Washington, Illinois

Not to be confused with Washington County, Illinois.

City in Illinois, United States

Washington

City

Denhart Bank Building at 101 Washington Sq.

Motto(s):

"Your Pathway To Discovery; Enjoyment And Knowledge"

Location of Washington in Tazewell County, Illinois.

Coordinates: 40°42′36″N 89°24′15″W﻿ / ﻿40.71000°N 89.40417°W﻿ / 40.71000; -89.40417[1]
Country| United States
State| Illinois
County| Tazewell
Township| Washington
Founded by| William Holland Sr.
Government

• Type| Council–manager
Area

[2]

• Total

| 8.56 sq mi (22.17 km2)
• Land| 8.54 sq mi (22.13 km2)
• Water| 0.01 sq mi (0.03 km2)
Elevation

[1]

| 758 ft (231 m)
Population

(2020)

• Total

| 16,071
• Density| 1,880.75/sq mi (726.17/km2)
Time zone| UTC−6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)| UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP code|

61571

Area code| 309
FIPS code| 17-79033
GNIS feature ID| 2397206[1]
Website| ci.washington.il.us

Washington is a city in Tazewell County, Illinois, United States. Washington is on U.S. Route 24 and Illinois Route 8, northeast of East Peoria. The population was 16,071 at the 2020 census, a 48.2% percent increase over 2000.[3] It is a suburb of Peoria and is part of the Peoria Metropolitan Statistical Area.

## History

[edit]

Washington was founded in 1825[4] by William Holland Sr.,[5][6][7] who came from North Carolina and was hired by the U.S. government to provide blacksmith services to the local Native Americans. During his long and eventful life, he was married three times, and was the father of twenty-one children: fourteen by his first wife and seven by his second wife. He had eighty-two grandchildren and fifty great-grandchildren. He died in Washington on November 27, 1871, at the age of ninety-one. The post office (and later the city) was originally named Holland's Grove in 1833[4] before being renamed in honor of the first U.S. president, George Washington, in 1837.[4]

In the 1920s, a man named George Heyl put Washington on the map as the home of the famous Heyl Pony Farm.[8] Some of the original barns still exist on North Main Street. The Heyl Pony Farm supplied Shetland ponies to buyers around the world; George Heyl also raised pure bred poultry. When Heyl died suddenly in 1932, it was recorded as one of the largest funerals ever held in Washington.

Another local site of interest is the "old canning factory", which is now occupied by American Allied Railway Equipment Company Inc. In 1943, the canning factory (which after the war was run by the Libby's company) had a shortage of workers, and the government needed K rations and canned goods to feed the troops.[9] So 50 captured German soldiers from the prisoner of war camp known as Camp Ellis in Fulton County were brought in.[10] The Washington sub-camp was first commanded by Colonel John S. Sullivan, and later by Captain T. A. Cox. The POWs were brought in on the old rail line that ran down Wood Street (the foundation of a sentry tower can be seen just northeast of the intersection of Wood and Jefferson near the entrance to the bike trail). They were trucked from the camp to various local farms to help with the pumpkin harvest. The prisoners were allowed no visitors, nor could residents speak to the prisoners. An exception was made for local ministers, such as Pastor Kammeyer from St. Mark's Lutheran who spoke fluent German and ministered to the POWs spiritual needs.[citation needed]

A new community center, named Five Points Washington, opened in October 2007. The facility houses the Washington Public Library, a performing arts center, swimming pools, fitness center, and banquet center.[11]

### 2013 tornado

[edit]

Damage to houses and trees shortly after the November 17, 2013 tornado.

An EF4 tornado, part of the tornado outbreak of November 17, 2013, entered Washington from the southwest in East Peoria. Three people were killed, one during the storm and two others later from injuries, including a United States Army veteran.[12][13] The tornado then destroyed the Georgetown Common apartment complex, including ripping second floors off most of the 17 apartment buildings. Hundreds of homes were destroyed as the tornado moved through town before finally exiting on the north side.[14]

## Geography

[edit]

According to the 2010 census, Washington has a total area of 8.182 sq mi (21.19 km2), of which 8.17 sq mi (21.16 km2) (or 99.85%) is land and 0.012 sq mi (0.03 km2) (or 0.15%) is water.[15]

### Climate

[edit]

Washington has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa), with cold, snowy winters, and hot, humid summers. Monthly daily mean temperatures range from 22.5 °F (−5.3 °C) to 75.2 °F (24.0 °C). Snowfall is common in the winter, averaging 26.3 inches (67 cm), but this figure varies considerably for different years. Precipitation, averaging at 36 inches (914 mm), peaks in the spring and summer, and is the least in winter. Extremes have ranged from −27 °F (−33 °C) in January 1884 to 113 °F (45 °C) in July 1936.[citation needed]

## Demographics

[edit]

Historical population Census| Pop.| Note| %±

|
|
|

1850| 712| | —
1860| 1,578| | 121.6%
1870| 1,607| | 1.8%
1880| 1,397| | −13.1%
1890| 1,301| | −6.9%
1900| 1,459| | 12.1%
1910| 1,530| | 4.9%
1920| 1,643| | 7.4%
1930| 1,741| | 6.0%
1940| 2,456| | 41.1%
1950| 4,285| | 74.5%
1960| 5,919| | 38.1%
1970| 6,790| | 14.7%
1980| 10,364| | 52.6%
1990| 10,099| | −2.6%
2000| 10,841| | 7.3%
2010| 15,134| | 39.6%
2020| 16,071| | 6.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[16]

As of the census[17] of 2000, there were 10,841 people, 4,189 households, and 3,091 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,450.0/sq mi (559.8/km2). There were 4,403 housing units at an average density of 588.9/sq mi (227.4/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 98.36% White, 0.26% African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 0.26% from other races, and 0.62% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.67% of the population.

There were 4,189 households, out of which 35.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.8% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.2% were non-families. 22.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.0% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $71,702,[18] and the median income for a family was $61,184. Males had a median income of $64,388 versus $43,460 for females.[19] The per capita income for the city was $24,231. About 2.8% of families and 4.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.5% of those under age 18 and 3.5% of those age 65 or over.

## Employment

[edit]

As of 2000[update], 66.8% of people aged 16 and over were employed in the civilian labor force, 2.8% were "unemployed" in the civilian work force, 0.1% were in the armed forces, and 30.3% were not in the labor force. Average travel time to work for Washington residents was 21.5 min.[20]

The Washington Chamber of Commerce lists the following information about employers:[21]

Employment by occupation category
Category | percentage

|

Management and professional | 38.3%
Service | 13.3%
Sales and office | 27.5%
Farming, fishing, and forestry | 0.1%
Construction, extraction, and maintenance | 8.1%
Production, transportation, and material moving | 12.8%

Employers - Manufacturers and distributor
Company name | Business type | Approx.
employees

|
|

Illinois Valley Plastics | molded components | 100
BTD Manufacturing | metal fabrication | 70
American Allied Railway Equipment | rail wheels and brakes | 66
WICC, Ltd. | electrical components | 41
RP Short Run | printing and graphics | 36
Global Fire Equipment/MES | fire trucks, apparatus | 36
Akron Brass | fire fighting equipment | 26

Employers - Retailers
Company name | Business type | Approx.
employees

|
|

Wal-Mart Supercenter | general merchandise | 340
Uftring Chevrolet | automobile sales and service | 105
Kroger | grocer | 90
Lindy's Downtown Market | grocer | 54

Employers - Services and institutions
Organization | Business type | Approx.
employees

|
|

Washington school districts (combined) | education | 425
Washington Christian Village | elderly care | 125
City of Washington | local government | 80
Washington Park District | parks and recreation entity | 76

## Government

[edit]

Washington uses a council–manager form of government with an appointed city administrator, acting as the chief administrative officer and managing day-to-day operations, and an elected mayor. As of April 2024, the current city administrator is Jim Snider and the current mayor is Gary W. Manier.[22][23][24]

In January of 2025, Washington Police Chief Mike McCoy announced a full staff of 25 sworn officers and a waiting list.[25]

## Education

[edit]

District 308 is Washington Community High School and has 1359 students in attendance as of August 2017.[26] District 308 contains three elementary public school districts: District 50 (John L. Hensey and Beverly Manor), 51 (Central), and 52 (which consists of Lincoln Grade and Washington Middle school), as well as St. Patrick's School, which is private and Catholic.

* Beverly Manor Middle School (District 50)
* Central Primary School (District 51)
* Central Intermediate School (District 51)
* John L. Hensey Elementary School (District 50)
* Lincoln Grade School (District 52)
* Washington Middle School (District 52)
* Washington Community High School District 308
* St. Patrick School (Roman Catholic Diocese of Peoria)

Tazewell County has a joint special education service, the Tazewell-Mason Counties Special Education Association (TMCSEA).[27]

## Transportation

[edit]

CityLink provides bus service on Route 8 connecting Washington to downtown Peoria, East Peoria and other destinations.[28]

U.S. Route 24 runs east–west outside of Washington. Business U.S. 24 runs through the downtown square of Washington.

## Annual events

[edit]

* 9-11 Memorial Walk
* Good Neighbor Days, previously called the Cherry Festival[29]
* Memorial Day Parade
* Take Pride in Washington Day
* Veterans Day Parade
* Washington Fine Arts Festival[30]

## Notable people

[edit]

* Mark Dennis, offensive tackle for various teams; member of the Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame[31]
* Doug Lee, basketball guard and small forward with three teams[32]
* Alec Peters, basketball player, second-round selection in 2017 NBA draft
* Fred Taral, Hall of Fame jockey and trainer, raised in Washington.
* Colton Underwood, NFL player and star of ABC's The Bachelor[33]

## See also

[edit]

* Ronald Reagan Trail

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Washington, Illinois
2. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
3. ^ "Census Information". City of Washington, Illinois. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
4. ^ a b c Callary, Edward. 2009. Place Names of Illinois. Champaign: University of Illinois Press, p. 366.
5. ^ History of Tazewell County, Illinois. Chicago: Chas. C. Chapman & Co. 1879. p. 662.
6. ^ Early History of Washington, Ill. and Vicinity. Washington, IL: Tazewell County Reporter. 1929. pp. 76ff.
7. ^ Borders, Zachary R. (2007). Washington. Charleston, SC: Arcadia. p. 2\. "William Holland, town founder .... the founder and first settler of Washington"
8. ^ "George Heyl". historicillinois.com.
9. ^ Lehman, Michele (March 5, 2018). "Historian Traces Story of POWs". The Pantagraph. p. A4. Retrieved June 25, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
10. ^ Fulton County Tourism Archived 2007-09-15 at the Wayback Machine
11. ^ "Home - Five Points Washington". Five Points Washington.
12. ^ WLS-TV (November 18, 2013). "Washington IL tornado ranked as EF-4; victim ID'd". abclocal.go.com. Archived from the original on November 22, 2013. Retrieved November 25, 2013.
13. ^ Steve Stein (January 5, 2014). "Army vet injured in tornado dies". pjstar.com. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
14. ^ "Tornado in Washington claims one life, injures dozens". PJStar.com. Peoria, Illinois: GateHouse Media. Retrieved November 25, 2013. (Warning: Site uses popup ads.)
15. ^ "G001 - Geographic Identifiers - 2010 Census Summary File 1". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
16. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
17. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
18. ^ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Washington city, Illinois; Illinois". Census Bureau QuickFacts.
19. ^ "Washington, IL". datausa.io.
20. ^ "DP-3. Profile of Selected Economic Characteristics: 2000: Washington city, Illinois". American FactFinder. United States Census. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved July 24, 2008.
21. ^ "Washington Community Profile". Washington Chamber of Commerce. February 15, 2008. Retrieved July 24, 2008.
22. ^ "City managers administer 96 Illinois municipalities". Northern Illinois University. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
23. ^ "Washington, IL / City Administrator". City of Washington, IL. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
24. ^ "Washington, IL / Mayor's Office". City of Washington, IL. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
25. ^ https://www.25newsnow.com/2025/01/03/washington-police-now-full-capacity-after-staffing-shortages/
26. ^ "School Profile - WCHS #308". Retrieved April 20, 2016.
27. ^ "Tazewell-Mason Counties Special Education Association". Pekin, Illinois: Tazewell-Mason Counties Special Education Association. Retrieved October 5, 2016.
28. ^ "Schedules & Routes". Retrieved January 27, 2024.
29. ^ Hovey, Christopher (March 4, 2014). "Cherry Festival will revert to Good Neighbor Days name". Courier Newspapers. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
30. ^ "Washington Fine Arts Fair will return Aug. 23". Peoria Journal Star. April 17, 2014. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
31. ^ "GPSHOF Inductee Mark Dennis". gpshof.org. Archived from the original on October 21, 2004.
32. ^ "Doug Lee Stats - Basketball-Reference.com". Basketball-Reference.com.
33. ^ Vlahos, Nick (April 14, 2021). "Former Washington football player, 'Bachelor' star Colton Underwood comes out as gay". Peoria Journal Star (web ed.). Archived from the original on April 14, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2021.

## External links

[edit]

* City of Washington
* Washington Chamber of Commerce
* Washington Park District
* Washington District Library
* Washington Historical Society
* Washington Rewind

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of Tazewell County, Illinois, United States

County seat: Pekin

Cities|

* Delavan
* East Peoria
* Marquette Heights
* Pekin‡
* Washington

Map of Illinois highlighting Tazewell County

Villages|

* Armington
* Creve Coeur
* Deer Creek‡
* Goodfield‡
* Green Valley
* Hopedale
* Mackinaw
* Minier
* Morton
* North Pekin
* Peoria Heights‡
* South Pekin
* Tremont

Townships|

* Boynton
* Cincinnati
* Deer Creek
* Delavan
* Dillon
* Elm Grove
* Fondulac
* Groveland
* Hittle
* Hopedale
* Little Mackinaw
* Mackinaw
* Malone
* Morton
* Pekin
* Sand Prairie
* Spring Lake
* Tremont
* Washington

CDP|

* Heritage Lake

Other
unincorporated
communities|

* Allentown
* Cooper
* Dillon
* Groveland
* Midway
* Parkland
* Sutter
* Winkel

Footnotes|

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

* Illinois portal
* United States portal

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF
* WorldCat

National|

* United States
* Israel

Geographic|

* MusicBrainz area

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