Washington, Indiana, United States

🇺🇸 Washington is a city in Daviess County, Indiana, United States. The city is the county seat of Daviess County. It is also the principal city of the Washington, Indiana Micropolitan Statistical Area, which comprises all of Daviess County and had an estimated 2017 population of 31,648.

History Washington was platted in 1815. It was named from Washington Township. The railroad was built through Washington in 1857. By 1889, it was a major depot and repair yard for the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad took over the line in 1893. During this time, the railroad employed over 1,000 workers.

On November 17, 2013, an EF2 tornado tore through the western edge of the city destroying 20 homes and severely damaging 20 others.

The Magnus J. Carnahan House, Daviess County Courthouse, Thomas Faith House, Robert C. Graham House, Dr. John A. Scudder House, Washington Commercial Historic District, and Dr. Nelson Wilson House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography W According to the 2010 census, Washington has a total area of 4.767 square miles (12.35 km²), of which 4.73 square miles (12.25 km²) (or 99.22%) is land and 0.037 square miles (0.10 km²) (or 0.78%) is water.

Demographics As of the census of 2010, there were 11,509 people, 4,558 households, and 2,849 families living in the city. The population density was 2,433.2 inhabitants per square mile (939.5/km²). There were 5,067 housing units at an average density of 1,071.2 per square mile (413.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 89.2% White, 1.1% African American, 0.3% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 6.4% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.6% of the population.

There were 4,558 households, of which 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.8% were married couples living together, 15.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.5% were non-families. 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.04.

The median age in the city was 37.3 years. 25.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24% were from 25 to 44; 25.2% were from 45 to 64; and 15.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.2% male and 51.8% female.

Transit Washington Transit System operates bus service in the city on weekdays.

Transport: Road • I-69 - Interstate 69 bypasses the city to the east. • US 50 / US 150 - US 50 and US 150 Bypass the city to the south. • SR 57 - SR 57 runs through downtown and runs north to Plainville, and south to Petersburg • SR 257 - SR 257 begins south-east of the city at the US 50/150 Bypass, and runs south to Otwell

Education The town has a free lending library, the Washington Carnegie Public Library.

Washington Community Schools include: • Washington High School • Washington Junior High School • Helen Griffith Elementary • Lena Dunn Elementary • North Elementary School • Veale Elementary School

Arts and culture Washington still retains a number of architecturally historical buildings. The Helphenstine House, built in 1847, displays Greek Revival architecture styles. The Robert C. Graham House was owned by an Indiana car manufacturer and was built in 1912. It is an example of Frank Lloyd Wright's Prairie School of Architecture and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It has marble fireplaces, crystal-glass French windows, a billiards room and parquet floors. On Main Street of Washington is the Daviess County Historical Society Museum, a collection of history related to Daviess County and Indiana. The museum features a funeral practices exhibit, a military history room, an art gallery, a Civil War display with an 1855 slave collar and a Civil War era regimental flag, a school room, and an archives room for genealogists as well as a gift shop.

The Washington Browns was a minor league baseball team in Washington that played in the Class C Central League in 1897 and were immediately preceded by the Washington Giants, who were members of the Independent level 1896 Kentucky-Indiana League.