Waycross is the county seat of and only incorporated city in

Ware County Ware County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 36,251. The county seat and only incorporated place is Waycross. Ware County is part of the Waycross, Georgia m ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. The population was 13,942 in the 2020 census. Waycross gets its name from the city's location at key railroad junctions; lines from six directions meet at the city.

History

Waycross includes two

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains historic building, older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal p ...

s ( Downtown Waycross Historic District and

Waycross Historic District The Waycross Historic District is a historic district which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. The district then included 237 contributing buildings In the law regulating historic districts in the United Sta ...

) and several other properties that are on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

, including the U.S. Post Office and Courthouse,

Lott Cemetery Lott Cemetery is a cemetery in Waycross, Georgia that was established in 1877. It occupies the block bounded by Butler, Tebeau, Quarterman, and Pendleton streets. There were no areas designated for religious or ethnic groups. African-American ...

, the First African Baptist Church and Parsonage, and the

Obediah Barber Homestead The Obediah Barber Homestead is a late-19th century homestead of Obediah Barber (1825-1909). The homestead was built in 1870 and is near the northern edge of the Okefenokee Swamp in Ware County, Georgia, 7 miles south of Waycross, Georgia. Bar ...

(which is seven miles south of the city). The area now known as Waycross was first settled ''circa'' 1820, 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

in 1873. It was incorporated as "Way Cross" on March 3, 1874.City of Waycross entry on GeorgiaInfo.com
Retrieved 2017-02-03. The city council in Waycross opened municipal

primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Work ...

elections to white women in 1917, the first town in Georgia to do so. This action was taken because some of the largest property owners in town were women who wanted a say in how their tax dollars were spent. It wasn't until two years later in 1919 that Atlanta became the second Georgia city to do this. Georgia women would not generally get the right to vote in all elections until 1922. Waycross was home to

Laura S. Walker Laura Singleton Walker (February 28, 1861 – April 9, 1955) was an American author and conservationist. Laura S. Walker State Park, in Waycross, Georgia, is named in her honor. Biography Early years Laura Singleton was born February 28, ...

(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

so that local history would not be forgotten. An effort to recognize her work culminated in President

Franklin D Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

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 The Works Progress Administration (WPA; from 1935 to 1939, then known as the Work Projects Administration from 1939 to 1943) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to car ...

and the

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government unemployment, work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was ...

. 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 ''United States v. Reynolds'', 345 U.S. 1 (1953), is a landmark legal case decided in 1953, which saw the formal recognition of the state secrets privilege, a judicially recognized extension of presidential power. The US Supreme Court confirm ...

'' (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 Okefenokee Swamp is a shallow, 438,000-acre (177,000 ha), peat-filled wetland straddling the Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia–Florida line in the United States. A majority of the swamp is protected by the Okefenokee National Wildlife Ref ...

. 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

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (0.17%) is water. The closest major city is

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

, which is roughly 81 miles away. In May 2010, the city purchased the Bandalong Litter Trap and installed it in Tebeau Creek, a tributary of the

Satilla River The Satilla River rises in Ben Hill County, Georgia, United States, near the town of Fitzgerald, and flows in a mostly easterly direction to the Atlantic Ocean. Along its approximately U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset hi ...

. The trap was invented in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, 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 The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

. Georgia Governor

Sonny Perdue George Ervin "Sonny" Perdue III (born December 20, 1946) is an American politician, veterinarian, and businessman who served as the 31st United States secretary of agriculture from 2017 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party (United States), ...

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

Demographics

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 ''The Florida Times-Union'' is a daily newspaper in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. Widely known as the oldest newspaper in the state, it began publication as the ''Florida Union'' in 1864. Its current incarnation started in 1883, when t ...

'' (''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 WQGA (103.3 FM, "103Q") is a commercial radio station licensed to Waycross, Georgia, and serving the Brunswick, Georgia, and Jacksonville, Florida, area. The station is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc., through licensee iHM Licenses, LLC, and airs ...

103.3 (Adult Contemporary) * WKUB 105.1 (Country) * WSGT 107.1 (Oldies)

Television

WXGA-TV, a

Georgia Public Broadcasting Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) is a state network of PBS member television stations and NPR member radio stations serving the U.S. state of Georgia. It is operated by the Georgia Public Telecommunications Commission, an agency of the ...

outlet, is licensed to Waycross and also serves nearby Valdosta. Waycross is part of the

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 of the hospital in 2015. The hospital later joined

HCA Healthcare HCA Healthcare, Inc. (historically known as Hospital Corporation of America) is an American for-profit operator of health care facilities that was founded in 1968. It is based in Nashville, Tennessee, and, as of May 2020, owned and operated 18 ...

and has since been renamed Memorial Satilla Health.

Education

Ware County School District

The Ware County School District offers pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of a pre-school, 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 - June 1976. Parochial school (K-8) affiliated with St Joseph's Catholic Church.

Higher education

South Georgia State College South Georgia State College is a public college in Douglas, Georgia, Douglas and Waycross, Georgia, United States. It is part of the University System of Georgia. History Eleventh District A & M School On August 18, 1906, the Georgia Gene ...

- Waycross campus *

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 ...

- Waycross campus

Transportation

U.S. Highway 1 runs north–south through Waycross, while concurrent with

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

U.S. Highway 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 route extending from the White Sands of New ...

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 The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was a United States Class I railroad formed in 1900, though predecessor railroads had used the ACL brand since 1871. In 1967, it merged with long-time rival Seaboard Air Line Railroad to form the Seaboard Coast ...

(post-1967:

Seaboard Coast Line Railroad The Seaboard Coast Line Railroad was a Class I railroad company operating in the Southeastern United States beginning in 1967. Its passenger operations were taken over by Amtrak in 1971. Eventually, the railroad was merged with its affiliate lin ...

); currently, those routes are operated by successor

CSX CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Railroad classes, Class I freight railroad company operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Operating about 21,000 route miles () of trac ...

. Tracks run from Waycross northeast to Jesup, east to Nahunta, southeast to Folkston, southwest to

Valdosta Valdosta is a city in and the county seat of Lowndes County in the U.S. state of Georgia. As the principal city of the Valdosta metropolitan statistical area, which in 2023 had a metropolitan population of 151,118, according to the US Census B ...

, west to Axson and northwest (over pre-1946 tracks of the

Atlanta, Birmingham and Coast Railroad The Atlanta, Birmingham and Coast Railroad was organized in 1926 to replace the bankrupt Atlanta, Birmingham and Atlantic Railway. The AB&C was controlled by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, which owned a majority of the stock. In 1944 it reporte ...

) to

Douglas Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals * Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking * Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil ...

. 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 Johnny Archer (born November 12, 1968) is an American professional pool player. He is nicknamed "the Scorpion" (his zodiac sign is Scorpio). He is a two time World Nine-ball Champion & won a record 5 Sands Regency 9-Ball Open titles. In 2009, ...

— professional

pool Pool may refer to: Bodies of water * Swimming pool, usually an artificial structure containing a large body of water intended for swimming * Reflecting pool, a shallow pool designed to reflect a structure and its surroundings * Tide pool, a roc ...

player, "The Scorpion" * Michael P. Boggs — Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia and former judge on the

Georgia Court of Appeals The Georgia Court of Appeals is the intermediate-level appellate court for the state of Georgia, United States. The court is a single entity with fifteen judges. The judges are assigned into five divisions of three judges each, with the assignm ...

. *

Stanley Booth Stanley Booth (January 5, 1942 – December 19, 2024) was an American music journalist based in Memphis, Tennessee. Characterized by Richie Unterberger as a "fine, if not extremely prolific, writer who generally speaking specializes in portrait ...

— author, journalist, music critic *

Billy Carter William Alton Carter (March 29, 1937 – September 25, 1988) was an American farmer, businessman, brewer, and politician. The younger brother of U.S. President Jimmy Carter, he promoted Billy Beer and Peanut Lolita; and he was a candidate for ...

— brother of former President

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

, promoter of

Billy Beer Billy Beer is a brand of beer first made in the United States in July 1977, by the Falls City Brewing Company. It was promoted by Billy Carter, whose older brother Jimmy Carter, Jimmy was then the president of the United States. In October 1978, ...

* Sonora Webster Carver — first woman horse diver * Thomas Castellanos — quarterback at

Florida State Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...

Ossie Davis Ossie Davis (born Raiford Chatman Davis; December 18, 1917 – February 4, 2005) was an American actor, Film director, director, writer, and activist. He was married to Ruby Dee, with whom he frequently performed, until his death. He received num ...

— actor, writer, director, producer,

Kennedy Center Honors The Kennedy Center Honors are annual honors given to those in the performing arts for their lifetime of contributions to Culture of the United States, American culture. They have been presented annually since 1978, culminating each December in ...

award recipient, was born in Clinch County *

Nikki DeLoach Nikki DeLoach (born September 9, 1979) is an American actress. Best known as Lacey Hamilton in '' Awkward'' (2011–2016), MJ in '' North Shore'' (2004–2005), and Brenda in ''Days of Our Lives'' (2007–2009). Early life DeLoach was born in Wa ...

— former member of '' The New Mickey Mouse Club'', the girl group , and actress on the television series '' North Shore'' and '' Windfall'' * Harry D. Dixon — state representative; served in the

Georgia House of Representatives The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly (the state legislature) of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. There are currently 180 elected members. Republican Party (United States), Repu ...

for 38 years; served on the board of the

Georgia Department of Transportation The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) is the organization in charge of developing and maintaining all state and federal roadways in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. In addition to highways, the department also has a li ...

* Drayton Florence — professional football player, cornerback who played 11 seasons in

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

, highest draft pick ever from

Tuskegee University Tuskegee University (Tuskegee or TU; formerly known as the Tuskegee Institute) is a private, historically black land-grant university in Tuskegee, Alabama, United States. It was founded as a normal school for teachers on July 4, 1881, by the ...

Ernest Jones Alfred Ernest Jones (1 January 1879 – 11 February 1958) was a Welsh neurologist and psychoanalyst. A lifelong friend and colleague of Sigmund Freud from their first meeting in 1908, he became his official biographer. Jones was the first En ...

- professional football player for the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...

Tim McCray Tim McCray (born August 20, 1960) was a Canadian Football League (CFL) running back for the Ottawa Rough Riders from 1984 through 1985, and for the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 1986 through 1990. He was an All-Star in 1989, the same year the Rou ...

— professional football player from 1985 to 1990 in the

CFL The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division and five in the West Division. The CFL is the highest pr ...

with the

Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in 19 ...

Leodis McKelvin Leodis Anquan McKelvin (born September 4, 1985) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Troy Trojans, earning first-t ...

— former cornerback in the NFL * Caroline Pafford Miller —

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...

-winning author *

Gram Parsons Ingram Cecil Connor III (November 5, 1946 – September 19, 1973), known professionally as Gram Parsons, was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and pianist. He recorded with the International Submarine Band, the Byrds, and the Flying Bu ...

—

country singer Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

and

musician A musician is someone who Composer, composes, Conducting, conducts, or Performing arts#Performers, performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general Terminology, term used to designate a person who fol ...

;

The Byrds The Byrds () were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) being the so ...

The Flying Burrito Brothers The Flying Burrito Brothers are an American country rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1968, best known for their influential 1969 debut album, ''The Gilded Palace of Sin''. Although the group is known for its connection to band f ...

, and solo artist *

Pernell Roberts Pernell Elven Roberts Jr. (May 18, 1928 – January 24, 2010) was an American stage, film, and television actor, activist, and singer. In addition to guest-starring in over 60 television series, he was best known for his roles as Ben Cartw ...

— actor, star of TV series ''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 12, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 431 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running Western, the second-longest-running Western series on ...

'' and '' Trapper John, M.D.'', was born in Waycross * Bill Shanks —

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

sportscaster *

Brenda Wilkinson Brenda Scott Wilkinson (born 1946) is an American writer of books for children and young adults. She is known for her ''Ludell'' trilogy of young adult novels, the first of which was a finalist for the 1976 National Book Award for Young People's Li ...

— writer raised in Waycross whose ''Ludell'' books are set there

References

External links

City of Waycross
*
Waycross Tourism & Conference Bureau

Historic Waycross

South Georgia Historic Newspapers Archive
Digital Library of Georgia {{authority control Cities in Georgia (U.S. state) Waycross, Georgia micropolitan area Cities in Ware County, Georgia County seats in Georgia (U.S. state)