Вашингтон (округ, Иллинойс)

County in Illinois, United States

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".

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.

According to the U. S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 564 square miles (1,461 km2), of which 563 square miles (1,458 km2) is land and 1.3 square miles (3 km2) (0.2%) is water. 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. 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.

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.