Waynesboro, Georgia

Waynesboro, Georgia
—  City  —
Location in Burke County and the state of Georgia
Coordinates:
Country United States
State Georgia
County Burke
Area
 • Total 5.6 sq mi (14.2 km2)
 • Land 5.5 sq mi (14.1 km2)
 • Water 0.1 sq mi (0.1 km2)
Elevation 295 ft (90 m)
Population (2000)
 • Total 5,813
 • Density 1,038/sq mi (409.4/km2)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 30830
Area code(s) 706
FIPS code 13-80984[1]
GNIS feature ID 0347180[2]

Waynesboro is a city in Burke County, Georgia, United States. The population was 5,813 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Burke County[3]. It is part of the Augusta, Georgia metropolitan area.

Waynesboro is also known as "The Bird Dog Capital of the World."

Contents

History

The City of Waynesboro, Georgia is located in Burke County, which is one of the eight original counties of Georgia. It was named after General Anthony Wayne whose daring efforts during the Revolutionary War earned him the nickname "Mad Anthony Wayne." Although the residents lived in the area before the Revolutionary War, the town was not laid out until 1783. The City was officially incorporated in 1883 as the City of Waynesborough. The name was changed from "Waynesborough" to Waynesboro sometime after.[4]

President George Washington spent the night of May 17, 1791 in Waynesboro. There is a stone monument marking the historical location in front of the Golden Pantry (formerly Kwik Stop) on Liberty Street in Waynesboro. http://www.cviog.uga.edu/Projects/gainfo/tdgh-may/may17.htm

Some claim that President George Washington owned land in Waynesboro. He had planned to develop it as a sugar plantation prior to his involvement with the American revolutionaries. He later sold it upon purchase of his Mt. Vernon property in northern Virginia.

On December 4, 1864, the Civil War Battle of Waynesboro was fought just south of the town. Forces under Union General Judson Kilpatrick prevented troops led by Confederate General Joseph Wheeler from interfering with Union General William T. Sherman's campaign to destroy a wide swath of the South on his march to Savannah, Georgia and the Atlantic Ocean.

Geography

Waynesboro is located at (33.090482, -82.015404)[5].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.5 square miles (14.3 km²), of which, 5.5 square miles (14.1 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (1.09%) is water. The city's elevation is 295 feet. Pine, oak, dogwood, and other trees found in the South are in Waynesboro.

Demographics

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 5,813 people, 2,151 households, and 1,473 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,064.1 people per square mile (411.1/km²). There were 2,395 housing units at an average density of 438.4 per square mile (169.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 62.55% African American, 35.89% White, 0.10% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 0.41% from other races, and 0.96% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.20% of the population.

There were 2,151 households out of which 37.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.1% were married couples living together, 32.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.5% were non-families. 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.21.

In the city the population was spread out with 33.3% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 24.6% from 25 to 44, 17.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 78.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 69.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $20,346, and the median income for a family was $24,012. Males had a median income of $30,750 versus $19,462 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,151. About 35.3% of families and 42.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 60.6% of those under age 18 and 28.9% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Burke County School District

K-12 public education in Waynesboro is managed by Burke County Public Schools, with one high school, one middle school, two elementary/one primary school, and one alternative school and four private schools.[6]

Private Schools

Done By: Destinee Joy Coleman

Higher Education

Augusta Technical College - Waynesboro Campus

Nuclear Power Plant

(2/16/2010) President Obama was expected to announce a total of $8.3 billion in federal loan guarantees to build and operate a pair of reactors in Burke County, Ga., by Southern Co., an administration official said Monday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of Obama's announcement.[7]

Federal loan guarantees are seen as essential to spurring construction of new reactors because of the huge expense. Critics say the guarantees are a form of subsidy that will put taxpayers at risk given the industry's record of cost overruns and loan defaults.

The reactors, to be built by the Atlanta-based energy company near Waynesboro, GA, part of the Augusta, Georgia metropolitan area.

Southern Company today announced that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has offered its subsidiary Georgia Power a conditional commitment for loan guarantees for the construction of the nation's first nuclear power units in more than 30 years, a move designed to help spur a renaissance in America's nuclear industry. The new units will be located at Plant Vogtle near Waynesboro, Ga., where the company already owns and operates two nuclear units. The conditional commitment is for loan guarantees that would apply to future borrowings related to the construction of Vogtle units 3 and 4.[8]

Notable Residents

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
  4. ^ http://www.burkechamber.org/waynesboro/
  5. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 
  6. ^ http://www.burke.k12.ga.us/education/components/sectionlist/sectionlist.php?sectiondetailid=5&PHPSESSID=a54c74a6f240c4d0e73915300fef46c5
  7. ^ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/16/obama-nuclear-plant-presi_n_463754.html
  8. ^ http://newsblaze.com/story/2010021608210200002.pnw/topstory.html
  9. ^ Crasnick, Jerry. "Royals, Jonathan Broxton agree to deal." ESPN, Nov. 29, 2011. Accessed Nov. 29, 2011. http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7293835/los-angeles-dodgers-free-agent-jonathan-broxton-reaches-deal-kansas-city-royals

External links