Washington

Formed January 1, 1827 (23^rd county)

Washington County (44,918), Greenville (29,689)

The pleasant tan stone Richardsonian Romanesque courthouse was built in 1891 on the square at Washington, Harvey, Courthouse, and Edison streets.  United States Highway 82 passes six blocks southeast of the location.  The building architects are the McDonald Brothers.  The courthouse was remodeled in 1930 and enlarged in 1952.  The facility is in a park setting with marble walls.  The county was founded on January 1, 1827 from parts of Warren and Yazoo counties as the 23^rd county.  Greenville has always been the county seat.  Its namesake is United States President George Washington.  The county seat is named for Revolutionary War hero Nathanael Greene.  He is also the namesake of Greene County. 

Washington County government consists of a sheriff, an administrator, an attorney, a collector, a coroner, an assessor and a clerk (executive).  It has 5 Supervisors (legislative.)  Three Chancery Court Judges serve Washington, Humphreys, Issaquena, Sharkey, Sunflower, and Warren counties, Three District Court Judges serve Washington, LeFlore, and Sunflower counties, and One County Court Judge and a court clerk serve Washington County (judicial.)  Washington County is on the western border with Arkansas.  The Mississippi River is its western border.  Jackson, Mississippi is southeast and Memphis, Tennessee is northeast of the county.  The county center is 12 miles Southeast of Greenville nearer Arcola.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Bolivar, Sunflower, Humphreys, Sharkey, and Issaquena counties and Arkansas. 

The area of the county is 724 square miles.  It is 14 out of 82 in the state.  It ranks 17 out of 82 in population in the state.  It has a density of 62.0 persons per square mile making it 24 out of 82 in the state.  Washington County has 82.7% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 61 passes north to south in the county from Bolivar County to Sharkey County.  United States Highway 82 goes east to west from Sunflower County to Arkansas.  United States Highway 278 enters joined with United States Highway 61 from Bolivar County, splits and joins United States Highway 82 to exit into Arkansas.  The county is overall shaped like a rectangle with a wandering western border.  Greenville is in the northwest quarter of the county.  Greenville is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 66.1% of the county population.  This county is in the Greenville Micropolitan Statistical Area.