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Duluth, Georgia | |
|---|---|
.jpg) City Hall | |
 Flag  Seal  Logo | |
| Motto: "Pride in Old and New"[1] | |
 Show Duluth Show Gwinnett County Show Georgia Show the United States | |
| Coordinates:34°0′19″N84°8′57″W / 34.00528°N 84.14917°W /34.00528; -84.14917 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Georgia |
| County | Gwinnett |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council–manager[2] |
| • Mayor | Greg Whitlock |
| Area | |
• Total | 10.38 sq mi (26.89 km2) |
| • Land | 10.22 sq mi (26.47 km2) |
| • Water | 0.16 sq mi (0.42 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,060 ft (320 m) |
| Population | |
• Estimate (2021)[5] | 31,864 |
| • Density | 3,118.6/sq mi (1,204.08/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP codes | 30026, 30029, 30095-30099 |
| Area code | 470/678/770/404 |
| FIPS code | 13-24600[6] |
| GNIS feature ID | 2403514[4] |
| Website | www |
Duluth (/dəˈluːθ/ ⓘdə-LOOTH[7]) is a city inGwinnett County, Georgia, United States. Located north ofInterstate 85, it is approximately 30 miles (48 km) northeast ofAtlanta.
As of the2020 census, Duluth had a population of 31,873, and the United States Census Bureau estimated the population to be 31,864 as of 2021.[5]
This Atlanta suburb is home toGwinnett Place Mall, the Gwinnett Civic and Cultural Center,Gas South Arena, Hudgens Center for the Arts, and the Red Clay Theater. It is also home toNorthside Hospital–Duluth, an 81-bed hospital constructed in 2006, as well as GMC's Glancy Campus, a 30-bed facility located near downtown. The agricultural manufacturerAGCO is based in Duluth.
Duluth was originallyCherokee territory.[8] When Duluth was established in the early 19th century, it was primarily forested land occupied by tribespeople. An Indian trail, calledOld Peachtree Road by the settlers, was extended through the area during theWar of 1812 to connect Fort Peachtree in present-dayAtlanta with Fort Daniel near present-dayDacula. When Gwinnett County was established in 1818, white settlement of the area accelerated.[citation needed]
Cotton merchant Evan Howell constructed a road connecting hiscotton gin at theChattahoochee River with Old Peachtree Road, creating Howell's Cross Roads. The settlement later became known as "Howell's Crossing". Howell was the grandfather of Atlanta MayorEvan P. Howell and great-grandfather ofAtlanta Constitution publisherClark Howell.[citation needed]
Howell's Crossing was renamed "Duluth" in 1871 after Congress funded a north–south railroad line into the community. It was named after the city ofDuluth, Minnesota. The Midwestern city had gotten its own railroad connection not long before, which had prompted Rep. J. Proctor Knott, aKentucky Democrat, to make a speech in Congress mocking the project as wasteful. That speech drew national attention. According to contemporary reports, Evan P. Howell himself jokingly suggested the name change in a speech about the arrival of railroad service in the Georgia town. (Duluth, Minnesota, is named forDaniel Greysolon, Sieur du Lhut (1636–1710), a French captain and explorer of the upper Midwest, who negotiated peace between theChippewa and theSioux nation.)[9]
The railroad encouraged the growth of Duluth's economy. A schoolhouse was built in 1871 on the site of what is now Coleman Middle School (formerly Duluth Middle School and Duluth Elementary School). The firstMethodist church was organized in 1871, and the firstBaptist congregation formed in 1886. Both churches continue today at new locations along State Route 120. The Bank of Duluth was charted in 1904, followed by the Farmers and Merchants Bank in 1911. Neither survived theGreat Depression.[citation needed]
In 1922, Duluth elected Georgia's first female mayor,Alice Harrell Strickland.[10][11] She donated 1-acre (4,000 m2) of land for a "community forest" and began efforts to conserve land for public recreation.
Duluth grew rapidly in the 1970s and 1980s, along with the rest of Gwinnett County. Georgia GovernorGeorge Busbee became a resident of Duluth in 1983 after leaving office, moving to the Sweet Bottom Plantation subdivision developed by Scott Hudgens. A major revitalization of the Duluth downtown area was undertaken in the early 21st century. Development along Sugarloaf Parkway has continued with the construction of the Gwinnett Arena near the Gwinnett Convention Center.
In much of the 20th century, when Gwinnett County was still rural, Duluth was known in the area as being one of the few small towns with its own hospital, Joan Glancy Memorial Hospital. Consequently, many older residents of the area who call other towns home were actually born in Duluth. Joan Glancy was replaced withGwinnett Medical Center – Duluth in 2006. The site of the old Joan Glancy hospital is now GMC's Glancy Campus, home to the Glancy Rehabilitation Center, the Duluth location of GMC's Diabetes & Nutrition Education Center and the Duluth location of GMC's Center for Sleep Disorder.
The city made national headlines twice in 2005. In March,Fulton County Courthouse shooting suspectBrian Nichols was captured in a Duluth apartment after holding a woman hostage. In April, local residentJennifer Wilbanks was reported missing a few days before her planned wedding to John Mason. She was found a few days later inAlbuquerque, New Mexico, where she admitted to having lied about beingkidnapped.
Duluth is located in the northeastern section of theAtlanta metropolitan area. Approximately 25 mi (40 km) fromDowntown Atlanta, the city lies in the west-central section of Gwinnett County, bounded to the north by theChattahoochee River (which also acts as the county line), northeast bySuwanee, south by unincorporated land, and west byBerkeley Lake.[12] Sometimes, though, the area in Fulton County that is very near the city is considered Duluth as well.[13]
Unincorporated portions ofForsyth County use a DuluthZIP code despite being outside Duluth city limits in a different county. A significant part of the nearby city ofJohns Creek in Fulton County shares at least one ZIP code with Duluth.
Duluth has ahumid subtropical climate (Cfa.) The monthly averages range from 41.0 °F in January to 78.3° in July.[4] The localhardiness zone is 7b.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 242 | — | |
| 1890 | 319 | 31.8% | |
| 1900 | 336 | 5.3% | |
| 1910 | 469 | 39.6% | |
| 1920 | 600 | 27.9% | |
| 1930 | 608 | 1.3% | |
| 1940 | 626 | 3.0% | |
| 1950 | 842 | 34.5% | |
| 1960 | 1,483 | 76.1% | |
| 1970 | 1,810 | 22.0% | |
| 1980 | 2,956 | 63.3% | |
| 1990 | 9,029 | 205.4% | |
| 2000 | 22,122 | 145.0% | |
| 2010 | 26,600 | 20.2% | |
| 2020 | 31,873 | 19.8% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[14] | |||
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 10,240 | 32.13% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 6,819 | 21.39% |
| Native American | 47 | 0.15% |
| Asian | 7,929 | 24.88% |
| Pacific Islander | 10 | 0.03% |
| Other/Mixed | 1,444 | 4.53% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 5,384 | 16.89% |
As of the2020 United States census, there were 31,873 people, 11,202 households, and 7,634 families residing in the city.
The city hosts an annual Fall Festival on the last weekend of every September, which is held in the town center. TheSoutheastern Railway Museum is located in Duluth, and is Georgia's official transportation museum.[16]
Duluth's downtown area is home to a variety of attractions that add to its vibrant atmosphere. The Red Clay Theater stands out as a premier performing arts venue with exceptional acoustics, hosting a range of live performances. Families can enjoy the playful fountain, providing a refreshing spot for kids to have fun. These attractions and more collectively contribute to the charm and allure of downtown Duluth, offering a mix of arts, dining, and family-friendly experiences.
TheAtlanta Gladiators, formerly the Gwinnett Gladiators, of theECHL, a professional minor leagueice hockey team, plays in theGas South Arena, which opened in 2003 in an unincorporated area of Gwinnett County with a Duluth zip code. TheSugarloaf Country Club golf course hosted theAT&T Classic, aPGA Tour golf tournament from 1997 to 2008. The club currently hosts theGreater Gwinnett Championship, aChampions Tour golf tournament that initiated in 2013.
Duluth is also home of theGeorgia Swarm of theNational Lacrosse League since 2016 and shares the Gas South Arena with the Gladiators.
Citizens have a wide variety of recreational activities to choose from. The city maintains 7 parks as well as the Festival Center. Some of the sports offered are Tennis, Soccer, Ballet, Zumba.[17] Swimming is available only 3.9 miles[18] from city hall at West Gwinnett Aquatic Center.[19]The city parks include:[20]
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The City of Duluth is governed by a mayor and five city council members, who together appoint the city administrator and city clerk. Elections are held every two years, in the odd-numbered years, and the mayor and council members are elected for staggered four-year terms.
The mayor of Duluth is Greg Whitlock, who was inaugurated in November 2023. Nancy Harris was mayor for 16 years prior to Whitlock, and was also the former principal of B.B. Harris Elementary School and Suwanee Elementary School. Harris Elementary is named for her father, B.B. Harris, also a former principal and Gwinnett County School Superintendent.
The city is represented in the Georgia General Assembly by Senator Zahra Karinshak, Representative Bonnie Rich and Representative Pedro "Pete "Marin who together form the city's legislative delegation.
Gwinnett County Public Schools operates public schools serving residents of the city.
Gwinnett County Public Library operates the Duluth Branch in Duluth.[21]
Duluth holds the title of being a railroad city.[citation needed] Trains carrying both passengers and cargo can be seen at all times of the day.[citation needed] In addition, Duluth is a heavily car-dependent suburb. A number of collector roads distribute traffic around both incorporated and unincorporated areas of the city, some of the most important beingBuford Highway (
), Duluth Highway (
), Sugarloaf Parkway, and Pleasant Hill Road. Apart from Buford Highway, these roads bring traffic toInterstate 85, connecting the Duluth area to central Atlanta about 25 mi (40 km) away.
Gwinnett County Transit serves the city.
Through the 1960s, theSouthern Railway ran passenger trains with a stop in Duluth. The local #36 Atlanta - Washington made a flagstop on the northbound trip. The local #35Salisbury - Atlanta and thePeach Queen (Washington - Atlanta) made stops on their southbound trip.[22]
TheWestern Gwinnett Bikeway, is a multi-use trail under construction along thePeachtree Industrial Boulevard. It is ashared use path,cycle track, andbike lane used to connect Duluth to neighboring Berkeley Lake, Norcross and Suwanee.[23]
In January 2018 significant plans were approved for the engineering phase to upgrade State Bridge Road and Pleasant Hill Road.[24] There is community-wide support from the community in both neighboring Johns Creek and Duluth for thepedestrian river bridge for the project. It will serve to improve bike-pedestrian safety, boost local economies by improving access to businesses, enhance connections with surrounding neighborhoods and improve traffic flow in the area. In addition, the upgrade will serve to ease the inspection and maintenance of the bridge in the future.
In March 2018, the Gwinnett County Commissioners approved the agreement with the Johns Creek City Council.[25][26] Both sides have agreed to remove the sidewalks from the existing bridges in order to widen the roads. To improve safety for pedestrians, a new pedestrian bridge will be constructed on one side of the river. Apedestrian underpass linking both sides of the wider road is being considered to further improve access and provide for a safer crossing of the road.
The Rogers bridge project is another significant plan that is to connect toJohns Creek via reconstructing a bike/pedestrian bridge across the Chattahoochee River. The engineers will determine whether to replace or rehabilitate the existing Rogers Bridge over the Chattahoochee River, will take into account the environmental impacts of each option, and will restore the working bike/pedestrian connection between Duluth and Johns Creek. This will allow access to the planned 133-acre parkland under development in Johns Creek and will allow Fulton County residents access toRogers Bridge Park, the Chattapoochee Dog Park, and theWestern Gwinnett Bikeway currently under development by Gwinnett County.[27]
Municipalities and communities ofGwinnett County, Georgia,United States | ||
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| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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