Washington is a city in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

of Washington County,

Iowa Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...

, United States. It is part of the

Iowa City, Iowa Iowa City, offically the City of Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is the home of the University of Iowa and county seat of Johnson County, at the center of the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the tim ...

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or tow ...

. The population was 7,352 at the time of the 2020 census.

History

Washington was founded in 1839 as the county seat of the newly established Washington County. In 1854 it became the home of a United Presbyterian College, which was dissolved in 1864. As of 2014, the town has celebrated its 175th anniversary, only 5 years behind the oldest city in Iowa,

Dubuque, Iowa Dubuque (, ) is the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. At the time of the 2020 census, the population of Dubuque was 59,667. The city lies at the junction of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, a r ...

. In 2016, the Guinness World Book of Records certified the State Theatre in Washington, Iowa, as the "world's oldest continually operating cinema theatre".

Geography

Washington is located at (41.299941, -91.689175). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the city has a total area of , all land.

Climate

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2010, there were 7,266 people, 3,048 households, and 1,861 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was . There were 3,301 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 92.5%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 1.4%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.2% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.2%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 2.7% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 2.6% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 10.7% of the population. There were 3,048 households, of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.5% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.9% were non-families. 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.93. The median age in the city was 42.4 years. 23.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.1% were from 25 to 44; 25.9% were from 45 to 64; and 21.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.1% male and 51.9% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 7,047 people, 2,928 households, and 1,903 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 3,132 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.20%

, 0.57%

, 0.11% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.04%

, 2.72% from

, and 0.99% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 4.71% of the population. There were 2,928 households, out of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.8% were

living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.0% were non-families. 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.88. Age spread: 22.8% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 23.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $36,067, and the median income for a family was $44,497. Males had a median income of $29,961 versus $20,706 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $18,145. About 5.4% of families and 9.3% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 16.3% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Washington is governed by a six-member

city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural coun ...

headed by a

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

. The mayor and council members are elected for four-year terms. The city council consists of four ward counselors and two

At-Large At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather than ...

members. The current mayor is Jaron Rosien and the council members are, Millie Youngquist (At-Large), Steve Gualt (2nd Ward), Brendan DeLong (3rd Ward), Elaine Moore (At-Large), Fran Stigers (4th Ward), and Danielle Pettit-Majewski (1st Ward).

Education

The

Washington Community School District The Washington Community School District, or Washington Community Schools, is a rural public school district based in Washington, Iowa. The district is mainly in Washington County, with a small area in Jefferson County, and serves the towns ...

operates local schools, including Washington High School.

Notable people

* Charles Almon Dewey,

United States federal judge In the United States, federal judges are judges who serve on courts established under Article Three of the U.S. Constitution. They include the chief justice and the associate justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, the circuit judges of the U.S ...

* Harry W. Bolens,

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

State Senator * Smith Wildman Brookhart, United States Senator * Eva Carter Buckner, poet, suffragist, songwriter *

Matt Fish Matthew Edward Fish (born November 18, 1969) is an American retired professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks, Miami Heat and Washington ...

, basketball player *

Owen Gingerich Owen Jay Gingerich (; born 1930) is professor emeritus of astronomy and of the history of science at Harvard University and a senior astronomer emeritus at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. In addition to his research and teaching, he has ...

, astronomer * Mike Hennigan, NFL player and coach * John F. McJunkin, Iowa state senator * Pierce Knox, blind xylophonist *

Keith Molesworth Keith Frank Molesworth (October 20, 1905 – March 12, 1966) was an American football player and coach. He also played and managed in minor league baseball. Early life Molesworth was born in Washington, Iowa and graduated from Washington High ...

, basketball player and coach * Pam Roth, Illinois state representative * John M. Work, Socialist and newspaper editor

Footnotes

External links

Official City WebsiteWashington Chamber of CommerceOfficial Facebook Page
* {{authority control Cities in Washington County, Iowa Cities in Iowa County seats in Iowa Iowa City metropolitan area 1839 establishments in Iowa Territory