Washington County, Pennsylvania

Infobox U.S. County
county = Washington County
state = Pennsylvania




map size = 225
founded = March 28, 1781
seat = Washington | largest city = Washington
area_total_sq_mi =861
area_land_sq_mi =857
area_water_sq_mi =4
area percentage = 0.45%
census yr = 2000
pop = 202897
density_km2 =91
web = 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 WashingtonGR|6. Both the county and the city were named for American Revolutionary War leader George Washington, later to become the first President of the United States. The county is home to Washington County Airport, located three miles southwest of Washington, Pennsylvania.

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.

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.

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)

Demographics

As of the censusGR|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.

Landmarks and events

Washington County is the home of the PONY Baseball and Softball International Headquarters [ [http://www.pony.org/home/default.asp?menu_category=Home&menuid=758&parid=758] ] and is the home of the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum. [ [http://www.pa-trolley.org/TakeRide2.htm] ] Washington County is also famous for it's Rock Shelters at Meadowcroft Village, which are one of the best preserved and oldest Pre-Clovis Native American dwellings in the country. [ [http://meadowcroft.pghhistory.org/Travel_Directions.asp] ] The county has 21 covered bridges still standing. [ [http://www.washwow.com/custompages/CoveredBridgeFestival.php?pageID=126&custompages/] ]

The Whiskey Rebellion culminated in Washington. The home of David Bradford, one of the rebellions leaders, is located in Washington and is a national landmark. [ [http://www.bradfordhouse.org/index.html] ]

Municipalities

Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities: cities, boroughs, , and, in at most two cases, towns. The following cities, boroughs and townships are located in Washington County:

Cities

*Monongahela
*Washington

Boroughs

Other places

*Bulger
*Condit Crossing
*Eighty Four

Education

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

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

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

Personalities

* William Holmes McGuffey, author of one of the nations first reading books was born in Washington county and returned to it to become a professor at Washington College.
*John Alexander Anderson, born in Washington County, United States Congressman from Kansascite book | title = Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896 | publisher = Marquis Who's Who | date = 1967]
*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 [http://www.bradfordhouse.org]
*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
*Pete Henry (1897-1952), NFL player/coach, member of Pro Football Hall of Fame.

References

External links

* [http://www.co.washington.pa.us/ Washington County Web Site]
* [http://www.chartiers.com History & Genealogy in Washington County, PA]
* [http://history.rays-place.com/pa/washington-cty.htm History of Townships in Washington County, PA]
* [http://digital.library.pitt.edu/cgi-bin/t/text/text-idx?idno=00hc17099m;view=toc;c=pitttext History of Washington County, Pennsylvania]
* [http://www.genealogybuff.com/pa/pa-washington-obits.htm Citizens of Washington County (Deaths and Obituaries)]