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LOCATION WAYCROSS, GEORGIA "The Largest City In The Largest County In The Largest State East Of The Mississippi"
Waycross, Center City of South Georgia, and gateway to the world-famous Okefenokee Swamp, is the focal point of highways and railroad lines traversing southern Georgia. In its own right, it is a city of diversified interests and attractions-a city of culture and civic attainment, rich in historical incident and achievement.
Its name signifies its strategic position where "Ways Cross." In colonial days, it was the hub of stage coach roads and pioneer trails. Later the old Plant System and the Brunswick and Western Railroad lines crossed here, giving birth to a modern railroad network. Indian trails, coach roads, and military trails have been transformed into modern highways, some of them following the routes laid out by the pioneers.
Waycross was created in 1872, incorporated in 1874. Ware County, originally a part of the Tallassee county, was created by an act of the Georgia legislature on December 15, 1824 in a division of Appling County. It was named for Nicholas Ware of Richmond County, brilliant Georgia lawyer who served in the state legislature and in the United States Senate.
From Indian wars and trading post days, hardy settlers transformed a wilderness into productive farms and forests. Its progress later throttled by the War between the States, its agriculture stifled by the boll weevil, and its forest devastated by thoughtless waste, Waycross and its surrounding area have gradually and steadily built a prosperous community capitalizing on its abundant natural resources, a sturdy determination, and newly developed practices in conservation, diversification, and management.
Waycross is located at latitude 31.25 and longitude 82.40 or about 78 miles Northeast of Jacksonville, Florida, 60 miles west of Brunswick, Georgia and the Atlantic Ocean. Other distances: Waycross to Homerville (Clinch County): 27 miles Waycross to Blackshear (Pierce County): 10 miles Waycross to Nahunta (Brantley County): 23 miles |