Other historical features such as Civil War battlefields, log cabins, one-room school houses, community centers, and museums describe the history and culture of Washington County.

The county then was sparsely settled and the residents were divided in their allegiance, since it had few enslaved people, plantations almost nonexistent, and political news came by White River travelers, not from the pro-Confederate southern part of the state.

A mixture of wet weather, altitude, and loamy soils provided a good environment for apple orchards.

[6] First planted in areas around Lincoln, Evansville, and Cane Hill in the 1830s, apple orchards began all across the county.

Several varieties of apple were discovered in the area including Shannon Pippin, Wilson June, and most notably the Arkansas Black.

[8] Arkansas Industrial University was founded in the growing community of Fayetteville in 1871 after William McIlroy a donated farmland for the site.

[9] Railroads came to Washington County after the St. Louis – San Francisco Railway (Frisco) decided to build a line to Texas through Fort Smith.

[11] Rural parts of the county began losing population in the 1920s during the Great Depression, when high taxes compelled residents to move to Fayetteville or west to Oklahoma[citation needed].

In the Ozarks, population density is low; recreation, logging, and poultry and livestock farming are the primary land uses.

Washington County sits on a basement of Precambrian granite and rhyolite, as most of the continental interior of the United States does.

This created fossiliferous limestone and ripple marked-sandstone, both present throughout the north part of the county as evidence of ancient oceans.

[18] Today, Washington County consists of two main formations, the Boston Mountains and the Springfield Plateau.

The area was uplifted during the Ouachita orogeny and subsequent erosion formed the rugged Boston Mountains.

Washington County also contains Lake Wedington, located in the Ozark National Forest west of Fayetteville on Highway 16.

Washington County contains three discontinuous segments of the Ozark National Forest, two state parks, two Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) under Arkansas Game and Fish Commission jurisdiction, the Garrett Hollow Natural Area, and dozens of city parks.

[23] The southeast corner of Washington County contains part of the White Rock WMA, an expansive section of the Ozark National Forest containing some of the steepest segments of the Boston Mountains covered in a mix of shortleaf pine and hardwood forest.

Public hunting for squirrels, deer, wild turkeys, and black bear is available during certain seasons Devil's Den State Park in southern Washington County is known for its picturesque views and mountain vistas.

The park offers tours of the battlefield and period structures and contains the Hindman Museum, which preserves artifacts and interprets the history of the battle.

Arkansas's largest Civil War battle reenactment takes place on t he battlefield in December of even numbered years.

The United States Census Bureau also conducts estimated annual counts based on sampling for all jurisdictions.

The Washington County high school rates are similar to state and national averages of 84.8% and 86.7%, respectively.

The libraries offers books, e-books, media, reference, youth, business and genealogy services.

The agency is led by the Washington County Sheriff, an official elected by countywide vote every four years.

[50] Washington County has several facilities, monuments, and museums dedicated to preserving the history and culture of the area.

Over 100 properties are listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington County, ranging from historic districts (UA Campus, Washington-Willow, Dickson Street, Mock Street, Springdale Poultry Industry and others) to Civil War battlefields (Cane Hill Battlefield and Prairie Grove Battlefield Park), historic homes of area leaders (Gregg House, Stone House), community gathering places (Mineral Springs Community Building), and places of worship (Shiloh Church, United Presbyterian Church of Canehill).

The quorum court is the legislative branch of the county government and controls all spending and revenue collection.

This tax is collected by the Washington County Collector between the first business day of March of each year through October 15 without penalty.

In Congress, Arkansas has been represented by two Republican senators (John Boozman and Tom Cotton) since January 3, 2015, ending a long history of Democratic hegemony.

Future plans call for Interstate 49 to be extended to ultimately connect New Orleans, Louisiana with Kansas City, Missouri through Washington County.

The Arkansas Department of Health is responsible for the regulation and oversight of public water systems throughout the state.