Waynesboro is a city in Burke County,

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, United States. The population was 5,766 at the 2010 census. The city is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

of Burke County. It is part of the

Augusta, Georgia metropolitan area The Augusta metropolitan area is a metropolitan area in the U.S. states of Georgia and South Carolina centered on the principal city of Augusta. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget, Census Bureau and other agencies define Augusta's Met ...

. Waynesboro is known as "The

Bird Dog Pointing dogs, sometimes called bird dogs, are a type of gundog typically used in finding game. Gundogs are traditionally divided into three classes: retrievers, flushing dogs, and pointing breeds. The name ''pointer'' comes from the dog's i ...

Capital of the World". The Waynesboro Commercial Historic District is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

History

Waynesboro is located in Burke County, one of the eight original counties of Georgia. The city was named after General

Anthony Wayne Anthony Wayne (January 1, 1745 – December 15, 1796) was an American soldier, officer, statesman, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He adopted a military career at the outset of the American Revolutionary War, where his mil ...

, whose daring efforts during the Revolutionary War earned him the nickname "Mad Anthony Wayne". Although European Americans lived in the area before the Revolutionary War, the town was not laid out until 1783. The city was officially incorporated in 1883 as Waynesborough. The name was changed to Waynesboro sometime after. It developed as the trading and government center of the county, and is the site of the county courthouse and jail. President

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

spent the night of May 17, 1791, in Waynesboro. A stone monument on Liberty Street marks the historical site; it stands in front of the Golden Pantry (formerly Kwik Stop). On December 4, 1864, the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

Battle of Waynesboro was fought just south of the town. Forces under

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

General

Judson Kilpatrick Hugh Judson Kilpatrick (January 14, 1836 – December 4, 1881) was an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War, achieving the rank of Brevet (military), brevet Major general (United States), major general. He was later the United S ...

prevented troops led by

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

General

Joseph Wheeler Joseph "Fighting Joe" Wheeler (September 10, 1836 – January 25, 1906) was an American military commander and politician. He was a cavalry general in the Confederate States Army in the 1860s during the American Civil War, and then a general in ...

from interfering with Union General William T. Sherman's campaign to destroy a wide swathe of the South on his march to

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Br ...

, and the Atlantic Ocean.

Geography

Waynesboro is located in the center of Burke County at (33.090482, -82.015404).

U.S. Route 25 U.S. Route 25 (US 25) is a north–south United States Highway that runs for in the southern and midwestern US. Its southern terminus is in Brunswick, Georgia, from where it proceeds mostly due north, passing through the cities of Augusta, Georg ...

bypasses the city on the east side, while State Route 121 passes through the center as Liberty Street. To the north it is to downtown Augusta, and to the south it is to Statesboro. According to the

United States 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 ...

, Waynesboro has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.96%, is water. The city's elevation is above sea level. Pine, oak, dogwood, and other trees found in the South are in Waynesboro.

Demographics

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 5,799 people, 1,991 households, and 1,339 families residing in the city.

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 5,766 people living in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 70.4% Black, 25.9% White, <0.1% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.1% from some other race and 1.0% from two or more races. 2.0% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

2000 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2000, there were 5,813 people, 2,151 households, and 1,473 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 2,395 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 62.55%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 35.89%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 0.10% Native American, 0.09%

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 ...

, 0.41% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 0.96% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

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 were 1.20% of the population. There were 2,151 households, out of which 37.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.1% 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, 32.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.5% were non-families. 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.21. In the city, the population was spread out, with 33.3% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 24.6% from 25 to 44, 17.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 78.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 69.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $20,346, and the median income for a family was $24,012. Males had a median income of $30,750 versus $19,462 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $12,151. About 35.3% of families and 42.6% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 60.6% of those under age 18 and 28.9% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Nuclear power plant

On February 2, 2010, President Obama was expected to announce a total of $8.3 billion in federal loan guarantees to build and operate a pair of

nuclear reactor A nuclear reactor is a device used to initiate and control a fission nuclear chain reaction or nuclear fusion reactions. Nuclear reactors are used at nuclear power plants for electricity generation and in nuclear marine propulsion. Heat from nu ...

s in Burke County by Southern Company, an Atlanta-based energy company. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) offered Southern Company's subsidiary, Georgia Power, a conditional commitment for loan guarantees for the construction of the nation's first nuclear power units in more than 30 years. The new units will be located at Plant Vogtle along the

Savannah River The Savannah River is a major river in the southeastern United States, forming most of the border between the states of South Carolina and Georgia. Two tributaries of the Savannah, the Tugaloo River and the Chattooga River, form the norther ...

east of Waynesboro, where the company already owns and operates two nuclear units. The conditional commitment is for loan guarantees that would apply to future borrowings related to the construction of Vogtle units 3 and 4.

Arts and culture

The Burke County Museum traces the area's history, from plantation life to the establishment of agribusiness.

Education

Burke County School District

K-12 K-1 is a professional kickboxing promotion established in 1993, well known worldwide mainly for its heavyweight division fights and Grand Prix tournaments. In January 2012, K-1 Global Holdings Limited, a company registered in Hong Kong, acquired ...

public education in Waynesboro is managed by Burke County Public Schools, with one high school, one middle school, two elementary/one primary school, and one alternative school and four private schools. * SGA Elementary School (Pre k-5) * Blakeney Elementary School (3-5) * Waynesboro Primary School (pre K-2) * Burke County Middle School (6-8) *

Burke County High School Burke County High School is a public high school located in Waynesboro, Georgia, United States. The school is part of the Burke County School District, which serves Burke County. In 2011, the Burke County Bears football team won the 3A state ch ...

(9-12) * Burke County Alternative School (6-12) Private Schools * Burke Haven Christian (K-8) * Edmund Burke Academy (Pre K-12) * Lord's House of Praise Christian (Pre K-11) * Waynesboro Mennonite School (1-12)

Burke County Bears

Waynesboro is the home to the Burke County Bears high school sports teams. The Bears won the 2011 state

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

championship against the Trojans of Peach County. Back in the 1950s, the former Waynesboro High School team, the Purple Hurricanes, won the state championship, but the Bears had not won a state championship football game until 2011.

Higher education

Augusta Technical College Augusta Technical College is a public technical school based in Augusta, Georgia. It was opened in 1961 and is part of the Technical College System of Georgia. The school has three campuses, one in Augusta (Richmond County), another in Thomson ...

, Waynesboro campus

Notable people

Jonathan Broxton Jonathan Roy Broxton (born June 16, 1984) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Kansas City Royals, Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardin ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

playerCrasnick, Jerry. "Royals, Jonathan Broxton agree to deal." ESPN, Nov. 29, 2011. Accessed Nov. 29, 2011. http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7293835/los-angeles-dodgers-free-agent-jonathan-broxton-reaches-deal-kansas-city-royals *

Wycliffe Gordon Wycliffe A. Gordon (born May 29, 1967) is an American jazz trombonist, arranger, composer, band leader, and music educator at the collegiate-conservatory level. Gordon also sings and plays didgeridoo, trumpet, soprano trombone, tuba, and piano ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

trombonist The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate ...

Cornelius Washington Cornelius Davis Washington (born September 10, 1989) is an American football coach and former defensive end who is currently the Recruiting Communications Coordinator for the Washington Huskies football team. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears ...

, NFL player * Robert Lee Scott, Jr.,

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

fighter ace * Beau Jack, born Sidney Walker,

Boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...

World Champion Boxer

History

Geography

Demographics

2020 census

2010 census

2000 census

Economy

Nuclear power plant

Arts and culture

Education

Burke County School District

Burke County Bears

Higher education

Notable people

See also

References

External links