Waynesboro, Georgia | |
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City | |
Downtown Waynesboro, within the historic district
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Nickname(s): "The Bird Dog Capital of the World" | |
Location in Burke County and the state of Georgia |
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Coordinates: 33°5′26″N 82°0′55″W / 33.09056°N 82.01528°WCoordinates: 33°5′26″N 82°0′55″W / 33.09056°N 82.01528°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Georgia |
County | Burke |
Area | |
• Total | 5.47 sq mi (14.16 km2) |
• Land | 5.42 sq mi (14.03 km2) |
• Water | 0.05 sq mi (0.13 km2) |
Elevation | 295 ft (90 m) |
Population (2010) | |
• Total | 5,766 |
• Density | 1,064/sq mi (411.0/km2) |
Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
• Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
ZIP code | 30830 |
Area code(s) | 706 |
FIPS code | 13-80984 |
GNIS feature ID | 0347180 |
Website | www |
Waynesboro is a city in Burke County, Georgia, United States. The population was 5,766 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Burke County. It is part of the Augusta, Georgia metropolitan area.
Waynesboro is known as "The Bird Dog Capital of the World". The Waynesboro Commercial Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Waynesboro is located in Burke County, one of the eight original counties of Georgia. The city was named after General Anthony Wayne, whose daring efforts during the Revolutionary War earned him the nickname "Mad Anthony Wayne".
Although the residents lived in the area before the Revolutionary War, the town was not laid out until 1783. The city was officially incorporated in 1883 as Waynesborough. The name was changed to Waynesboro sometime after.
President George Washington spent the night of May 17, 1791, in Waynesboro. There is a stone monument marking the historical location in front of the Golden Pantry (formerly Kwik Stop) on Liberty Street. Some claim that Washington owned land in Waynesboro. He had planned to develop it as a sugar plantation prior to his involvement with the American revolutionaries. He later sold it upon purchase of his Mount Vernon property in northern Virginia.
On December 4, 1864, the Civil War Battle of Waynesboro was fought just south of the town. Forces under Union General Judson Kilpatrick prevented troops led by Confederate General Joseph Wheeler from interfering with Union General William T. Sherman's campaign to destroy a wide swath of the South on his march to Savannah, Georgia, and the Atlantic Ocean.