Washington County

County in east Maine; area 6,698 sq km/2,586 sq mi; population (1990) 35,300. It is the most easterly county in the USA, and borders New Brunswick, Canada. The St Croix, Machias, East Machias, and Dennys rivers flow through the county. Its administrative headquarters is Machias. Washington County is an agricultural, lumbering, fishing, and industrial area. It is a major blueberry and pulp and paper producer.

Once the territory and hunting grounds of the Passamaquoddy, the county includes the Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge, and the Passamaquoddy reservation at Pleasant Point, northwest of Eastport.

Washington County

County in northwest Maryland; area 1,178 sq km/455 sq mi; population (1990) 121,400. Hagerstown is its administrative headquarters. The county is bounded to the north by the state of Pennsylvania, and to the south and west by the Potomac River. It includes the Antietam and South Mountain battlefields, and popular hunting and fishing areas. The main industries are agriculture, limestone quarrying, sandpits, and food processing.

Washington County

County in east-central Minnesota; area 1,010 sq km/390 sq mi; population (1990) 145,900. It is bordered by the St Croix River and the Mississippi River. One of the earliest areas of American settlement in Minnesota, it now partly consists of east suburbs of St Paul, such as Woodbury, Oakdale, and Cottage Grove. Stillwater, the county administrative headquarters, is in a resort area along the St Croix River. The lake-filled northern region is also recreational.

Washington County

County in east New York; area 2,165 sq km/836 sq mi; population (1990) 59,300. It is situated partially in the Adirondack Mountains, and is bounded by the Hudson River to the southwest, Lake George to the northwest, and Vermont to the east. Its administrative headquarters is Hudson Falls. Largely agricultural, the county relies on dairying and farming, timber, and limestone quarries. Containing the South Bay of Lake Champlain and a number of small lakes, it is also a resort area. There is some manufacturing at Cambridge, Granville, Greenwich, Hudson Falls, and Whitehall.

Washington County

County in northwest Oregon; area 1,883 sq km/727 sq mi; population (1990) 311,600. Hillsboro is its administrative headquarters. Centred on the Tualatin River Valley, it extends from Portland suburbs in the east, to an agricultural region in the west, known for hazelnuts, apples, and wine.

Washington County

County in southwest Pennsylvania; area 2,481 sq km/958 sq mi; population (1990) 204,600. It is situated on the Monongahela River to the east and the West Virginia state border to the west. Its administrative headquarters is Washington. Its industrial centres include Donora, Canonsburg, and Charleroi. Coal mining and agriculture are important.

Washington County

County in southwest Rhode Island; area 862 sq km/333 sq mi; population (1990) 110,000. It is bounded to the west by the state of Connecticut and to the south by Block Island Sound. The Hunt, Pawcatuck, Queen, and Wood rivers flow through the county, which also contains lakes and state parks as well as resorts on Narragansett Bay and Block Island Sound. Its administrative headquarters is West Kingston, in South Kingstown. Manufactures include textiles, thread, yarn, machinery, and wood and food products. Printing, granite quarrying, and farming are also important to the regional economy.