Ware County is a county located in the

southeastern The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...

part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 36,312. The county seat and only incorporated place is Waycross. Ware County is part of the Waycross, Georgia Micropolitan Statistical Area. By geographic area, Ware County is the largest county in Georgia.

History

Ware County, Georgia's 60th county, was created on December 15, 1824, by an act of the

Georgia General Assembly The Georgia General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is bicameral, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Each of the General Assembly's 236 members serve two-year terms and are directly ...

from land that was originally part of Appling County. The county is named for

Nicholas Ware Nicholas Ware (February 16, 1776September 7, 1824) was a United States senator from Georgia. Ware was born in Caroline County, Virginia and later moved with his parents to Edgefield, South Carolina and a few years later to Augusta, Georgia. He ...

, the mayor of Augusta, Georgia from (1819–1821) and United States Senator who represented Georgia from 1821 until his death in 1824. Several counties were later created from parts of the original Ware County borders: * Bacon County (from portions of Appling, Pierce, and Ware counties in 1917) * Charlton County (from portions of

Camden Camden may refer to: People * Camden (surname), a surname of English origin * Camden Joy (born 1964), American writer * Camden Toy (born 1957), American actor Places Australia * Camden, New South Wales * Camden, Rosehill, a heritage res ...

and Ware county in 1854) * Clinch County (from portions of Lowndes and Ware counties in 1850) * Coffee County (from portions of Clinch, Irwin, Telfair, and Ware counties in 1854) * Pierce County (from portions of Appling and Ware counties in 1857) Ware County was home to Laura S. Walker (1861-1955) a noted author and conservationist. Walker promoted a comprehensive program of forestry activity, including the establishment of 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. Walker wrote three books about the land and history of her home. They are: ''History of Ware County, Georgia'' ''About "Old Okefenåok"'' and ''Doctors of Primitive Times and Horse and Buggy Days of Ware County''. An effort to recognize her work culminated in President Franklin D. Roosevelt issuing a proclamation to establish the Laura S. Walker National Park, located in Ware County, 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.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.7%) is water. It is the largest county in Georgia by area. A large portion of the county lies within the Okefenokee Swamp and its federally protected areas. More than half of Ware County, made up by the western half of the southern portion of the county, the land bridge to the northern portion of the county, and the southern and western portion of the northern section of the county, is located in the Upper

Suwannee River The Suwannee River (also spelled Suwanee River) is a river that runs through south Georgia southward into Florida in the southern United States. It is a wild blackwater river, about long.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset hig ...

sub-basin of the Suwannee River basin. The eastern half of the southern portion of Ware County is located in the St. Marys River sub-basin of the St. Marys- Satilla River basin. The rest of the county, from just southeast to north and west of Waycross, is located in the Satilla River sub-basin of the same St. Marys-Satilla River basin.

Major highways

U.S. Route 1 * Business plate

U.S. Route 1 Business * US 23

U.S. Route 23 } U.S. Route 23 or U.S. Highway 23 (US 23) is a major north–south U.S. Highway between Jacksonville, Florida, and Mackinaw City, Michigan. It is an original 1926 route which originally reached only as far south as Portsmouth, Ohio, and has since ...

U.S. Route 23 Business * US 82

U.S. Route 82 U.S. Route 82 (US 82) is an east–west United States highway in the Southern United States. Created on July 1, 1931 across central Mississippi and southern Arkansas, US 82 eventually became a 1,625-mile (2,615 km) route extending from ...

U.S. Route 84 * Georgia 4

State Route 4 Route 4, or Highway 4, may refer to several highways in the following countries: International * AH4, Asian Highway 4 * European route E04 * European route E004 * Cairo – Cape Town Highway Albania * SH-4 road in Albania from Durres to Kakav ...

State Route 4 Business * Georgia 38

State Route 38 * Georgia 122

State Route 122 * Georgia 158

State Route 158 * Georgia 177

State Route 177 * Georgia 520

State Route 520

Adjacent counties

* Bacon County - north * Pierce County - east * Brantley County - east * Charlton County - southeast * Baker County, Florida - south * Clinch County - west * Atkinson County - west * Coffee County - northwest

National protected area

Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is a 402,000‑acre (1,627 km2) National Wildlife Refuge located in Charlton, Ware, and Clinch Counties of Georgia, and Baker County in Florida, United States. The refuge is administered from offices ...

(part)

Demographics

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 35,483 people, 13,475 households, and 9,297 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 15,831 housing units at an average density of 18 per square mile (7/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 69.65% White, 28.01% Black or African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.48%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.99% from other races, and 0.66% from two or more races. 1.94% of the population were Hispanic or

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race. According to the census of 2000, the largest ancestry groups in Ware County were English 46.13%,

African African or Africans may refer to: * Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa: ** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa *** Ethn ...

28.01%, Scots-Irish 12.29%,

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

4.3%, Irish 2.21% and

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

1.9%. There were 13,475 households, out of which 30.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.30% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 14.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.00% were non-families. 27.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.01. In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.80% under the age of 18, 9.10% from 18 to 24, 28.10% from 25 to 44, 22.60% from 45 to 64, and 15.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.50 males. The median income for a household in the county was $28,360, and the median income for a family was $34,372. Males had a median income of $26,910 versus $20,424 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,384. About 15.90% of families and 20.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.10% of those under age 18 and 16.70% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...

, there were 36,312 people, 13,654 households, and 9,209 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 16,326 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 66.4% white, 29.5% black or African American, 0.8% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 1.5% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.3% of the population. Of the 13,654 households, 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.6% were married couples living together, 17.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.6% were non-families, and 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.03. The median age was 38.4 years. The median income for a household in the county was $35,517 and the median income for a family was $47,609. Males had a median income of $36,149 versus $27,034 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,295. About 16.7% of families and 20.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.5% of those under age 18 and 10.3% of those age 65 or over.

2020 census

As of the

2020 United States Census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, there were 36,251 people, 13,823 households, and 8,909 families residing in the county.

Education

High schools

Ware County High School Ware County High School is the only public high school in Ware County, Georgia, United States. It is located in the city of Waycross. History Ware County High School was formed in 1958 by the merging of Waresboro High School and Wacona High ...

, Waycross

Middle schools

* Ware County Middle School, Waycross * Waycross Middle School, Waycross

Elementary schools

* Wacona Elementary School, Waycross * Center Elementary School, Waycross * Williams Heights Elementary School, Waycross * Memorial Drive Elementary School, Waycross * Ruskin Elementary School, Waycross * Waresboro Elementary School, Waycross

Preschools

* DAFFODIL Preschool, Waycross

Private schools

Southside Christian School

Higher education

* South Georgia State College, Waycross *

Coastal Pines Technical College Coastal Pines Technical College (CPTC) is a community college in Waycross, Georgia, with six branches in other cities. It has a thirteen-county service delivery area (SDA), covering a total of 7,433 square miles, which is the largest SDA in the T ...

, Waycross

Communities

City

* Waycross

Census-designated places

* Deenwood * Sunnyside

Unincorporated communities

Bickley Bickley is a district and a local government electoral ward in South East London, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is located 10.4 miles (16.7 km) south east of Charing Cross, bordering Elmstead, London, Elmstead to the north, Chis ...

* Dixie Union *

Manor Manor may refer to: Land ownership *Manorialism or "manor system", the method of land ownership (or "tenure") in parts of medieval Europe, notably England *Lord of the manor, the owner of an agreed area of land (or "manor") under manorialism *Man ...

* Millwood * Ruskin * Waresboro * Jamestown

Politics

References

External links

Official Ware County website

Ware County Community Website & Community Calendar

History of Ware County, Georgia
- Laura S. Walker
Doctors of Primitive Times and Horse and Buggy Days of Ware County
- Laura S. Walker
Georgia GenWeb Ware County site

Okefenokee Swamp Park homepage

Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service {{Coord, 31.05, -82.42, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-GA_source:UScensus1990 Georgia (U.S. state) counties 1824 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) Populated places established in 1824 Waycross, Georgia micropolitan area