Warner Robins
| Warner Robins, Georgia | ||
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| City | ||
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| Motto: Georgia's International | ||
 Location in Houston County and the state of Georgia |
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| Coordinates: 32°36′31″N 83°38′17″W / 32.60861°N 83.63806°WCoordinates: 32°36′31″N 83°38′17″W / 32.60861°N 83.63806°W | ||
| Country | United States | |
| State | Georgia | |
| Counties | Houston, Peach | |
| Founded | September 1, 1942 | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor | Randy Toms | |
| Area | ||
| • City | 35.4 sq mi (91.6 km2) | |
| • Land | 35.1 sq mi (90.8 km2) | |
| • Water | 0.3 sq mi (0.7 km2) 0.8% | |
| Elevation | 365 ft (93 m) | |
| Population (2010) | ||
| • City | 66,588 | |
| • Estimate (2016) | 74,388 | |
| • Density | 2,144/sq mi (827.9/km2) | |
| • Metro | 139,900 | |
| Time zone | Eastern (UTC-5) | |
| • Summer (DST) | Eastern (UTC-4) | |
| Area code(s) | 478 | |
| FIPS code | 13-80508 | |
| GNIS feature ID | 0333366 | |
| Website | wrga.gov | |
Warner Robins is a city in the US state of Georgia, located in Houston County in the central part of the state. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 66,588. From 2000 to 2010, the Warner Robins city population grew by 36.4% (from 48,804 people to 66,588).
Warner Robins is a part of the larger Macon-Warner Robins Combined Statistical Area, with a population of 417,473. Robins Air Force Base was built in 1942 just outside the city limits. Its expansion has attracted more residents.
Warner Robins was founded in 1942 from the community of Wellston. It was named for General Augustine Warner Robins of the United States Air Force. It was incorporated as a town in 1943 and as a city in 1956.
The 1940 census shows that the community of Wellston was sparsely populated and inhabited primarily by farmers and their families. Its most notable landmark was a stop on the railroad line. Wellston also had a small sawmill and a grocery store. Peach orchards covered parts of the surrounding land.
World War II soon changed this. The War Department made plans to build an air depot in the Southeast. With the assistance of influential U.S. Congressman Carl Vinson, Wellston community leader Charles Bostic "Boss" Watson worked with officials in Macon to make a bid to locate this air depot in Houston County. In June 1941, the U.S. government accepted this offer, which included 3,108 acres of land.
This air base was initially called Wellston Army Air Depot when it opened in 1942. The first commander was Colonel Charles E. Thomas. He wanted to name this depot in honor of his mentor Augustine Warner Robins, who was called by his middle name, Warner. Regulations prevented him from doing this, which required the base to be named after the nearest town. Not deterred by this, Colonel Thomas persuaded Boss Watson and the other community leaders to rename the town of Wellston. So on September 1, 1942, the town was given the new name of Warner Robins. Soon thereafter, on October 14, 1942, the base was renamed to become Warner Robins Army Air Depot. The city has a unique name, shared with no other town in the United States.
Robins Air Force Base is not within the city limits of the town but is across U.S. Highway 129 (Georgia state highway 247), which serves as a boundary between the base and the city.
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