Waycross, Georgia
| Waycross, Georgia | |
|---|---|
| City | |
Images from top, left to right: Downtown Waycross, Confederate memorial, alligator in the Okefenokee Swamp, Waycross City Hall, World War I memorial, Downtown Waycross Historic District, Ware County Courthouse
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| Motto: Headwaters of the Okefenokee | |
 Location in Ware County and the state of Georgia |
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| Coordinates: 31°12′50″N 82°21′18″W / 31.21389°N 82.35500°WCoordinates: 31°12′50″N 82°21′18″W / 31.21389°N 82.35500°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Georgia |
| Counties | Ware |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | John Knox |
| Area | |
| • Total | 11.7 sq mi (30.3 km2) |
| • Land | 11.7 sq mi (30.3 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.1 km2) |
| Elevation | 131 ft (40 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 14,725 |
| • Density | 1,258.6/sq mi (485.9/km2) |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP codes | 31501-31502-31503 |
| Area code(s) | 912 |
| FIPS code | 13-80956 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0356622 |
| Website | http://www.waycrossga.com |
Waycross is the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Ware County. in the U.S. state of Georgia. The population was 14,725 at the 2010 Census.
Waycross includes two historic districts (Downtown Waycross Historic District and Waycross Historic District) and several other properties that are on the National Register of Historic Places, including the U.S. Post Office and Courthouse, Lott Cemetery, the First African Baptist Church and Parsonage, and the Obediah Barber Homestead (which is seven miles south of the city).
The area now known as Waycross was first settled around 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. Waycross gets its name from the city’s location at key railroad junctions; lines from six directions meet at the city.
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.
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