Washington County, Missouri
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Washington County, Missouri | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Missouri |
|
 Missouri's location in the U.S. |
|
| Statistics | |
| Founded | August 21, 1813 |
|---|---|
| Seat | Potosi |
| Largest city | Potosi |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
762 sq mi (1,975 km²) 760 sq mi (1,967 km²) 3 sq mi (7 km²), 0.38% |
| PopulationEst. - (2007) - Density |
23,928 31.8/sq mi (12.3/km²) |
| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 |
| Named for: Former President George Washington | |
Washington County is a county located in East Central Missouri in the United States. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the county's population was 23,344. A 2007 estimate, however, showed the population to be 23,928. The largest city and county seat is Potosi[1]. The county was officially organized on August 21, 1813, and was named in honor of George Washington, the first President of the United States.
Washington County is part of the St. Louis Metro Area.
Contents |
[edit] History
Frenchmen Renault and La Motte toured the area near present-day Potosi in 1722-23. No permanent settlement was made until 1763, when Francis Breton settled near Potosi and began to operate a mine bearing his name. The Bellview Valley, near Caledonia and Belgrade, was settled in 1802 by Annanias McCoy, Benjamin Crow, and Robert Reed. Eventually, Washington County was officially organized on August 21, 1813, out of Ste. Genevieve County.
[edit] Education
Of adults 25 years of age and older in Washington County, 62.5% possesses a high school diploma or higher while 7.5% holds a bachelor's degree or higher as their highest educational attainment.
[edit] Public Schools
- Kingston K-XIV School District - Cadet
- Kingston Elementary School (PK-05)
- Kingston Middle School (06-08)
- Kingston High School (09-12)
- Potosi R-III School District - Potosi
- Potosi Pre-School (PK)
- Potosi Elementary School (PK-03)
- Trojan Intermediate School (04-06)
- John A. Evans Middle School (07-08)
- Potosi High School (09-12)
- Richwoods R-VII School District - Richwoods
- Richwoods Elementary School (PK-08)
- Valley R-VI School District - Caledonia/ Belgrade
[edit] Private Schools
- St. Joachim Elementary School - Cadet - (PK-08) - Roman Catholic
[edit] Colleges & Universities
[edit] Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 762 square miles (1,975 km²), which equates to a total acerage of 487,680. 760 square miles (1,967 km²) of it is land and 3 square miles (7 km²) of it (0.38%) is water.
[edit] Adjacent counties
- Franklin County (north)
- Jefferson County (northeast)
- St. Francois County (east)
- Iron County (south)
- Crawford County (west)
[edit] National protected area
- Mark Twain National Forest (part)
[edit] Transportation
[edit] Major highways
[edit] Airports
- Washington County Airport
[edit] Railroads
- Union Pacific Railroad
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 23,344 people, 8,406 households, and 6,237 families residing in the county. The population density was 31 people per square mile (12/km²). There were 9,894 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile (5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.47% White, 2.48% Black or African American, 0.66% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.15% from other races, and 1.08% from two or more races. Approximately 0.73% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 8,406 households out of which 36.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.60% were married couples living together, 10.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.80% were non-families. 22.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the county the population was spread out with 26.60% under the age of 18, 9.80% from 18 to 24, 29.20% from 25 to 44, 22.70% from 45 to 64, and 11.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 106.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.40 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $32,001, and the median income for a family was $38,193. Males had a median income of $27,871 versus $18,206 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,095. About 17.10% of families and 20.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.40% of those under age 18 and 12.90% of those age 65 or older.
[edit] Cities and towns
|
|
|
[edit] Townships
|
|
[edit] Politics
[edit] Local
Politics at the local level in Washington County is predominantly controlled by the Democratic Party. In fact, all but two of Washington County's elected officeholders are Democrats.
| Office | Incumbent | Party |
|---|---|---|
| Assessor | Charlotte Boyer | Republican |
| Circuit Clerk | Patti Coleman Boyer | Democratic |
| Clerk | Janet Adams | Democratic |
| Collector | Michael P. McGirl | Republican |
| Commissioner – District 1 | Todd Moyers | Democratic |
| Commissioner – District 2 | Randy O’Neail | Democratic |
| Coroner | Brian DeClue | Democratic |
| Presiding Commissioner | Robert (Bob) Reed | Democratic |
| Prosecuting Attorney | John D. Rupp, Jr. | Democratic |
| Public Administrator | Janet Drummond | Democratic |
| Recorder | Judy Cresswell Moyers | Democratic |
| Sheriff | Andy Skiles | Democratic |
| Surveyor | R. Timothy Daugherty | Democratic |
| Treasurer | Betty Abbey | Democratic |
[edit] State
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third Parties |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 31.08% 2,993 | 67.05% 6,456 | 1.87% 180 |
| 2004 | 50.37% 4,622 | 47.87% 4,393 | 1.76% 162 |
| 2000 | 42.93% 3,536 | 49.90% 4,110 | 7.17% 591 |
| 1996 | 39.69% 3,097 | 57.77% 4,508 | 2.54% 198 |
Washington County is divided into two legislative districts in the Missouri House of Representatives.
- District 110 - Rep. Belinda Harris (D-Hillsboro). Consists of the northern parts of the county. In 2008, Harris ran unopposed and was reelected with 100% of the vote.
- District 162 - Rep. J.C. Kuessner (D-Eminence). Consists of the southern parts of the county. In 2008, Kuessner defeated Eric “Rick” Mansfield (R) and Thad Wheeler of the Constitution Party, taking in 70.32 percent of the vote in the entire district to Mansfield’s 26.38 percent and Wheeler’s 3.30 percent; Washington County backed Kuessner with 65.03%, Mansfield with 32.73%, and Wheeler with 2.24%.
Washington County is also a part of Missouri's 3rd Senatorial District and is currently represented by State Senator Kevin Engler (R-Farmington). In 2008, Engler defeated Dennis Riche (D) 58.72-41.28 percent. Washington County backed Engler with 58.10 percent while Riche received 41.90 percent. The 3rd Senatorial District consists of Carter, Iron, Reynolds, St. Francois, Ste. Genevieve, and Washington counties, and parts of Jefferson County.
In Missouri's gubernatorial election of 2008, Governor of Missouri Jay Nixon (D) defeated former U.S. Representative Kenny Hulshof (R) with 58.40 percent of the total statewide vote. Nixon performed extremely well and won many of the rural counties in the state, including Washington County. The former attorney general Nixon carried Washington County by a wide margin with 67.05 percent of the vote to Hulshof’s 31.08 percent.
[edit] Federal
In the U.S. House of Representatives, Washington County is represented by Jo Ann Emerson (R-Cape Girardeau) who represents all of Southeast Missouri as part of Missouri's 8th Congressional District.
[edit] Political Culture
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third Parties |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 48.95% 4,706 | 49.00% 4,711 | 2.05% 197 |
| 2004 | 50.57% 4,641 | 48.58% 4,459 | 0.85% 78 |
| 2000 | 48.64% 4,020 | 48.97% 4,047 | 2.39% 198 |
| 1996 | 28.78% 2,259 | 54.97% 4,315 | 16.25% 1,276 |
At the presidential level, Washington County is a fairly independent-leaning or battleground county although it does has a tendency to often lean Democratic. While George W. Bush carried Washington County in 2004, he narrowly lost the county to Al Gore in 2000, and both times the margins of victory were significantly closer than in many of the other rural areas. Bill Clinton also carried Washington County both times in 1992 and 1996 by convincing double-digit margins, and unlike most of the other rural counties in Missouri, Washington County was one of only nine counties in Missouri that favored Barack Obama over John McCain. Obama won Washington County by just five votes in the 2008 election. Washington County was the closest county in the closest state (Missouri) in the country during the presidential election of 2008.
Like most rural areas throughout Missouri, voters in Washington County generally adhere to socially and culturally conservative principles but are more moderate or populist on economic issues, typical of the Dixiecrat philosophy. In 2004, Missourians voted on a constitutional amendment to define marriage as the union between a man and a woman—it overwhelmingly passed Washington County with 81.37 percent of the vote. The initiative passed the state with 71 percent of support from voters as Missouri became the first state to ban same-sex marriage. In 2006, Missourians voted on a constitutional amendment to fund and legalize embryonic stem cell research in the state—it failed in Washington County with 56.48 percent voting against the measure. The initiative narrowly passed the state with 51 percent of support from voters as Missouri became one of the first states in the nation to approve embryonic stem cell research. Despite Washington County’s longstanding tradition of supporting socially conservative platforms, voters in the county have a penchant for advancing populist causes like increasing the minimum wage. In 2006, Missourians voted on a proposition (Proposition B) to increase the minimum wage in the state to $6.50 an hour—it passed Washington County with 81.47 percent of the vote. The proposition strongly passed every single county in Missouri with 75.94 percent voting in favor as the minimum wage was increased to $6.50 an hour in the state. During the same election, voters in five other states also strongly approved increases in the minimum wage.
[edit] 2008 Missouri Presidential Primary
In the 2008 Missouri Presidential Primary, voters in Washington County from both political parties supported candidates who finished in second place in the state at large and nationally.
Republican
Former Governor Mike Huckabee (R-Arkansas) narrowly won Washington County with 38.73 percent of the vote. U.S. Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) finished in second place in Washington County with 38.36 percent. Former Governor Mitt Romney (R-Massachusetts) came in third place, receiving 18.49 percent of the vote while libertarian-leaning U.S. Representative Ron Paul (R-Texas) finished fourth with 3.11 percent in Washington County.
Huckabee slightly led Missouri throughout much of the evening until the precincts began reporting from St. Louis where McCain won and put him over the top of Huckabee. In the end, McCain received 32.95 percent of the vote to Huckabee’s 31.53 percent—a 1.42 percent difference. McCain received all of Missouri’s 58 delegates as the Republican Party utilizes the winner-take-all system.
Democratic
Former U.S. Senator and now Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-New York) won Washington County by an almost three-to-one margin over now President Barack Obama (D-Illinois). Clinton carried Washington County with 74.63 percent of the vote while Obama received 21.32 percent of the vote. Although he withdrew from the race, former U.S. Senator John Edwards (D-North Carolina) still received 3.18 percent of the vote in Washington County.
Clinton had a large initial lead in Missouri at the beginning of the evening as the rural precincts began to report, leading several news organizations to call the state for her; however, Obama rallied from behind as the heavily African American precincts from St. Louis began to report and eventually put him over the top. In the end, Obama received 49.32 percent of the vote to Clinton’s 47.90 percent—a 1.42 percent difference. Both candidates split Missouri’s 72 delegates as the Democratic Party utilizes proportional representation.
- Hillary Rodham Clinton received more votes, a total of 2,345, than any candidate from either party in Washington County during the 2008 Missouri Presidential Primaries. She also received more votes, almost double, than the total number of votes cast in the entire Republican Primary in Washington County. Washington County was Clinton’s fourth strongest county in Missouri; she only did better in Dunklin, Wayne, and Carter counties.
[edit] Attractions
- Big River Access Belgrade
- Council Bluff Lake Belgrade
- Bootleg Park Belgrade
- Berryman Camp & Trail National Forest Berryman
- Buford Mountain Caledonia
- Hughes Mountain Natural Area Irondale
- Bismarck Lake Conservation Area Bismarck
- Little Indian Creek Conservation Area Potosi
- Pea Ridge Conservation Area Sullivan
- YMCA of the Ozarks Shirley
[edit] References
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_County&Template=/cffiles/counties/usamap.cfm. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
 |
Franklin County | Jefferson County |
|
||||
| Crawford County |  |
St. Francois County | |||||
 Washington County, Missouri  |
|||||||
 |
|||||||
| Dent County | Iron County | Madison County |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
