</ref>
- Oakdale CCSD 1
- West Washington County CUD 10
- Irvington CCSD 11
- Ashley CCSD 15
- Nashville CCSD 49
- Nashville Community High School District 99
Communities
Cities
Villages
Unincorporated communities
Townships
Washington County is divided into these townships: Template:Div col
- Ashley
- Beaucoup
- Bolo
- Covington
- DuBois
- Hoyleton
- Irvington
- Johannisburg
- Lively Grove
- Nashville
- Oakdale
- Okawville
- Pilot Knob
- Plum Hill
- Richview
- Venedy
Politics
Washington is a rural conservative county in Southern Illinois that has always trended Republican in presidential elections. The only Democrat to win a majority of the county's ballots since the Civil War was Franklin D. Roosevelt in his 1932 landslide. Historically, the county was dominated by organized labor and family farms. The area tends to be economically and socially conservative. Template:PresHead Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresFoot
Media
WNSV in Nashville is the only radio station in the county.
The two weekly newspapers in the county are The Nashville News, located in Nashville, and The Okawville Times, which is based in Okawville.
See also
References
- Specific
- General
External links
Template:Geographic Location Template:Washington County, Illinois Template:Illinois Template:Southern-Illinois Template:Authority control