Waynesboro, Georgia

Waynesboro, Georgia
City
Downtown Waynesboro, within the historic district
Downtown Waynesboro, within the historic district
Official seal of Waynesboro, Georgia
Seal
Nickname: 
"The Bird Dog Capital of the World"
Location in Burke County and the state of Georgia
Location in Burke County and the state of Georgia
Coordinates: 33°5′26″N 82°0′55″W / 33.09056°N 82.01528°W / 33.09056; -82.01528
CountryUnited States
StateGeorgia
CountyBurke
Area
 • Total
5.53 sq mi (14.31 km2)
 • Land5.47 sq mi (14.17 km2)
 • Water0.054 sq mi (0.14 km2)
Elevation
300 ft (90 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
5,799
 • Density1,000/sq mi (386.2/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
30830
Area code706
FIPS code13-80984
GNIS feature ID0347180
Websitewww.waynesboroga.com

Waynesboro (/ˈweɪnzbʌroʊ/) is a city and the county seat of Burke County, Georgia, United States. The population was 5,472 at the 2024 census. It is part of the Augusta, Georgia metropolitan area.

Waynesboro is 37 minutes south of downtown Augusta by car via US 25. Waynesboro is known as "The Bird Dog Capital of the World". The Waynesboro Commercial Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Waynesboro is located in Burke County, one of the eight original counties of Georgia. The city was named after General Anthony Wayne, whose daring efforts during the Revolutionary War earned him the nickname "Mad Anthony Wayne".

History

In 1779, during the Revolutionary War, Burke Jail was the scene of a battle between the British (led by Thomas Brown and Daniel McGirt) and the victorious Americans (John Twiggs and William Few).

Although European Americans lived in the area before the Revolutionary War, the town was not laid out until 1783. The city was officially incorporated in 1883 as Waynesborough. The name was changed to Waynesboro sometime after. It developed as the trading and government center of the county, and is the site of the county courthouse and jail.

President George Washington spent the night of May 17, 1791, in Waynesboro, having gone six miles "out of our way" to visit. A stone monument on Liberty Street marks the historical site; it stands in front of a business.

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 swathe of the South on his march to Savannah, Georgia, and the Atlantic Ocean.

President William Taft visited Waynesboro in 1910.

Geography

Waynesboro is located in the center of Burke County at 33°5′26″N 82°0′55″W / 33.09056°N 82.01528°W / 33.09056; -82.01528 (33.090482, -82.015404). U.S. Route 25 passes through the center as Liberty Street. To the north it is 34 miles (55 km) to downtown Augusta, and to the south it is 49 miles (79 km) to Statesboro.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Waynesboro has a total area of 5.5 square miles (14.2 km2), of which 5.4 square miles (14.0 km2) is land and 0.039 square miles (0.1 km2), or 0.96%, is water. The city's elevation is 295 feet (90 m) above sea level. Pine, oak, dogwood, and other trees found in the South are in Waynesboro.

Climate

Waynesboro has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) with long, hot summers and short, mild winters.

Climate data for Waynesboro (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1891–1894, 1900–1921, 1940–present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 84
(29)		 86
(30)		 95
(35)		 98
(37)		 104
(40)		 109
(43)		 108
(42)		 107
(42)		 104
(40)		 101
(38)		 87
(31)		 83
(28)		 109
(43)
Mean maximum °F (°C) 74.7
(23.7)		 77.7
(25.4)		 83.8
(28.8)		 87.6
(30.9)		 93.1
(33.9)		 97.0
(36.1)		 98.6
(37.0)		 97.7
(36.5)		 93.3
(34.1)		 88.1
(31.2)		 81.6
(27.6)		 76.0
(24.4)		 99.5
(37.5)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 57.9
(14.4)		 62.1
(16.7)		 69.3
(20.7)		 76.6
(24.8)		 83.6
(28.7)		 89.2
(31.8)		 91.9
(33.3)		 90.4
(32.4)		 85.7
(29.8)		 77.2
(25.1)		 67.5
(19.7)		 60.1
(15.6)		 76.0
(24.4)
Daily mean °F (°C) 46.0
(7.8)		 49.4
(9.7)		 56.0
(13.3)		 63.2
(17.3)		 71.2
(21.8)		 78.1
(25.6)		 81.2
(27.3)		 79.9
(26.6)		 74.8
(23.8)		 64.5
(18.1)		 54.2
(12.3)		 48.0
(8.9)		 63.9
(17.7)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 34.0
(1.1)		 36.8
(2.7)		 42.8
(6.0)		 49.8
(9.9)		 58.9
(14.9)		 66.9
(19.4)		 70.5
(21.4)		 69.4
(20.8)		 63.9
(17.7)		 51.9
(11.1)		 40.8
(4.9)		 35.9
(2.2)		 51.8
(11.0)
Mean minimum °F (°C) 18.8
(−7.3)		 22.7
(−5.2)		 26.9
(−2.8)		 35.2
(1.8)		 45.0
(7.2)		 57.8
(14.3)		 63.3
(17.4)		 61.6
(16.4)		 51.8
(11.0)		 36.3
(2.4)		 27.1
(−2.7)		 22.0
(−5.6)		 16.7
(−8.5)
Record low °F (°C) −1
(−18)		 9
(−13)		 17
(−8)		 27
(−3)		 34
(1)		 44
(7)		 54
(12)		 52
(11)		 34
(1)		 23
(−5)		 15
(−9)		 5
(−15)		 −1
(−18)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 3.99
(101)		 4.25
(108)		 4.56
(116)		 3.51
(89)		 2.84
(72)		 5.13
(130)		 5.03
(128)		 4.62
(117)		 3.66
(93)		 3.49
(89)		 2.80
(71)		 4.31
(109)		 48.19
(1,223)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 7.4 7.2 7.4 5.9 5.9 8.0 8.9 9.1 5.7 5.5 5.9 7.2 84.1
Source: NOAA

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1850196—
18801,008—
18901,71169.7%
19002,03018.6%
19102,72934.4%
19203,31121.3%
19303,92218.5%
19403,793−3.3%
19504,46117.6%
19605,35920.1%
19705,5303.2%
19805,7604.2%
19905,701−1.0%
20005,8132.0%
20105,766−0.8%
20205,7990.6%
U.S. Decennial Census
1850-1870 1870-1880
1890-1910 1920-1930
1940 1950 1960
1970 1980 1990
2000 2010

Racial and ethnic composition

Waynesboro city, Georgia – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 2000 Pop 2010 Pop 2020 % 2000 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 2,072 1,495 1,603 35.64% 25.93% 27.64%
Black or African American alone (NH) 3,609 4,062 3,861 62.08% 70.45% 66.58%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 6 2 9 0.10% 0.03% 0.16%
Asian alone (NH) 5 24 32 0.09% 0.42% 0.55%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) 0 3 0 0.00% 0.05% 0.00%
Other race alone (NH) 0 5 15 0.00% 0.09% 0.26%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) 51 58 142 0.88% 1.01% 2.45%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 70 117 137 1.20% 2.03% 2.36%
Total 5,813 5,766 5,799 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Waynesboro had a population of 5,799. The median age was 35.2 years. 29.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.2% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 77.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 69.4 males age 18 and over.

99.8% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.2% lived in rural areas.

There were 2,384 households in Waynesboro, of which 35.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 23.7% were married-couple households, 18.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 51.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 35.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 2,612 housing units, of which 8.7% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.6%.

Economy

Nuclear power plant

On February 2, 2010, President Obama was expected to announce a total of $8.3 billion in federal loan guarantees to build and operate a pair of nuclear reactors in Burke County by Southern Company, an Atlanta-based energy company. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) offered Southern Company's 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. The new units will be located at Plant Vogtle along the Savannah River 21 miles (34 km) east of Waynesboro, 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.[citation needed]

Arts and culture

The Burke County Museum traces the area's history, from plantation life to the establishment of agribusiness.

Education

K-12 education

K-12 public education in Waynesboro is managed by Burke County Public Schools, which covers all of Burke County.

These two elementary schools are the district's elementary facilities in Waynesboro:

These are the district's secondary schools, relevant to all of Burke County:

There are three private schools which are in unincorporated areas outside of the Waynesboro city limits:

Burke County Bears

Waynesboro is the home to the Burke County Bears high school sports teams. The Bears won the 2011 state football championship against the Trojans of Peach County. Back in the 1950s, the former Waynesboro High School team, the Purple Hurricanes, won the state championship, but the Bears had not won a state championship football game until 2011.

Higher education

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Waynesboro, Georgia". Waynesboro, Georgia. Retrieved September 5, 2012.
  2. ↑ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  3. ↑ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  4. ↑ "Waynesboro". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved February 24, 2026.
  5. 1 2 "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Waynesboro city, Georgia". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Retrieved November 8, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  6. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  7. ↑ "Waynesboro". Georgia Department of Community Affairs. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
  8. ↑ Krakow, Kenneth K. (1975). Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins (PDF). Macon, GA: Winship Press. p. 249. ISBN 0-915430-00-2.
  9. ↑ Knight, Lucian Lamar (1913). Georgia's Landmarks, Memorials, and Legends ...: Landmarks and memorials. Historical outlines, original settlers, and distinguished residents of the counties of Georgia. p. 338.
  10. ↑ , Burke Chamber of Commerce website
  11. 1 2 Knight, Lucian Lamar (1913). Georgia's Landmarks, Memorials, and Legends ...: Landmarks and memorials. Historical outlines, original settlers, and distinguished residents of the counties of Georgia. p. 341.
  12. ↑ "TDGH - May 17". Archived from the original on November 3, 1999.
  13. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  14. ↑ "NOWData - NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
  15. ↑ "Summary of Monthly Normals 1991-2020". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
  16. ↑ "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decade". United States Census Bureau.
  17. ↑ "1870 Census of Population - Georgia - Population of Civil Divisions less than Counties" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1870.
  18. ↑ "1880 Census of Population - Georgia - Population of Civil Divisions less than Counties" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1880.
  19. ↑ "1910 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1910. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 16, 2024.
  20. ↑ "1930 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1930. pp. 251–256.
  21. ↑ "1940 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1940.
  22. ↑ "1950 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1950.
  23. ↑ "1960 Census of Population - Population of County Subdivisions - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1960.
  24. ↑ "1970 Census of Population - Population of County Subdivisions - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1970.
  25. ↑ "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1980.
  26. ↑ "1990 Census of Population - Summary Social, Economic, and Housing Characteristics - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1990.
  27. ↑ "2000 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 2000.
  28. ↑ "2010 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 2010.
  29. ↑ "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Waynesboro city, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
  30. ↑ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Waynesboro city, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
  31. ↑ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Waynesboro city, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
  32. 1 2 3 "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  33. ↑ "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  34. ↑ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  35. ↑ "Obama Nuclear Plant: President To Announce Loan Guarantee For More Than $8 Billion". Huffington Post. February 16, 2010.
  36. ↑ "Waynesboro". Georgia Department of Community Affairs. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
  37. ↑ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Burke County, GA" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved October 25, 2024. - Text list
  38. ↑ "General Highway Map Burke County Georgia" (PDF). Georgia Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  39. ↑ "Broxton joining Royals as set-up man for Soria". ESPN.com. November 29, 2011. Retrieved January 17, 2025.