Gwinnett County, Georgia

Gwinnett County, Georgia
Gwinnett Historic Courthouse in Lawrenceville
Map of Georgia highlighting Gwinnett County
Location in the U.S. state of Georgia
Map of the United States highlighting Georgia
Georgia's location in the U.S.
Founded December 15, 1818
Named for Button Gwinnett
Seat Lawrenceville
Largest city Peachtree Corners
Area
 • Total 437 sq mi (1,132 km2)
 • Land 430 sq mi (1,114 km2)
 • Water 6.4 sq mi (17 km2), 1.5%
Population (est.)
 • (2017) 920,260
 • Density 2,140/sq mi (830/km2)
Congressional districts 4th, 7th, 10th
Time zone Eastern: UTC−5/−4
Website www.gwinnettcounty.com

Gwinnett County is a county in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia.[1] As of 2017, the population is estimated to be 920,260, making it the second-most populous county in Georgia.[2] Its county seat is Lawrenceville.[3] The county is named for Button Gwinnett, one of the signatories of the Declaration of Independence.[4]

Gwinnett County is included in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

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 Indian lands. Named for Button Gwinnett, one of the signatories of the Declaration of Independence, the first county court was held at the home of Elisha Winn, and the county seat was placed at Lawrenceville.[5]

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, several skirmishes took place in Gwinnett County as part of the Atlanta Campaign.

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

Geography

alt text
The Elisha Winn House served as Gwinnett County's first courthouse.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 437 square miles (1,130 km2), of which 430 square miles (1,100 km2) is land and 6.4 square miles (17 km2) (1.5%) is water.[6]

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.[7]

Adjacent counties

Transportation

Airport

The county maintains a regional airport under the name Gwinnett County Airport, formerly Briscoe Field.

Major roads and expressways

Transit Systems

  • Xpress GA/ RTA Commuter buses and Gwinnett County Transit serve the county.
  • Norcross Greyhound Bus Terminal, 2105 Norcross Pkwy, Norcross, GA 30071[8]
  • On April 12, 2018, Gwinnett County Officials updated the transit plans to connect to the rest of Metro Atlanta via heavy rail.[9][10][11][12][13]

Pedestrians and cycling

In 2016, Suwanee unvealed the first Bike Share program in Gwinnett County. [16]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.%±
18204,589—
183013,289189.6%
184010,804−18.7%
185011,2574.2%
186012,94015.0%
187012,431−3.9%
188019,53157.1%
189019,8991.9%
190025,58528.6%
191028,82412.7%
192030,3275.2%
193027,853−8.2%
194029,0874.4%
195032,32011.1%
196043,54134.7%
197072,34966.2%
1980166,903130.7%
1990352,910111.4%
2000588,44866.7%
2010805,32136.9%
Est. 2017920,260[17]14.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[18]
1790-1960[19] 1900-1990[20]
1990-2000[21] 2010-2013[22]

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 805,321 people, 268,519 households, and 203,238 families residing in the county.[23] The population density was 1,871.2 inhabitants per square mile (722.5/km2). There were 291,547 housing units at an average density of 677.4 per square mile (261.5/km2).[24] The racial makeup of the county was 53.3% White, 23.6% black or African American, 10.6% Asian, 0.5% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 8.8% from other races, and 3.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 20.1% of the population.[23] In terms of ancestry, 8.3% were German, 7.8% were Irish, 7.7% were English, and 5.8% were American.[25]

Of the 268,519 households, 45.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.2% were married couples living together, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 24.3% were non-families, and 19.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.98 and the average family size was 3.40. The median age was 33.7 years.[23]

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.[26]

Economy

  • AGCO is headquartered in Duluth.
  • American Megatrends is headquartered in Building 200, at 5555 Oakbrook Parkway, in unincorporated Gwinnett County, near Norcross.[27]
  • Primerica is headquartered in unincorporated Gwinnett County, near Duluth.[28]
  • Waffle House is headquartered in unincorporated Gwinnett County,[29] near Norcross.[30]
  • Yerkes National Primate Research Center, the CDC's primate research center located on the campus of Emory University near Atlanta, maintains its high security Yerkes Field Station, which houses most of its primates, near Lawrenceville.
  • Canon has its southeast region headquarters in Norcross.
  • Datapath, a firm specializing in satellite communications and wireless communications systems, is headquartered in unincorporated Gwinnett, near Duluth.

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 chairman 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.[31] 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.”[32]

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.

From 1980 until 2012, the county was a Republican stronghold in presidential elections. In 2016, Hillary Clinton became the first Democrat to win Gwinnett County since 1976, when Georgia native Jimmy Carter won every county in the state.

Presidential elections results
Previous presidential elections results[33]
Year Republican Democratic Third parties
2016 44.4% 146,989 50.2% 166,153 5.4% 17,808
2012 53.8% 159,855 44.6% 132,509 1.7% 4,992
2008 54.6% 158,746 44.4% 129,025 1.1% 3,167
2004 65.7% 160,445 33.4% 81,708 0.9% 2,190
2000 63.7% 121,756 32.2% 61,434 4.1% 7,921
1996 59.3% 96,610 33.0% 53,819 7.7% 12,516
1992 54.3% 81,822 29.4% 44,253 16.3% 24,501
1988 75.5% 66,372 23.8% 20,948 0.7% 620
1984 79.5% 54,749 20.5% 14,139
1980 52.8% 27,185 42.7% 21,958 4.5% 2,309
1976 40.0% 13,912 60.0% 20,838
1972 86.3% 18,181 13.7% 2,896
1968 30.6% 5,350 18.5% 3,230 50.9% 8,909
1964 50.4% 6,823 49.6% 6,705 0.0% 3
1960 26.5% 2,336 73.5% 6,479
1956 20.2% 1,443 79.8% 5,687
1952 14.4% 1,015 85.6% 6,026
1948 12.6% 471 76.0% 2,832 11.4% 424
1944 17.6% 713 82.4% 3,339
1940 15.3% 728 84.3% 4,023 0.4% 20
1936 18.5% 541 81.4% 2,382 0.1% 3
1932 3.4% 91 96.6% 2,616 0.0% 1
1928 52.3% 1,062 47.7% 970
1924 15.5% 207 75.8% 1,011 8.7% 116
1920 40.9% 1,140 59.1% 1,645
1916 13.4% 270 75.6% 1,528 11.0% 222
1912 35.9% 590 60.7% 997 3.4% 55

Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners

DistrictNamePartyFirst electedArea(s) of Gwinnett County represented
  At-Large (Chair) Charlotte J. Nash Republican 2011 All
  1 Jace Brooks Republican 2012 Duluth, Suwanee
  2 Lynette Howard Republican 2010 Peachtree Corners, Berkeley Lake, Lilburn, Norcross, Tucker
  3 Tommy Hunter Republican 2012 Auburn, Dacula, Grayson, Loganville, Snellville
  4 John Heard Republican 2010 Braselton, Buford, Lawrenceville, Rest Haven, Sugar Hill

United States Congress

Senators Name Party First Elected Level
  Senate Class 2 Johnny Isakson Republican 2004 Senior Senator
  Senate Class 3 David Perdue Republican 2014 Junior Senator
Representatives Name Party First Elected Area(s) of Gwinnett County represented
  District 4 Hank Johnson Democratic 2006 Lilburn, Norcross
  District 7 Rob Woodall Republican 2010 Lilburn, Duluth, Lawrenceville, Suwanee, Buford, Snellville
  District 10 Jody Hice Republican 2015 Dacula, Loganville

Georgia General Assembly

Georgia State Senate

District Name Party First Elected Area(s) of Gwinnett County represented
  5 Curt Thompson Democratic 2004 Lawrenceville, Lilburn, Norcross, Peachtree Corners
  9 P.K. Martin IV Republican 2014 Dacula, Grayson, Lawrenceville, Lilburn, Loganville, Mountain Park, Snellville
  40 Fran Millar Republican 2000 Norcross, Peachtree Corners
  41 Steve Henson Democratic 2002 Lilburn
  45 Renee Unterman Republican 2002 Auburn, Braselton, Buford, Lawrenceville, Rest Haven, Sugar Hill, Suwanee
  48 David Shafer Republican 2002 Berkeley Lake, Duluth, Lawrenceville, Norcross, Peachtree Corners, Suwanee
  55 Gloria Butler Democratic 1998 Grayson, Loganville, Mountain Park, Snellville

Georgia House of Representatives

District Name Party First Elected Area(s) of Gwinnett County represented
  81 Scott Holcomb Democratic 2010 Norcross, Peachtree Corners
  93 Dar'shun Kendrick Democratic 2010 Loganville, Snellville
  94 Karen Bennett Democratic 2012 Mountain Park
  95 Scott Hilton Republican 2016 Berkeley Lake, Duluth, Norcross, Peachtree Corners
  96 Pedro Marin Democratic 2002 Duluth, Norcross, Peachtree Corners
  97 Brooks Coleman Republican 1992 Buford, Duluth, Sugar Hill, Suwanee
  98 David Clark Republican 2014 Buford, Rest Haven, Sugar Hill
  99 Brenda Lopez Democratic 2016 Lilburn, Norcross
  100 Dewey McClain Democratic 2012 Lilburn
  101 Sam Park Democratic 2016 Lawrenceville, Suwanee
  102 Buzz Brockway Republican 2010 Lawrenceville, Sugar Hill, Suwanee
  103 Timothy Barr Republican 2012 Braselton, Buford, Rest Haven
  104 Chuck Efstration Republican 2012 Auburn, Dacula, Lawrenceville
  105 Joyce Chandler Republican 2012 Grayson, Lawrenceville, Snellville
  106 Brett Harrell Republican 2010 Grayson, Lawrenceville, Loganville, Snellville
  107 David Casas Republican 2002 Lawrenceville, Snellville
  108 Clay Cox Republican 2016 Lilburn, Mountain Park
  114 Tom Kirby Republican 2012[34] Grayson, Loganville

Hospitals

  • Gwinnett Medical Center – Lawrenceville
  • Gwinnett Medical Center – Duluth
  • Eastside Medical Center – Snellville. Formerly Emory Eastside Medical Center, the hospital was purchased by Hospital Corporation of America in 2011.

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.[35][36]

Telemundo Atlanta and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution are both based out of Gwinnett.

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 district—21 high schools, 29 middle schools, 80 elementary schools and 13 specialty schools, making it the largest school district in Georgia.

Private education

Colleges and universities

Sports

Minor-league affiliates of the NHL Boston Bruins, 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.

Club Sport League Venue Founded Titles
Atlanta Gladiators Ice hockey ECHL Infinite Energy Arena 1995 0
Atlanta United 2 Soccer United Soccer League Coolray Field 2017 0
Gwinnett Stripers Baseball International League Coolray Field 2009 0
Georgia Swarm Lacrosse National Lacrosse League Infinite Energy Arena 2004 1

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

Communities

Cities

Towns

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Notable people

The rap group Migos hails from Gwinnett County. Migos won the 2015 YouTube Music Award, as well as several other notable entertainment television awards.

Strange Music artist Rittz also hails from Gwinnett County.

Child star MattyB, who currently has over 9 million YouTube subscribers for his rap songs and vlogs, was born in Duluth in Gwinnett County and still resides there with his family.[40]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "About Gwinnett". Gwinnettcounty.com. Retrieved 2017-05-26.
  2. ↑ "Population estimates, July 1, 2015, (V2015)". Census.gov. Retrieved 2017-05-26.
  3. ↑ "City of Lawrenceville, Georgia - Home Page". Lawrencevillega.org. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
  4. ↑ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p. 146.
  5. ↑ "History of Gwinnett County". Gwinnetths.org. Gwinnett Historical Society. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
  6. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  7. ↑ "Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission Interactive Mapping Experience". Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission. Retrieved 2015-11-18.
  8. ↑ "Norcross GA Bus Station - Greyhound". locations.greyhound.com.
  9. ↑ "Gwinnett's transit plans now include running heavy rail into county". Myajc.com.
  10. ↑ Curt Yeomans. "Gwinnett County officials proposing MARTA-style heavy rail line". Gwinnettdailypost.com.
  11. ↑ "Gwinnett Considers Adding heavy Rail to Transit". Bizjournals.com. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  12. ↑ Curt Yeomans. "Gwinnett County officials proposing MARTA-style heavy rail line". Gwinnettdailypost.com.
  13. ↑ "Gwinnett transit plan includes heavy rail connection to Doraville". Ajc.com.
  14. ↑ "New Camp Creek Greenway bridge opens in Lilburn". Ajc.com.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 "Gwinnett trails master plan unveiled for review". Ajc.com.
  16. ↑ Curt Yeomans. "Suwanee unveils new bike sharing stations". Gwinnettdailypost.com.
  17. ↑ "American FactFinder". Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  18. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 22, 2014.
  19. ↑ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved June 22, 2014.
  20. ↑ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 22, 2014.
  21. ↑ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 22, 2014.
  22. ↑ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2011-07-11. Retrieved June 22, 2014.
  23. 1 2 3 "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2015-12-29.
  24. ↑ "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2015-12-29.
  25. ↑ "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2015-12-29.
  26. ↑ "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2015-12-29.
  27. ↑ "Contact Us." American Megatrends. Retrieved on May 6, 2009.
  28. ↑ "Contact Us." Primerica. Retrieved on January 5, 2010.
  29. ↑ "Contact Us Archived 2010-04-27 at the Wayback Machine.." Waffle House.that doesent make sense Retrieved on May 19, 2009.
  30. ↑ Woods, Mark. "If this is what it gets to, it's bad." The Florida Times-Union. May 3, 2009. Retrieved on May 19, 2009.
  31. ↑ "CITY OF DULUTH GEORGIA : ANNUAL BUDGET REPORT : FISCAL YEAR 2017" (PDF). Duluthga.net. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  32. ↑ McCarthy, Niall. "How Much Do U.S. Cities Spend Every Year On Policing? [Infographic]". Forbes.com.
  33. ↑ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved 2018-03-20.
  34. ↑ Rep. Kirby was elected in a special election in March 2012.
  35. ↑ "Contáctenos." El Nuevo Georgia. Retrieved on September 18, 2012.
  36. ↑ "Media Kit 2011." (in English) (Archive) El Nuevo Georgia. p. 7. Retrieved on September 18, 2012. "5855 Jimmy Carter Blvd. Norcross, GA 30071"
  37. ↑ "Map" (Map Archived 2007-12-16 at the Wayback Machine.). Seigakuin Atlanta International School. Retrieved on January 11, 2012. "5505 Winters Chapel Road, Atlanta, GA 30360 USA"
  38. ↑ "Relocating school has Japan ties." Atlanta Journal-Constitution. September 29, 2002. JJ1. Retrieved on January 11, 2012.
  39. ↑ "History Archived 2016-01-10 at WebCite." Seigakuin Atlanta International School. Retrieved on January 11, 2012.
  40. ↑ "Gwinnett pop star MattyB, made famous from YouTube videos, continues success | PHOTOS". Gwinnett Daily Post. Retrieved 2017-10-31.

Coordinates: 33°58′N 84°02′W / 33.96°N 84.03°W / 33.96; -84.03

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