Waycross, Georgia

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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.

Contents

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Climate

Climate data for Waycross
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 86
(30)		 88
(31)		 95
(35)		 96
(36)		 102
(39)		 106
(41)		 105
(41)		 106
(41)		 104
(40)		 99
(37)		 92
(33)		 87
(31)		 106
(41)
Average high °F (°C) 66
(19)		 67
(19)		 73
(23)		 80
(27)		 87
(31)		 92
(33)		 93
(34)		 92
(33)		 89
(32)		 81
(27)		 72
(22)		 65
(18)		 80
(27)
Daily mean °F (°C) 53
(12)		 55
(13)		 61
(16)		 67
(19)		 74
(23)		 80
(27)		 82
(28)		 81
(27)		 78
(26)		 69
(21)		 59
(15)		 53
(12)		 68
(20)
Average low °F (°C) 41
(5)		 43
(6)		 49
(9)		 55
(13)		 62
(17)		 69
(21)		 71
(22)		 71
(22)		 67
(19)		 57
(14)		 46
(8)		 41
(5)		 56
(13)
Record low °F (°C) 13
(−11)		 4
(−16)		 20
(−7)		 32
(0)		 40
(4)		 48
(9)		 58
(14)		 57
(14)		 41
(5)		 27
(−3)		 18
(−8)		 12
(−11)		 4
(−16)
Precipitation inches (cm) 3
(8)		 3.8
(10)		 3.6
(9)		 3.1
(8)		 3.5
(9)		 5.5
(14)		 6.9
(18)		 5.9
(15)		 4.9
(12)		 2.7
(7)		 2.1
(5)		 3
(8)		 48
(122)
Snowfall inches (cm) 0.1
(0.3)		 0.1
(0.3)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0.2
(0.5)
Avg. precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 6.2 7.3 6.6 6.2 6.5 8.3 9.5 8.6 7.4 4.5 3.8 6.2 81.1
Source: Weatherbase [10]


[edit] Media

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)

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Education

[edit] 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]

[edit] Private Education

[edit] Higher education

[edit] Famous natives and residents

[edit] References

  1. ^ U.S. Census Bureau. Census 2000, Summary File 1. GCT-PH1. Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2000 by county subdivision and place, "Pierce County". American FactFinder. <http://factfinder.census.gov>. http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?_bm=y&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&-mt_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_GCTPH1_CO1&-tree_id=4001&-geo_id=05000US13229&-format=CO-2&-_lang=en GCT-PH1. Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2000 by county subdivision and place,. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  2. ^ U.S. Census Bureau. Census 2000, Summary File 1. GCT-PH1. Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2000 by county subdivision and place, "Ware County". American FactFinder. <http://factfinder.census.gov>. http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?_bm=y&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&-mt_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_GCTPH1_CO1&-tree_id=4001&-geo_id=05000US13299&-format=CO-2&-_lang=en GCT-PH1. Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2000 by county subdivision and place,. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  3. ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  4. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  5. ^ "1990 Census of Population and Housing, Population and Housing Unit Counts: Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1992-09-29. p. III-4. http://www.census.gov/prod/cen1990/cph2/cph-2-12.pdf. Retrieved 2008-07-16. 
  6. ^ "Subcounty population estimates: Georgia 2000-2008" (CSV). United States Census Bureau, Population Division. 2009-07-01. http://www.census.gov/popest/cities/files/SUB-EST2008-13.csv. Retrieved 2009-09-11. 
  7. ^ MICROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREAS AND COMPONENTS, Office of Management and Budget, 2007-05-11. Accessed 2008-07-27.
  8. ^ Ware County Courthouse entry on GeorgiaInfo.com Ware County Courthouse, Carl Vinson Institute of Government, 2008. Accessed 2008-07-16.
  9. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 
  10. ^ "Historical Weather for Waycross, Georgia, United States". Weatherbase. http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=059737&refer=. Retrieved 2010-06-29. 
  11. ^ Georgia Board of Education, Retrieved June 29, 2010.
  12. ^ School Stats, Retrieved June 29, 2010.
  13. ^ Waycross College, Retrieved June 29, 2010.
  14. ^ Okefenokee Technical College- Waycross Campus, Retrieved June 29, 2010.

[edit] External links

Municipalities and communities of Pierce County, Georgia, United States
Cities
Unincorporated
communities
Footnotes

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties
Municipalities and communities of Ware County, Georgia, United States
County seat: Waycross
City
  • Waycross‡
CDPs
Unincorporated
communities
Footnotes

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Waycross,_Georgia&oldid=474945252"
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