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". 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. A stone monument on Liberty Street marks the historical site; it stands in front of the Golden Pantry. On December 4, 1864, the Civil WarBattle 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.
Geography
Waynesboro is located in the center of Burke County at . U.S. Route 25 bypasses the city on the east side, while State Route 121 passes through the center as Liberty Street. To the north it is to downtown Augusta, and to the south it is to Statesboro. According to the United States Census Bureau, Waynesboro has a total area of, of which is land and, or 0.96%, is water. The city's elevation is above sea level. Pine, oak, dogwood, and other trees found in the South are in Waynesboro.
Demographics
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 5,766 people living in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 70.4% Black, 25.9% White, <0.1% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.1% from some other race and 1.0% from two or more races. 2.0% were Hispanic or Latino of any race. As of the census of 2000, there were 5,813 people, 2,151 households, and 1,473 families living in the city. The population density was 1,064.1 people per square mile. There were 2,395 housing units at an average density of 438.4 per square mile. 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.
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 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 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.
Arts and culture
The Burke County Museum traces the area's history, from plantation life to the establishment of agribusiness.
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.
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.
