Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 13,761. Its county seat is Nashville. It is located in the southern portion of Illinois known locally as "Little Egypt".

History

Washington County was formed on January 2, 1818, out of St. Clair County. It was named for George Washington. Despite its relative proximity to the Illinois suburbs of St. Louis, Missouri, the county is not considered part of the St. Louis metropolitan area, also known as the Metro-East. In 1813, the Lively Massacre occurred near Little Crooked Creek. In 1959, the state established the Washington County State Recreation Area. Washington County was initially settled by immigrants from Kentucky who moved northward out of that state in the early 1800s. In the late 1800s there were (relatively) large numbers of immigrants who settled in Washington County, and by the early 1900s there were large numbers of first-generation immigrants still living in Washington County. They primarily came from the four countries of Germany, Poland, Ireland and England.

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File:Washington County Illinois 1818.png|Washington County from its 1818 creation to 1824

File:Washington County Illinois 1824.png|Washington County in 1824, reduced to its current borders by the creation of Clinton County

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Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.2%) is water. On November 17, 2013, an EF4 tornado swept through the area, destroying homes and causing two fatalities.

Public transit

  • South Central Transit

Major highways

Adjacent counties

  • Clinton County (north)
  • Marion County (northeast)
  • Jefferson County (east)
  • Perry County (south)
  • Randolph County (southwest)
  • St. Clair County (west)

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 13,761. The median age was 44.4 years. 21.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 21.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 100.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 100.7 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 94.7% White, 0.7% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.5% from some other race, and 3.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.6% of the population.

0.7% of residents lived in urban areas, while 99.3% lived in rural areas.

There were 5,723 households in the county, of which 27.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 54.2% were married-couple households, 18.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 20.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 28.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

!Pop 1990

!Pop 2000

!Pop 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" | Pop 2020

!% 1980

!% 1990

!% 2000

!% 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020

|-

|White alone (NH)

|15,299

|14,816

|14,846

|14,260

|style='background: #ffffe6; |12,976

|98.88%

|99.00%

|98.01%

|96.90%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |94.30%

|-

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|38

|46

|49

|94

|style='background: #ffffe6; |85

|0.25%

|0.31%

|0.32%

|0.64%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.62%

|-

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|23

|31

|33

|13

|style='background: #ffffe6; |25

|0.15%

|0.21%

|0.22%

|0.09%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.18%

|-

|Asian alone (NH)

|19

|23

|27

|41

|style='background: #ffffe6; |65

|0.12%

|0.15%

|0.18%

|0.28%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.47%

|-

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|x

|x

|4

|4

|style='background: #ffffe6; |20

|x

|x

|0.03%

|0.03%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.15%

|-

|Other race alone (NH)

|26

|1

|6

|3

|style='background: #ffffe6; |15

|0.17%

|0.01%

|0.04%

|0.02%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.11%

|-

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|x

|x

|75

|104

|style='background: #ffffe6; |351

|x

|x

|0.50%

|0.71%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.55%

|-

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|67

|48

|108

|197

|style='background: #ffffe6; |224

|0.43%

|0.32%

|0.71%

|1.34%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.63%

|-

|Total

|15,472

|14,965

|15,148

|14,716

|style='background: #ffffe6; |13,761

|100.00%

|100.00%

|100.00%

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

|}

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 14,716&nbsp;people, 5,926&nbsp;households, and 4,112&nbsp;families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 6,534 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 97.7% white, 0.7% black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% American Indian, 0.4% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.3% of the population.

Of the 5,926&nbsp;households, 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.6% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.6% were non-families, and 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.93. The median age was 42.3 years.

Education

The county is served by six school districts:

  • Oakdale CCSD 1
  • West Washington County CUD 10
  • Irvington CCSD 11
  • Ashley CCSD 15
  • Nashville CCSD 49
  • Nashville Community High School District 99

Communities

Cities

  • Ashley
  • Centralia
  • Nashville

Villages

  • Addieville
  • Du Bois
  • Hoyleton
  • Irvington
  • New Minden
  • Oakdale
  • Okawville
  • Radom
  • Richview
  • Venedy

Unincorporated communities

  • Beaucoup
  • Clarmin
  • Cordes
  • Elkton
  • Huegely
  • Lively Grove
  • Plum Hill
  • Posen
  • Pyramid
  • Stone Church

Townships

Washington County is divided into these townships:

  • Ashley
  • Beaucoup
  • Bolo
  • Covington
  • DuBois
  • Hoyleton
  • Irvington
  • Johannisburg
  • Lively Grove
  • Nashville
  • Oakdale
  • Okawville
  • Pilot Knob
  • Plum Hill
  • Richview
  • Venedy

Politics

Washington is a rural conservative county in Southern Illinois that has always trended Republican in presidential elections. The only Democrat to win a majority of the county's ballots since the Civil War was Franklin D. Roosevelt in his 1932 landslide. Historically, the county was dominated by organized labor and family farms. The area tends to be economically and socially conservative.

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Media

WNSV in Nashville is the only radio station in the county.

The two weekly newspapers in the county are The Nashville News, located in Nashville, and The Okawville Times, which is based in Okawville.

See also

  • Lively massacre
  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Washington County

References

;Specific

;General