Waycross, Georgia

{{Short description|City in Georgia, USA}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
<!-- Basic info  ---------------->
|name                     = Waycross
|official_name            = City of Waycross
|other_name               = 
|native_name              = <!-- for cities whose native name is not in English -->
|nickname                 = 
|settlement_type          = [[City]]
|motto                    = Headwaters of the Okefenokee
<!-- images and maps  ----------->
|image_skyline            = WaycrossGAM13.png
|imagesize                = 
|image_caption            = Images from top, left to right: Downtown Waycross, [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] memorial, [[alligator]] in the [[Okefenokee Swamp]], Waycross City Hall, [[World War I]] memorial, Downtown Waycross Historic District, [[Ware County, Georgia|Ware County]] Courthouse
|image_flag               = Flag of Waycross, Georgia.png
|flag_size                = 
|image_seal               = Seal of Waycross, Georgia.png
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|image_map                = Ware_County_Georgia_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Waycross_Highlighted.svg
|mapsize                  = 250px
|map_caption              = Location in [[Ware County, Georgia|Ware County]] and the state of [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]
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|pushpin_map_caption      = 
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<!-- Location ------------------>
|subdivision_type         = Country
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Georgia (U.S. state)|Counties]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Ware County, Georgia|Ware]]<ref>{{cite American Factfinder2|2|13299|county|Ware County}}</ref>
|subdivision_type3        = 
|subdivision_name3        = 
|subdivision_type4        = 
|subdivision_name4        = 
<!-- Politics ----------------->
|government_footnotes     = 
|government_type          = 
|leader_title             = [[Mayor]]
|leader_name              = Michael-Angelo James<ref>{{cite tweet|number=1165111900578992128|user=BishopJames2002|title=Breaking News:  Surprise!!! Michael-Angelo James you're Mayor-elect of Waycross, Georgia. #HeDidItAgain #HeGetsAllTheGlory<!-- full text of tweet that Twitter returned to the bot (excluding links) added by TweetCiteBot. This may be better truncated or may need expanding (TW limits responses to 140 characters) or case changes. --> |date=24 August 2019}}</ref>
|leader_title1            = <!-- for places with, say, both a mayor and a city manager -->
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|leader_title3            = 
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|established_title        = <!-- Settled -->
|established_date         = 1820
|established_title2       = <!-- Incorporated (town) -->
|established_date2        = 
|established_title3       = <!-- Incorporated (city) -->
|established_date3        = 1866
<!-- Area    --------------------->
|unit_pref                = Imperial
|area_footnotes           = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_13.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=December 18, 2021}}</ref>
|area_total_km2           = 30.97
|area_land_km2            = 30.73
|area_water_km2           = 0.23
|area_total_sq_mi         = 11.96
|area_land_sq_mi          = 11.87
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.09
|area_water_percent       = 
|area_urban_km2           = 
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<!-- Population   ----------------------->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States Census|2020]]
|population_footnotes     = 
|population_note          = 
|population_total         = 13942
|population_density_km2   = 453.65
|population_density_sq_mi = 1174.95
|population_metro         = 54,494
|population_density_metro_km2     = 
|population_density_metro_sq_mi   = 
|population_urban                 = 36,312
|population_density_urban_km2     = 
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<!-- General information  --------------->
|timezone                 = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|EST]]
|utc_offset               = &minus;5
|timezone_DST             = [[Eastern Daylight Time|EDT]]
|utc_offset_DST           = &minus;4
|coordinates              = {{coord|31|12|50|N|82|21|18|W|type:city_region:US-GA|display=it}}
|elevation_footnotes      = <!--for references: use <ref> tags-->
|elevation_m              = 40
|elevation_ft             = 131
<!-- Area/postal codes & others -------->
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]s
|postal_code              = 31501-31502-31503
|area_code                = [[Area code 912|912]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 13-80956<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2008-01-31|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref>
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 0356622<ref name="GR3">{{cite web|url=http://geonames.usgs.gov|access-date=2008-01-31|title=US Board on Geographic Names|publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]]|date=2007-10-25}}</ref>
|website                  = {{Official|http://www.waycrossga.com}}
|footnotes                = 
|
|pop_est_as_of = 
|pop_est_footnotes = 
|population_est = 
}}

'''Waycross''' is the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, [[Ware County, Georgia|Ware County]] in the [[U.S. state]] of [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]. The population was 13,942 in the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].

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

==History==
[[File:Waycross Hx District.JPG|thumb|left|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.<ref name="georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu">[http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/topics/cities/waycross City of Waycross entry on GeorgiaInfo.com] Retrieved 2017-02-03.</ref><ref>[http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/topics/counties/ware Ware County entry on GeorgiaInfo.com] Retrieved 2017-02-03.</ref> Waycross gets its name from the city's location at key railroad junctions; lines from six directions meet at the city.<ref name="georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu"/>

The city council in Waycross opened municipal [[white primary|primary]] elections to white women in 1917, the first town in Georgia to do so.<ref name=Taylor1959>{{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 
 |publisher=[[Georgia Historical Society]]|volume=43|issue=1 |page=23 |jstor=40577919 }}</ref><ref name=NGE>{{cite web |author=Eltzroth, E. L.. |title=Woman Suffrage |website=[[New Georgia Encyclopedia]] |date=20 July 2020 | access-date=28 August 2020 |url=https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/history-archaeology/woman-suffrage }}</ref> 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.<ref name=Taylor1959/> It wasn't until two years later in 1919 that Atlanta became the second Georgia city to do this.<ref name=Taylor1959/> Georgia women would not get the right to vote generally in all elections until 1922.<ref name=NGE/>

Waycross was home to [[Laura S. Walker]] (1861-1955) a noted author and [[conservation movement|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, Georgia|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 State Park|Laura S Walker National Park]] in her honor. She was the only living person for whom a state or national park was named.<ref name="Name">{{cite web|title=Laura S. Walker: The Woman Behind the Park|publisher=Friends of Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites|url=https://friendsofgastateparks.org/node/866|access-date=April 13, 2018}}</ref> In 1937, the federal government purchased distressed farmland for the park.<ref>{{cite web|title=Current Use of Federal Land Utilization Projects Granted to State and Local Agencies|publisher=Department of Forestry and Natural Resources Clemson University|author1=Thomas J. Straka|author2=S. Knight Cox|author3=Heather T. Irwin|url=https://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/library/documents/bib96089/65.pdf|access-date=April 13, 2018}}</ref><ref name="DNR" /> 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.<ref name="DNR">{{cite web|title=Laura S. Walker State Park Established 1941|publisher=Georgia Department of Natural Resources|url=http://gastateparks.org/sites/default/files/parks/pdf/lauraswalker/LauraSWalker_History.pdf|access-date=April 13, 2018}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite news|title=The topsy-turvy life of former Miami-Dade commissioner ends in gunfire |date=May 15, 2016 | author1=Dixon, Lance |author2=Garvin, Glenn | newspaper=The Miami Herald | url=http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article77760312.html | url-status=dead | access-date=2017-02-03 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161012085718/http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article77760312.html | archive-date=October 12, 2016 | quote=When Burke was a teenager during the 1950s, Waycross was so desperate for commerce that police used to patrol nearby highways, looking for out-of-state license plates — not to give the drivers tickets, but to escort them into town for a visit with the town’s Welcome World Committee, in hopes they’d spend a little money. }}</ref><ref name="JH">{{cite book|title=Hang the Elephant|last=Hinson|first=John|year=2015|publisher=Lulu Press}}</ref>

In the mid-1990s, the [[Bubba Foods|Flanders Hamburgers]], a frozen hamburger that needed no defrosting, was created in Waycross.<ref>{{cite news| agency=Associated Press | title=Frozen Burgers Make a Big Splash Across the South | date=August 27, 1996 | newspaper=The Augusta Chronicle | url=http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/1996/08/27/met_199305.shtml | access-date=2013-10-08 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140802172710/http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/1996/08/27/met_199305.shtml |archive-date=August 2, 2014 }}</ref> This was the creation of Eaves Foods, Inc., a company that later changed to Flanders, LLC. in 2000. Bubba Burgers are now sold nationwide as well as worldwide through the United States Military Commissary system.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130726220015/http://www.bubba-burger.com/heritage.html Bubba Burger Heritage] Retrieved 2013-10-08.</ref>

==Geography==
Waycross is located at {{coord|31|12|50|N|82|21|18|W|type:city}} (31.213860, -82.354911)<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2011-04-23|date=2011-02-12|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref> and is the closest city to the [[Okefenokee Swamp]].

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|11.7|sqmi|km2}}, of which {{convert|11.7|sqmi|km2}} is land and {{convert|0.04|sqmi|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.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Georgia's First Bandalong Litter Trap Launched|journal=Storm Water Solutions Magazine|date=May 26, 2010|url=http://estormwater.com/Georgia%E2%80%99s-First-Bandalong-Litter-Trap-Launched-newsPiece20756|access-date=7 April 2014}}</ref>

Part of Waycross was situated in [[Pierce County, Georgia|Pierce County]], but effective July 1, 2015, Waycross was no longer located nor allowed to be located in Pierce County. State Rep. Chad Nimmer<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.house.ga.gov/Representatives/en-US/member.aspx?Member=790&Session=24|title=Representative Chad Nimmer|website=www.house.ga.gov|access-date=8 April 2018}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/20152016/151607.pdf | access-date=2023-11-06 | title=House Bill 523 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE)}}</ref>{{Update inline|reason=Waycross has since been able to annex in Pierce County|date=October 2018}}

=== Climate ===
{{Weather box
|location = Waycross 4NE (1991-2020) extremes 1897–present
|single line = Y
|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 high F = 63.9
|Feb high F = 68.0
|Mar high F = 74.5
|Apr high F = 80.9
|May high F = 87.7
|Jun high F = 92.0
|Jul high F = 94.1
|Aug high F = 92.9
|Sep high F = 88.9
|Oct high F = 81.0
|Nov high F = 73.9
|Dec high F = 67.1
|year high F = 
|Jan mean F = 50.3
|Feb mean F = 54.1
|Mar mean F = 59.9
|Apr mean F = 66.2
|May mean F = 74.0
|Jun mean F = 80.4
|Jul mean F = 82.7
|Aug mean F = 81.9
|Sep mean F = 77.4
|Oct mean F = 68.1
|Nov mean F = 59.4
|Dec mean F = 53.0
|year mean F = 
|Jan low F = 36.7
|Feb low F = 40.1
|Mar low F = 45.2
|Apr low F = 51.5
|May low F = 60.2
|Jun low F = 68.8
|Jul low F = 71.4
|Aug low F = 70.8
|Sep low F = 65.9
|Oct low F = 55.2
|Nov low F = 44.9
|Dec low F = 39.0
|year low F = 
|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
|Jan precipitation inch = 3.89
|Feb precipitation inch = 3.71
|Mar precipitation inch = 3.95
|Apr precipitation inch = 3.13
|May precipitation inch = 3.32
|Jun precipitation inch = 6.80
|Jul precipitation inch = 5.93
|Aug precipitation inch = 6.84
|Sep precipitation inch = 4.46
|Oct precipitation inch = 3.28
|Nov precipitation inch = 2.22
|Dec precipitation inch = 2.89
|precipitation colour = green
|year precipitation inch =

|Jan precipitation days = 9.0
|Feb precipitation days = 8.0
|Mar precipitation days = 8.0
|Apr precipitation days = 6.0
|May precipitation days = 7.0
|Jun precipitation days = 11.0
|Jul precipitation days = 12.0
|Aug precipitation days = 12.0
|Sep precipitation days = 8.0
|Oct precipitation days = 6.0
|Nov precipitation days = 7.0
|Dec precipitation days = 8.0
|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
|source 1 = NOAA <ref name=NOAA >{{Cite web |url=http://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=jax |title=NOWData - NOAA Online Weather Data |publisher= NOAA |access-date=2016-04-01 }}</ref>
|date=April 2016
}}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
| 1880 = 628
| 1890 = 3364
| 1900 = 5919
| 1910 = 14485
| 1920 = 18068
| 1930 = 15510
| 1940 = 16763
| 1950 = 18899
| 1960 = 20944
| 1970 = 18996
| 1980 = 19371
| 1990 = 16410
| 2000 = 15333
| 2010 = 14649
| 2020 = 13942
| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}
{| class="wikitable"
|+Waycross racial composition as of 2020<ref>{{Cite web|title=Explore Census Data|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US1380956&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|access-date=2021-12-09|website=data.census.gov}}</ref>
!Race
!Num.
!Perc.
|-
|[[White (U.S. Census)|White]]
|4,940
|35.43%
|-
|[[African American (U.S. Census)|Black or African American]]
|7,672
|55.03%
|-
|[[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]]
|30
|0.22%
|-
|[[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]
|138
|0.99%
|-
|[[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]]
|8
|0.06%
|-
|[[Race (United States Census)|Other/Mixed]]
|559
|4.01%
|-
|[[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]
|595
|4.27%
|}
As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 13,942 people, 5,748 households, and 3,197 families residing in the city.

==Media==
* ''Waycross Journal-Herald'' discontinued, restarted as weekly paper<ref>[http://www.wjhnews.com/ ''Waycross Journal-Herald'']</ref>(daily newspaper)
* ''[[The Florida Times-Union]]'' (''Georgia Times-Union'' edition)
* Waycross Area Television Service (WATS) Channel 10<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.waycrossga.com/city-web-casts|title=- City of Waycross|website=www.waycrossga.com|access-date=8 April 2018}}</ref>

;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==
[[File:Old hospital, Waycross, GA, US.jpg|thumb|Front of the old hospital]]
[[File:Old hospital, back, Waycross, GA, US.jpg|thumb|Back of the old hospital]]
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]] and has since been renamed Memorial Satilla Health.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mayoclinichealthsystem.org/locations/waycross|title=Hospital and ER in Waycross, GA - Memorial Satilla Health|website=mayoclinichealthsystem.org|access-date=8 April 2018}}</ref>

==Education==

=== Ware County School District===
The [[Ware County School District]] holds pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of a pre-school, six elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school.<ref>[http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/ReportingFW.aspx?PageReq=111&PID=62&PTID=69&CountyId=747&T=0&FY=2009 Georgia Board of Education]{{Dead link|date=March 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, Retrieved June 29, 2010.</ref> The district has 431 full-time teachers and over 6,370 students.<ref>[http://www.school-stats.com/GA/WARE/WARE_COUNTY.html School Stats], Retrieved June 29, 2010.</ref>

===Private education===
*Southside Christian School<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.southsidek12.com/|title=Southside Christian School - Home|website=www.southsidek12.com|access-date=8 April 2018}}</ref>
* Discovery Montessori School
*[https://waycross.canon.org 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]] - Waycross campus<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sgsc.edu|title=Home - South Georgia State College|first=Third Wave Digital -|last=www.thirdwavedigital.com|website=www.sgsc.edu|access-date=8 April 2018}}</ref>
*[[Coastal Pines Technical College]] - Waycross campus<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.coastalpines.edu|title=Home - Future Students - coastalpines.edu|website=www.coastalpines.edu|access-date=8 April 2018}}</ref>

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

==Notable people==
{{div col}}
*[[Johnny Archer]]&nbsp;— professional [[pool (cue sports)|pool]] player, "The Scorpion"
* [[Michael P. Boggs]]&nbsp;— Chief Justice of the [[Supreme Court of Georgia (U.S. state)|Supreme Court of Georgia]] and former judge on the [[Georgia Court of Appeals]].
*[[Stanley Booth]]&nbsp;— author, journalist, music critic
*[[Billy Carter]]&nbsp;— brother of former President [[Jimmy Carter]], promoter of [[Billy Beer]]
*[[Sonora Webster Carver]]&nbsp;— first woman [[Diving horse|horse diver]]
*[[Ossie Davis]]&nbsp;— actor, writer, director, producer, [[Kennedy Center Honors]] award recipient, was born in [[Clinch County, Georgia|Clinch County]]
*[[Nikki DeLoach]]&nbsp;— former member of ''[[The Mickey Mouse Club#1989 revival, The New Mickey Mouse Club|The New Mickey Mouse Club]]'', the girl group [[Innosense|{{not a typo|Innosense}}]], and actress on the television series ''[[North Shore (2004 TV series)|North Shore]]'' and ''[[Windfall (TV series)|Windfall]]''
*[[Harry D. Dixon]]&nbsp;— state representative; served in the [[Georgia House of Representatives]] for 38 years; served on the board of the [[Georgia Department of Transportation]]
*[[Drayton Florence]]&nbsp;— professional football player, cornerback who played 11 seasons in [[NFL]], highest draft pick ever from [[Tuskegee University]]
*[[Ernest Jones (linebacker)|Ernest Jones]]&nbsp;- professional football player for the [[Los Angeles Rams]]
*[[Tim McCray]]&nbsp;— professional football player from 1985 to 1990 in the [[Canadian Football League|CFL]] with the [[Saskatchewan Roughriders]]
*[[Leodis McKelvin]]&nbsp;— former cornerback in the NFL (currently a [[free agent]])
*[[Caroline Pafford Miller]]&nbsp;— [[Pulitzer Prize]]-winning author
*[[Gram Parsons]]&nbsp;— [[country singer]] and [[musician]]; [[The Byrds]], [[The Flying Burrito Brothers]], and solo artist
*[[Pernell Roberts]]&nbsp;— actor, star of TV series ''[[Bonanza]]'' and ''[[Trapper John, M.D.]]'', was born in Waycross
*[[Bill Shanks]]&nbsp;— [[Atlanta Braves]] sportscaster

{{div col end}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Georgia (U.S. State)}}
On the [[National Register of Historic Places]]:
*[[First African Baptist Church and Parsonage (Waycross, Georgia)|First African Baptist Church and Parsonage]]
*[[Lott Cemetery]]
*[[Phoenix Hotel (Waycross, Georgia)|Phoenix Hotel]]
*[[United States Post Office and Courthouse (Waycross, Georgia)|United States Post Office and Courthouse]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
{{wikivoyage|Waycross}}
* [http://www.waycrossga.com City of Waycross]
* [http://www.waycrosslocal.com Waycross Local community website with community events calendar]
* [http://www.waycrosstourism.com Waycross Tourism & Conference Bureau]
* [http://www.wayx.net Historic Waycross]
* [http://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/sgnewspapers South Georgia Historic Newspapers Archive], Digital Library of Georgia

{{Ware County, Georgia}}
{{Georgia county seats}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Cities in Georgia (U.S. state)]]
[[Category:Waycross, Georgia micropolitan area]]
[[Category:Cities in Ware County, Georgia]]
[[Category:County seats in Georgia (U.S. state)]]