Among the nearly 36,000 municipalities in the US, only one is named Warner Robins. Its origin is nearly as unique. In 1942, what was then called the US War Department established a base for aircraft on 12.6 km of land from a small Georgia farming community called Wellston. The base needed a name, and the first commander of the base wanted to name it for his mentor, Augustine Warner Robins. Regulations required, however, that it be named for the nearest city or town. So, the commander persuaded the leaders of Wellston to rename the town, and the Warner Robins Army Air Depot was officially christened in October of that year. Now called the Robins Air Force Base, it is one of Georgia’s largest employers, which contributes more than 25,000 military, civilian and contractor jobs to the local economy and provides Warner Robins with admirable economic stability.

That stability, however, can be a trap. Local economies that come to rely exclusively on a nearby military base have sometimes found themselves shattered by decisions to shrink or close these facilities. Under Mayor LaRhonda Patrick, elected in 2022, the city has launched a program of transformation to build a more diverse economic base for a resilient future.

Operation ReAwaken

The centerpiece is Operation ReAwaken, which aims to give Warner Robins a vibrant downtown district in a historic area known as the Commercial Circle. The city has acquired 80% of the 14-acre brownfield site and secured a US$1 million grant from the Federal government to remediate its environmental problems. On the renovated site, it will create a walkable live-work-play district that provides Warner Robins with its first real downtown to strengthen the city’s role as the retail center of its region.

Development is not restricted to one project. The Robins International Industrial Park is a partnership with the county launched in 2016. It is currently home to companies in cold storage and wholesale distribution, greenhouse operations, manufacturing, paper recycling, utility services and waste removal. They join Warner Robins employers including Perdue Farms, Frito Lay and Kroger in leveraging the city’s mid-Georgia location and good transportation access.

Upskilling Residents

A partnership with a nonprofit called EdFarm and Apple is establishing a Community Innovation Lab, which offers free STEM education to children and the general public. Learning stations offer individuals and groups training in coding, fabrication, audio and video production, drone technology and gaming tech. The city also partners with a technical college on development of skilled labor, with the help of state grants for education related to Georgia industries. With a total of five post-secondary institutions, Warner Robins has the potential for many more such partnerships.

It took a step in that direction with a 2024 Startup WR Week, which brought together community partners to celebrate entrepreneurship, innovation and collaboration. More than 100 new and small businesses benefited from workshops, a pitch competition and networking with each other, service providers and government officials.

Digital Twin

To meet business and residential demand for connectivity, Warner Robins has qualified for Georgia’s Broadband Ready Designation. It identifies municipalities that have a department devoted to working with carriers and a streamlined permitting process for new network builds. This public-private collaboration has provided the city with 100% availability of affordable broadband service from multiple ISPs and high adoption rates.

One project making use of this connectivity is a digital twin of the city focused on public safety. A Georgia nonprofit, the Partnership for Inclusive Innovation, selected Warner Robins to work with the Georgia Institute of Technology, better known as Georgia Tech, to build an digital model of the city that maps locations where crimes took place. Based on historical data, the AI system predicts where crimes will occur in future and makes recommendations for the deployment of police officers and image recognition technology. The 20 Flock cameras and system software recognizes license plate numbers and other distinguishing characteristics of cars to help identify and track suspects.

Community engagement has been vital to the project’s’ success. Ethical guidelines were put in place to govern decision-making, and the AI was trained with techniques designed to mitigate bias. Even more important was involving community stakeholders in development and deployment to build trust and address potential worries about predictive policing. In the first three months following deployment, Warner Robins recorded a 20% decrease in overall crime and measurable improvement in the rate at which crimes lead to arrest and arraignment.

The Housing Priority

The city is home to military service members who move between bases every few years. Its housing has adapted: investment in multi-family and single-family rental properties is projected to grow nearly 50% in 2025. Beyond availability is the question of affordability, which is shared by so many communities in industrial nations. Mayor Patrick has made housing a priority for her administration, saying “There is a drastic need for our teachers, nurses, military personnel, city employees, police and firefighters to be able to live, work and play within our city limits.”

Mayor Patrick took office in 2022 and most of the city’s Intelligent Community programs began their rollout in 2024. Economic and community development is a long game requiring patient and persistent effort. In the early stages of its Intelligent Community Journey, Warner Robins is making all the right moves.

Population: 80,308

Website: www.wrga.gov

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