Washington County, Tennessee

For counties with a similar name, see Washington County (disambiguation).

Washington County, Tennessee
Washington County Courthouse in Jonesborough
Location in the state of Tennessee
Tennessee's location in the U.S.
Founded	1777
Named for	George Washington
Seat	Jonesborough
Largest city	Johnson City
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	330 sq mi (855 km²) 326 sq mi (844 km²) 3 sq mi (8 km²), 1.06%
PopulationEst.  - (2011)  - Density	124,353 329/sq mi (127/km²)
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website	www.washingtoncountytn.org

Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2010 census, the population was 122,979. Its county seat is Jonesborough. 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–Kingsport–Bristol, TN-VA Combined Statistical Area – commonly known as the "Tri-Cities" region.

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

• Sullivan County (north)
• Carter County (east)
• Unicoi County (south)
• Greene County (west)
• Hawkins County (northwest)

National protected area

• Cherokee National Forest (part)

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1790	5,872		—
1800	6,379		8.6%
1810	7,740		21.3%
1820	9,557		23.5%
1830	10,995		15.0%
1840	11,751		6.9%
1850	13,861		18.0%
1860	14,829		7.0%
1870	16,317		10.0%
1880	16,181		−0.8%
1890	20,354		25.8%
1900	22,604		11.1%
1910	28,968		28.2%
1920	34,052		17.6%
1930	45,805		34.5%
1940	51,631		12.7%
1950	59,971		16.2%
1960	64,832		8.1%
1970	73,924		14.0%
1980	88,755		20.1%
1990	92,315		4.0%
2000	107,198		16.1%
2010	122,979		14.7%
Est. 2011	124,353		1.1%
U.S. Decennial Census 2011 estimate

As of the census 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.

Age pyramid Washington County

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.

Populated places

• Embreeville (unincorporated)
• Gray (unincorporated)
• Johnson City
• Jonesborough
• Limestone (unincorporated)
• Midway (unincorporated)
• Oak Grove (unincorporated)
• Spurgeon (unincorporated)
• Telford (unincorporated)
• Watauga

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

Boones Creek Middle School

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

Asbury Optional High School Daniel Boone High School

David Crockett High School Science Hill High School

Notable residents

• Joseph Hardin, Sr. – Revolutionary War hero, and North Carolina militia colonel for the Western Counties, 1788;
• Amy Colley – 2005 Miss Tennessee USA.

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Washington County, Tennessee

External links

• Official site
• Washington County Schools
• Washington County TNGenWeb
• Washington County at the Open Directory Project