Washington, Missouri

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Washington is a city in Franklin County, Missouri, USA. The population was 13,243 at the 2000 census.

Washington was the site for the third season of the television series Town Haul.

1 Geography
2 History
3 Demographics
4 Transportation
5 External links

[edit] Geography

Washington is located at 38°33′7″N, 91°0′48″W (38.551879, -91.013313)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 23.4 km² (9.0 mi²). 22.1 km² (8.6 mi²) of it is land and 1.3 km² (0.5 mi²) of it (5.42%) is water.

[edit] History

The town is named after George Washington and was settled during the rule of the Spanish Empire. The town was originally known as St. John's Settlement, and was the location of the Spanish log fort San Juan del Misuri (1796-1803). Family and followers of Daniel Boone settled the area, starting in 1799. A ferry boat crossing the Missouri River was licensed in 1814 and the area became known as Washington Landing. A town was laid out in 1827 with sale of lots starting in 1829; the cost would be waived if the buyer would build a substantial home within two years.

Substantial numbers of anti-slavery German families started moving to the town in 1833, and they soon overwhelmed the existing population of slaveowners. Washington became a strong supporter of the Union during the American Civil War; the town was ransacked by General Sterling Price's troops during the war. Washington became a railroad and steamboat transportation center, and its manufacturing industry has remained strong from the end of the civil war until today.

Washington is home to the largest corncob smoking pipe factory in the world, Missouri Meerschaum, Inc.

Washington has 445 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places, a record for Missouri. Due to its historic charm, Washington has a growing tourist industry.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 13,243 people, 5,258 households, and 3,501 families residing in the city. The population density was 598.0/km² (1,548.9/mi²). There were 5,565 housing units at an average density of 251.3/km² (650.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.76% White, 0.85% African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 0.23% from other races, and 0.63% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.66% of the population.

There were 5,258 households out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.7% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.4% were non-families. 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.7% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 19.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 91.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $43,417, and the median income for a family was $52,433. Males had a median income of $36,163 versus $23,666 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,360. About 3.0% of families and 5.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.1% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.

In 1990 Marbach am Neckar (Germany) became the sister city of Washington. Several student exchanges and visitations between the two cities occur on a regular basis.