Washington

Formed February 20, 1857 (27^th county)

Washington County (5,532), Washington (1,070)

A masonry Art Deco courthouse was built in 1933 on a square made of C, 2^nd, Ballard, and 3^rd streets.  United States Highway 36 passes four blocks south of the courthouse.  It replaced an 1886 classy courthouse which was destroyed by a tornado.  H. G. Overend and C. F. Boucher are the building architects.  The county was formed on February 20, 1857 from Native American Territory as the 27^th county with Washington as the only county seat.  The county and county seat are named for United States President George Washington. 

Washington County government consists of a sheriff, a clerk, an attorney, a treasurer, a coroner, and an appraiser (executive).  It has 3 Commissioners (legislative.)  Seven District Court Judges serve Washington, Cloud, Jewell, Lincoln, Mitchell, and Republic counties (judicial.) The county is in northeast Kansas on the border with Nebraska.  Salina, Kansas is southwest and Topeka, Kansas is southeast of the county.  The county center is 4.1 miles Southwest of Washington.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Nebraska and Marshall, Riley, Clay, Cloud, and Republic counties. 

The area of the county is 898 square miles.  It is 27 out of 105 in the state.  It ranks 62 out of 105 in population in the state.  It has a density of 6.2 persons per square mile making it 68 out of 105 in the state.  Washington County has 60.3% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 36 goes east to west in the county from Marshall County to Republic County.  The county is a square.  The City of Washington is slightly northeast of the county center.  Washington is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 19.3% of the county population.