Waynesboro is the seat of Burke County, one of Georgia's eight original counties, in the eastern Piedmont about thirty-five miles south of Augusta. The city counted about 5,500 residents in recent estimates and forms part of the Augusta metropolitan area. U.S. Route 25 runs through the heart of downtown, and State Route 121 crosses as Liberty Street, giving the city a traditional courthouse-square layout. The city was named for General Anthony Wayne, the Revolutionary War commander, and grew as the agricultural and commercial center of a cotton-producing county. Burke County's history, from plantation life to the rise of agribusiness, is documented at the Burke County Museum in Waynesboro. Today the county's economy is anchored by Plant Vogtle, the nuclear power station on the Savannah River near the city, whose newest units brought major construction and long-term operations employment to the area. Agriculture — timber, cotton, and row crops — remains important across the surrounding countryside. Waynesboro is best known nationally as the Bird Dog Capital of the World. Field trials for bird dogs have been run in and around the city since 1903, and the Georgia Field Trials still draw competitors and handlers from across the country each January, a tradition that gives the community a distinctive identity in the sporting world. For residents, Waynesboro offers a small-city lifestyle with a lively downtown of shops, restaurants, and antique stores, a single countywide school system, and a short drive to Augusta's larger amenities. The Burke County Public Schools serve local students, and Augusta Technical College maintains a satellite campus in the city, adding to its role as the region's governmental and commercial hub. The courthouse, downtown storefronts, and shaded residential streets give Waynesboro a classic southern small-town feel, while a major energy facility brings a broader economic base.