So on September 1, 1942, the town was given the new name of Warner Robins. Soon thereafter, on October 14, 1942, the base was renamed to become Warner Robins Army Air Depot. The city has a unique name, shared with no other town in the United States. Robins Air Force Base is not within the city limits of the town but is across U.S. Highway 129 (Georgia State Highway 247), which serves as a boundary between the base and the city. In 2018, First Solar announced a project for a 200-megawatt, solar panel facility in Twiggs County east of Warner Robins. The facility would be the largest solar facility in the southeast. Tornadoes Tornadoes have continually plagued the city since its inception with the 1950s seeing at least four catastrophic tornadoes strike the area. The first one occurred on April 30, 1953, when an F4 tornado with winds of over 200 mph hit the city and portions of Robins Air Force Base, killing 18 people and injuring 300 more. That same day, a second tornado that was rated F2 damaged the northwest side of town. Just ten months later on March 13, 1954, a long-tracked F1 tornado struck the town, killing one and injuring five. Three years later, on April 5, 1957, a long-tracked F2 tornado family hit the northwest side of the city, causing considerable damage. To date, at least nine tornadoes have hit the town and the surrounding area. Geography Warner Robins is located at (32.608720ºN, −83.638027ºE). It is approximately south of Macon and south of Atlanta. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (0.82%) is water. Government LaRhonda Patrick rocks election. She is the first woman and first person of color to be elected mayor of Warner Robins. Since 2013, most of the city is within the 147th district of the Georgia House of Representatives, currently represented by Republican member Heath Clark. Transportation Major roads Warner Robins is generally located between U.S. Highway 129/Georgia State Route 247 and Interstate 75 about to the west; Georgia State Route 96 passes through the southern edge of the city. U.S. Highway 129 leads north 19 mi (31 km) to downtown Macon and south 28 mi (45 km) to Hawkinsville. GA-247 follows U.S. Highway 129 throughout the city, and leads north to Macon and south to Hawkinsville. GA-96