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Gwinnett County, Georgia

County in Georgia, United States From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Gwinnett County, Georgiamap
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"Gwinnett" redirects here. For other uses, see Gwinnett (disambiguation).

Gwinnett County (/ɡwɪˈnɛt/ gwih-NEHT) is located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia.[2] 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).[1] Its county seat is Lawrenceville.[3] The county is named for Button Gwinnett, one of the signatories of the Declaration of Independence.[4]

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Gwinnett County is the most ethnically diverse county in Georgia,[5][6][7] with significant populations of Black, Hispanic, and Asian residents. As of the 2020 Census, no ethnicity constitutes more than a third of its population.[8]

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History

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In 1813, Fort Daniel was created during the War of 1812 in territory that would become Gwinnett County.[9] 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.[10]

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.[11]

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.[11] 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.[12]

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.[11]

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

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Geography

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The Elisha Winn House served as Gwinnett County's first courthouse.
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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.[13] 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.[14]

Adjacent counties

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Communities

Cities

Towns

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Demographics

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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.[26][27]

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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.[29]

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Economy

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Government and politics

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See also: Gwinnett County Police Department
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Gwinnett County police car in 2021
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Gwinnett County police car in 2003

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.[43] 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.”[44]

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.[45] 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.

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Gwinnett County is one of six "reverse pivot counties", counties that voted Republican in 2008 and 2012, and voted Democratic in 2016 and 2020.[47]

Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners

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United States Congress

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Georgia General Assembly

Georgia State Senate

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Georgia House of Representatives

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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.[49][50]

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.[51] 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.[52] The system has also been cited to use STEM by NRPA.[53]

Organizations

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Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful (GC&B) is a nonprofit organization who's mission includes environmental care and community engagement. Affiliated with Keep America Beautiful, GC&B has been influential in promoting sustainbility and education in Gwinnett County since its founding in 1979 by the Lawrenceville Junior Women's Club.

One of the organization's primary areas of focus is community-based environmental education. GC&B collaborates with local school through its Green & Healthy Schools Program, where students participate in projects such as waste reduction, composting, and energy conservation. In 2023, GC&B received a grant in partnership with the World Wildlife Fund from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to carry out the Food Waste Warriors program in local schools. The program is aimed at reducing cafeteria food waste and educating students about sustainability practices.[54][55]

Another GC&B effort is their community events. The annual Earth Day Recycling Event has seen significant participation. Volunteers collect essential amounts of recyclable materials, resulting in reduced landfill waste. Also, the Great Gwinnett Wetlands cleanup event enabled volunteers to remove litter and invasive species, strengthening the ecosystem. In 2024, over 1,000 residents participated in GC&B Earth Day event, collecting materials such as electronics, paint, and tires for proper disposal and recycling. [56]

GC&B sponsors the Green Youth Advisory Council (GYAC), a program for high school students to develop and implement environmentally focused community service projects. The council provides opportunities for students to engage in civic action, promoting sustainability among their peers, and participating in environmental events throughout the county.[57]

GC&B has received recognition at the local, state, and national levels. It has been honores with the Governor's Circle Award by the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation and the President's Circle Award from Keep America Beautiful.

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Education

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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.[58] 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

Closed

Colleges and universities

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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.

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Gwinnett also hosts the Gwinnett Lions Rugby Football Club, a Division 3 Men's Rugby Team competing in the Georgia Rugby Union.[63]

Transportation

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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

Main article: Ronald Reagan Parkway

Transit systems

Pedestrians and cycling

  • Beaver Ruin Creek Greenway (Proposed)
  • Camp Creek Greenway[70]
  • Cedar Creek Trail Loop
  • Crooked Creek Trail (Proposed)[71]
  • Harbins Greenway (Proposed)[72]
  • Ivy Creek Greenway (Under construction)
  • Ivy Creek-Snellville Trail (Proposed)[72]
  • Norcross-Lilburn Trail (Proposed)[72]
  • Piedmont Pathway (Proposed)[72]
  • Riverlands Path (Under construction)
  • Sugar Hill Greenway (Under construction)
  • Suwanee Creek Greenway (Under construction)
  • The Loop Trail (Proposed)[72]
  • 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.[71]

In 2016, Suwanee unveiled the first Bike Share program in Gwinnett County.[73]

Notable people

See also

References

External links

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