Washington County, Tennessee

Washington County, Tennessee
Washington County Courthouse in Jonesborough

Location in the state of Tennessee

Tennessee's location in the U.S.
Founded 1777
Seat Jonesborough
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water

330 sq mi (855 km²)
326 sq mi (844 km²)
3 sq mi (8 km²), 1.06%
Population
 - (2000)
 - Density

107,198
329/sq mi (127/km²)
Website www.washingtoncountytn.com

Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2009, the population was 120,598. Its county seat is Jonesborough[1]. The county's largest city and a regional educational, medical and commercial center is Johnson City.

Washington County is part of the Johnson City Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a component of the Johnson City–KingsportBristol, TN-VA Combined Statistical Area – commonly known as the "Tri-Cities" region.

Contents

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 330 square miles (854 km²), of which 326 square miles (845 km²) is land and 3 square miles (9 km²) (1.06%) is water.

Adjacent counties

National protected area

Demographics

As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 107,198 people, 44,195 households, and 29,478 families residing in the county. The population density was 328 people per square mile (127/km²). There were 47,779 housing units at an average density of 146 per square mile (57/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 93.72% White, 3.82% Black or African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.73% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.51% from other races, and 0.97% from two or more races. 1.38% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 44,195 households out of which 28.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.60% were married couples living together, 10.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.30% were non-families. 27.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.85.

In the county, the population was spread out with 21.30% under the age of 18, 10.80% from 18 to 24, 30.00% from 25 to 44, 24.00% from 45 to 64, and 13.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 94.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $33,116, and the median income for a family was $41,162. Males had a median income of $30,874 versus $21,485 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,085. About 10.20% of families and 13.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.80% of those under age 18 and 14.20% of those age 65 or over.

History

Washington County, Tennessee, was established by European-American colonists in 1777 as Washington County, North Carolina. It was named for General George Washington while the Revolutionary War was underway. At that time, the county included the entire geographic area that would later became the State of Tennessee, and was also known as the Washington District. From 1784 through 1788, the county was part of the State of Franklin, an early attempt to create a fourteenth state prior to Kentucky and Vermont's admissions into the union. It then became part of the Southwest Territory in 1790, and finally, part of Tennessee after it was admitted to the Union in 1796 as the 16th state.

Jonesborough, the county seat of Washington County, is Tennessee's oldest town. With many buildings restored, it comprises one of the nation's most authentic historic districts of the period 1790 - 1870.

Johnson City, originally known as Johnson's Depot, was a major railway center for the southeastern states, connecting the region for freight transportation and passengers. It was the headquarters for both the standard-gauge Carolina, Clinchfield, and Ohio (Clinchfield Railroad), which required the excavation and blasting of 17 tunnels during its construction; and the narrow-gauge East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad (Tweetsie). Significant restoration is underway, as well as publicizing the railroad heritage of the Johnson's Depot Historic District. Other historic properties are being restored as representative of Johnson City's late nineteenth and early twentieth-century era as a railway center.

Cities and towns

Washington County School System

Elementary Schools

  • Boones Creek Elementary
  • Fall Branch Elementary
  • Grandview Elementary
  • Gray Elementary
  • Jonesborough Elementary
  • Lamar (Elementary) School
  • Ridgeview Elementary
  • South Central Elementary
  • Sulphur Springs Elementary
  • West View Elementary

Middle Schools

  • Jonesborough Middle School. Built in 1950 as a high school. Became a middle school in 1971. Has approximately 500 students in grades 5-8.

High Schools

Notable residents

See also

References

  1. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
  2. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  3. ^ Based on 2000 census data

External links