Washington County, Florida


Washington County is a county located in the northwestern part of the state of Florida, in the Panhandle. As of the 2010 census, the population was 24,935. Its county seat is Chipley. Washington County is a prohibition or entirely dry county, meaning that the sale of alcoholic beverages is banned in the county.

History

Washington County, Florida was created in 1825, and was nearly twice the size of the State of Delaware, stretching all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. After a century of boundary shifts, the county, with over of rolling hills covered in thick, stately pines and mixed hardwood forests, now covers a large portion of the central Florida Panhandle.
Over a span of more than 150 years, Washington County has seen Native American, Spanish and English cultural influences. The County's historical lore is rich with stories of the exploits of Andrew Jackson. There are numerous Native American Mounds and evidence of strong settlements still being discovered.
Named after George Washington, the first President of the United States of America, the area was first settled by those seeking both economic and political freedom in this frontier land of vast timber and mineral resources. Inland waterway transportation brought about heavy river settlements. The arrival of railroads in the late 1800s boosted economic, social and political developments.
Vernon, the geographical center of the county derives is named for George Washington's Virginia home, Mt. Vernon. The pioneer town was also the site of a major Indian settlement.
The county courthouse was located in Vernon during the early part of this century until a railroad town in northeastern Washington County, Chipley, became the new and present county seat in 1927.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water.

Adjacent Counties

As of the census of 2000, there were 20,973 people, 7,931 households, and 5,646 families residing in the county. The population density was. There were 9,503 housing units at an average density of 16 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 81.72% White, 13.69% Black or African American, 1.54% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.58% from other races, and 2.05% from two or more races. 2.30% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 7,931 households out of which 30.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.20% were married couples living together, 11.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.80% were non-families. 25.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the county, the population was spread out with 23.40% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 28.50% from 25 to 44, 24.70% from 45 to 64, and 15.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 105.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $27,922, and the median income for a family was $33,057. Males had a median income of $26,597 versus $20,198 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,980. About 15.40% of families and 19.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.90% of those under age 18 and 19.40% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The Washington County School District includes:
Washington County Public Library system has three branches:

Cities

YearRepublicanDemocraticThird parties
201677.04% 8,63720.19% 2,2642.77% 310
201272.79% 8,03825.54% 2,8201.67% 184
200873.23% 8,17825.64% 2,8631.13% 126
200471.09% 7,36928.09% 2,9120.82% 85
200062.24% 4,99534.86% 2,7982.90% 233
199644.83% 3,52438.06% 2,99217.11% 1,345
199246.94% 3,69532.32% 2,54420.74% 1,632
198866.64% 4,37432.66% 2,1440.70% 46
198470.62% 4,60829.36% 1,9160.02% 1
198049.92% 3,25147.75% 3,1102.34% 152
197638.58% 2,31359.47% 3,5661.95% 117
197286.11% 3,77713.82% 6060.07% 3
196810.71% 52814.64% 72274.66% 3,682
196464.50% 2,72535.50% 1,500
196036.96% 1,23063.04% 2,098
195632.18% 1,02767.82% 2,164
195232.71% 1,10067.29% 2,263
194813.43% 29762.42% 1,38024.15% 534
194422.98% 50777.02% 1,699
194025.14% 64374.86% 1,915
193617.51% 48682.49% 2,289
193212.46% 34587.54% 2,424
192869.72% 1,67227.98% 6712.29% 55
192424.76% 20667.55% 5627.70% 64
192025.37% 30761.98% 75012.64% 153
191615.85% 15962.41% 62621.73% 218
19127.61% 8264.38% 69428.02% 302
190824.64% 28855.77% 65219.59% 229
190426.03% 20253.35% 41420.62% 160

Government links/Constitutional offices