Washington County, Missouri facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Washington County
U.S. county
The Washington County Courthouse in Potosi
Location within the U.S. state of Missouri
Missouri's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Missouri
Founded	August 21, 1813
Named for	President George Washington
Seat	Potosi
Largest city	Potosi
Area
• Total	762 sq mi (1,970 km2)
• Land	760 sq mi (2,000 km2)
• Water	2.6 sq mi (7 km2)  0.3%
Population  (2020)
• Total	23,514
• Density	30.858/sq mi (11.914/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	8th

Washington County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 23,514. The county seat and largest city is Potosi. The county was officially organized on August 21, 1813, and was named in honor of George Washington, the first President of the United States.

History

The French explorers Renault and La Motte entered the area of present-day Potosi in 1722–23. However, no permanent settlements were made until 1763, when François Breton settled near Potosi and began to operate a mine bearing his name. The Bellview Valley, near Caledonia and Belgrade, was settled in 1802 by the families of William and Helen Watson Reed, their sons, Robert, Joseph, and Thomas Reed, William Reed's brother and nephew, Joseph and William Reed, Annanias McCoy, and Benjamin Crow. Washington County was officially organized on August 21, 1813, out of Ste. Genevieve County.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 762 square miles (1,970 km²), of which 760 square miles (2,000 km²) is land and 2.6 square miles (6.7 km²) (0.3%) is water.

Adjacent counties

• Franklin County (north)
• Jefferson County (northeast)
• St. Francois County (east)
• Iron County (south)
• Crawford County (west)

National protected area

• Mark Twain National Forest (part)

Demographics

Largest ancestries (2000)	Percent
American	19.8%
French	15.6%
German	10.4%
Irish	9.6%
English	5.9%

As of the census of 2000, there were 23,344 people, 8,406 households, and 6,237 families residing in the county. The population density was 31 inhabitants per square mile (12/km²). There were 9,894 housing units at an average density of 13 units per square mile (5.0/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.47% White, 2.48% Black or African American, 0.66% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.15% from other races, and 1.08% from two or more races. Approximately 0.73% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 8,406 households, out of which 36.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.60% were married couples living together, 10.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.80% were non-families. 22.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.05.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.60% under the age of 18, 9.80% from 18 to 24, 29.20% from 25 to 44, 22.70% from 45 to 64, and 11.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 106.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,001, and the median income for a family was $38,193. Males had a median income of $27,871 versus $18,206 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,095. About 17.10% of families and 20.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.40% of those under age 18 and 12.90% of those age 65 or older.

Religion

According to the Association of Religion Data Archives County Membership Report (2000), Washington County is a part of the Bible Belt with evangelical Protestantism being the majority religion. The most predominant denominations among residents in Washington County who adhere to a religion are Roman Catholics (36.73%), Southern Baptists (21.74%), and Baptist Missionary Association of America (16.86%).

2020 Census

Education

Among adults 25 years of age and older in Washington County, 62.5% possess a high school diploma or higher, while 7.5% hold a bachelor's degree or higher as their highest educational attainment.

Public schools

• Kingston K-XIV School District – Cadet
  • Kingston Elementary School (PK-05)
  • Kingston Middle School (06-08)
  • Kingston High School (09-12)
• Potosi R-III School District – Potosi
  • Potosi Pre-School (PK)
  • Potosi Elementary School (PK-03)
  • Trojan Intermediate School (04-06)
  • John A. Evans Middle School (07-08)
  • Potosi High School (09-12)
• Richwoods R-VII School District – Richwoods
  • Richwoods Elementary School (PK-08)
• Valley R-VI School District – Caledonia/ Belgrade
  • Valley Elementary School (K-6) – Caledonia
  • Valley High School (07-12)- Caledonia

Private schools

• St. Joachim Elementary School – Cadet – (PK-08) – Roman Catholic

Colleges and universities

• Mineral Area College Annex – Potosi – A satellite campus of Mineral Area College-Park Hills.

Public libraries

• Washington County Library

Attractions

• Big River Access – Belgrade
• Council Bluff Lake – Belgrade
• Berryman Camp & Trail National Forest – Berryman
• Bootleg Park Bootleg Access – Caledonia
• Buford Mountain – Caledonia
• Hughes Mountain Natural Area – Irondale
• Bismarck Conservation Area – Bismarck
• Little Indian Creek Conservation Area – Sullivan
• Pea Ridge Conservation Area – Sullivan
• YMCA of the Ozarks – Shirley

Transportation

Primary state highways

• Route 8. Hopewell-Potosi
• Route 21. Cadet-Potosi-Caledonia
• Route 32. Caledonia-Bismarck
• Route 47. Lonedell-Richwoods-Blackwell
• Route 104. Blackwell
• Route 185. Sullivan-Ebo-Potosi

Secondary state highways

Airports

• Washington County Airport

Railroads

• Union Pacific Railroad

Communities

Cities

• Irondale
• Potosi (county seat)

Villages

• Caledonia
• Mineral Point

Unincorporated communities

Townships

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Washington (Misuri) para niños