Washington County, Pennsylvania


Washington County is a county located 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, located three miles southwest of Washington.

History

The county was created on March 28, 1781, from part of Westmoreland County. The city and county were both named after American Revolutionary War leader George Washington, who eventually became the first President of the United States. The town of Charleroi got its name from the Belgian city of Charleroi. There lived many Belgian immigrants in the Monongahela area at the end of the 19th century, some of whom were glass makers.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water. It has a humid continental climate and average monthly temperatures in the city of Washington range from 28.3 °F in January to 71.5 °F in July.

Surrounding 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. There were 87,267 housing units at an average density of 102 per square mile. 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.

Government and politics

The County of Washington is governed by a three-member publicly elected commission. The three commissioners serve in both executive and legislative capacities. By state law, the commission must have a minority party guaranteeing a political split on the commission. Each term is for four years.
The three current commissioners for Washington County are Lawrence Maggi, Diana Irey, and Nick Sherman.
Maggi was the Democratic nominee for Pennsylvania's 18th congressional district against Republican incumbent Tim Murphy in 2012. Maggi lost to Murphy and earned only 36 percent of the vote. Irey was the Republican candidate for Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district and lost to the late Democratic incumbent John Murtha in the 2006 election.
The Washington County Court of Common Pleas, the Twenty-Seventh Judicial District of Pennsylvania, is the state trial court, sitting in and for Washington County. It serves as the court of original jurisdiction for the region. There are five judges, which the county's citizens elect to ten year terms, under the laws of the Commonwealth. The President Judge is Katherine B. Emery; she is the most senior member of the bench. Judges of the court are:
Additionally, magisterial district judges serve throughout the county to hear traffic citations, issue warrants, and decide minor civil matters.
The Democratic Party has been historically dominant in county-level politics and national politics, only voting Republican for president in Richard Nixon's 1972 landslide victory over George McGovern between 1928 & 2008.
However, like much of Appalachian coal country, Washington has trended strongly Republican in recent years. In 2000, Democrat Al Gore won 53% of the vote and Republican George W. Bush won 44%. In 2004, Democrat John Kerry received 50.14% of the vote and Bush received 49.57% a difference of 552 votes. In 2008, Republican John McCain won 51% to Democrat Barack Obama's 46% and each of the three state row office winners carried Washington County.

Voter registration

As of November 7, 2017, there were 139,790 registered voters in the county. Registered Democrats have a plurality of 67,424 registered voters, compared to 56,274 registered Republicans, 752 registered Libertarians, 123 registered Greens, and 15,217 voters registered to other parties or none.

County row offices

was founded in Washington County in 1951 for 13 and 14 year old boys and its headquarters are located here. As of 2016, more than a half-million youth in the U.S. and 40 other nations participate. The televised Pony League World Series held annually in August at Washington's Lew Hays Pony Field attracts teenage teams from around the world.
Washington County is also 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.

Education

Colleges and universities

;Served by:
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

s 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.
The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Washington County.
† county seat
RankCity/Town/etc.Municipal typePopulation
1† WashingtonCity13,663
2CanonsburgBorough8,992
3CaliforniaBorough6,795
4DonoraBorough4,781
5McMurrayCDP4,647
6MonongahelaCity4,300
7CharleroiBorough4,120
8ThompsonvilleCDP3,520
9CentervilleBorough3,263
10WolfdaleCDP2,888
11GastonvilleCDP2,818
12McGovernCDP2,742
13BentleyvilleBorough2,581
14MuseCDP2,504
15Cecil-BishopCDP2,476
16East WashingtonBorough2,234
17New EagleBorough2,184
18McDonald Borough2,149
19Wickerham Manor-FisherCDP1,728
20BaidlandCDP1,563
21BurgettstownBorough1,388
22North CharleroiBorough1,313
23HoustonBorough1,296
24SpeersBorough1,154
25EllsworthBorough1,027
26West BrownsvilleBorough992
27MidwayBorough913
28ClaysvilleBorough829
29MeadowlandsCDP822
30RoscoeBorough812
31AvellaCDP804
32HickoryCDP740
33ParisCDP732
34DeemstonBorough722
35LangelothCDP717
36MillsboroCDP666
37Eighty FourCDP657
38CokeburgBorough630
39West AlexanderCDP604
40SlovanCDP555
41LawrenceCDP540
42AllenportBorough537
43JoffreCDP536
44StockdaleBorough502
45MariannaBorough494
46BeallsvilleBorough466
47FinleyvilleBorough461
48Long BranchBorough447
49BulgerCDP407
50FredericktownCDP403
51AtlasburgCDP401
52WylandvilleCDP391
53DunlevyBorough381
54HendersonvilleCDP325
55ElcoBorough323
56ElramaCDP307
57SouthviewCDP276
58AaronsburgCDP259
59TwilightBorough233
60TaylorstownCDP217
61WestlandCDP167
62Van VoorhisCDP166
T-63Coal CenterBorough139
T-63West MiddletownBorough139
64Cross CreekCDP137
65Green HillsBorough29

Notable people