Gwinnett County is a county in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2016, the population is estimated to be 907,135, making it the second-most populous county in Georgia. Its county seat is Lawrenceville. The county is named for Button Gwinnett, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.
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.
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
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 437 square miles (1,130Â km2), of which 430 square miles (1,100Â km2) is land and 6.4 square miles (17Â km2) (1.5%) is water.
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.
The regional reservoir, Lake Lanier, at the extreme north of the county, is the central cause 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), while 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
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.
Cycling
The Western Gwinnett Bikeway, is a multi-use trail under construction along the Peachtree Industrial Boulevard. The trail will be 10 feet (3.0 m) to 14 feet (4.3 m) wide and traverse the cities of Norcross, Peachtree Corners, Berkeley Lake, Duluth and Suwanee. It is intended to be the spine of West Gwinnett’s trails and greenways, connecting parks, trails, businesses, schools and neighborhoods to the urban core.
In 2016, Suwanee unvealed the first Bike Share program in Gwinnett County.
Demographics
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 805,321Â people, 268,519Â households, and 203,238Â families residing in the county. 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). 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. In terms of ancestry, 8.3% were German, 7.8% were Irish, 7.7% were English, and 5.8% were American.
Of the 268,519Â 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.
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
- AGCO is headquartered in Duluth.
- American Megatrends is headquartered in Building 200, at 5555 Oakbrook Parkway, in unincorporated Gwinnett County, near Norcross.
- NCR Corporation has its headquarters in unincorporated Gwinnett County, near Duluth.
- Primerica is headquartered in unincorporated Gwinnett County, near Duluth.
- 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 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.
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.
Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners
United States Congress
Georgia General Assembly
Georgia State Senate
Georgia House of Representatives
Hospitals
- Gwinnett Medical Center â€" Lawrenceville
- Gwinnett Medical Center â€" Duluth
- Eastside Medical Center â€" 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.
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.
Private education
- Greater Atlanta Christian School, the second-largest independent school in Georgia, is located in Norcross.
- Seigakuin Atlanta International School, a private Japanese education system elementary and middle school, is 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.
- Wesleyan School is located in Peachtree Corners.
Colleges and universities
- Georgia Gwinnett College is located in Lawrenceville, in Gwinnett County.
- Gwinnett Technical College is also located in Lawrenceville.
- Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine is located in Suwanee.
Sports
Minor-league affiliates of the NHL Boston Bruins, and the MLB Atlanta Braves play home games and talent scout in the area.
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.
On May 29, 2015, the Minnesota Swarm of the National Lacrosse League announced it was relocating, becoming the Georgia Swarm, and will play at The Arena at Gwinnett Center beginning with the 2016 season.
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
- Hamilton Mill
- Mechanicsville
- Rockbridge
- Rosebud
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. The group's 2015 net worth was reported to be $4.2 million.
Strange Music artist Rittz also hails from Gwinnett County.
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Gwinnett County, GA
- Larry Flynt shooting and Barbara Mackle kidnapping
References
External links
- Official website of Gwinnett County Government
- Gwinnett County Parks and Recreation
- Gwinnett County historical marker