Ware County, Georgia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ware County
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Ware County Courthouse, (Built 1957), Waycross
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Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
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Georgia's location within the U.S. |
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Country | United States |
State | Georgia |
Founded | December 15, 1824 |
Named for | Nicholas Ware |
Seat | Waycross |
Largest city | Waycross |
Area | |
• Total | 908 sq mi (2,350 km2) |
• Land | 892 sq mi (2,310 km2) |
• Water | 16 sq mi (40 km2) 1.7%% |
Population | |
• Estimate
(2018)
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35,680 |
• Density | 41/sq mi (16/km2) |
Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
Congressional district | 1st |
Ware County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 36,312. The county seat is Waycross.
Ware County is part of the Waycross, Georgia Micropolitan Statistical Area.
By geographic area, Ware County is the largest county in Georgia.
Contents
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)
- 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)
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 908 square miles (2,350 km2), of which 892 square miles (2,310 km2) is land and 16 square miles (41 km2) (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
Demographics
Historical population | |||
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Census | Pop. | %± | |
1830 | 1,205 | — | |
1840 | 2,323 | 92.8% | |
1850 | 3,888 | 67.4% | |
1860 | 2,200 | −43.4% | |
1870 | 2,286 | 3.9% | |
1880 | 4,159 | 81.9% | |
1890 | 8,811 | 111.9% | |
1900 | 13,761 | 56.2% | |
1910 | 22,957 | 66.8% | |
1920 | 28,361 | 23.5% | |
1930 | 26,558 | −6.4% | |
1940 | 27,929 | 5.2% | |
1950 | 30,289 | 8.4% | |
1960 | 34,219 | 13.0% | |
1970 | 33,525 | −2.0% | |
1980 | 37,180 | 10.9% | |
1990 | 35,471 | −4.6% | |
2000 | 35,483 | 0.0% | |
2010 | 36,312 | 2.3% | |
2018 (est.) | 35,680 | −1.7% | |
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013 |
2010 census
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 36,312 people, 13,654 households, and 9,209 families living in the county. The population density was 40.7 inhabitants per square mile (15.7/km2). There were 16,326 housing units at an average density of 18.3 per square mile (7.1/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 66.4% white, 29.5% black or African American, 0.8% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 1.5% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.3% of the population.
Of the 13,654 households, 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.6% were married couples living together, 17.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.6% were non-families, and 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.03. The median age was 38.4 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $35,517 and the median income for a family was $47,609. Males had a median income of $36,149 versus $27,034 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,295. About 16.7% of families and 20.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.5% of those under age 18 and 10.3% of those age 65 or over.
2020 census
Race | Num. | Perc. |
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White | 22,275 | 61.45% |
Black or African American | 10,703 | 29.52% |
Native American | 77 | 0.21% |
Asian | 333 | 0.92% |
Pacific Islander | 18 | 0.05% |
Other/Mixed | 1,233 | 3.4% |
Hispanic or Latino | 1,612 | 4.45% |
As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 36,251 people, 13,823 households, and 8,909 families residing in the county.
Communities
Cities
Census-designated places
Unincorporated communities
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
Higher education
- South Georgia State College, Waycross
- Coastal Pines Technical College, Waycross
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Ware para niños