Washington has been selected as one of five communities to take part in the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach First Impressions program. The program is a tourism and community assessment. According to Extension and Outreach, it aims to help communities learn about their strengths and weaknesses by having unannounced visitors provide feedback through the lens of first-time visitors. The data is collected, reviewed and analyzed with recommendations specific for each participating community. The program bolsters tourism readiness and helps locals form creative and effective strategies to grow the number of visitors and increase satisfaction. 

Communities with populations under 10,000 were able to apply for the program. The five towns selected are Washington, Independence, Perry, Manning, and Webster City.