Washington County, Illinois

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.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 564 sqmi, of which 563 sqmi is land and 1.3 sqmi (0.2%) is water. There are many lakes, rivers, streams, and creeks in this area, including the Kaskaskia River, which is the county's northern border.

Climate and weather
In recent years, average temperatures in Nashville have ranged from a low of 22 °F in January to a high of 88 °F in July, although a record low of -21 °F was recorded in December 1989 and a record high of 106 °F was recorded in July 1980. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.18 in in January to 4.10 in in May. On November 17, 2013, an EF4 tornado swept through the area, destroying homes and causing two fatalities.

Public transit

 * South Central Transit

Major highways

 * I-64.svg Interstate 64
 * US 51.svg U.S. Highway 51
 * Illinois 4.svg Illinois Route 4
 * Illinois 13.svg Illinois Route 13
 * Illinois 15.svg Illinois Route 15
 * Illinois 127.svg Illinois Route 127
 * Illinois 153.svg Illinois Route 153
 * Illinois 177.svg Illinois Route 160
 * Illinois 160.svg Illinois Route 177

Adjacent counties

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

Demographics
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 14,716 people, 5,926 households, and 4,112 families residing in the county. The population density was 26.2 PD/sqmi. There were 6,534 housing units at an average density of 11.6 /sqmi. 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. In terms of ancestry, 53.6% were German, 14.0% were Polish, 13.1% were Irish, 7.7% were English, and 6.1% were American.

Of the 5,926 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.

The median income for a household in the county was $51,440 and the median income for a family was $64,171. Males had a median income of $44,272 versus $30,683 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,846. About 5.5% of families and 9.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.2% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.

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

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.

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.