Waycross

Waycross, Georgia The Cross
—  City  —
Motto: Right By the border
Location in Ware County and the state of Georgia
Coordinates: 31°12′50″N 82°21′18″W / 31.21389°N 82.355°W / 31.21389; -82.355Coordinates: 31°12′50″N 82°21′18″W / 31.21389°N 82.355°W / 31.21389; -82.355
Country	United States
State	Georgia
Counties	Pierce, Ware[1][2]
Government
• Mayor	Clarence Billups (Constitution Party)
Area
• Total	11.7 sq mi (30.3 km2)
• Land	11.7 sq mi (30.3 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.1 km2)
Elevation	131 ft (40 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	14,725
• Density	1,258.6/sq mi (485.9/km2)
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes	31501-31502-31503
Area code(s)	912
FIPS code	13-80956[3]
GNIS feature ID	0356622[4]
Website	http://www.waycrossga.com

Waycross is the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Ware County in the U.S. state of Georgia. The population was 14,725 at the 2010 Census. A small portion of the city extends into Pierce County.^[5] According the U.S. Census Bureau, the population of this small section was estimated at just 9 in 2008.^[6]

Waycross is the principal city of the Waycross micropolitan area, a micropolitan area that covers Pierce and Ware counties^[7] and had a combined population of 51,119 at the 2000 Census.

History

The area now known as Waycross was first settled around 1820, locally known as "Old Nine" or "Number Nine" and then Pendleton. It was renamed Tebeauville in 1857, incorporated in 1866 and designated county seat of Ware County in 1873. Then it was incorporated as "Way Cross" on March 3, 1935.^[8]

During the 1950s the city had a tourist gimmick. The local police would stop motorists with out-of-state license plates and escort them to downtown Waycross. There they would be met by the Welcome World Committee and given overnight lodging, dinner and a trip to the Okefenokee Swamp. The tradition faded away after the interstates opened through Georgia.

Geography

Waycross is located at 31°12′50″N 82°21′18″W / 31.21389°N 82.355°W / 31.21389; -82.355 (31.213860, -82.354911)^[9] and is the closest city to the Okefenokee Swamp.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.7 square miles (30 km²), of which, 11.7 square miles (30 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km²) of it (0.17%) is water.

Climate

Media

• Waycross Journal-Herald (Daily Newspaper)
• The Florida Times-Union (Georgia Times-Union edition)

AM

• WAYX AM 1230 (News Talk Radio)
• WSFN AM 1350 (Sports Radio)

FM

• W201DK 88.1 (Christian)
• WXVS 90.1 (GPB and NPR)
• WASW 91.9 (Contemporary Christian)
• WAYX 96.3 (Classic Rock)Simulcast with WSIZ
• WWUF 97.7 (Oldies)
• WYNR 102.5 (Country)
• WWSN 103.3 (Adult Contemporary)
• WKUB 105.1 (Country)

Health care

With over 1,000 employees and 100 physicians, Satilla Regional Medical Center is a leading center in health care in the area. The 3 story facility has a tramua unit, cancer care unit, outpatient surgery and imaging services. In 2012, Satilla Regional Medical Center joined the Mayo Clinic Health System and became "Mayo Clinic Health System in Waycross."

Transportation

U.S. Highway 82 is a east-west highway in Waycross. U.S. Highway 1 is north-south through Waycross. U.S. Highway 84 is east-west through Waycross. Waycross-Ware County Airport (IATA: AYS, ICAO: KAYS, FAA LID: AYS) is a public airport located three miles (5 km) northwest of the central business district of Waycross. It is owned by the City of Waycross and Ware County.

Demographics

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 15,333 people, 6,094 households, and 3,741 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,311.8 people per square mile (506.4/km²). There were 7,534 housing units at an average density of 644.5 per square mile (248.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 44.31% White, 53.51% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.62% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.68% from other races, and 0.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.37% of the population.

There were 6,094 households, out of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.3% were married couples living together, 21.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.6% were non-families. Individuals made up 34.9% of all households, and 16.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37, and the average family size was 3.09.

In the city the population was spread out, with 26.3% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 19.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 83.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $23,399, and the median income for a family was $28,712. Males had a median income of $24,865 versus $18,750 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,468. About 24.8% of families and 30.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 45.9% of those under age 18 and 17.0% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Ware County School District

The Ware County School District holds grades pre-school to grade twelve, that consists of a pre-school, six elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school.^[11] The district has 431 full-time teachers and over 6,370 students.^[12]

Private Education

• Southside Christian School
• Southeast Christian Academy

Higher education

• Waycross College - Main Campus^[13]
• Okefenokee Technical College - Waycross Campus^[14]

Famous natives and residents

• Gram Parsons - Country Singer/Musician of The Byrds, The Flying Burrito Brothers, and solo artist
• Ossie Davis - Actor, Writer, Director, Producer
• Pernell Roberts - actor
• Stanley Booth - author, journalist, music critic
• Sonora Webster Carver - First woman horse diver.
• Nikki DeLoach - Former member of the new MMC and the girl group innosense and actress on the television series North Shore and Windfall
• Tim McCray - Professional football player from 1985-1990 in the CFL
• Shoeless Joe Jackson - Professional baseball player
• Caroline Miller - Pulitzer Prize winning author
• Jay Gogue - Auburn University President
• Billy Carter- brother of President Jimmy Carter founder of Billy Beer
• Johnny Archer - American professional pool player - "The Scorpion"
• Will Denton - Current drummer for The JaneDear Girls, former drummer of dc talk, Steven Curtis Chapman and LeAnn Rimes
• Arthur Albertson - silent film actor, star of 50 silent films from 1914–1917
• Bill Darden - Founder of The Green Frog, Red Lobster and Darden Restaurants which owns Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Bahama Breeze, Seasons 52, Smokey Bones, LongHorn Steakhouse and The Capital Grille.
• Leodis McKelvin - member of the NFL's Buffalo Bills
• Don Wells - former member of the NFL's Green Bay Packers
• Nick Carroll, Evan Amburn, Dylan Crosby - The members that comprise the hippie rock band known as "The Woodgrains."
• Drayton Florence - member of NFL's Buffalo Bills, highest draft pick ever from Tuskegee University

References

Shoeless Joe jackson is not from Waycross

External links

• City of Waycross
• Waycross Local Community Website with Community Events Calendar
• Waycross Tourism & Conference Bureau
• Historic Waycross

v t e Municipalities and communities of Pierce County, Georgia, United States County seat: Blackshear Cities Blackshear Offerman Patterson Waycross‡ Unincorporated communities Bristol Jot Em Down Store Mershon Otter Creek Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

v t e Municipalities and communities of Ware County, Georgia, United States County seat: Waycross City Waycross‡ CDPs Deenwood Sunnyside Unincorporated communities Dixie Union Manor Millwood Ruskin Waresboro Bickley Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties