Washington County, Pennsylvania

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 861 sqmi, of which 857 sqmi is land and 3.9 sqmi (0.5%) 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

• 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)

Major highways

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 (Köppen Dfa), with hot, humid summers and cold, snowy winters. Precipitation is highest in the summer months, with an annual average of 38.87 in. Snow usually falls between November and April, with an average of 37.8 in. |Jan record high F = 70 |Feb record high F = 75 |Mar record high F = 82 |Apr record high F = 90 |May record high F = 94 |Jun record high F = 93 |Jul record high F = 100 |Aug record high F = 96 |Sep record high F = 95 |Oct record high F = 87 |Nov record high F = 80 |Dec record high F = 76 |year record high F = 100 |Jan record low F = −25 |Feb record low F = −20 |Mar record low F = −1 |Apr record low F = 9 |May record low F = 20 |Jun record low F = 32 |Jul record low F = 38 |Aug record low F = 29 |Sep record low F = 30 |Oct record low F = 18 |Nov record low F = −4 |Dec record low F = −16 |year record low F= −25 |access-date = January 13, 2020 |archive-date = July 5, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120705132008/https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=pbz |url-status = dead |access-date = May 31, 2025}}}}

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2019 2010-2020

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%.

Government and politics

|} 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

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.

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

State House of Representatives

State Senate

United States House of Representatives

United States Senate

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.{{cite news|last=Crawley|first=Dave

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

• Community College of Allegheny County Washington branch in North Franklin Township
• Pennsylvania Western University, California in California Borough
• Washington & Jefferson College in the City of Washington and East Washington Borough
• Waynesburg University - Southpointe Center Campus in Cecil Township.

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

;Served by:

• Intermediate Unit 1 – Coal Center
• Mon Valley Career and Technology Center – Charleroi
• Western Area Career and Technology Center – Canonsburg

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

• Canonsburg Hospital, part of Allegheny Health Network in North Strabane Township
• Penn Highlands Mon Valley, part of Penn Highlands Healthcare, formerly Monongahela Valley Hospital in Carroll Township
• UPMC Washington in the City of Washington

Communities

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

• Monongahela
• Washington (county seat)

Boroughs

• Allenport
• Beallsville
• Bentleyville
• Burgettstown
• California
• Canonsburg
• Centerville
• Charleroi
• Claysville
• Coal Center
• Cokeburg
• Deemston
• Donora
• Dunlevy
• East Washington
• Elco
• Ellsworth
• Finleyville
• Green Hills
• Houston
• Long Branch
• Marianna
• McDonald (partly in Allegheny County)
• Midway
• New Eagle
• North Charleroi
• Roscoe
• Speers
• Stockdale
• Twilight
• West Brownsville
• West Middletown

Townships

• Amwell
• Blaine
• Buffalo
• Canton
• Carroll
• Cecil
• Chartiers
• Cross Creek
• Donegal
• East Bethlehem
• East Finley
• Fallowfield
• Hanover
• Hopewell
• Independence
• Jefferson
• Morris
• Mount Pleasant
• North Bethlehem
• North Franklin
• North Strabane
• Nottingham
• Peters
• Robinson
• Smith
• Somerset
• South Franklin
• South Strabane
• Union
• West Bethlehem
• West Finley
• West Pike Run

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.

• Aaronsburg
• Atlasburg
• Avella
• Baidland
• Bulger
• Cecil-Bishop
• Cross Creek
• Eighty Four
• Elrama
• Fredericktown
• Gastonville
• Hendersonville
• Hickory
• Joffre
• Langeloth
• Lawrence
• McGovern
• McMurray
• Meadowlands
• Millsboro
• Muse
• Paris
• Slovan
• Southview
• Taylorstown
• Thompsonville
• Van Voorhis
• West Alexander
• Westland
• Wickerham Manor-Fisher
• Wolfdale
• Wylandville

Unincorporated communities

• Amity
• Blainsburg
• Burnsville
• Condit Crossing
• Cool Valley
• Courtney
• Cracker Jack
• Daisytown
• Fallowfield
• Florence
• Frogtown
• Gambles
• Glyde
• Good Intent
• Hazel Kirk
• Laboratory
• Log Pile
• Lover
• Manifold
• Murdocksville
• McAdams
• North Fredericktown
• Old Concord
• P and W Patch
• Prosperity
• Raccoon
• Richeyville
• Scenery Hill
• Studa
• Venetia
• Vestaburg
• Woodrow

Former communities

• Allen Township
• Bethlehem Township
• East Pike Run Township
• Granville
• Pike Run
• Pike Run Township
• Smallwood
• South Canonsburg (annexed to Canonsburg in 1911)

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Washington County.

† county seat

Notable people

• John Alexander Anderson, born in Washington County, United States Congressman from Kansas
• Kurt Angle (born 1968), resided in Canonsburg, Olympic gold medalist and Professional wrestler
• William Patterson Bane, claimant to tallest soldier in the American Civil War (1843–1912)
• 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 United States federal government
• William J. Carson (1840–1913), Civil War Medal of Honor recipient, 1863
• Alexander Clark (1826–1891), born in Washington County, "The Colored Orator of the West", Minister to Liberia 1890–1891
• Perry Como (1912–2001), native of Canonsburg, recording artist and television performer
• Mitch Daniels (born 1949), native of Monongahela, former Governor of Indiana, current president of Purdue University
• James K. L. Duncan (1845–1913), Union Navy sailor awarded the Medal of Honor
• William C. Farabee (1865–1925), anthropologist, was born and died in Washington County
• Ken Griffey Jr. (born 1969), native of Donora, Major League Baseball player
• Ken Griffey Sr. (born 1950), native of Donora, Major League Baseball player
• John Guzik (1936–2012), football player
• Joseph Hardy (1923-2023), former resident of Eighty Four, philanthropist, former CEO and founder of 84 Lumber
• Pete Henry (1897–1952), NFL player/coach, member of Pro Football Hall of Fame.
• iJustine (born 1984), YouTube personality and actress
• Shirley Jones (born 1934), native of Charleroi, best known for her role as the mother of the Partridge Family and winning an Academy Award.
• Francis Julius LeMoyne (1798–1879) abolitionist and pioneer of cremation in the United States.
• 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
• Marvin Lewis (born 1958), native of McDonald, National Football League player, coach
• 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 Eclectic Readers – one of America's first text books
• John F. McJunkin (1830–1883), Iowa Attorney General
• John H. Mitchell (1835–1905), United States Senator, participant in original dispute in landmark Supreme Court case Pennoyer v. Neff
• Joe Montana (born 1956), native of Monongahela, National Football League player
• Stan Musial (1920–2013), native of Donora, Major League Baseball player
• Dave Pahanish (born 1971), Peters Township, Songwriter, Songwriter, Country Music songwriter for Keith Urban, Tim McGraw, Toby Keith, and Jimmy Wayne
• Deborah Jeane Palfrey (1956–2008), native of Charleroi, "The D.C. Madam"
• Christopher Rankin (1788-1826), member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Mississippi's at-large district, namesake of Rankin County
• John Walker Rankin (1823–1869), Iowa state senator
• David Redick (died 1805), Vice-President (Lt. Governor) of Pennsylvania for three weeks in 1788; surveyor—laid out the town of Washington.
• Kurt Schottenheimer (born 1949), native of McDonald, National Football League coach
• Marty Schottenheimer (1943–2021), native of McDonald, National Football League player, coach
• Paul Shannon (1909–1990), radio and television personality
• Bobby Vinton (born 1935), native of Canonsburg, recording artist
• Bob West (born 1956), native of Finleyville, voice actor best known for Barney & Friends
• Joseph Ruggles Wilson (1822–1903), graduate of Jefferson College (subsequently W&J), Presbyterian minister, father of Pres. Woodrow Wilson
• Bud Yorkin (1926–2015), American film and television producer, director, writer and actor.

References

References

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