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Washington County, Pennsylvania

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Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox U.S. county

Washington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 209,349.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Its county seat is Washington.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> The county is part of the Greater Pittsburgh region of the state.Template:Efn The county is home to Washington County Airport, Template:Convert southwest of Washington.

History

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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.<ref>Pennsylvania Heritage, Volumes 34-36 - Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, 2008. Pg. 5</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Geography

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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (0.5%) is water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref> Washington County is one of the 423 counties served by the Appalachian Regional Commission,<ref name="ARC">Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref name="NYT_CW">Template:Cite news</ref>

Surrounding counties

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Major highways

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Flag

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Design

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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

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Washington County has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb), with warm summers and cold, snowy winters. Precipitation is highest in the summer months, with an annual average of Template:Convert. Snow usually falls between November and April, with an average of Template:Convert. Template:Weather box

Demographics

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2020 census

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Washington County Racial Composition<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Race Num. Perc.
White (NH) 186,900 89.3%
Black or African American (NH) 6,861 3.3%
Native American (NH) 230 0.11%
Asian (NH) 1,998 1%
Pacific Islander (NH) 63 0.03%
Other/Mixed (NH) 9,276 4.43%
Hispanic or Latino 4,021 2%

Government and politics

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Template:PresHead Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow |} Template:U.S. SenHead Template:U.S. SenRow Template:U.S. SenFoot The Democratic Party has been historically dominant in county-level politics and national politics between 1932 and 2004, only voting Republican for president in Richard Nixon's 1972 landslide victory over George McGovern. However, like much of Appalachian coal country, Washington has trended strongly Republican in recent years. In 2000, Democrat Al Gore won 53% of the vote and Republican George W. Bush won 44%. In 2004, Democrat John Kerry received 50.14% of the vote and Bush received 49.57% a difference of 552 votes. In 2008, Republican John McCain won 51% to Democrat Barack Obama's 46% and each of the three state row office winners carried Washington County.

Voter registration

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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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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Voter registration and party enrollment
Party Number of voters Percentage
Template:Party color cell Republican 68,164 47.95%
Template:Party color cell Democratic 56,044 39.42%
Template:Party color cell Independent 13,943 9.81%
Template:Party color cell Third Party 3,995 2.81%
Total 142,146 100%

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County Commissioners

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File:Washington, Pennsylvania (8484580702).jpg
Washington County Courthouse

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.

Commissioner Party Title
Nick Sherman Republican Chairman
Lawrence Maggi Democratic Vice Chairman
Electra S. Janis Republican Treasurer

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>


County row offices

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Office Official Party
Clerk of Courts Ray Phillips Republican
Controller April Sloane Republican
Coroner Timothy Warco Democratic
District Attorney Jason M. Walsh Republican
Prothonotary Laura Hough Republican
Recorder of Deeds Carrie Perrell Republican
Register of Wills James Roman Republican
Sheriff Anthony Andronas Republican
Treasurer Tom Flickinger Republican

State House of Representatives<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>

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District Representative Party
15 Josh Kail Republican
39 Andrew Kuzma Republican
40 Natalie Mihalek Republican
46 Jason Ortitay Republican
48 Timothy O'Neal Republican
50 Bud Cook Republican

State Senate<ref name=":0" />

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District Senator Party
46 Camera Bartolotta Republican

United States House of Representatives

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District Representative Party
14 Guy Reschenthaler Republican

United States Senate

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Senator Party
John Fetterman Democrat
Dave McCormick Republican

Landmarks and events

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File:LeMoyne House.jpg
F. Julius LeMoyne House in Washington, headquarters of the Washington County Historical Society

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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Washington County is home of the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum.<ref>[1] Template:Webarchive</ref> 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.<ref>[2] Template:Webarchive</ref> The county has 21 covered bridges still standing.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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.<ref>Welcome! Template:Webarchive. Bradfordhouse.org. Retrieved on July 23, 2013.</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news </ref>

In 1981, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission installed a historical marker noting the historic importance of the county.<ref name=phmcdatabase>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Clear

Education

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Colleges and universities

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Public school districts

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File:Map of Washington County Pennsylvania School Districts.png
Map of Washington County, Pennsylvania School Districts
Served by
  • Intermediate Unit 1 – Coal Center
  • Mon Valley Career and Technology Center – Charleroi
  • Western Area Career and Technology Center – Canonsburg

Private schools

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  • 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

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Libraries

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File:Citizens Library.jpg
Citizens Library in Washington

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  • 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

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Hospitals

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Communities

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File:Map of Washington County Pennsylvania With Municipal and Township Labels.png
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

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Boroughs

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Townships

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Census-designated places

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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.

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Unincorporated communities

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Former communities

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  • Allen Township<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Bethlehem Township
  • East Pike Run Township
  • Granville
  • Pike Run
  • Pike Run Township
  • Smallwood
  • South Canonsburg (annexed to Canonsburg in 1911)

Population ranking

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The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Washington County.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

county seat

Rank City/Town/etc. Municipal type Population (2010 Census)
1 Washington City 13,663
2 Canonsburg Borough 8,992
3 California Borough 6,795
4 Donora Borough 4,781
5 McMurray CDP 4,647
6 Monongahela City 4,300
7 Charleroi Borough 4,120
8 Thompsonville CDP 3,520
9 Centerville Borough 3,263
10 Wolfdale CDP 2,888
11 Gastonville CDP 2,818
12 McGovern CDP 2,742
13 Bentleyville Borough 2,581
14 Muse CDP 2,504
15 Cecil-Bishop CDP 2,476
16 East Washington Borough 2,234
17 New Eagle Borough 2,184
18 McDonald (partially in Allegheny County) Borough 2,149
19 Wickerham Manor-Fisher CDP 1,728
20 Baidland CDP 1,563
21 Burgettstown Borough 1,388
22 North Charleroi Borough 1,313
23 Houston Borough 1,296
24 Speers Borough 1,154
25 Ellsworth Borough 1,027
26 West Brownsville Borough 992
27 Midway Borough 913
28 Claysville Borough 829
29 Meadowlands CDP 822
30 Roscoe Borough 812
31 Avella CDP 804
32 Hickory CDP 740
33 Paris CDP 732
34 Deemston Borough 722
35 Langeloth CDP 717
36 Millsboro CDP 666
37 Eighty Four CDP 657
38 Cokeburg Borough 630
39 West Alexander CDP 604
40 Slovan CDP 555
41 Lawrence CDP 540
42 Allenport Borough 537
43 Joffre CDP 536
44 Stockdale Borough 502
45 Marianna Borough 494
46 Beallsville Borough 466
47 Finleyville Borough 461
48 Long Branch Borough 447
49 Bulger CDP 407
50 Fredericktown CDP 403
51 Atlasburg CDP 401
52 Wylandville CDP 391
53 Dunlevy Borough 381
54 Hendersonville CDP 325
55 Elco Borough 323
56 Elrama CDP 307
57 Southview CDP 276
58 Aaronsburg CDP 259
59 Twilight Borough 233
60 Taylorstown CDP 217
61 Westland CDP 167
62 Van Voorhis CDP 166
T-63 Coal Center Borough 139
T-63 West Middletown Borough 139
64 Cross Creek CDP 137
65 Green Hills Borough 29

Notable people

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See also

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References

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Template:Geographic Location Template:Washington County, Pennsylvania Template:Pittsburgh Metro Area Template:Pennsylvania Template:Authority control