Gwinnett County - Colorful History - Bright Future
Georgia legislators created the South's most dynamic county in the year 1818 by marking out 436 square miles from frontier land, which the Creek Indians had ceded to the state. Gwinnett was the 50th county to be organized in the state, of which now has 159 counties.
The legislators named the county after Button Gwinnett, Georgia's 2nd governor and one of Georgia's three signers of the Declaration Of Independence. A failed businessman, and patriot, Gwinnett died from dueling related injuries on May 19, 1777 near Savannah. Button Gwinnett's signature is among the most valuable signatures among collectors.
The county's first elections and court sessions were held in the home of Elisha Winn, a building now listed on the National Register of Historic Sites and located outside of Dacula. Winn secured the future site of a county seat by purchasing 250 acres in the center of the county for $200. In 1821, when Gwinnett consisted of a cluster of agrarian communities, the 250 acre lot was incorporated as the City of Lawrenceville and designated the county seat.
By 1850, Lawrenceville was a thriving metropolis with a census count of 11,257. A cotton mill was founded in 1851; U.S. troops burned it in 1864. In 1885, the Historic Courthouse, which served as headquarters of the county government for more than 100 years, was built on the square in Lawrenceville at a cost of $23,083.
A railroad line, the Danville and Piedmont Air (now part of CSX/Norfolk Southern), was built through the county in 1871. The railroad induced the founding of new cities: Norcross, Duluth, Suwanee, and Buford. A spur line was run from Suwanee to Lawrenceville in 1881, and another main line, the Georgia, Carolina and Northern Railroad (now Norfolk Southern but formerly CSX) was built in 1891 through Lilburn, Lawrenceville, and Dacula.
The county's first major industry came in 1873 when the Bona Allen Tannery was established in Buford. The tannery made leather goods, harnesses, whips, shoes, and hand-made saddles for which the company became famous. During the Depression of the 1930's when a number of farms began to decline, the tannery employed 2,400 workers. The 1940 census recorded a county population of 29,087.
Gwinnett County moved into the modern era in 1950 when the U.S. Congress authorized the USA Corp of Engineers to construct the Buford Dam which formed Lake Lanier to provide hydroelectric power, flood control, water supply, navigation, and recreational facilities.
The County constructed it's major water and sewer lines in the mid 1970's, which proved to be an essential step in preparing for the next decade. For three consecutive years (1986 - 1988), Gwinnett ranked as the fastest growing county in the United States among counties with a population greater than 100,000. During that period, voters passed the 1986 bond issue and the 1988 1-cent local option sales tax (SPLOST), which provided funds for significant capital investments.
The late 1980's witnessed a dramatic increase in the County's road construction program, the development of a countywide Parks and Recreation program, construction of the Gwinnett Justice & Administration Center, renovation of the Historic Courthouse, construction of new public libraries, and other capital investments. The Mall of Georgia is located in Buford, with another destination shopping development, Discover Mills, sitting between I-85, Highway 120, and Sugarloaf Parkway.
Growth slowed during the recession of 1990 and '91, but the influx of new residents and businesses rebounded. Gwinnett today is the eighth fastest growing county in the nation, with a population estimated at 928,000. According to recent projections of the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC), the county could have a population of over 1,000,000 by the year 2010.
Demographics
The warmth of Gwinnett's climate is surpassed only by the warmth of our people. The myth of "southern hospitality" is alive and well in this community. And what makes the hospitality so wonderful is that it's supplied by Gwinnett citizens who are mostly southerners-come-lately.
According to population counts, some 75% of Gwinnett citizens were not here 15 years ago. But once you move to Gwinnett, whatever your accent, you soon adopt the easy graciousness of the South. Good neighbors move into this community, and they're always ready to welcome the next "new family" on the block.
From a population of approximately 70,000 in 1970, Gwinnett grew to more than 250,000 residents in 1985. Gwinnett became one of the fastest growing counties in the nation. This population explosion has continued over the past ten years with the population nearly doubling to 460,000.
Gwinnett County has led metro Atlanta in population and employment gains through the 1990's and is projected to remain one of the fastest growing counties in Georgia well into the next millennium.
Thanks to long-range planning by Gwinnett County
government, funds for continued development in a controlled manner
have taken place. The addition of the Sugarloaf Parkway
corridor, Gwinnett Fine Arts Center & Arena, and Gwinnett County Public
Schools (GCPS) facility make this county the forefront of any
area within the USA.
Gwinnett County Population
| 1970 | 72,349 | 1997 | 516,032 | |
| 1975 | 113,700 | 1998 | 540,954 | |
| 1980 | 166,815 | 1999 | 567,569 | |
| 1985 | 253,023 | 2000 | 588,448 | |
| 1990 | 352,910 | 2002 | 650,771 | |
| 1991 | 372,513 | 2004 | 700,794 | |
| 1992 | 390,935 | 2006 | 757,104 | |
| 1993 | 412,541 | 2007 | 867,000 | |
| 1994 | 434,030 | 2008 | 885,000 estimated | |
| 1995 | 457,058 | 2009 | 905,000 estimated | |
| 1996 | 489,382 | 2010 | 945,000 estimated |