Ware County, Georgia

Ware County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 36,251. The county seat and only incorporated place is Waycross. Ware County is part of the Waycross, Georgia micropolitan statistical area.

History

Ware County, Georgia's 60th county, was created on December 15, 1824, by an act of the Georgia General Assembly from land that was originally part of Appling County.

The county is named for Nicholas Ware, the mayor of Augusta, Georgia from (1819–1821) and United States Senator who represented Georgia from 1821 until his death in 1824.

Several counties were later created from parts of the original Ware County borders: Bacon County (from portions of Appling, Pierce, and Ware counties in 1917) Charlton County (from portions of Camden and Ware county in 1854) Clinch County (from portions of Lowndes and Ware counties in 1850) Coffee County (from portions of Clinch, Irwin, Telfair, and Ware counties in 1854) Pierce County (from portions of Appling and Ware counties in 1857)

Ware County was home to Laura S. Walker (1861–1955) a noted author and conservationist. Walker promoted a comprehensive program of forestry activity, including the establishment of forest parks. She erected markers and monuments along old trails and at historic sites, in Waycross and Ware County so that local history would not be forgotten. Walker wrote three books about the land and history of her home. They are: History of Ware County, Georgia About "Old Okefenåok" and Doctors of Primitive Times and Horse and Buggy Days of Ware County. An effort to recognize her work culminated in President Franklin D. Roosevelt issuing a proclamation to establish the Laura S. Walker National Park, located in Ware County, in her honor. She was the only living person for whom a state or national park was named. In 1937, the federal government purchased distressed farmland for the park. Work on the park was undertaken by the Works Progress Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps. In 1941, the national park was deeded over to Georgia, becoming the State's 13th state park.

Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.7%) is water. It is the largest county in Georgia by area. A large portion of the county lies within the Okefenokee Swamp and its federally protected areas.

More than half of Ware County, made up by the western half of the southern portion of the county, the land bridge to the northern portion of the county, and the southern and western portion of the northern section of the county, is located in the Upper Suwannee River sub-basin of the Suwannee River basin. The eastern half of the southern portion of Ware County is located in the St. Marys River sub-basin of the St. Marys-Satilla River basin. The rest of the county, from just southeast to north and west of Waycross, is located in the Satilla River sub-basin of the same St. Marys-Satilla River basin.

Major highways

U.S. Route 1 U.S. Route 1 Business U.S. Route 23 U.S. Route 23 Business U.S. Route 82 U.S. Route 84 State Route 4 State Route 4 Business State Route 38 State Route 122 State Route 158 State Route 177 State Route 520

Adjacent counties

Bacon County - north Pierce County - east Brantley County - east Charlton County - southeast Baker County, Florida - south Clinch County - west Atkinson County - west Coffee County - northwest

National protected area Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Communities City Waycross

Census-designated places Deenwood Dixie Union Manor Millwood Sunnyside Waresboro

Unincorporated communities Bickley Ruskin Jamestown Telmore

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition +Ware County, Georgia – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)28,47325,91224,43423,58322,27576.58%73.05%68.86%64.95%61.45%Black or African American alone (NH)8,2849,1939,90710,66210,70322.28%25.92%27.92%29.36%29.52%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)63556297770.17%0.16%0.17%0.27%0.21%Asian alone (NH)871201662783330.23%0.34%0.47%0.77%0.92%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census11718xx0.03%0.02%0.05%Other race alone (NH)0123351120.00%0.00%0.06%0.10%0.31%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census1924431,121xx0.54%1.22%3.09%Hispanic or Latino (any race)2731906881,2071,6120.73%0.54%1.94%3.32%4.45%Total37,18035,47135,48336,31236,251 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 36,251 and 8,909 families residing in the county. The median age was 39.8 years. 23.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 100.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 98.5 males age 18 and over. 67.9% of residents lived in urban areas, while 32.1% lived in rural areas.

The racial makeup of the county was 62.4% White, 29.7% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 2.4% from some other race, and 4.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 4.4% of the population.

There were 13,651 households in the county, of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 33.8% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 15,858 housing units, of which 13.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 62.2% were owner-occupied and 37.8% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.7%.

Education

High schools Ware County High School, Waycross

Middle schools Ware County Middle School, Waycross Waycross Middle School, Waycross

Elementary schools Wacona Elementary School, Waycross Center Elementary School, Waycross Williams Heights Elementary School, Waycross Memorial Drive Elementary School, Waycross Ruskin Elementary School, Waycross Waresboro Elementary School, Waycross

Preschools DAFFODIL Preschool, Waycross

Private schools Southside Christian School

Higher education South Georgia State College, Waycross Coastal Pines Technical College, Waycross

Politics

As of the 2020s, Ware County is a Republican stronghold, voting 71% for Donald Trump in 2024. Ware County has favored the Republican Party in recent presidential elections, although it was a strongly Democratic Solid South county until the 1980s. In the 1992 election, Ware County gave Democrat Bill Clinton and Republican George H. W. Bush an exact tie, the most recent time in American history a county was tied between the two major party presidential candidates.

For elections to the United States House of Representatives, Ware County is part of Georgia's 1st congressional district, currently represented by Buddy Carter. For elections to the Georgia State Senate, Ware County is part of districts 3 and 8. For elections to the Georgia House of Representatives, Ware County is part of districts 174 and 176.

Ware County, Georgia

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