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Washington, Iowa
The north side of the Washington Square with the Courthouse in the background.
The north side of the Washington Square with the Courthouse in the background.
Official logo of Washington, Iowa
Nickname(s): 
City of Flowers and Trees
Motto(s): 
Onward! To the Salt Mines!
Location of Washington, Iowa
Location of Washington, Iowa
Country  United States
State  Iowa
County Washington
Area
 • Total 5.34 sq mi (13.82 km2)
 • Land 5.33 sq mi (13.82 km2)
 • Water 0.00 sq mi (0.01 km2)
Elevation
758 ft (231 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 7,352
 • Density 1,378.33/sq mi (532.15/km2)
Time zone UTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
52353
Area code(s) 319
FIPS code 19-82335
GNIS feature ID 2397207

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. The population was 7,352 at the time of the 2020 census.

History

Washington Iowa Courthouse1858
1858 drawing of the Washington County Courthouse

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.

Climate

Climate data for Washington, Iowa, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1893–present
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 70
(21)
76
(24)
89
(32)
94
(34)
103
(39)
107
(42)
113
(45)
109
(43)
102
(39)
96
(36)
82
(28)
74
(23)
113
(45)
Mean maximum °F (°C) 53.3
(11.8)
58.3
(14.6)
72.7
(22.6)
82.0
(27.8)
87.9
(31.1)
92.6
(33.7)
94.9
(34.9)
94.0
(34.4)
91.2
(32.9)
83.8
(28.8)
70.4
(21.3)
57.6
(14.2)
96.8
(36.0)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 30.2
(−1.0)
35.0
(1.7)
48.3
(9.1)
62.0
(16.7)
72.2
(22.3)
81.4
(27.4)
85.0
(29.4)
83.3
(28.5)
77.3
(25.2)
64.2
(17.9)
48.7
(9.3)
35.6
(2.0)
60.3
(15.7)
Daily mean °F (°C) 20.8
(−6.2)
25.1
(−3.8)
37.4
(3.0)
49.7
(9.8)
60.9
(16.1)
70.6
(21.4)
74.1
(23.4)
72.0
(22.2)
64.3
(17.9)
52.0
(11.1)
38.2
(3.4)
26.7
(−2.9)
49.3
(9.6)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 11.5
(−11.4)
15.3
(−9.3)
26.5
(−3.1)
37.5
(3.1)
49.7
(9.8)
59.8
(15.4)
63.1
(17.3)
60.7
(15.9)
51.4
(10.8)
39.9
(4.4)
27.7
(−2.4)
17.9
(−7.8)
38.4
(3.6)
Mean minimum °F (°C) −10.7
(−23.7)
−4.6
(−20.3)
6.3
(−14.3)
23.2
(−4.9)
35.0
(1.7)
47.7
(8.7)
52.8
(11.6)
50.2
(10.1)
37.3
(2.9)
24.7
(−4.1)
12.1
(−11.1)
−2.1
(−18.9)
−14.8
(−26.0)
Record low °F (°C) −32
(−36)
−29
(−34)
−16
(−27)
7
(−14)
23
(−5)
35
(2)
45
(7)
39
(4)
23
(−5)
6
(−14)
−7
(−22)
−25
(−32)
−32
(−36)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 1.25
(32)
1.56
(40)
2.32
(59)
3.65
(93)
5.11
(130)
5.17
(131)
4.13
(105)
4.18
(106)
3.60
(91)
3.03
(77)
2.23
(57)
1.71
(43)
37.94
(964)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 7.5
(19)
8.1
(21)
2.3
(5.8)
0.8
(2.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.4
(1.0)
1.4
(3.6)
4.7
(12)
25.2
(64.4)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 7.7 7.3 8.2 10.2 12.5 12.2 9.0 9.2 7.9 8.8 7.7 7.8 108.5
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) 4.8 4.2 1.5 0.4 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.8 3.7 15.5
Source 1: NOAA
Source 2: National Weather Service

Demographics

Historical populations
Year Pop. ±%
1870 2,575 —    
1880 2,949 +14.5%
1890 3,235 +9.7%
1900 4,255 +31.5%
1910 4,380 +2.9%
1920 4,697 +7.2%
1930 4,814 +2.5%
1940 5,227 +8.6%
1950 5,902 +12.9%
1960 6,037 +2.3%
1970 6,317 +4.6%
1980 6,584 +4.2%
1990 7,074 +7.4%
2000 7,047 −0.4%
2010 7,266 +3.1%
2020 7,352 +1.2%
Source: and Iowa Data Center
Source:
U.S. Decennial Census
Kurtz House
Kurtz House listed on the National Register of Historic Places

2010 census

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.

Education

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

Notable people

  • Harry W. Bolens, Wisconsin State Senator
  • Smith Wildman Brookhart, United States Senator
  • Eva Carter Buckner, poet, suffragist, songwriter
  • Charles Almon Dewey, United States federal judge
  • Matt Fish, basketball player
  • Owen Gingerich, astronomer
  • Mike Hennigan, NFL player and coach
  • Pierce Knox, blind xylophonist
  • John F. McJunkin, Iowa state senator
  • Keith Molesworth, basketball player and coach
  • Pam Roth, Illinois state representative
  • John M. Work, Socialist and newspaper editor

See also

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