Washington County is rooted in theWatauga settlements, which were established in the early 1770s in the vicinity of what is nowElizabethton, in adjacent Carter County. At the outbreak of theRevolutionary War in 1776, the Wataugans organized the "Washington District", which was governed by acommittee of safety. North Carolina initially refused to recognize the settlements as legal, but finally agreed to annex the district after the settlers thwarted an invasion by hostile Cherokees. The settlements were governed as theWashington District, which originally included all of what is now Tennessee. The district was reorganized as Washington County in 1777.[5]
From 1777 until 1784, North Carolina held nominal control over the county, but did little for the residents, at least in their eyes. So the area citizens formed, in 1784, theState of Franklin to meet their needs. Franklin was an early attempt to create a fourteenth state prior toKentucky andVermont's admissions into the union. The county reverted to North Carolina control, however, following the failure of the Franklin state government in 1788.
In 1790 the area became part ofSouthwest Territory, and afterward it was admitted to the Union in 1796 as the 16th state.[5]Jonesboro, the county seat of Washington County, is Tennessee's oldest town. With many buildings restored, it comprises one of the nation's most authentic historic districts of the period 1790–1870.
Washington County was divided between pro-Union and pro-secession sentiments at the outset of the Civil War. In Tennessee's Ordinance of Secession referendum on June 8, 1861, Washington Countians voted 1,445 to 1,022 in favor of remaining in the Union.[6] One of the bridges targeted by theEast Tennessee bridge-burners in November 1861 was located in what is nowWatauga near the Washington-Carter county line.[7]Landon Carter Haynes, a Confederate senator, hailed from Washington County.[5]
Johnson City, originally known as Johnson's Depot, was a majorrailway center for the southeastern states, connecting the region for freight transportation and passengers. It was the headquarters for both the standard-gauge Carolina, Clinchfield, and Ohio (Clinchfield Railroad), which required the excavation and blasting of 17 tunnels during its construction; and the narrow-gaugeEast Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad (Tweetsie). Significant restoration is underway, as well as publicizing the railroad heritage of the Johnson's Depot Historic District. Other historic properties are being restored as representative of Johnson City's late nineteenth and early twentieth-century era as a railway center.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 330 square miles (850 km2), of which 326 square miles (840 km2) is land and 3.3 square miles (8.5 km2) (1.0%) is water.[8] The western portion of the county is situated in theRidge-and-Valley Appalachians, which are characterized by long, narrow ridges roughly oriented northeast-to-southwest. The county's most prominent Ridge-and-Valley features rise in the vicinity of its northwestern border withHawkins andSullivan counties. The eastern portion of the county lies within theBlue Ridge Mountains, specifically theBald Mountains (south of theNolichucky River) and theUnaka Range (north of the Nolichucky).[9] Buffalo Mountain, a long ridge that straddles much of Washington's eastern boundary, contains the county's highest point, 3,520-foot (1,070 m) Pinnacle Knob. TheCherokee National Forest protects much of the extreme eastern part of the county. Sampson Mountain, which rises in the southeastern part of the county, is home to a designatedwilderness area.
TheNolichucky River flows through the southern part of Washington County. TheWatauga River flows the northern part of the county, and forms part of the county's border withSullivan County. The lower section of the Watauga River is part ofBoone Lake.
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 133,001, 55,428 households, and 33,838 families residing in the county.[17]
As of the2020 census, the median age was 40.7 years. 19.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 94.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 92.7 males age 18 and over.[17]
74.2% of residents lived in urban areas, while 25.8% lived in rural areas.[19]
There were 55,428 households in the county, of which 25.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 45.1% were married-couple households, 19.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 28.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[17]
There were 60,546 housing units, of which 8.5% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 64.5% were owner-occupied and 35.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.7%.[17]
As of thecensus[20] of 2000, there were 107,198 people, 44,195 households, and 29,478 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 328 people per square mile (127 people/km2). There were 47,779 housing units at an average density of 146 units per square mile (56/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 93.72%White, 3.82%Black orAfrican American, 0.24%Native American, 0.73%Asian, 0.02%Pacific Islander, 0.51% fromother races, and 0.97% from two or more races. 1.38% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 44,195 households, out of which 28.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.60% weremarried couples living together, 10.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.30% were non-families. 27.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.85.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.30% under the age of 18, 10.80% from 18 to 24, 30.00% from 25 to 44, 24.00% from 45 to 64, and 13.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $33,116, and the median income for a family was $41,162. Males had a median income of $30,874 versus $21,485 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $19,085. About 10.20% of families and 13.90% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 16.80% of those under age 18 and 14.20% of those age 65 or over.
Like most of East Tennessee, Washington County has been a Republican stronghold since the Civil War. No National Democratic candidate has won the county since1856,[23] thoughLyndon Johnson came within 359 votes ofBarry Goldwater in 1964 andJimmy Carter came within 819 votes ofGerald Ford in 1976.Franklin Roosevelt is the only other Democrat to even cross the 40 percent mark. The only time the Republicans have failed to win the county since1868, the first election it competed in Tennessee, came in 1912, when theBull Moose Party divided the Republican vote and won a plurality.
United States presidential election results for Washington County, Tennessee[24]
^abcMildred Kozsuch and Ruth Broyles, "Washington County",Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Retrieved: November 15, 2013.
^Oliver Perry Temple,East Tennessee and the Civil War (R. Clarke Company, 1899), p. 199. Eric Lacy (Vanquished Volunteers, Appendix B) gives a much closer tally, 1,115 to 1,022.
^Temple,East Tennessee and the Civil War, pp. 384-385.
^Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation; et al. (July 1, 2010)."Ambient Air Monitoring Plan"(PDF).Environmental Protection Agency. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on April 2, 2015. RetrievedMarch 18, 2015.
