Washington County, Maryland facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Washington County
County
Burnside's Bridge in Washington County, site of heavy combat during the Battle of Antietam
Flag Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Maryland
Maryland's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Maryland
Founded	September 6, 1776
Named for	George Washington
Seat	Hagerstown
Largest city	Hagerstown
Area
• Total	467 sq mi (1,210 km2)
• Land	458 sq mi (1,190 km2)
• Water	9.6 sq mi (25 km2)  2.0%
Population  (2020)
• Total	154,705
• Density	330/sq mi (130/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	6th

Washington County is a county located in the western part of the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the population was 154,705. It is the most populous county in the Western Maryland region and its county seat is Hagerstown.

Washington County was the first county in the United States to be named for the Revolutionary War general (and later President) George Washington. Washington County is one of three Maryland counties recognized by the Appalachian Regional Commission as being part of Appalachia. The county borders southern Pennsylvania to the north, Northern Virginia to the south, and the Martinsburg Panhandle of West Virginia to the south and west. Washington County is included in the Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA Combined Statistical Area.

History

The Washington County seal from 1950 to 1988; de facto as it was never officially adopted.

The western portions of the Province of Maryland (including present Washington County) were incorporated into Prince George's County in 1696. This original county included six current counties. The first to be created was Frederick, separated from Prince George's County in 1748.

Following independence, the sovereign State of Maryland formed Washington County on September 6, 1776, by the division of Frederick County. At the same time, a portion of Frederick County became part of the newly created Montgomery County along with portions from Prince George's County and Charles' County, and was named for General Richard Montgomery. Washington County as created included land later to become Allegany County (created in 1789) and Garrett County (included in Allegany County when it was created in 1789, but separated from Allegany County in 1872). Washington County thus originally included the entire western part of the state.

A number of properties in the county are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 467 square miles (1,210 km²), of which 458 square miles (1,190 km²) is land and 9.6 square miles (25 km²) (2.0%) is water.

Washington County is located in the Appalachian Mountains, stretching from the Ridge-and-Valley Country in the west to South Mountain in the east, which is an extension of the Blue Ridge. Much of the county lies in the broad Hagerstown Valley between these two zones; the valley is part of the Great Appalachian Valley that continues southward into Virginia and West Virginia as the Shenandoah Valley and northward into Pennsylvania as the Cumberland Valley.

The county is bordered to the north by the Mason–Dixon line with Pennsylvania, to the south by the Potomac River and the states of Virginia and West Virginia, to the west by Sideling Hill Creek and Allegany County, Maryland, and to the east by Frederick County and South Mountain.

Adjacent counties

• Fulton County, Pennsylvania (northwest)
• Allegany County (west)
• Morgan County, West Virginia (southwest)
• Berkeley County, West Virginia (south)
• Jefferson County, West Virginia (south)
• Loudoun County, Virginia (southeast)
• Frederick County (east)
• Franklin County, Pennsylvania (northeast)

Major highways

View south along I-81 from I-70 in Washington County

Demographics

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 147,430 people, 55,687 households, and 37,506 families residing in the county. The population density was 322.1 inhabitants per square mile (124.4/km²). There were 60,814 housing units at an average density of 132.8 per square mile (51.3/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 85.1% white, 9.6% black or African American, 1.4% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 1.1% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.5% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 31.7% were German, 14.1% were Irish, 9.8% were English, 8.5% were American, and 5.1% were Italian.

Of the 55,687 households, 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.6% were married couples living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.6% were non-families, and 26.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.01. The median age was 39.7 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $52,994 and the median income for a family was $65,811. Males had a median income of $47,622 versus $34,225 for females. The per capita income for the county was $26,588. About 7.7% of families and 10.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.1% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Hagerstown

Williamsport

City

• Hagerstown (county seat)

Towns

Census-designated places

The Census Bureau recognizes the following census-designated places in the county:

Hancock

Unincorporated communities

Sharpsburg

Economy

In 2000, the median income for a household in the county was $40,617, and the median income for a family was $48,962. Males had a median income of $34,917 versus $24,524 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,062. About 7.00% of families and 9.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.30% of those under age 18 and 9.50% of those age 65 or over.

According to the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development, the following were the major employers in the county (excluding post offices, state government, and local governments, but including public institutions of higher education):

Washington County is top in the state for commercial production of fruits, tree nuts, and berries.

Parks and recreation

Sideling Hill man-made mountain pass on I-68/U.S. 40 near Hancock

National parks

• Antietam National Battlefield
• Appalachian National Scenic Trail
• Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park
• Harpers Ferry National Historical Park

State parks

• Fort Frederick State Park
• Fort Tonoloway State Park
• Gathland State Park
• Greenbrier State Park
• South Mountain State Park
• Washington Monument State Park

Museums, historic sites, and other points of interest

• Bowman House, Boonsboro
• Crystal Grottoes, the only show caves in Maryland.
• Discovery Station, Hagerstown
• Hager House, Hagerstown
• Hagerstown Roundhouse Museum, Hagerstown
• Price-Miller House, Hagerstown
• Sideling Hill, man-made mountain pass on Interstate 68/U.S. Route 40 roughly 5 miles (8.0 km) west of Hancock shows off 100 million years+ of rock formation with Information Center and walkways on the premises.
• Springfield Farm, Williamsport
• Stoney Creek Farm, Boonsboro
• Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, Hagerstown
• Washington County Rural Heritage Museum, Boonsboro

Education

Washington County Public Schools administers public schools in the county. See Washington County Public Schools – School Directory for a detailed listing of elementary, middle, high, and other schools.

High schools

Colleges and universities

• Antietam Bible College, Biblical Seminary, and Graduate School
• Hagerstown Community College, two-year public community college
• Kaplan College (formerly Hagerstown Business College)
• Mount Saint Mary's University, Hagerstown Campus, offers Master of Business Administration (MBA) program.
• University System of Maryland at Hagerstown, branch of the University System of Maryland; offers various associate's, bachelor's, and master's degree programs in connection with other state colleges and universities in Maryland.

Notable residents and natives

• See People from Washington County.

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Washington (Maryland) para niños