Washington County, Pennsylvania


Washington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 209,349. Its county seat is Washington. The county is home to Washington County Airport, southwest of Washington. The county is part of the Pittsburgh region of the commonwealth. Southpointe is the regions largest business park with over 800 acres of office buildings, manufacturing, hotels, restaurants and a championship golf course. The park is home to corporations Ansys, Viatris, Range Resources, Lighthouse Electric, EQT, Core Natural Resources and Centimark. The current county commissioners are Nick Sherman, Electra Janis and Lawrence Maggi.
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History

The county was created on March 28, 1781, from part of Westmoreland County. The city and county were both named after American Revolutionary War leader George Washington, who eventually became the first President of the United States. The town of Charleroi got its name from the Belgian city of Charleroi. There lived many Belgian immigrants in the Monongahela area at the end of the 19th century, some of whom were glass makers.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water. Washington County is one of the 423 counties served by the Appalachian Regional Commission, and it is identified as part of "Greater Appalachia" by Colin Woodard in his book American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America.

Surrounding counties

Flag

Design

The flag of Washington County, Pennsylvania consists of a light blue background with the county's seal in the middle. The seal consists of the county courthouse, a covered bridge, an Indigenous American, and an early settler. This montage has the words "Historical Washington County" and "1781" inside a circle.

Climate

Washington County has a hot-summer humid continental climate, with hot, humid summers and cold, snowy winters. Precipitation is highest in the summer months, with an annual average of. Snow usually falls between November and April, with an average of.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 209,349. The median age was 45.1 years. 19.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 21.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 96.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.9 males age 18 and over.
67.7% of residents lived in urban areas, while 32.3% lived in rural areas.
There were 87,688 households in the county, of which 25.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 49.0% were married-couple households, 18.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 25.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 96,791 housing units, of which 9.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 75.2% were owner-occupied and 24.8% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.1%.
Race / Ethnicity Pop 2000Pop 2010% 2000% 2010
White alone 192,511194,171186,90094.88%93.43%89.27%
Black or African American alone 6,5546,6506,8613.23%3.19%3.27%
Native American or Alaska Native alone 1622142300.07%0.10%0.10%
Asian alone 7111,3131,9980.35%0.63%0.95%
Pacific Islander alone 3528630.01%0.01%0.03%
Race and ethnicity in [the United States census|Other race] alone 2261786200.11%0.08%0.29%
Mixed race or Multiracial 1,5282,9008,6560.75%1.39%4.13%
Hispanic or Latino 1,1702,3664,0210.57%1.13%1.92%
Total202,897207,820209,349100.00%100.00%100.00%

Government and politics

Voter registration

As of January 8, 2024, there are 142,146 registered voters in Washington county. Registered Republicans have a plurality of 68,164 registered voters, compared to 56,044 registered Democrats, 13,943 registered non-affiliated voters, and 3,995 voters registered to other parties.

County Commissioners

Washington County is administered by a three-member publicly elected commission. Each commissioner serves in four-year terms. Elections occur in the odd-numbered years that precede U.S. presidential elections. All three Commissioners are chosen in the same election, and voters may vote for no more than two of the candidates. By state law, the commission must have a minority party guaranteeing a political split on the commission. The Commissioners are responsible for the management of the fiscal and administrative functions of the county.
CommissionerPartyTitle
Nick ShermanRepublicanChairman
Lawrence MaggiDemocraticVice Chairman
Electra S. JanisRepublicanTreasurer

Maggi was the Democratic nominee for Pennsylvania's 18th congressional district against Republican incumbent Tim Murphy in 2012. Maggi lost to Murphy and earned only 36 percent of the vote. Irey Vaughan was the Republican candidate for Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district and lost to the late Democratic incumbent John Murtha in the 2006 election.
On November 7, 2023, Nick Sherman and Lawrence Maggi were reelected as county commissioners. Electra Janis won her first term as county commissioner.

County row offices

OfficeOfficialParty
Clerk of CourtsRay PhillipsRepublican
ControllerApril SloaneRepublican
CoronerTimothy WarcoDemocratic
District AttorneyJason M. WalshRepublican
ProthonotaryLaura HoughRepublican
Recorder of DeedsCarrie PerrellRepublican
Register of WillsJames RomanRepublican
SheriffAnthony AndronasRepublican
TreasurerTom FlickingerRepublican

State House of Representatives

DistrictRepresentativeParty
15Josh KailRepublican
39Andrew KuzmaRepublican
40Natalie MihalekRepublican
46Jason OrtitayRepublican
48Timothy O'NealRepublican
50Bud CookRepublican

Landmarks and events

Pony League baseball was founded in Washington County in 1951 for 13 and 14 year old boys and its headquarters are located here. As of 2016, more than a half-million youth in the U.S. and 40 other nations participate. The televised Pony League World Series held annually in August at Washington's Lew Hays Pony Field attracts teenage teams from around the world.
Washington County is home of the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum. The county is known for the Meadowcroft Rock Shelter at Meadowcroft Village, which are one of the best preserved and oldest Pre-Clovis Native American dwellings in the country. The county has 21 covered bridges still standing.
The Whiskey Rebellion culminated in Washington. The home of David Bradford, one of the rebellion leaders, is located in Washington and is a national landmark. Just a couple blocks away is the F. Julius LeMoyne House, which serves as the headquarters of the Washington County Historical Society.
Washington County is the home of the first crematory in the United States.
In 1981, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission installed a historical marker noting the historic importance of the county.

Education

Colleges and universities

Public school districts

[Image:Map of Washington County Pennsylvania School Districts.png|thumb|275px|right|Map of Washington County, Pennsylvania School Districts]
;Served by:

Private schools

  • Calvary Chapel Christian School – Fredericktown
  • Central Christian Academy – Houston
  • Children's School of Washington
  • Cornerstone Mennonite School – Burgettstown
  • Faith Christian School of Washington – Washington
  • First Love Christian Academy High – Washington
  • Goddard School – Venetia
  • Gwens Montessori School Inc – Washington
  • Hickory Christian School – Hickory
  • Huntington Learning Center – McMurray
  • John F Kennedy School – Washington
  • Kinder Care Learning Centers
  • Lakeview Christian Academy – Bridgeville
  • Madonna Catholic Regional School – Monongahela
  • Mel Blount Leadership Academy – Claysville
  • NHS School – Ellsworth
  • Rainbows End Learning Center – Washington
  • St Francis Children's School – Beallsville
  • Tri-State Christian School – Burgettstown

Libraries

  • Avella Area Library Center
  • Bentleyville Public Library
  • Burgettstown Community Library
  • California Public Library
  • Chartiers-Houston Community Library
  • Citizens Library – Washington
  • Donora Public Library
  • Frank Sarris Public Library – Canonsburg
  • Fredericktown Area Public Library
  • Heritage Public Library – McDonald
  • John K Tener Library – Charleroi
  • Marianna Community Public Library
  • Monongahela Area Library
  • Peters Township Public Library
  • Washington County Library System

Hospitals

Communities

[Image:Map of Washington County Pennsylvania With Municipal and Township Labels.png|right|thumb|275px|Map of Washington County, Pennsylvania with municipal labels showing cities and boroughs (red), townships (white), and Census-designated places (blue).]
Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities: cities, boroughs, townships, and, in at most two cases, towns. The following cities, boroughs and townships are located in Washington County:

Cities

Boroughs

Townships

Census-designated places

Census-designated places are geographical areas designated by the U.S. Census Bureau for the purposes of compiling demographic data. They are not actual jurisdictions under Pennsylvania law.

Unincorporated communities

Former communities

  • Allen Township
  • Bethlehem Township
  • East Pike Run Township
  • Granville
  • Pike Run
  • Pike Run Township
  • Smallwood
  • South Canonsburg

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Washington County.
† county seat
RankCity/Town/etc.Municipal typePopulation
1† 'WashingtonCity13,663
2CanonsburgBorough8,992
3CaliforniaBorough6,795
4DonoraBorough4,781
5McMurrayCDP4,647
6MonongahelaCity4,300
7CharleroiBorough4,120
8ThompsonvilleCDP3,520
9CentervilleBorough3,263
10WolfdaleCDP2,888
11GastonvilleCDP2,818
12McGovernCDP2,742
13BentleyvilleBorough2,581
14MuseCDP2,504
15Cecil-BishopCDP2,476
16East WashingtonBorough2,234
17New EagleBorough2,184
18McDonald Borough2,149
19Wickerham Manor-FisherCDP1,728
20BaidlandCDP1,563
21BurgettstownBorough1,388
22North CharleroiBorough1,313
23HoustonBorough1,296
24SpeersBorough1,154
25EllsworthBorough1,027
26West BrownsvilleBorough992
27MidwayBorough913
28ClaysvilleBorough829
29MeadowlandsCDP822
30RoscoeBorough812
31AvellaCDP804
32HickoryCDP740
33ParisCDP732
34DeemstonBorough722
35LangelothCDP717
36MillsboroCDP666
37Eighty FourCDP657
38CokeburgBorough630
39West AlexanderCDP604
40SlovanCDP555
41LawrenceCDP540
42AllenportBorough537
43JoffreCDP536
44StockdaleBorough502
45MariannaBorough494
46BeallsvilleBorough466
47FinleyvilleBorough461
48Long BranchBorough447
49BulgerCDP407
50FredericktownCDP403
51AtlasburgCDP401
52WylandvilleCDP391
53DunlevyBorough381
54HendersonvilleCDP325
55ElcoBorough323
56ElramaCDP307
57SouthviewCDP276
58AaronsburgCDP259
59TwilightBorough233
60TaylorstownCDP217
61WestlandCDP167
62Van VoorhisCDP166
T-63Coal CenterBorough139
T-63West MiddletownBorough139
64Cross CreekCDP137
65Green Hills'Borough29

Notable people