Washington County, Iowa facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Washington County
U.S. county
Washington County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Iowa
Iowa's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Iowa
Founded	January 18, 1838
Named for	George Washington
Seat	Washington
Largest city	Washington
Area
• Total	571 sq mi (1,480 km2)
• Land	569 sq mi (1,470 km2)
• Water	2.1 sq mi (5 km2)  0.4%
Population  (2020)
• Total	22,565
• Density	39.52/sq mi (15.258/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	2nd

Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 22,565. The county seat is Washington.

Washington County is included in the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Washington County was originally formed in 1838 as Slaughter County in honor of William B. Slaughter, the secretary of Wisconsin Territory. The county, still named Slaughter County, became part of Iowa Territory on July 4, 1838, when it was organized. To honor George Washington, the county opted to change its name on January 25, 1839. The first White American colonizers arrived in Washington County in 1835, and began establishing individual domiciles in 1836. A settlement, Astoria, was built in the present township of Oregon; it became the first county seat and housed the first court house. The county seat was moved to the city of Washington in 1839.

The first religious society, organized by Reverend J.L. Kirkpatrick, a Methodist minister was created in 1839. The first newspaper was established in 1853; it was published for two years. In 1856 another newspaper started up; it has continued to the present. The major waterways through Washington County are the Skunk and English Rivers, and Crooked Creek. Timber is found in abundance around these waterways, which has allowed a timber industry to grow up. In 1855 Washington hosted the county's first bank. The county population swelled after 1858, when a railway line belonging to the Mississippi and Missouri Railroad was laid there.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 571 square miles (1,480 km²), of which 569 square miles (1,470 km²) is land and 2.1 square miles (5.4 km²) (0.4%) is water.

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 218
• Iowa Highway 1
• Iowa Highway 22
• Iowa Highway 27
• Iowa Highway 78
• Iowa Highway 92

Adjacent counties

• Iowa County (northwest)
• Johnson County (northeast)
• Louisa County (east)
• Henry County (southeast)
• Jefferson County (southwest)
• Keokuk County (west)

Demographics

2022 US Census population pyramid for Washington County from ACS 5-year estimates

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 21,704 in the county, with a population density of 38.1636/sq mi (14.7350/km²). There were 9,516 housing units, of which 8,741 were occupied.

2020 census

The 2020 census recorded a population of 22,565 in the county, with a population density of 39.4886/sq mi (15.2466/km²). 95.31% of the population reported being of one race. 83.15% were non-Hispanic White, 0.83% were Black, 7.14% were Hispanic, 0.31% were Native American, 0.51% were Asian, 0.01% were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander and 8.04% were some other race or more than one race. There were 9,573 housing units, of which 8,916 were occupied.

Education

The county is served by 3 school districts

• Highland Community School District
• Mid-Prairie Community School District
• Washington Community School District.

Highland Community School District includes:

• Highland Elementary School
• Highland Middle School
• Highland High School

Communities

Cities

Unincorporated communities

Townships

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Washington County.

† county seat

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Washington (Iowa) para niños