Waycross, Georgia

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Coordinates: 31°12′50″N 82°21′18″W / 31.21389, -82.355
Waycross, Georgia, USA
Location in Ware County and the state of Georgia
Country	United States
State	Georgia
Counties	Ware, Pierce
Government
- Mayor	Clarence Billups
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 (2000)
- Total	15,333
- Density	1,311.8/sq mi (506.4/km²)
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes	31501-31503
Area code(s)	912
FIPS code	13-80956^[1]
GNIS feature ID	0356622^[2]
Website: http://www.waycrossga.com

Waycross is a city in Ware County, Georgia, United States. The population was 15,333 at the 2000 census, and a micropolitan area of 51,611. Waycross is the county seat of, and the only city in, Ware County.^[3].

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 Famous natives and residents
4 Trivia
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Geography

Waycross is located at 31°12′50″N, 82°21′18″W (31.213860, -82.354911)^[4] 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 (30.3 km²), of which, 11.7 square miles (30.3 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.17%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 15,333 people, 6,094 households, and 3,741 families residing 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/sq mi (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. 34.9% of all households were made up of individuals 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.

[edit] Famous natives and residents

Bill Darden - Founder of The Green Frog, Red Lobster and Darden Restaurants which owns Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Bahama Breeze, Seasons 52, Smokey Bones, LongHorn Steakhouse and The Capital Grille.
Gram Parsons - Musician of The Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers
Ossie Davis - Actor, Writer, Director, Producer
Pernell Roberts - actor
Stanley Booth - author, journalist, music critic
Sonora Webster Carver - First woman horse diver
Burt Reynolds - actor, director, writer, producer, casting director, singer
Nikki DeLoach - Former member of the The new MMC and the girl group innosense and actress on the canceled television series' North Shore and Windfall
Will Denton - Drummer dc talk,Steven Curtis Chapman currently on tour with LeAnn Rimes
Tim McCray - Professional football player from 1985-1990 in the CFL
Caroline Miller - Pulitzer Prize winning author
Rory Segrest - Special Teams Coordinator for the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles
Jay Gogue - Auburn University President
Billy Carter- brother of President Jimmy Carter founder of Billy Beer
Arthur Albertson - silent film actor
Covington Barrett - silent film actor
Candance Gosch - actress
Lindy Newton - actress

[edit] Trivia

After his banishment from Major League Baseball following the 1919 Black Sox Scandal, Shoeless Joe Jackson played numerous baseball games in the city of Waycross.
Waycross is the hometown of the character Stroker Ace in the Burt Reynolds movie Stroker Ace
Barbecue Bob recorded a song about the city in 1928 called "Waycross Georgia Blues"
Mickey Newbury's 1969 epic song "San Francisco Mabel Joy" tells the story of a Waycross farm boy's tragic life.
The Madea character created by Tyler Perry once lived in Waycross.