Waycross, Georgia

History

Waycross includes two historic districts (Downtown Waycross Historic District and Waycross Historic District) and several other properties that are on the National Register of Historic Places, including the U.S. Post Office and Courthouse, Lott Cemetery, the First African Baptist Church and Parsonage, and the Obediah Barber Homestead (which is seven miles south of the city).

The area now known as Waycross was first settled , locally known as "Old Nine" or "Number Nine" and then Pendleton. It was renamed Tebeauville in 1857, incorporated under that name in 1866, and designated county seat of Ware County in 1873. It was incorporated as "Way Cross" on March 3, 1874.

The city council in Waycross opened municipal primary elections to white women in 1917, the first town in Georgia to do so.{{cite journal|last=Taylor |first=A. Elizabeth |date=March 1959 |title=The Last Phase of the Woman Suffrage Movement in Georgia |journal=Georgia Historical Quarterly

Waycross was home to Laura S. Walker (1861–1955) a noted author and conservationist. Walker promoted a comprehensive program of forestry activity, including establishing forest parks. She erected markers and monuments along old trails and at historic sites, in Waycross and Ware County so that local history would not be forgotten. An effort to recognize her work culminated in President Franklin D Roosevelt issuing a proclamation to establish the Laura S Walker National Park in her honor. She was the only living person for whom a state or national park was named. In 1937, the federal government purchased distressed farmland for the park. Work on the park was undertaken by the Works Progress Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps. In 1941, the national park was deeded over to Georgia, becoming the State's 13th state park.

Waycross was the site of a B-29 crash in 1948, which led to the legal case United States v. Reynolds (1953), expanding the government's state secrets privilege.

During the 1950s the city had a tourist gimmick: 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.

In the mid-1990s, Walter "Bubba" Eaves created a frozen hamburger ("Bubba Burger") that needed no defrosting. This was the marketed by Eaves Foods, Inc., which changed its name to Flanders Hamburgers in 2000. Bubba Burgers are now sold nationwide as well as worldwide through the United States Military Commissary system.

Geography

Waycross is located at (31.213860, -82.354911) 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 sqmi, of which 11.7 sqmi is land and 0.04 sqmi, or 0.17%, is water. The closest major city is Jacksonville, Florida, which is roughly 81 mi away.

In May 2010, the city purchased the Bandalong Litter Trap and installed it in Tebeau Creek, a tributary of the Satilla River. The trap was invented in Australia, but is manufactured in the United States. Although the city has maintained good standing with the state's Environmental Protection Division, the city wanted to take action to reduce the amount of human-generated trash entering the Satilla River and ultimately the Atlantic Ocean. Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue said, "Water is one of Georgia's most important and precious resources... the litter trap installed by Waycross is a model of stewardship for the state and the nation." The Satilla River litter trap is the first in Georgia and only the second in the nation.

A portion of Waycross had been situated in Pierce County but effective July 1, 2015, it was no longer allowed to be located in that county. State Rep. Chad Nimmer had introduced HB 523 during the 2015 Legislative Session without providing the required statutory notice to the City of Waycross. It de-annexed the portion of Waycross located in Pierce County and precluded it from coming back into Pierce County.

Climate

|Jan record high F = 88 |Feb record high F = 88 |Mar record high F = 95 |Apr record high F = 98 |May record high F = 104 |Jun record high F = 106 |Jul record high F = 108 |Aug record high F = 106 |Sep record high F = 104 |Oct record high F = 99 |Nov record high F = 92 |Dec record high F = 87 |year record high F = 108 |Jan record low F = 2 |Feb record low F = 2 |Mar record low F = 15 |Apr record low F = 22 |May record low F = 33 |Jun record low F = 43 |Jul record low F = 54 |Aug record low F = 57 |Sep record low F = 34 |Oct record low F = 22 |Nov record low F = 18 |Dec record low F = 8 |year record low F = 2

Demographics

1850-1870 1870-1880 1890-1910 1920-1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

As of the 2020 United States census, 13,942 people, 5,748 households, and 3,197 families reside in the city.

Media

• Waycross Journal-Herald discontinued, restarted as weekly paper(daily newspaper)
• The Florida Times-Union (Georgia Times-Union edition)
• Waycross Area Television Service (WATS) Channel 10

;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 (Adult Contemporary)
• WYNR 102.5 (Country)
• WQGA 103.3 (Adult Contemporary)
• WKUB 105.1 (Country)
• WSGT 107.1 (Oldies)

Television

WXGA-TV, a Georgia Public Broadcasting outlet, is licensed to Waycross and also serves nearby Valdosta.

Waycross is part of the Jacksonville, Florida television market.

Health care

With over 100 employees and 10 physicians, Satilla Regional Medical Center is a leading center in health care in the area. The three-story facility has a trauma unit, cancer care unit, outpatient surgery and imaging services. In 2012, Satilla Regional Medical Center joined the Mayo Clinic Health System and became the Mayo Clinic Health System in Waycross. The Mayo Clinic ceased operations at the hospital in 2015. The hospital later joined HCA Healthcare and has since been renamed Memorial Satilla Health.

Education

Ware County School District

The Ware County School District offers preschool to grade twelve, and consists of a preschool, six elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school. The district has 431 full-time teachers and over 6,370 students.

Private education

• Southside Christian School (dissolved as of May 2024)
• Lighthouse Christian Academy (est. 2024)
• Discovery Montessori School
• St Joseph Academy operated from September 1948 to June 1976. Parochial school (K-8) affiliated with St Joseph's Catholic Church.

Higher education

• South Georgia State College - Waycross campus
• Coastal Pines Technical College - Waycross campus

Transportation

U.S. Highway 1 runs north–south through Waycross, while concurrent with U.S. Highway 23. U.S. Highway 82 and U.S. Highway 84 run 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. The City of Waycross and Ware County own it.

Waycross had been a major junction on the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (post-1967: Seaboard Coast Line Railroad); currently, those routes are operated by successor CSX. Tracks run from Waycross northeast to Jesup, east to Nahunta, southeast to Folkston, southwest to Valdosta, west to Axson and northwest (over pre-1946 tracks of the Atlanta, Birmingham and Coast Railroad) to Douglas. CSX operates Rice Yard, a major "hump" classification yard, here. Rice Yard is also home to CSX's largest locomotive and car shops.

Notable people

• Johnny Archer — professional pool player, "The Scorpion"
• Michael P. Boggs — Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia and former judge on the Georgia Court of Appeals.
• Stanley Booth — author, journalist, music critic
• Billy Carter — brother of former President Jimmy Carter, promoter of Billy Beer
• Sonora Webster Carver — first woman horse diver
• Tommy Castellanos — quarterback at Florida State
• Ossie Davis — actor, writer, director, producer, Kennedy Center Honors award recipient, was born in Clinch County
• Nikki DeLoach — former member of The New Mickey Mouse Club, the girl group Innosense, and actress on the television series North Shore and Windfall
• Harry D. Dixon — state representative; served in the Georgia House of Representatives for 38 years; served on the board of the Georgia Department of Transportation
• Drayton Florence — professional football player, cornerback who played 11 seasons in NFL, highest draft pick ever from Tuskegee University
• Ernest Jones - professional football player for the Seattle Seahawks
• Tim McCray — professional football player from 1985 to 1990 in the CFL with the Saskatchewan Roughriders
• Leodis McKelvin — former cornerback in the NFL
• Caroline Pafford Miller — Pulitzer Prize-winning author
• Gram Parsons — country singer and musician; The Byrds, The Flying Burrito Brothers, and solo artist
• Pernell Roberts — actor, star of TV series Bonanza and Trapper John, M.D., was born in Waycross
• Bill Shanks — Atlanta Braves sportscaster
• Brenda Wilkinson — writer raised in Waycross whose Ludell books are set there

References

References

1. {{cite American Factfinder2. 2. 13299. county. Ware County
2. (24 August 2019). "Breaking News: Surprise!!! Michael-Angelo James you're Mayor-elect of Waycross, Georgia. #HeDidItAgain #HeGetsAllTheGlory".
3. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
4. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
5. (2007-10-25). "US Board on Geographic Names". [[United States Geological Survey]].
6. [http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/topics/cities/waycross City of Waycross entry on GeorgiaInfo.com] Retrieved 2017-02-03.
7. [http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/topics/counties/ware Ware County entry on GeorgiaInfo.com] Retrieved 2017-02-03.
8. Eltzroth, E. L... (20 July 2020). "Woman Suffrage".
9. "Laura S. Walker: The Woman Behind the Park". Friends of Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites.
10. "Current Use of Federal Land Utilization Projects Granted to State and Local Agencies". Department of Forestry and Natural Resources Clemson University.
11. "Laura S. Walker State Park Established 1941". Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
12. (May 15, 2016). "The topsy-turvy life of former Miami-Dade commissioner ends in gunfire". The Miami Herald.
13. Hinson, John. (2015). "Hang the Elephant". Lulu Press.
14. (August 27, 1996). "Frozen Burgers Make a Big Splash Across the South". The Augusta Chronicle.
15. [https://web.archive.org/web/20130726220015/http://www.bubba-burger.com/heritage.html Bubba Burger Heritage] Retrieved 2013-10-08.
16. (2011-02-12). "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". [[United States Census Bureau]].
17. (May 26, 2010). "Georgia's First Bandalong Litter Trap Launched". Storm Water Solutions Magazine.
18. "Representative Chad Nimmer".
19. "House Bill 523 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE)".
20. "NOWData - NOAA Online Weather Data". NOAA.
21. "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decade". [[United States Census Bureau]].
22. (1870). "1870 Census of Population - Georgia - Population of Civil Divisions less than Counties". [[United States Census Bureau]].
23. (1880). "1880 Census of Population - Georgia - Population of Civil Divisions less than Counties". [[United States Census Bureau]].
24. (1910). "1910 Census of Population - Georgia". [[United States Census Bureau]].
25. (1930). "1930 Census of Population - Georgia". [[United States Census Bureau]].
26. (1940). "1940 Census of Population - Georgia". [[United States Census Bureau]].
27. (1950). "1950 Census of Population - Georgia". [[United States Census Bureau]].
28. (1960). "1960 Census of Population - Population of County Subdivisions - Georgia". [[United States Census Bureau]].
29. (1970). "1970 Census of Population - Population of County Subdivisions - Georgia". [[United States Census Bureau]].
30. (1980). "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia". [[United States Census Bureau]].
31. (1990). "1990 Census of Population - Summary Social, Economic, and Housing Characteristics - Georgia". [[United States Census Bureau]].
32. (2000). "2000 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Georgia". [[United States Census Bureau]].
33. (2010). "2010 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Georgia". [[United States Census Bureau]].
34. "Explore Census Data".
35. Herald, Waycross Journal. (May 1, 2024). "wjhnews.com".
36. "- City of Waycross".
37. "Hospital and ER in Waycross, GA - Memorial Satilla Health".
38. (March 2020)
39. [http://www.school-stats.com/GA/WARE/WARE_COUNTY.html School Stats], Retrieved June 29, 2010.
40. www.thirdwavedigital.com, Third Wave Digital -. "Home - South Georgia State College".
41. "Home - Future Students - coastalpines.edu".
42. "CSX System Map".
43. Stevens, Bill. (February 2025). "CSX works to increase car handling ability at crucial hump yard in Waycross, Ga.". Firecrown Media.