Our Community
Welcome to Wayne County, Mississippi. Our area is noted for its vast richness in natural resources -- including timber, oil and natural gas -- and for its diverse and hard-working people that serve as the backbone of our unique quality of life.
The population of Wayne County -- based on the U.S. Census Bureau's 2016 estimates -- stands at 20,490. This number combined with the estimated population within our labor shed of neighboring Mississippi and Alabama counties gives us a potential labor force of 245,000. With this number of potential workers, Wayne County is a destination for businesses and industries looking to build or relocate.
Wayne County has two incorporated communities -- Waynesboro, the county seat, serves as the retail and cultural hub of the area. Chartered as a town in April, 1876, Waynesboro has seen significant growth through the years and is presently home to 4,944 people. The city has a retail trade service area of more than 113,000 people. State Line, with a population estimated at 551, lies on the border between Wayne and Greene counties and is another destination for business.
Unincorperated communities in Wayne County include: Battles, Boice, Buckatunna, Chicora, Clara, Corinth, Coyt, Crossroad, Denham, Eret, Eucutta, Frost Bridge, Gretna, Hiwannee, Matherville, Maynor Creek, Mulberry, Pleasant Grove, Progress, Robinson Junction, Strengthford, Tokio, West King, Winchester, Woodwards Switch and Yellow Creek.
The county has a total area of 813.5 square miles -- with 810.32 square miles of land and 3.18 square miles of water.
Wayne County's climate is best described as generally mild. The average annual high temperature is 76.5 degrees. The average annual low temperature is 51.1 degrees. The average year-round temperature is 63.8 degrees. The average annual precipitation is 58 inches. The typical coldest month of the year is January -- where the daily high temperatures average around 54 degrees and the nighttime lows average around 34 degrees. The typical hottest month is July when average daily highs reach 92 and average nighttime lows stand at 69 degrees.
The county has several public schools -- including one high school (Wayne County High School for students in grades 9 through 12) and five K-8 campuses: Wayne Central and Wayne Riverside in Waynesboro, Beat Four, Buckatunna and Clara. The Wayne County School District also operates the Wayne County Career and Technical Center, which provides students with key industrial and job skills in areas such as agriculture, industrial maintenance, building trades and automobile mechanics, to name a few.
In addition, the area is served by a private school -- Wayne Academy, which hosts pre-kindergarten through 12th grade students. Founded in 1970, WA has earned nationally recognized accreditation through AdvancED's Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement and regional accreditation through the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools.
The community is also served by Jones County Junior College's Wayne County Center. JCJC, in partnership with the Wayne County Board of Supervisors and other local, state and federal agencies, established a classroom and laboratory learning facility in Waynesboro that provides training in areas such as nursing, welding and instrumentation along with traditional core courses and GED classes.
The Waynesboro-Wayne County Library is a crown jewel in our community. Begun in 1934, the library has seen many incarnations through the years, and, since 2003, has occupied more than 17,000 square foot in what was formerly a Wal-Mart store on Mississippi Drive in Waynesboro. The ultra-modern library facility offers a wide range of community-based services, computer usage, wi-fi Internet connections, classes, a teen center, genealogy-research center, community education programs as well as an Internet cafe and a bookstore operated by the Friends of the Library.
Under development is the new Wayne County Museum, which will occupy the remaining half of the former Wal-Mart building with the Waynesboro-Wayne County Library. Supported through funding provided by the Mississippi Department of Transportation, the museum will spotlight the area's transportation history -- most notably, the railroad that led to the formation of Waynesboro and that helped build the economic future of the eastern half of Mississippi.
Wayne General Hospital, which is the county's 80-bed primary health care facility, offers full emergency room services, outpatient surgery and a wide range of specialty care physicians on call around the clock. The hospital also operates the county's ambulance and Emergency Medical Services operations, and offers physical therapy services as well as a community wellness center and lighted outdoor walking track. A fully-staffed dialysis center is now also part of the medical campus.
Recreational facilities abound in Wayne County. Maynor Creek Water Park is a 450-acre site that offers world-class fishing, boating, swimming and camping facilties. Rustic cabins and meeting halls are spaced throughout the park, and a covered stage is located near the shoreline to provide a venue for concerts and programs.
The pristine Chickasawhay River and meandering Buckatunna Creek offer excellent opportunities to boat on or float down, to fish or to see wildlife in its natural surroundings. Both watersheds eventually feed into the nationally recognized Pascagoula River. The Chickasawhay is home to the annual Great Chickasawhay River Race -- a 22.3 mile trek from Shubuta in neighboring Clarke County to Waynesboro.
Wayne County is also home to a major portion of the DeSoto National Forest -- one of the most important protected areas for biological diversity of the Gulf Coast ecoregion of North America. The DeSoto National Forest is an important site for protection of longleaf pine savannas, pine flatwoods and longleaf pine forests. More than 90 percent of this ecosystem has been lost in the United States.
Waynesboro is also home to a community golf course, and the City of Waynesboro maintains a number of neighborhood public parks that have everything from tennis courts to covered pavilions and from walking trails to playground equipment. A refreshing splash pad is available during the summer at Southside Park.
And compared to the rest of the country, Wayne County's cost of living is 20.20 percent less than the national average -- making for an inexpensive way of life and lifestyle.
For information related to Wayne County and what makes it a great place to do business, contact the Wayne County Economic Development District at 601-735-6056.
