Warner Robins, Georgia

Warner Robins is a city in the U.S. state of Georgia, located primarily in Houston County with a small portion in Peach County. The city has its own metropolitan statistical area (Warner Robins metropolitan area). As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 48,804.

History
The city was originally named York and, later, Wellston, which was little more than a train stop for local farmers. During World War II, to gain a military base, the town agreed to change its name in honor of Brigadier General Augustine Warner Robins. The base was originally an Army Air Corps repair depot named Wellston Army Air Corps Air Depot. When the U.S. Air Force was founded in 1947, the base was named Robins Air Force Base; the logistics headquarters was originally named the Warner Robins Air Materiel Area (WRAMA) and today is called the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center (WR-ALC). The base is the state's largest employer in one location; it has more than 25,000 personnel, mostly civil servants.

Warner Robins survived a direct strike from an F4 tornado on April 30, 1953.

It is nicknamed the "International City" as numerous residents come into the area from around the world because of nearby Robins Air Force Base.

Geography
Warner Robins is located at °N, °W (32.608720, -83.638027).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 22.9 mi2, of which, 22.8 mi2 is land and 0.1 mi2 (0.39%) is water.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 48,804 people, 19,550 households, and 13,078 families residing in the city. The population density was 2143.9 PD/sqmi. There were 21,688 housing units at an average density of 952.7 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 62.50% White, 32.09% African American, 0.30% Native American, 1.79% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 1.24% from other races, and 2.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.80% of the population.

There were 19,550 households out of which 34.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.3% were married couples living together, 16.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.1% were non-families. 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.5% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 31.9% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 94.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $38,401, and the median income for a family was $44,217. Males had a median income of $33,030 versus $24,855 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,121. About 11.0% of families and 13.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.5% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over.

Quality of life
In 2009, Business Week magazine named Warner Robins the best place in Georgia in which to raise a family. The ranking was bestowed once again for 2010. The Warner Robins Area Chamber was named one of the top three chambers of commerce in the U.S. for a chamber in its division in 2009 by the American Chamber of Commerce Executives Association..

Museum of Aviation
Warner Robins is home to the Museum of Aviation honoring the history of military aviation. It is located next to the air force base. The museum contains exhibits on military memorabilia, airplanes and ground vehicles, the Tuskegee Airmen and Operation Desert Storm. It is the second-largest aviation museum in the country.

Baseball and softball
Warner Robins residents claim that in 1958, Claude Lewis, director of the Warner Robins Recreation Department, invented the game of tee-ball. The first game was played in March of that year with 20 children participating. Lewis wrote rules for the new game and sent rule books out to recreation departments all over the country. Several other cities claim to be the birthplace of tee-ball. In 2006, a field was dedicated and named for Lewis, "The Father of Tee-Ball", at the Warner Robins American Little League complex.

Warner Robins Little League won the 2007 Little League World Series 3-2 against Tokyo, Japan.

On December 9, 2008 the Little League International Board of Directors unanimously voted for Warner Robins to become the new Southeast Region Headquarters of Little League Baseball and Softball. Games will be played in Warner Robins starting in 2010.

The Warner Robins American Little League girls softball team won the 2009 Little League Softball World Series, by defeating Crawford, Texas, making Warner Robins the only Little League to have won both a baseball and a softball Little League title.

The Warner Robins American Little League girls softball team defended their 2009 championship by defeating Burbank, California in the 2010 Little League Softball World Series. By doing so, Warner Robins became only the fourth Little League program to produce back-to-back championship teams and the first since Waco, Texas in 2003-2004.

EDIMGIAFAD
The official motto of Warner Robins is EDIMGIAFAD, which is an acronym for "Every Day In Middle Georgia Is Armed Forces Appreciation Day". (Originally: Every Day In Middle Georgia Is Air Force Appreciation Day). The coining of this phrase is attributed to Dr. Dan Callahan, a local civic leader. In 2010, Dr. Callahan and a group of community leaders launched an effort to change the acronym to "EDIUSAIAFAD", as part of a movement to take the sentiment national: "Every Day in the USA is Armed Forces Appreciation Day".

Economy
The city of Warner Robins is working on redeveloping and renewing areas that have suffered from urban decay and/or abandonment through neglect and city growth. The city's plans include development of a centralized downtown area to include shopping, entertainment and restaurants. They want to increase amenities and attract more commercial business to the area.

In May 2009 Warner Robins was listed by the Adversity Index as one of four Georgia metro areas that have had less than nine months of recession over the past fifteen years and have only recently been affected by the Global Financial Crisis of 2008-2009.

In June 2011, Warner Robins was listed in Wired Magazine as one of 12 small cities that are driving the "Knowledge Economy". Georgia was the only Southeastern state listed and Warner Robins was one of two Georgia cities ranked (the other one being Hinesville-Ft. Stewart). The rankings featured small cities that are luring knowledge workers and entrepreneurs and who have both a relatively high median family income and a relatively high percentage of creative workers who drive the economy.

Popular culture
The bands Rehab and Stillwater are based in Warner Robins.

Newspapers

 * The Warner Robins Patriot (weekly)

Television stations

 * WRWR-LD - America One/Universal Sports (On DT2)

Radio stations

 * WRWR (1350 AM), News/Talk and high school sports
 * WRWR-FM (107.5 FM), News/Talk and high school sports
 * WNNG-FM (99.9 FM), ESPN and local high school sports

Notable residents

 * Eddie Anderson — professional football player
 * Russell Branyan — Major League Baseball player
 * James Brooks — professional football player
 * Kal Daniels — Major League Baseball player
 * Burma Ann Davis - Miss Georgia 1968
 * Bobbie Eakes — Emmy Award-nominated actress; singer
 * Phil Horan — former drummer in the post-rock band Maserati
 * Willis Hunt — senior federal judge for the U.S. Northern District of Georgia
 * Michael Jacques — Olympic weightlifter (1988 Summer Olympic Games); seven-time U.S. Senior National Weightlifting Champion
 * Jessie James — pop singer
 * Mark Johnson — Major League Baseball player
 * Amanda Kozak — Miss Georgia 2006
 * Kyle Moore — professional football player
 * Victoria Principal — actress
 * Willie Reid — professional football player
 * Mike Richardson — professional football player
 * Robert Lee Scott, Jr. — U.S. Air Force Brigadier General and pilot; wrote autobiography God is My Co-Pilot
 * Ron Simmons — professional football player and professional wrestler
 * Chansi Stuckey — professional football player

Education
The portion of Warner Robins in Houston County is served by the Houston County School System. The portion of the city in Peach County is served by Peach County Schools.

Colleges and universities

 * Georgia College & State University
 * Georgia Military College
 * Macon State College
 * Mercer University
 * Middle Georgia Technical College
 * Fort Valley State University

High schools

 * Houston County High School
 * Houston County Career and Technology Center
 * Northside High School
 * Warner Robins High School
 * Veterans High School
 * Elberta Center
 * Crossroads Center (alternative school)