Gwinnett County, Georgia

History

In 1813, Fort Daniel was created during the War of 1812 in territory that would become Gwinnett County. The county was created in 1818 by an act of the Georgia General Assembly, Gwinnett County was formed from parts of Jackson County (formerly part of Franklin County) and from lands gained through the cession of Creek Indian lands. Named for Button Gwinnett, one of the signatories of the Declaration of Independence, the first county election was held at the home of Elisha Winn, and the first Superior Court was held in his barn. The county seat was later placed at Lawrenceville.

In 1831, a group of white men were tried and found guilty in Lawrenceville for violating Georgia law by living in the Cherokee Nation without a valid passport from the Governor. Two of the men appealed to the US Supreme Court in Worcester v. Georgia, which resulted in a ruling stating that only the federal government had jurisdiction over native lands, a decision which still stands.

In 1861, all three of Gwinnett County's representatives at the Georgia Constitutional Convention (1861) in Milledgeville voted against secession. Towards the end of the war, Union troops foraged in Gwinnett County as part of the Atlanta campaign. The Freedmen's Bureau was active in Gwinnett County during Reconstruction. In 1871, the courthouse in Lawrenceville was burned by the Ku Klux Klan in an attempt to avoid prosecution for their crimes, which included the shooting of a Black election manager in Norcross.

Early in the county's history, gold mining was a minor industry. The Gwinnett Manufacturing Company, a cotton textile factory, operated in Lawrenceville in the 1850s through 1865, when it burned. The Bona Allen Company in Buford, Georgia produced saddles, harnesses and other leather goods from 1873 to 1981.

The northeastern part of Gwinnett County was removed in 1914 to form a part of the new Barrow County.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 437 sqmi, of which 430 sqmi is land and 6.4 sqmi (1.5%) is water. The county is located in the upper Piedmont region of the state.

It is located along the Eastern Continental Divide. A portion of the county to the northwest is a part of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area chain.

Allocation of water from the regional reservoir, Lake Lanier, at the extreme north of the county, has been subject to the Tri-state water dispute.

The southern and central portions of Gwinnett County are located in the Upper Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin. Most of the county's northern edge, from south of Peachtree Corners to north of Buford, is located in the Upper Chattahoochee River sub-basin of the ACF River Basin (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin). The county's eastern edge, north and south of Dacula, is located in the Upper Oconee River sub-basin of the same Altamaha River basin.

Adjacent counties

• Forsyth County – north
• Hall County – northeast
• Jackson County – northeast
• Barrow County – east
• Walton County – southeast
• Rockdale County – south
• DeKalb County – southwest
• Fulton County – west

Communities

Cities

• Auburn (partly in Barrow County)
• Berkeley Lake
• Buford (partly in Hall County)
• Dacula
• Duluth
• Grayson
• Lawrenceville
• Lilburn
• Loganville (partly in Walton County)
• Mulberry
• Norcross
• Peachtree Corners
• Snellville
• Sugar Hill
• Suwanee

Towns

• Braselton (partly in Jackson County, Hall County, and Barrow County)
• Rest Haven (partly in Hall County)

Census-designated places

• Mountain Park

Unincorporated communities

• Allendale
• Centerville
• Five Forks
• Harbins
• Hog Mountain
• Lucky Shoals
• Mechanicsville
• Mountain Park
• Rockbridge
• Rosebud

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1790-1880 1890-1910 1920-1930 1930-1940 1940-1950 1960-1980 1980-2000 2010 2020

Gwinnett County is often cited as one of the counties in the US that has demographically changed the most rapidly. As recently as 1990, over 90% of Gwinnett County's population was white. By 2007, the county was projected to be majority-minority.

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 957,062 people, 316,708 households, and 230,960 families residing in the county.

The median age was 36.0 years. 25.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 11.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 94.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 91.3 males age 18 and over. 99.5% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.5% lived in rural areas.

The racial makeup of the county was 35.5% White, 27.4% Black or African American, 0.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 13.3% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 12.1% from some other race, and 10.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 23.0% of the population.

Of the 316,708 households, 40.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 26.1% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 19.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 330,569 housing units, of which 4.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 65.3% were owner-occupied and 34.7% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.0%.

2010 census

In 2010, the median income for a household in the county was $63,219 and the median income for a family was $70,767. Males had a median income of $48,671 versus $39,540 for females. The per capita income for the county was $26,901. About 8.7% of families and 11.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.1% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over.{{cite web |access-date=December 29, 2015 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213033457/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP03/0500000US13135 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |url-status=dead

Economy

• AGCO is headquartered in Duluth.
• American Megatrends is headquartered in unincorporated Gwinnett County near Norcross.
• ASHRAE's world headquarters is in Peachtree Corners.
• Comcast Corporation, the American global telecommunications conglomerate and owner of Xfinity and NBCUniversal, has its Southeast Headquarters in Peachtree Corners.
• Canon has its southeast region headquarters in Norcross.
• Fortune 500 companies CarMax and Mass Mutual as well as Honeywell, Sprint Corporation, Siemens Industry Automation, Fleetcor, ACI Worldwide, and CMD Group are among the businesses in Peachtree Corners.
• The Harlem Globetrotters are headquartered in Peachtree Corners.
• Primerica is headquartered in unincorporated Gwinnett County, near Duluth.
• Scientific Atlanta in Lawrenceville.
• United States Tennis Association (USTA)‘s headquarters for the Southern Section is in Peachtree Corners.
• Waffle House is headquartered in unincorporated Gwinnett County, near Norcross.
• Yerkes National Primate Research Center, the CDC's primate research center located on the campus of Emory University in Atlanta, maintains its high security Yerkes Field Station, which houses most of its primates, near Lawrenceville.

Government and politics

Under Georgia's "home rule" provision, county governments have free rein to legislate on all matters within the county, provided that such legislation does not conflict with state or federal law, or state or federal Constitutions.

Gwinnett County, Georgia is governed by a five-member Board of Commissioners, which exercises both legislative and executive authority within the county. The Chair of the Board is elected county-wide and serves full-time. The four other commissioners are elected from single-member districts and serve part-time positions. The board hires a county administrator who oversees daily operations of the county's twelve executive departments. Gwinnett County has a police department that operates under the authority of the Board of Commissioners. Some of the local Gwinnett city budgets have recently come under increasing scrutiny of the General Funds allocated to police services. Cities such as Duluth have allocated as much as forty percent of their city budgets, reaching some of the highest levels in the nation. Solutions to high spending being discussed include additional “investment in mental health, housing, youth development and living wages would stabilize communities and prove more effective than policing.”

In addition to the Board of Commissioners, county residents also elect persons to the following positions: Sheriff, District Attorney, Probate Court Judge, Clerk of State/Superior Court, Tax Commissioner, State Court Solicitor, Chief Magistrate Judge (who appoints other Magistrate Court judges), Chief Superior Court Judge and Superior Court Judges, and Chief State Court Judge and State Court Judges.

Gwinnett County has the largest public school system in the state of Georgia. Members of the Board of Education are elected from special election districts in the county.

For most of the time from 1964 to 2012, the county was a Republican stronghold in presidential elections. The only Democrat to carry the county in this period was former Georgia governor Jimmy Carter in 1976, who carried Gwinnett County during his sweep of every county in the state. However, the Republican edge narrowed, and then eventually was eliminated, in the 2010s as the county, as well as the rest of the Atlanta metro area, became larger and more diverse. In 2016, Hillary Clinton became the first Democrat to win Gwinnett County in 40 years and the first non-Georgian Democrat to do so since John F. Kennedy in 1960, doing so by 5.9 points. This was due to changing demographics with white college-educated voters, as well as a white flight out of the county. In 2018, Stacey Abrams became the first Democrat to win Gwinnett County in a gubernatorial election since 1986 when Joe Frank Harris swept every county statewide. The Democratic trend became even more apparent in 2020, when Joe Biden won the county by 18.2 points, the best showing for a non-Georgian Democrat since Kennedy's 73.50%.

Raphael Warnock earned 62.8% of the vote here in the 2022 Senate runoff election, substantially improving upon Biden's result.

Gwinnett County is one of six "reverse pivot counties", counties that voted Republican in 2008 and 2012 before voting Democratic in 2016 onward.

Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners

United States Congress

Georgia General Assembly

Georgia State Senate

Georgia House of Representatives

Hospitals

• Northside Hospital Gwinnett – Lawrenceville
• Northside Hospital Duluth – Duluth
• Piedmont Hospital Eastside - Snellville (formerly an HCA hospital, purchased by Piedmont in 2020.)

Media

The county's main newspaper is the Gwinnett Daily Post.

The Spanish-language newspaper El Nuevo Georgia has its headquarters in unincorporated Gwinnett County, near Norcross. Telemundo Atlanta is based in Gwinnett.

Parks

Gwinnett County Parks and Recreation operates and maintains parks, playgrounds, swimming pools, golf courses and recreation centers in the county. The department also runs recreational and educational programs. The parks system has won many awards such as the gold medal in 2008 from American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration and National Recreation and Park Association. They were also finalists in 1999, 2006, and 2014. The system has also been cited to use STEM by NRPA.

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Gwinnett County Public Schools operates the public schools for residents in Gwinnett County, with the exception of residents inside the Buford city limits, which are served by the Buford City School District. There are 143 schools in the Gwinnett Public Schools district—21 high schools, 29 middle schools, 80 elementary schools and 13 specialty schools, making it the largest school district in Georgia.

A charter school, International Charter Academy of Georgia, that has a bilingual English and Japanese education program, is in Peachtree Corners. Another charter school, New Life Academy of Excellence, that has a bilingual English and Chinese education program, is near Peachtree Corners.

Private education

• Greater Atlanta Christian School, the second-largest independent school in Georgia, is located in Norcross.
• Hebron Christian Academy is located in Dacula.
• Providence Christian Academy is located in Lilburn
• Wesleyan School is located in Peachtree Corners

Colleges and universities

• Georgia Gwinnett College is located in Lawrenceville.
• Gwinnett Technical College is also located in Lawrenceville.
• Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine is located in Suwanee.
• Trevecca Nazarene University has an adult education site in Duluth.
• University of Georgia has a satellite campus in Lawrenceville.

Sports

Minor-league affiliates of the NHL Nashville Predators and the MLB Atlanta Braves play home games and talent scout in the area.

In 2016, the Georgia Swarm of the National Lacrosse League relocated from Minnesota and began playing games at Infinite Energy Arena. The team won the league championship in 2017.

Georgia Force of Arena Football League had also played at Arena at Gwinnett Center before the team folded in 2012.

Gwinnett also hosts the Gwinnett Lions Rugby Football Club, a Division 3 Men's Rugby Team competing in the Georgia Rugby Union.

Transportation

Airport

The county maintains a regional airport under the name Gwinnett County Airport, formerly Briscoe Field. The closest major airport serving the region is Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

Major roads and expressways

• [[File:I-85.svg|25px]] Interstate 85
• [[File:I-985.svg|25px]] Interstate 985
• [[File:US 23.svg|20px]] U.S. Route 23
• [[File:US 29.svg|20px]] U.S. Route 29
• [[File:US 78.svg|20px]] U.S. Route 78
• [[File:Georgia 8.svg|20px]] State Route 8
• [[File:Georgia 10.svg|20px]] State Route 10
• [[File:Georgia 13.svg|20px]] State Route 13
• [[File:Georgia 20.svg|20px]] State Route 20
• [[File:Georgia 84.svg|20px]] State Route 84
• [[File:Georgia 120.svg|25px]] State Route 120
• [[File:Georgia 124.svg|25px]] State Route 124
• [[File:Georgia 140.svg|25px]] State Route 140
• [[File:Georgia 141.svg|25px]] State Route 141
• [[File:Georgia 264.svg|25px]] State Route 264
• [[File:Georgia 316.svg|25px]] State Route 316
• [[File:Georgia 317.svg|25px]] State Route 317
• [[File:Georgia 324.svg|25px]] State Route 324
• [[File:Georgia 347.svg|25px]] State Route 347
• [[File:Georgia 365.svg|25px]] State Route 365
• [[File:Georgia 378.svg|25px]] State Route 378
• [[File:Georgia 403.svg|25px]] State Route 403 (unsigned designation for I-85)
• [[File:Georgia 419.svg|25px]] State Route 419 (unsigned designation for I-985) Main article: Ronald Reagan Parkway

Transit systems

• GRTA Xpress commuter buses and Ride Gwinnett (formerly Gwinnett County Transit) serve the county.
• Norcross Greyhound Bus Terminal, 2105 Norcross Pkwy, Norcross, GA 30071
• On April 12, 2018, Gwinnett County Officials updated the transit plans to connect to the rest of Metro Atlanta via heavy rail.

Pedestrians and cycling

• Beaver Ruin Creek Greenway (Proposed)
• Camp Creek Greenway
• Cedar Creek Trail Loop
• Crooked Creek Trail (Proposed)
• Harbins Greenway (Proposed)
• Ivy Creek Greenway (Under construction)
• Ivy Creek-Snellville Trail (Proposed)
• Norcross-Lilburn Trail (Proposed)
• Piedmont Pathway (Proposed)
• Riverlands Path (Under construction)
• Sugar Hill Greenway (Under construction)
• Suwanee Creek Greenway (Under construction)
• The Loop Trail (Proposed)
• Western Gwinnett Bikeway (Under construction)

In 2015, Peachtree Corners conducted a Livable Centers Initiative (LCI) survey which indicated public desire for more multi-use trails. Beginning in 2016, Peachtree Corners has been in the process of constructing 11.5 miles of multi-use trails within the city limits.

In 2016, Suwanee unveiled the first Bike Share program in Gwinnett County.

Notable people

• David Andrews, NFL football player with the New England Patriots.
• Elijah Bryant (born 1995), basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
• Brice Butler, NFL wide receiver with the Dallas Cowboys.
• Sam Flint (1882 – 1980), actor.
• Travis Hunter, Heisman Trophy Winner 2024
• Alvin Kamara, NFL running back with the New Orleans Saints.
• Chandler Massey, actor (Days of Our Lives); received the 2012, 2013, and 2014 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series. In 2012, Massey became the first actor ever to receive a Daytime Emmy Award for playing a gay character.
• Jodie Meeks, NBA shooting guard with the Washington Wizards.
• Migos, hip hop group.
• Maya Moore, Women's Basketball Player with the Minnesota Lynx.
• James Ramsey, Major League Baseball player with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
• Rittz, musician.
• Trey Thompkins, basketball player formerly with Los Angeles Clippers.

References

References

1. "About Gwinnett".
2. "Population estimates, July 1, 2018, (V2018)".
3. "City of Lawrenceville, Georgia - Home Page".
4. Gannett, Henry. (1905). "The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States". Govt. Print. Off..
5. Journal, Matt Vasilogambros, National. (April 2, 2015). "The Most Diverse County in the Southeast Is Run Almost Entirely by White Politicians".
6. "Most diverse counties in Georgia".
7. "2023 Most Diverse Counties in Georgia".
8. "Explore Census Data".
9. D'Angelo, James J.. (July 15, 2011). "Fort Daniel".
10. "History of Gwinnett County". Gwinnett Historical Society.
11. Gagnon, Michael. (2018). "Gwinnett County: A Bicentennial Celebration". Gwinnett Historical Society.
12. Holman, Tyler. (2018). "A Destructive Conflagration". Georgia Backroads.
13. (February 12, 2011). "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". [[United States Census Bureau]].
14. "Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission Interactive Mapping Experience". Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission.
15. "Million-Person Counties: 1970-2024". United States Census Bureau.
16. "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decade". United States Census Bureau.
17. (1880). "1880 Census Population by Counties 1790-1800". United States Census Bureau.
18. (1910). "1910 Census of Population - Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
19. (1930). "1930 Census of Population - Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
20. (1940). "1940 Census of Population - Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
21. (1950). "1950 Census of Population - Georgia -". United States Census Bureau.
22. (1980). "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
23. (2000). "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
24. Estep, Tyler. (November 24, 2017). "In deeply diverse Gwinnett, white residents confront minority status". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
25. (April 12, 2017). "Gwinnett's transformation: Just 14 percent white by 2050?". [[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]].
26. "P004 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Gwinnett County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
27. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Gwinnett County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
28. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Gwinnett County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
29. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
30. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
31. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
32. "[http://www.ami.com/contact/ Contact Us] {{Webarchive. link. (October 25, 2010 ." ''[[American Megatrends]]''. Retrieved on May 6, 2009.)
33. "Environmental technology nonprofit relocating to Peachtree Corners". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution / Cox Media Group.
34. "New Comcast headquarters will bring 150 new jobs to Peachtree Corners". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
35. "Economic Development". City of Peachtree Corners.
36. "MassMutual moves from Perimeter to Peachtree Corners". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution / Cox Media Group.
37. (July 2019). "Peachtree Corners Continues to Prosper". Peachtree Corners, GA.
38. "[http://www.primerica.com/public/contact.html#policy Contact Us] {{Webarchive. link. (March 1, 2010 ." Primerica. Retrieved on January 5, 2010.)
39. "GET TO KNOW THE USTA SECTIONS". United States Tennis Association.
40. "[http://www.wafflehouse.com/contactus.asp Contact Us] {{Webarchive. link. (2010-04-27 ." ''Waffle House''.that doesent make sense Retrieved on May 19, 2009.)
41. Woods, Mark. "[http://www.jacksonville.com/news/columnists/mark_woods/2009-05-03/story/if_this_is_what_it_gets_to_its_bad If this is what it gets to, it's bad] {{Webarchive. link. (May 5, 2009 ." ''[[The Florida Times-Union]]''. May 3, 2009. Retrieved on May 19, 2009.)
42. "CITY OF DULUTH GEORGIA : ANNUAL BUDGET REPORT : FISCAL YEAR 2017".
43. McCarthy, Niall. "How Much Do U.S. Cities Spend Every Year On Policing? [Infographic]".
44. "About Us - Gwinnett County Public Schools".
45. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
46. "Reverse-Pivot Counties: The counties that voted McCain-Romney-Clinton from 2008-2016".
47. "Commission District Map".
48. "[http://www.elnuevogeorgia.com/contactenos/ Contáctenos] {{Webarchive. link. (October 10, 2012 ." ''[[El Nuevo Georgia]]''. Retrieved on September 18, 2012.)
49. "[http://www.elnuevogeorgia.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/pdf-media-kit-COMPLET.pdf Media Kit 2011]." {{in lang. en ([https://web.archive.org/web/20131021155706/http://www.elnuevogeorgia.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/pdf-media-kit-COMPLET.pdf Archive]) ''[[El Nuevo Georgia]]''. p. 7. Retrieved on September 18, 2012. "5855 Jimmy Carter Blvd. Norcross, GA 30071"
50. "Parks and Recreation".
51. gwinnettdailypost.com, Curt Yeomans curt yeomans@. (2023-05-01). "Gwinnett is a finalist for title of nation's top parks and recreation department".
52. "STEM in Parks and Recreation {{!}} National Recreation and Park Association".
53. Geography Division. (December 26, 2020). "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Gwinnett County, GA". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].
54. (February 2018). "Trevecca to offer adult, graduate degree programs in Atlanta area". Church of the Nazarene.
55. "About – Gwinnett Lions Rugby".
56. "Norcross GA Bus Station - Greyhound".
57. "Gwinnett's transit plans now include running heavy rail into county". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
58. Curt Yeomans. (April 12, 2018). "Gwinnett County officials proposing MARTA-style heavy rail line".
59. "Gwinnett Considers Adding heavy Rail to Transit".
60. Curt Yeomans. (April 12, 2018). "Gwinnett County officials proposing MARTA-style heavy rail line".
61. "Gwinnett transit plan includes heavy rail connection to Doraville". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
62. "New Camp Creek Greenway bridge opens in Lilburn". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
63. "Multi-Use Trail | Peachtree Corners, GA".
64. "Gwinnett trails master plan unveiled for review". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
65. Curt Yeomans. (October 23, 2016). "Suwanee unveils new bike sharing stations".
66. "David Andrews".
67. (November 2, 2015). "Cowboys' trade with Oakland for Brice Butler finalized". Irving, TX ESPN.com.
68. (April 15, 2021). "Gwinnett Alumni on 2020 NFL Rosters".
69. (May 15, 2013). "Peachtree Corners' Chandler Massey Nominated for Emmy". Peachtree Corners, GA Patch.
70. (July 13, 2017). "Jodie Meeks is Wizards latest shot to help beleaguered bench". Washington, DC The Washington Times.
71. (April 15, 2021). "Gwinnett's Maya Moore to miss another WNBA season in campaign for prisoner's release". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
72. "Wesleyan grad Ramsey named nation's top player". www.gwinnettdailypost.com.
73. (April 14, 2010). "Wesleyan grad Thompkins staying at UGA". Gwinnett Daily Post.