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	31/sq mi (12/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	8th

Washington County is a special area in the southeastern part of Missouri, a state in the United States. It's called a county. In 2020, about 23,514 people lived here. The main town and largest city is Potosi.

Washington County was officially created on August 21, 1813. It was named after George Washington, who was the very first President of the United States.

History of Washington County

Long ago, in 1722 and 1723, French explorers named Renault and La Motte visited the area where Potosi is today. But they didn't build any lasting homes there.

The first permanent homes were made in 1763. A person named François Breton settled near Potosi. He started a mine there that was named after him. Later, in 1802, more families settled in Bellview Valley. This area is near Caledonia and Belgrade. Washington County was officially formed from Ste. Genevieve County on August 21, 1813.

Geography of Washington County

Washington County covers a total area of about 762 square miles. Most of this area, about 760 square miles, is land. The rest, about 2.6 square miles, is water.

Counties Nearby

Washington County shares its borders with several other counties:

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

Protected Natural Areas

Part of the Mark Twain National Forest is located in Washington County. This is a large forest area protected by the government.

People of Washington County

In 2000, there were 23,344 people living in the county. Most people in Washington County are White. There are also smaller groups of Black or African American, Native American, and Asian people. Some people are from Hispanic or Latino backgrounds.

Many families live in Washington County. In 2000, about 36 out of every 100 households had children under 18 living there. The average age of people in the county was 35 years old.

Religious Beliefs

Washington County is part of an area known as the Bible Belt. This means that many people here are Protestant Christians. The main religions include Roman Catholics, Southern Baptists, and Baptist Missionary Association of America.

2020 Census Information

Education in Washington County

Many adults in Washington County have finished high school. About 62.5% of adults aged 25 and older have a high school diploma or higher. About 7.5% have gone on to earn a bachelor's degree or more from a college.

Public Schools

Here are some of the public school districts in Washington County:

• Kingston K-XIV School District in Cadet
  • Kingston Elementary School (grades PK-5)
  • Kingston Middle School (grades 6-8)
  • Kingston High School (grades 9-12)
• Potosi R-III School District in Potosi
  • Potosi Pre-School (PK)
  • Potosi Elementary School (grades PK-3)
  • Trojan Intermediate School (grades 4-6)
  • John A. Evans Middle School (grades 7-8)
  • Potosi High School (grades 9-12)
• Richwoods R-VII School District in Richwoods
  • Richwoods Elementary School (grades PK-8)
• Valley R-VI School District in Caledonia/ Belgrade
  • Valley Elementary School (grades K-6) in Caledonia
  • Valley High School (grades 7-12) in Caledonia

Private Schools

• St. Joachim Elementary School in Cadet (grades PK-8) is a Roman Catholic school.

Colleges and Universities

• Mineral Area College Annex in Potosi is a smaller campus of Mineral Area College from Park Hills.

Public Libraries

• The Washington County Library is available for everyone to use.

Fun Places to Visit

Washington County has many cool places to explore:

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

Getting Around Washington County

Main Roads

These are the most important state highways in the county:

• Route 8 connects Hopewell and Potosi.
• Route 21 goes through Cadet, Potosi, and Caledonia.
• Route 32 connects Caledonia and Bismarck.
• Route 47 runs through Lonedell, Richwoods, and Blackwell.
• Route 104 is in Blackwell.
• Route 185 connects Sullivan, Ebo, and Potosi.

Other State Roads

Airports

• The Washington County Airport helps people travel by air.

Railroads

• The Union Pacific Railroad has lines running through the county.

Communities in Washington County

Cities

• Irondale
• Potosi (This is the county seat, the main town for county government.)

Villages

• Caledonia
• Mineral Point

Smaller Communities (Unincorporated)

These are places that are not officially cities or villages.

Townships

Townships are smaller divisions within the county, often used for local government or land organization.

Images for kids

• 

  The Washington County Courthouse in Potosi

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Washington (Misuri) para niños