History and Communities

The land that eventually became Gwinnett County has been a desirable place to live since before the first Europeans set foot on North American soil when it was occupied by the Cherokee and Creek Indians.

Gwinnett County was created officially in 1818 and named posthumously to honor Button Gwinnett, one of Georgia’s three signers of the Declaration of Independence. The eastern part of Gwinnett was created out of Jackson County; the rest was distributed to lucky draws in the 1820 Land Lottery and included land ceded to Georgia by the Cherokee in 1817, and by the Creek in 1818.

In 1821, the Georgia Legislature chartered the city of Lawrenceville and named it the permanent county seat. The first courts held sessions at the home of Elisha and Judith Winn on today’s Dacula Road. The first log courthouse was built on the outskirts of Lawrenceville in 1824, followed by three brick structures, the last built in 1885 which still stands in Lawrenceville and is known as the Gwinnett Historic Courthouse. It was restored in 1992 and is still owned by the county and used for special events.

Gwinnett County remained relatively unscathed by the Civil War, although many Gwinnett men fought in the war. Union General Sherman did not venture as far east of Atlanta as Gwinnett on his fiery March to the Sea.

Then in 1871, when the Southern Railroad built tracks through the county, towns such as Buford, Duluth, Norcross and Suwanee sprang up along the tracks, becoming commercial centers of the county. Agriculture, dairy and poultry farming, combined with the railroad, began building Gwinnett into a prosperous community.

The creation of Lake Lanier in 1957, followed by the completion of Interstate 85 bisecting the county, opened the door to tourism as a contributor to the county’s economy.

The addition of Gwinnett Place Mall in 1984, and more recently the Mall of Georgia and Discover Mills, emphasized the county’s shift from a rural farming community to a booming commercial and residential area. During much of the 1980s, Gwinnett held the title of “Fastest Growing County in the United States.”

Gwinnett County’s vibrant municipalities—pioneer settlements, railroad towns, and summer resorts—all have blossomed into the diverse communities that define Gwinnett.

Gwinnett's Communities