Washington County, Tennessee
Washington County | |
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UTC−4 (EDT) | |
Congressional district | 1st |
Website | www |
Washington County is a
History
Watauga and the Washington District
Washington County is rooted in the Watauga settlements, which were established in the early 1770s in the vicinity of what is now Elizabethton, in adjacent Carter County. At the outbreak of the Revolutionary War in 1776, the Wataugans organized the "Washington District", which was governed by a committee of safety. North Carolina initially refused to recognize the settlements as legal, but finally agreed to annex the district after the settlers thwarted an invasion by hostile Cherokees. The settlements were governed as the Washington District, which originally included all of what is now Tennessee. The district was reorganized as Washington County in 1777.[5]
Washington County, North Carolina and Franklin
From 1777 until 1784, North Carolina held nominal control over the county, but did little for the residents, at least in their eyes. So the area citizens formed, in 1784, the State of Franklin to meet their needs. Franklin was an early attempt to create a fourteenth state prior to Kentucky and Vermont's admissions into the union. The county reverted to North Carolina control, however, following the failure of the Franklin state government in 1788.
Part of Tennessee
In 1790 the area became part of Southwest Territory, and afterward it was admitted to the Union in 1796 as the 16th state.[5] Jonesboro, 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.
Washington County was divided between pro-Union and pro-secession sentiments at the outset of the Civil War. In Tennessee's Ordinance of Secession referendum on June 8, 1861, Washington Countians voted 1,445 to 1,022 in favor of remaining in the Union.[6] One of the bridges targeted by the East Tennessee bridge-burners in November 1861 was located in what is now Watauga near the Washington-Carter county line.[7] Landon Carter Haynes, a Confederate senator, hailed from Washington County.[5]
Johnson City, originally known as Johnson's Depot, was a major
Geography
According to the
The Nolichucky River flows through the southern part of Washington County. The Watauga River flows the northern part of the county, and forms part of the county's border with Sullivan County. The lower section of the Watauga River is part of Boone Lake.
Adjacent counties
- Sullivan County (north)
- Carter County (east)
- Unicoi County (south)
- Greene County (west)
- Hawkins County (northwest)
National protected area
- Cherokee National Forest (part)
State protected areas
- Chester Inn (state historic site)
- Tipton-Haynes State Historic Site
Major highways
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
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% | |
2020 | 133,001 | 8.1% | |
2023 (est.) | 138,420 | [10] | 4.1% |
U.S. Decennial Census[11] 1790-1960[12] 1900-1990[13] 1990-2000[14] 2010-2019,[2] 2017[15] |
2020 census
Race | Number | Percentage |
---|---|---|
White (non-Hispanic)
|
112,606 | 84.67% |
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)
|
5,511 | 4.14% |
Native American
|
289 | 0.22% |
Asian
|
1,980 | 1.49% |
Pacific Islander
|
53 | 0.04% |
Other/Mixed
|
6,426 | 4.83% |
Latino
|
6,136 | 4.61% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 133,001 people, 55,817 households, and 33,838 families residing in the county.
2000 census
As of the
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
Education
Elementary schools
|
|
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
- University School
Communities
Cities
- Johnson City (small portion in Carter County and Sullivan County)
- Watauga (mostly in Carter County)
Town
- Jonesborough (county seat)
Census-designated places
- Embreeville
- Fall Branch (partial)
- Gray
- Oak Grove
- Spurgeon (partial)
- Telford
Unincorporated communities
Notable residents
- Joseph Hardin, Sr.– Revolutionary War hero, and North Carolina militia colonel for the Western Counties, 1788;
Politics
Like most of East Tennessee, Washington County has been a Republican stronghold since the Civil War. No National Democratic candidate has won the county since
Year | Republican / Whig | Democratic | Third party | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
2020 | 40,444 | 67.18% | 18,638 | 30.96% | 1,121 | 1.86% |
2016 | 34,252 | 68.85% | 13,024 | 26.18% | 2,474 | 4.97% |
2012 | 32,808 | 68.30% | 14,325 | 29.82% | 899 | 1.87% |
2008 | 32,341 | 66.03% | 15,941 | 32.54% | 700 | 1.43% |
2004 | 29,735 | 66.07% | 14,944 | 33.20% | 327 | 0.73% |
2000 | 22,579 | 59.51% | 14,769 | 38.93% | 594 | 1.57% |
1996 | 18,960 | 54.42% | 13,259 | 38.06% | 2,621 | 7.52% |
1992 | 18,206 | 51.31% | 13,071 | 36.84% | 4,206 | 11.85% |
1988 | 19,615 | 65.63% | 10,087 | 33.75% | 185 | 0.62% |
1984 | 21,762 | 69.38% | 9,452 | 30.13% | 154 | 0.49% |
1980 | 17,457 | 57.71% | 11,599 | 38.35% | 1,193 | 3.94% |
1976 | 14,770 | 50.87% | 13,951 | 48.05% | 311 | 1.07% |
1972 | 17,343 | 74.79% | 5,284 | 22.79% | 561 | 2.42% |
1968 | 12,882 | 56.66% | 4,930 | 21.68% | 4,925 | 21.66% |
1964 | 10,612 | 50.86% | 10,253 | 49.14% | 0 | 0.00% |
1960 | 14,851 | 69.93% | 6,283 | 29.59% | 102 | 0.48% |
1956 | 13,471 | 71.23% | 5,314 | 28.10% | 127 | 0.67% |
1952 | 12,023 | 69.31% | 5,245 | 30.24% | 79 | 0.46% |
1948 | 7,056 | 61.04% | 4,023 | 34.80% | 480 | 4.15% |
1944 | 6,485 | 61.17% | 4,060 | 38.29% | 57 | 0.54% |
1940 | 4,719 | 56.67% | 3,565 | 42.81% | 43 | 0.52% |
1936 | 4,788 | 51.52% | 4,448 | 47.86% | 58 | 0.62% |
1932 | 3,691 | 51.71% | 3,345 | 46.86% | 102 | 1.43% |
1928 | 4,887 | 76.00% | 1,543 | 24.00% | 0 | 0.00% |
1924 | 3,243 | 62.87% | 1,839 | 35.65% | 76 | 1.47% |
1920 | 4,858 | 68.21% | 2,260 | 31.73% | 4 | 0.06% |
1916 | 2,723 | 59.69% | 1,831 | 40.14% | 8 | 0.18% |
1912 | 1,134 | 26.58% | 1,531 | 35.89% | 1,601 | 37.53% |
1908 | 2,254 | 58.77% | 1,574 | 41.04% | 7 | 0.18% |
1904 | 2,120 | 61.63% | 1,268 | 36.86% | 52 | 1.51% |
1900 | 2,488 | 61.51% | 1,496 | 36.98% | 61 | 1.51% |
1896 | 2,807 | 61.98% | 1,661 | 36.67% | 61 | 1.35% |
1892 | 2,056 | 51.58% | 1,722 | 43.20% | 208 | 5.22% |
1888 | 2,008 | 55.13% | 1,534 | 42.12% | 100 | 2.75% |
1884 | 1,815 | 53.79% | 1,559 | 46.21% | 0 | 0.00% |
1880 | 2,104 | 57.17% | 1,576 | 42.83% | 0 | 0.00% |
1876 | 1,739 | 55.03% | 1,421 | 44.97% | 0 | 0.00% |
1872 | 1,458 | 63.53% | 837 | 36.47% | 0 | 0.00% |
1868 | 1,217 | 94.63% | 69 | 5.37% | 0 | 0.00% |
1860 | 0 | 0.00% | 62 | 2.63% | 2,298 | 97.37% |
1856 | 0 | 0.00% | 1,334 | 61.70% | 828 | 38.30% |
1852 | 565 | 39.84% | 853 | 60.16% | 0 | 0.00% |
1848 | 862 | 45.90% | 1,016 | 54.10% | 0 | 0.00% |
1844 | 881 | 41.83% | 1,225 | 58.17% | 0 | 0.00% |
1840 | 892 | 45.16% | 1,083 | 54.84% | 0 | 0.00% |
1836 | 439 | 36.61% | 760 | 63.39% | 0 | 0.00% |
1832 | 0 | 0.00% | 735 | 100.00% | 0 | 0.00% |
See also
References
- ^ Origins Of Tennessee County Names, Tennessee Blue Book 2005-2006, pages 508-513
- ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ Washington County official website. Retrieved: November 15, 2013.
- ^ a b c Mildred Kozsuch and Ruth Broyles, "Washington County", Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Retrieved: November 15, 2013.
- ^ Oliver Perry Temple, East Tennessee and the Civil War (R. Clarke Company, 1899), p. 199. Eric Lacy (Vanquished Volunteers, Appendix B) gives a much closer tally, 1,115 to 1,022.
- ^ Temple, East Tennessee and the Civil War, pp. 384-385.
- ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
- ^ Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation; et al. (July 1, 2010). "Ambient Air Monitoring Plan" (PDF). Environmental Protection Agency. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
- ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
- ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
- ^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
- ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
- ^ "QuickFacts. Washington County, Tennessee". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
- ^ Based on 2000 census data
- ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
- ^ "County Project (WIP)". Google Docs. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
- ^ "County Project (WIP)".
- ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
- ^ "Géographie électorale" [Electoral geography] (in French). Archived from the original on November 18, 2005. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
External links
- Official site
- Washington County Schools Archived April 24, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
- Washington County TNGenWeb
- Washington County at Curlie