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Welcome to Waco ...

Waco is located in Madison County<1>.

While we don't have a date for the founding of Waco, you might consider that their post office opened  in 1861.

When the people of Waco refer to themselves (known as a demonym), they frequently use Wacoite<2>

Waco is 820 feet [250 m] above sea level.<3>.

Time Zone: Waco lies in the Eastern Time Zone (EST/EDT) and observes daylight saving time

Note: If you travel east from Waco, you will leave Eastern Time and cross into the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT).

Area Code for Waco: 859

The ZIP code for Waco: 40385<4>

Communities Also Named Waco ...

Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 18 communities that are also named Waco - they are located in Alabama, Arkansas (2), Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Quebec, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.

For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Waco.

Communities near Waco ...

We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Waco.

  • Richmond
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Winchester
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
  • Berea
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Stanton
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Irvine
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Irvine. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<6>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irvine
    • Irvine is located in Estill County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,289 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Irvine <5>
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Irvine
    • From Waco to Irvine
  • Clay City
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clay City have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clay City
    • Clay City is located in Powell County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,087 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clay City <5>
  • Ravenna
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ravenna have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravenna
    • Ravenna is located in Estill County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 557 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ravenna <5>
  • Brassfield
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Brassfield. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<6>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brassfield
    • Brassfield is located in Madison County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Brassfield
    • From Waco to Brassfield
  • Reeds Crossing
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reeds Crossing have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reeds Crossing
    • Reeds Crossing is located in Madison County
  • Union City
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Union City have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union City
    • Union City is located in Madison County

To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.

We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Waco. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Waco.

Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Waco. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Waco.

We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Waco. See our Newspapers Page for Waco.

TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Waco ...

Looking for more information about Waco? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.

In addition to the Tourism page for Waco, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Waco.

Adding Waco to Our Gazetteer ...

We originally found mention of Waco in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.

From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Waco was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<8>

X2X - From that list, the Waco post office opened in 1861.

We also found Waco in the book titled List of Post Offices in the United States (1870).

For more details, see References and Mentions for Waco.

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Waco. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of Kentucky: https://kentucky.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>If you're interested in how the shape of Kentucky's counties, including Madison, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
<2>A demonym is the name for a resident of a community which is usually derived from (or is related to) the name of that community. In other words, it's how the residents of Waco refer to themselves. It's important to note that there aren't any rules for taking a community's name and turning it into a demonym. A demonym is informal and while the majority of Waco may use one name, keep in mind that others may use something different.
<3>The elevation is an estimate for the area around Waco - it will be higher in some places and lower in others.
<4>ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a community (such as Waco). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Waco or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS).
<5>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<6>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<7>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<8>A copy of their list with background information can be found at:

      https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025