| Washington County, Pennsylvania | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Pennsylvania |
|
 Pennsylvania's location in the U.S. |
|
| Statistics | |
| Founded | March 28, 1781 |
|---|---|
| Seat | Washington |
| Largest city | Washington |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
861 sq mi (2,230 km²) 857 sq mi (2,220 km²) 4 sq mi (10 km²), 0.45% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
202,897 236/sq mi (91/km²) |
| Website: 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 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 Washington[1]. 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. It was the first county in the United States to be named in his honor.[2][3] The county is home to both Washington County Airport, located three miles (5 km) southwest of Washington, Pennsylvania.
Contents |
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.
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)
Government and Politics
As of November 2008, there are 152,534 registered voters in Washington County [7].
- Democratic: 89,027 (58.37%)
- Republican: 49,025 (32.14%)
- Other Parties: 14,482 (9.49%)
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, the Twenty-Seventh Judicial District of Pennsylvania, is the state trial court, sitting in and for Washington County. It serves as the court of original jurisdiction for the region. There are six judges, which the county's citizens elect to ten year terms, under the laws of the Commonwealth. The President Judge is The Honorable Debbie O'Dell-Seneca; she is the most senior member of the bench and is responsible for the assignment of cases, the court's budget, and the administration of court personnel. The Honorable Judges of the court are:
- Debbie O'Dell-Seneca, P.J.
- Katherine B. Emery, J.
- Paul Pozonsky, J.
- Mark E. Mascara, J.
- John F. DiSalle, J.
- Janet Moschetta Bell, J.
Additionally, magisterial district judges (MDJ's) serve throughout the county to hear traffic citations, issue warrants, and decide minor civil matters.
The Democratic Party has been historically dominant in county-level politics and national poltics, however Washington has trended Republican at the national level 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.
Another sign of growing strength for the Republican party was the overwhelming victory of now District Attorney Steven Toprani in 2007. Toprani won by a nearly 2 to 1 margin over 24 year incumbent John Pettit, who was dogged with accusations of corruption.[8]
County row offices
- Clerk of Courts, Barbara Gibbs, Democrat
- Controller, Michael Namie, Democrat
- Coroner, Timothy Warco, Democrat
- District Attorney, Steven Toprani, Republican
- Prothonotary, Phyllis Ranko-Matheny, Democrat
- Recorder of Deeds, Deborah Bardella, Democrat
- Register of Wills, Mary Jo Poknis, Democrat
- Sheriff, Samuel Romano, Democrat
- Treasurer, Francis L. King, Democrat
State Representatives
- David Levdansky, Democrat, 39th district
- John A. Maher, Republican, 40th district
- Jesse J. White, Democrat, 46th district
- Timothy Solobay, Democrat, 48th district
- Peter Daley, Democrat, 49th district
- H. William DeWeese, Democrat, 50th district
State Senators
- Rich Kasunic, Democrat, 32nd district
- Barry Stout, Democrat, 46th district
US Representatives
- John Murtha, Democrat, 12th district
- Tim Murphy, Republican, 18th district
Demographics
As of the census[4] 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 [5] and is the home of the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum. [6] Washington County is also famous for its Rock Shelters at Meadowcroft Village, which are one of the best preserved and oldest Pre-Clovis Native American dwellings in the country. [7] The county has 21 covered bridges still standing. [8]
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. [9] 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.[10][11]
Municipalities
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
Boroughs
Townships
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.
Other places
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
- 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
- Washington & Jefferson College in the City of Washington and East Washington Borough
- Waynesburg University- Southpointe Center Campus in Canonsburg. [12]
Hospitals
- Canonsburg General Hospital, part of West Penn Allegheny Health System in North Strabane Township
- Monongahela Valley Hospital in Carroll Township
- The Washington Hospital in the City of Washington
Personalities
- John Alexander Anderson, born in Washington County, United States Congressman from Kansas[13]
- Kurt Angle (1968 - present), resided in Canonsburg, Olympic gold medalist and Professional wrestler
- 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 [9]
- Alexander G. Clark (1826-1891), born in Washington County, "The Colored Orator of the West", Minister to Liberia 1890-1891 [10] [11]
- 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, Jr. (1969 - present), native of Donora, Major League Baseball player
- Ken Griffey, Sr. (1950 - 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
- Pete Henry (1897-1952), NFL player/coach, member of Pro Football Hall of Fame.
- 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
- Francis Julius LeMoyne (1798-1879) abolitionist and pioneer of cremation in the U.S.
- 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.
- Paul Shannon (1909-1990), radio and television personality
- Bobby Vinton (1935 - present), native of Canonsburg, recording artist
References
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_County&Template=/cffiles/counties/usamap.cfm. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ Washington County Chamber of Commerce official site
- ^ Penn State Cooperative Extension in Washington County
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ [3]
- ^ [4]
- ^ [5]
- ^ "The LeMoyne Crematory". http://www.wchspa.org/html/crematory.htm. Retrieved 2009-03-07.
- ^ "An Unceremonious Rite; Cremation of Mrs. Ben Pitman". New York Times. 1879-02-16. http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9E07EEDA113FE63BBC4E52DFB4668383669FDE. Retrieved 7 March 2009.
- ^ [6]
- ^ Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896. Marquis Who's Who. 1967.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Washington County, Pennsylvania |
- Washington County Web Site
- History & Genealogy in Washington County, PA
- History of Townships in Washington County, PA
- History of Washington County, Pennsylvania
- Citizens of Washington County (Deaths and Obituaries)
|
||||||||||||||
|
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
