Gwinnett County, Georgia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gwinnett County
U.S. county
Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center
Flag Seal Logo
Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
Georgia's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Georgia
Founded	December 15, 1818; 206 years ago (1818)
Named for	Button Gwinnett
Seat	Lawrenceville
Largest city	Peachtree Corners
Area
• Total	437 sq mi (1,130 km2)
• Land	430 sq mi (1,100 km2)
• Water	6.4 sq mi (17 km2)  1.5%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	942,627
• Density	2,123/sq mi (820/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts	6th, 7th, 9th

Gwinnett County (/ɡwɪˈnɛt/ GWIH-net) is located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. It forms part of the Atlanta metropolitan area, being located about 9 miles (14 km) northeast of Atlanta city limits. In 2020, the population was 957,062, making it the second-most populous county in Georgia (after Fulton County). Its county seat is Lawrenceville. The county is named for Button Gwinnett, one of the signatories of the Declaration of Independence.

Gwinnett County is the most ethnically-diverse county in Georgia, with significant populations of Black, Hispanic, and Asian residents. As of the 2020 Census, no ethnicity constitutes more than a third of its population.

History

The former seals of Gwinnett County.

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

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

The Historic Gwinnett County Courthouse (no longer used).

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. 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

Communities

Cities

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

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 considered majority-minority county.

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 957,062 people, 301,471 households, and 230,960 families residing in the county.

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.

Economy

Hospitals

• Northside Hospital – Lawrenceville
• Northside Hospital – Duluth
• Piedmont Hospital Eastside, 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 and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution are both 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 district—21 high schools, 29 middle schools, 80 elementary schools and 13 specialty schools, making it the largest school district in Georgia.

There is a charter school in Peachtree Corners, International Charter Academy of Georgia.

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.

Closed

• Seigakuin Atlanta International School, a private Japanese education system elementary and middle school, was located in Peachtree Corners. The school moved from property at Oglethorpe University to its current address, former property of the Romanian First Baptist Church, in 2003.

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

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

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

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Gwinnett para niños