Ware County, Georgia Explained

County:Ware County
State:Georgia
Seal:WareCountyGAseal.png
Seal Size:90px
Seat Wl:Waycross
Largest City Wl:Waycross
Area Total Sq Mi:908
Area Land Sq Mi:892
Area Water Sq Mi:16
Area Percentage:1.7%
Census Yr:2020
Pop:36251
Density Sq Mi:41
District:1st
Ex Image:Ware County Courthouse, Waycross, GA, US.jpg
Ex Image Cap:Ware County Courthouse in Waycross
Time Zone:Eastern
Named For:Nicholas Ware

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.[1] The county seat and only incorporated place is Waycross.[2] 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:

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[3] About "Old Okefenåok"[4] and Doctors of Primitive Times and Horse and Buggy Days of Ware County.[5]

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.[6] In 1937, the federal government purchased distressed farmland for the park.[7] 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.[8]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and (1.7%) is water.[9] 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.[10]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

National protected area

Communities

City

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Demographics

Ware County racial composition (2020)[11] !Race!Num.!Perc.
White22,27561.45%
Black or African American10,70329.52%
Native American770.21%
Asian3330.92%
Pacific Islander180.05%
Other/Mixed1,2333.4%
Hispanic or Latino1,6124.45%
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 36,251 people, 13,823 households, and 8,909 families residing in the county.

Education

High schools

Middle schools

Elementary schools

Preschools

Private schools

Higher education

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Census - Geography Profile: Ware County, Georgia. United States Census Bureau. December 29, 2022.
  2. Web site: Find a County. June 7, 2011. National Association of Counties.
  3. Book: Laura Singleton Walker. History of Ware County, Georgia. 1990. Southern Historical Press. 978-0-89308-106-5.
  4. Book: Laura Singleton Walker. Sara Singleton King. About "Old Okefenåok". 1947.
  5. Book: Laura Singleton Walker. Doctors of Primitive Times and Horse and Buggy Days of Ware County. 1940.
  6. Web site: Laura S. Walker: The Woman Behind the Park. Friends of Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites. April 13, 2018.
  7. Web site: Current Use of Federal Land Utilization Projects Granted to State and Local Agencies. Department of Forestry and Natural Resources Clemson University. Thomas J. Straka. S. Knight Cox. Heather T. Irwin. https://web.archive.org/web/20180414091735/https://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/library/documents/bib96089/65.pdf . April 14, 2018 . live. April 13, 2018.
  8. Web site: Laura S. Walker State Park Established 1941. Georgia Department of Natural Resources. https://web.archive.org/web/20180107201733/http://gastateparks.org/sites/default/files/parks/pdf/lauraswalker/LauraSWalker_History.pdf . January 7, 2018 . live. April 13, 2018.
  9. Web site: US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990. United States Census Bureau. April 23, 2011. February 12, 2011.
  10. Web site: Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission Interactive Mapping Experience . Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission . November 27, 2015 . October 3, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181003004639/http://www.gaswcc.org/maps/ . dead .
  11. Web site: Explore Census Data. December 9, 2021. data.census.gov.