Waycross, Georgia

Street in the Downtown Waycross Historic District

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 Ware County in 1873. It was incorporated as "Way Cross" on March 3, 1874.[7][8] Waycross gets its name from the city's location at key railroad junctions; lines from six directions meet at the city.[7]

Waycross 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. 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.[9] In 1937, the federal government purchased distressed farmland for the park.[10][11] 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.[11]

Waycross was the site of the 1948 Waycross B-29 crash, 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.[12][13]

In the mid-1990s, the Bubba Burger, a frozen hamburger that needed no defrosting, was created in Waycross.[14] This was the creation of Eaves Foods, Inc., a company that later changed to Bubba Foods, LLC. in 2000. Bubba Burgers are now sold nationwide as well as worldwide through the United States Military Commissary system.[15]

Waycross is located at 31°12′50″N 82°21′18″W (31.213860, -82.354911)[16] 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) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km²) (0.17%) is water. The closest major city is Jacksonville, Florida, 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 trap was invented in Australia, but is manufactured in the United States. Although the city has maintained a 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.[17]

Part of Waycross was situated in Pierce County, but effective July 1, 2015, Waycross was no longer located nor allowed to be located in Pierce County. State Rep. Chad Nimmer[18] introduced HB 523 during the 2015 Legislative Session without providing the required statutory notice to the City of Waycross. HB 523 de-annexed the portion of Waycross located in Pierce County and prevents the City of Waycross from coming back into Pierce County.[19]

• Waycross Journal-Herald discontinued, restarted as weekly paper[21](daily newspaper)
• The Florida Times-Union (Georgia Times-Union edition)
• Waycross Area Television Service (WATS) Channel 10[22]

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)

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.

Front of the old hospital

Back of the old hospital

With over 1,000 employees and 100 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. Mayo Clinic ceased operations in 2015 of the hospital, which later joined HCA and now renamed Memorial Satilla Health.[23]

U.S. Highway 1 runs north–south through Waycross, while concurrent with U.S. Highway 23. U.S. Highway 82 is an east–west highway in Waycross. U.S. Highway 84 runs east–west through Waycross. There are no limited-access highways anywhere near Waycross; Interstate 75 is 60 miles to the west, and Interstate 95 is 40 miles to the east. 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.

Six railroad lines meet at Waycross, making it a logical location for shunting freight to different destinations. CSX Transportation operates Rice Yard here, a major "hump"-type classification yard.

First African Baptist Church and Parsonage

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 14,649 people living in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 54.8% Black, 39.6% White, 0.3% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.2% from some other race and 1.5% from two or more races. 2.8% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 15,333 people, 6,094 households, and 3,741 families living 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.

On the National Register of Historic Places:

• First African Baptist Church and Parsonage
• Lott Cemetery
• Phoenix Hotel
• United States Post Office and Courthouse

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Waycross.

• City of Waycross
• Waycross Local community website with community events calendar
• Waycross Tourism & Conference Bureau
• Historic Waycross
• South Georgia Historic Newspapers Archive, Digital Library of Georgia