Washington County, Pennsylvania
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Washington County, Pennsylvania | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Pennsylvania |
|
 Pennsylvania's location in the U.S. |
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| Statistics | |
| Founded | March 28, 1781 |
|---|---|
| Seat | Washington |
| Largest city | Washington |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
861 sq mi (2,230 km²) 857 sq mi (2,220 km²) 4 sq mi (10 km²), 0.45% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
202,897 236/sq mi (91/km²) |
| Website: www.co.washington.pa.us | |
Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and is part of the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2000, the population was 202,897. It was created on March 28, 1781 from part of Westmoreland County. Its county seat is Washington[1]. Both the county and the city are named for George Washington, the first President of the United States. The county is home to Washington County Airport, located three miles southwest of Washington, Pennsylvania.
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[edit] Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 861 square miles (2,230 km²).857 square miles (2,220 km²) of it is land and 4 square miles (10 km²) of it (0.45%) is water.
[edit] Government
The County of Washington is governed by a three member publicly elected commission. The three commissioners serve in both executive and legislative capacities. By state law, the commission must have a minority party guaranteeing a political split on the commission. Each term is for four years.
The three current commissioners for Washington County are J. Bracken Burns (Democrat), Lawrence Maggi (Democrat), and Diana Irey (Republican). Burns played a minor role as a doctor in the wrestling drama movie, Reversal.
Maggi once ran for the Democratic nomination for Pennsylvania's 18th congressional district against Republican incumbent Tim Murphy in 2002. Irey was the Republican candidate for Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district and lost to the popular Democratic incumbent John Murtha in the 2006 election.
The Washington County Court of Common Pleas serves as the primary judicial arm in the region. Judges are elected to ten year terms in accordance with Commonwealth law. Additionally, district judges serve throughout the county for minor offences.
[edit] Adjacent counties
- Beaver County (north)
- Allegheny County (northeast)
- Westmoreland County (east)
- Fayette County (southeast)
- Greene County (south)
- Marshall County, West Virginia (southwest)
- Ohio County, West Virginia (west)
- Brooke County, West Virginia (west)
- Hancock County, West Virginia (northwest)
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 202,897 people, 81,130 households, and 56,060 families residing in the county. The population density was 237 people per square mile (91/km²). There were 87,267 housing units at an average density of 102 per square mile (39/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.27% White, 3.26% Black or African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.19% from other races, and 0.82% from two or more races. 0.58% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 18.3% were of German, 17.2% Italian, 10.6% Irish, 8.6% English, 7.9% Polish and 6.2% American ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 81,130 households out of which 28.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.20% were married couples living together, 10.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.90% were non-families. 27.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the county, the population was spread out with 22.20% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 27.20% from 25 to 44, 25.00% from 45 to 64, and 17.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 92.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.00 males.
As of 1800, this county was largely settled by people of Scot-Irish religion because "prime lands" were already taken by the Germans and the Quakers.
[edit] Trivia
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Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones. |
Washington County is the home of the PONY Baseball and Softball International Headquarters.
WC has the largest sheep flock in Pennsylvania and is the largest producer of sheep related products.
WC has the largest number of covered bridges of any county in the US.
WC PA was the first county to bear the name Washington.
WC PA is the home of the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum
Several of the leaders of the Whiskey Rebellion lived in Washington and many events related to the rebellion took place there.
The Rock Shelters at Meadowcroft Village are one of the best preserved and oldest Pre-Clovis Native American dwellings in the country.
William Holmes McGuffey was born in this county and stayed here for the first two years of his life.
[edit] Municipalities
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:
[edit] Cities
[edit] Boroughs
[edit] Townships
[edit] 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.
[edit] Other places
[edit] Education
[edit] Public school districts
- Avella Area School District
- Bentworth School District
- Bethlehem-Center School District
- Brownsville Area School District (also in Fayette County)
- Burgettstown Area School District
- California Area School District
- Canon-McMillan School District
- Charleroi School District
- Chartiers-Houston School District
- Fort Cherry School District (also in Allegheny County)
- McGuffey School District
- Peters Township School District
- Ringgold School District
- Trinity Area School District
- Washington School District
[edit] Colleges and universities
- Washington & Jefferson College in the City of Washington and East Washington Borough
- California University of Pennsylvania in California Borough
- Community College of Allegheny County Washington branch in North Franklin Township
- University of Phoenix Pittsburgh campus, Washington branch in the City of Washington
[edit] Hospitals
- The Washington Hospital in the City of Washington
- Canonsburg General Hospital, part of West Penn Allegheny Health System in North Strabane Township
- Monongahela Valley Hospital in Carroll Township
[edit] Notable residents
- John Alexander Anderson, born in Washington County, United States Congressman from Kansas[3]
- Kurt Angle (1968 - present), resided in Canonsburg, Olympic gold medalist
- James G. Blaine (1830 - 1893), native of West Brownsville, United States Secretary of State, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and 1884 Republican presidential nominee
- David Bradford, born in Maryland 1760 and resided in Washington, early deputy attorney-general for Washington County, became a leader in the Whiskey Rebellion challenging the nascent U.S. federal government [1]
- Perry Como (1912 - 2001), native of Canonsburg, recording artist and television performer
- Mitch Daniels (1949 - present), native of Monongahela, current Governor of Indiana
- Ken Griffey, Sr. (1950 - present), native of Donora, Major League Baseball player
- Ken Griffey, Jr. (1969 - present), native of Donora, Major League Baseball player
- Joseph Hardy (1924 - present), former resident of Eighty Four, philanthropist, former CEO and founder of 84 Lumber
- Diana Irey (1962 - present), resident of Carroll Township, Washington County Commissioner and Republican Congressional candidate for Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district
- Shirley Jones (1934 - present), native of Smithton, singer and actress, best known for her role as the mother of the Partridge Family and winning an Academy Award for an Actress in a Supporting Role in 1960 in Elmer Gantry.
- Mario Lemieux (1965 - present), former property owner in South Strabane Township, former National Hockey League player and part owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins
- Jonathan Letterman (1824 - 1872), native of Canonsburg, Father of Battlefield Medicine and Civil War surgeon
- William Henry Letterman (1832 - 1881), native of Canonsburg, co-founder of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity, surgeon, and brother of Jonathan Letterman
- Jay Livingston (1915 - 2001), native of McDonald, Oscar-winning songwriter
- William Holmes McGuffey (1800-1873), native of the western side of the county, famous educator and writer of McGuffey's Ecletic Readers - one of America's first text books
- Joe Montana (1956 - present), native of Monongahela, National Football League player
- Stan Musial (1920 - present), native of Donora, Major League Baseball player
- Deborah Jeane Palfrey (1956 - 2008), native of Charleroi, "The D.C. Madam"
- David Redick (died 1805), Vice-President (Lt. Governor) of Pennsylvania for three weeks in 1788; surveyor—laid out the town of Washington.
- Bobby Vinton (1935 - present), native of Canonsburg, recording artist
[edit] References
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- ^ Find a County. National Association of Counties. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ (1967) Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896. Marquis Who's Who.
[edit] External links
- Washington County Web Site
- History & Genealogy in Washington County, PA
- History of Townships in Washington County, PA
- History of Washington County, Pennsylvania
- Citizens of Washington County (Deaths and Obituaries)
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