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 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, of which is land and 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 in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in December 1989 and a record high of was recorded in July 1980. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in January to in May. On November 17, 2013, an EF4 tornado swept through the area, destroying homes and causing two fatalities.
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. There were 6,534 housing units at an average density of. 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 couplesliving 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.
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.
Year
Republican
Democratic
Third parties
2016
74.9%5,571
19.5% 1,448
5.6% 419
2012
64.5%4,792
33.0% 2,450
2.6% 193
2008
56.4%4,473
42.1% 3,342
1.5% 117
2004
62.6%5,072
36.9% 2,986
0.6% 46
2000
61.0%4,353
37.0% 2,638
2.1% 147
1996
48.2%3,339
39.6% 2,744
12.2% 844
1992
39.8%3,003
39.5% 2,986
20.7% 1,566
1988
60.0%4,127
39.1% 2,689
0.8% 58
1984
68.2%5,129
31.4% 2,363
0.3% 24
1980
69.0%5,354
27.8% 2,158
3.2% 250
1976
57.2%4,485
41.1% 3,222
1.8% 137
1972
68.9%5,179
30.9% 2,327
0.2% 16
1968
63.3%4,793
27.7% 2,093
9.0% 683
1964
51.1%3,840
48.9% 3,670
0.0% 0
1960
62.0%5,053
37.9% 3,093
0.1% 11
1956
65.1%5,299
34.7% 2,820
0.2% 16
1952
66.2%5,546
33.7% 2,824
0.1% 11
1948
62.0%4,544
37.3% 2,737
0.7% 49
1944
66.3%5,428
33.3% 2,723
0.4% 35
1940
61.8%5,701
37.7% 3,479
0.5% 42
1936
51.2%4,540
46.5% 4,119
2.4% 209
1932
38.8% 3,076
59.3%4,696
1.9% 154
1928
55.9%3,638
43.8% 2,848
0.3% 22
1924
56.4%3,444
28.1% 1,717
15.4% 942
1920
70.8%4,519
17.3% 1,102
12.0% 765
1916
61.0%4,657
36.6% 2,794
2.5% 190
1912
25.0% 1,058
39.1%1,654
36.0% 1,522
1908
53.9%2,355
41.9% 1,830
4.3% 187
1904
57.3%2,374
36.3% 1,504
6.4% 265
1900
51.8%2,351
45.9% 2,081
2.3% 106
1896
53.3%2,351
44.9% 1,979
1.8% 81
1892
47.4%1,956
45.2% 1,868
7.4% 307
Media
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.
