Washington, Iowa, United States

🇺🇸 Washington is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Iowa, United States. It is part of the Iowa City, Iowa Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History Washington was founded in 1839 as the county seat of the newly established Washington County. In 1854 it became the home of a United Presbyterian College, which was dissolved in 1864. As of 2014, the town has celebrated its 175th anniversary, only 5 years behind the oldest city in Iowa, Dubuque, Iowa.

In 2016, the Guinness World Book of Records certified the State Theatre in Washington, Iowa, as the "world's oldest continually operating cinema theatre".

Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.92 square miles (12.74 km²), all land.

Demographics As of the census of 2010, there were 7,266 people, 3,048 households, and 1,861 families living in the city. The population density was 1,476.8 inhabitants per square mile (570.2/km²). There were 3,301 housing units at an average density of 670.9 per square mile (259.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.5% White, 1.4% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 2.7% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.7% of the population.

There were 3,048 households, of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.5% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.9% were non-families. 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.93.

The median age in the city was 42.4 years. 23.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.1% were from 25 to 44; 25.9% were from 45 to 64; and 21.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.1% male and 51.9% female.

Government Washington is governed by a six-member city council headed by a mayor. The mayor and council members are elected for four-year terms. The city council consists of four ward counselors and two at-large members. As of August 2023, the mayor is Jaron Rosien and council members are Bethany Glinsmann (1st Ward), Ivan Rangel (Ward 2), Illa Earnest (Ward 3), Fran Stigers (Ward 4), Elaine Moore (at-large), and Millie Youngquist (at-large).

Education The Washington Community School District operates local schools, including Washington High School.