Gwinnett County, Georgia

Gwinnett County Education, Geography, and History

Gwinnett County is a county in the state of Georgia. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 805,321, making it the second-most populous county in Georgia. Gwinnett County was created on December 15, 1818. The county seat is Lawrenceville. Gwinnett 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.

Etymology - Origin of Gwinnett County Name

Georgia's 42nd county was named for Button Gwinnett, one of Georgia's three signers of the Declaration of Independence.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Gwinnett County History

Gwinnett County was formed from lands obtained through the treaty with the Creek and Cherokee Indians. Georgia's 42nd county was named for Button Gwinnett, one of Georgia's three signers of the Declaration of Independence.

Lawrenceville, the county seat, was named after Captain James Lawrence, Commander of the Frigate Chesapeake during the War of 1812. Mortally wounded, he gave his men the battle cry, "Don't give up the ship."

Built in 1885 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Gwinnett Historic Courthouse was recently renovated and reopened as a community attraction and meeting facility. The graves of eight soldiers who were killed in a battle with Indians in 1836 are located on the courthouse grounds.

Points of Interest

Stone Mountain Park, one of Georgia's most popular tourist attractions, is located on Gwinnett's border with DeKalb County. Highlights of the 3,200-acre park include a golf course, a 363-acre lake, an antebellum plantation and a carving of Confederate heroes on the world's largest exposed mass of granite.

The Chattahoochee River forms much of the county's western border, providing ample opportunity for fishing, boating and other outdoor activities in the county. A part of the 4,000-acre Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area is also located within the county.

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the 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.

 Gwinnett county is located in north Georgia 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.

Gwinnett is in the Chattahoochee River basin, the Ocmulgee River basin and the Oconee River basin.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• Northeast: Hall County
• East: Barrow County
• Southeast: Walton County
• South: Rockdale County
• Southwest: DeKalb County; Fulton County
• Northwest: Forsyth County

Education

Higher Education

Georgia Perimeter College, Gwinnett Technical College and Gwinnett University Center campus

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