| Washington County is a county with an estimated population of 22,299, as of 2005. Its county seat is Chipley, but it also includes Caryville, Ebro, Vernon and Wausau. Washington County was named for George Washington, first President of the United States. An interesting fact about Washington County is that the entire county is a prohibition, or entirely dry county, which means there are no alcoholic beverage sales. Washington County was created in 1825 and it now covers a large portion of the central Florida Panhandle. At first, it stretched all the way to the Gulf of Mexico, but boundary shifts moved the area and it now covers 382,000 acres of rolling hills covered in thick stately pines and mixed hardwood forests. Over the past 150 years, Washington County has been influenced by Native Americans, Spanish and English. Today, the county's historical lore is rich with stories of Andrew Jackson and there are many Native American Mounds and evidence of strong settlements still being discovered. The area of Washington County is 616 square miles, of which 5.82% is water. |