Sugar Hill, Georgia | |
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 Sugar Hill City Hall | |
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 Show Sugar Hill Show Gwinnett County Show Georgia Show the United States | |
| Coordinates:34°06′04″N84°01′39″W / 34.10111°N 84.02750°W /34.10111; -84.02750 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Georgia |
| County | Gwinnett |
| Area | |
• Total | 11.16 sq mi (28.91 km2) |
| • Land | 11.13 sq mi (28.82 km2) |
| • Water | 0.039 sq mi (0.10 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,086 ft (331 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 25,076 |
| • Density | 2,253.9/sq mi (870.22/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code | 30518 |
| Area codes | 770,678 |
| FIPS code | 13-74180[3] |
| GNIS feature ID | 2405538[2] |
| Website | www |
Sugar Hill is a city in northernGwinnett County in the U.S. state of Georgia, included within theMetro Atlanta area. The population was 25,076 as of the2020 census,[4] making it the fourth-largest city in Gwinnett County.[5] It is in close proximity toLake Lanier and the foothills of theNorth Georgia mountains.[6]
Sugar Hill was established through a charter by theGeorgia state assembly in 1939 as the Town of Sugar Hill[7] and officially incorporated on March 24, 1939.[8] The town was renamed the City of Sugar Hill in 1975.[9] Before the city was incorporated, the area was part of a route from the railroad inBuford to the city ofCumming. According to local tradition, the town was named after an incident where a large shipment of sugar spilled and the area became known as "the hill where the sugar spilled" or "the sugar hill".[10]
In 2001, a drastic increase innatural gas prices, disproportionate to the cost of natural gas outside of Sugar Hill, resulted in residents forming "The Committee to Dissolve Sugar Hill", with over 1,600 residents signing a petition calling for areferendum to abolish both the municipal utility and the city itself.[11] State senator Billy Ray proposed a bill asking for a non-binding referendum. The bill was passed in the state senate but failed to pass in the House, and the effort to revoke the city's charter was unsuccessful.[12] The city council responded to this effort by reducing the utility's prices to be comparable to those in the surrounding area.[13]
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Sugar Hill is located in northern Gwinnett County in northern Georgia. It is bordered to the northeast by the city of Buford and to the southwest by the city ofSuwanee.Georgia State Route 20 is the main highway through the center of Sugar Hill, leading northwest 11 miles (18 km) to Cumming and south 12 miles (19 km) toLawrenceville, the Gwinnett County seat.U.S. Route 23 runs along the southern edge of Sugar Hill, leading southwest 5 miles (8 km) to Suwanee and 10 miles (16 km) toDuluth. US 23 turns southeast at the Sugar Hill–Buford border and runs 1 mile (1.6 km) with SR 20 toInterstate 985, which in turn leads northeast 19 miles (31 km) toGainesville and southwest 36 miles (58 km) todowntown Atlanta.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, as of 2010 the city of Sugar Hill had a total land area of 10.6 square miles (27.5 km2), of which 0.04 square miles (0.1 km2), or 0.33%, was water.[14] TheU.S. Geological Survey lists the city's elevation as 1,149 feet (350 m).[15]
The climate of Sugar Hill, as with most of the southeastern United States, ishumid subtropical (Cfa) according to theKöppen classification with four seasons, including hot, humid summers and cool winters.
July is generally the warmest month of the year with an average high of around 87 °F (31 °C). The coldest month is January which has an average high of around 50 °F (10 °C).[16] The highest recorded temperature was 107 °F (42 °C) in 1952, while the lowest recorded temperature was −8 °F (−22 °C) in 1985.[16]
Sugar Hill receives abundant rainfall distributed fairly evenly throughout the year, as is typical of southeastern cities, with February on average having the highest average precipitation at 5.3 inches (130 mm), and April typically being the driest month with 3.7 inches (94 mm).[16]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | 599 | — | |
| 1950 | 783 | 30.7% | |
| 1960 | 1,175 | 50.1% | |
| 1970 | 1,745 | 48.5% | |
| 1980 | 2,473 | 41.7% | |
| 1990 | 4,557 | 84.3% | |
| 2000 | 11,399 | 150.1% | |
| 2010 | 18,522 | 62.5% | |
| 2020 | 25,076 | 35.4% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[17] | |||
Sugar Hill is Gwinnett County's fourth-largest city by population.[5] The city was previously the third-largest city in Gwinnett County[18] untilPeachtree Corners became a city on July 1, 2012.[19] After the 2000 census the city's growth was ranked 75 out of the 100 highest growing cities in the nation, and one of the 20 fastest growing in the state of Georgia[20] The population growth from 2010 to 2020 was an increase of 35.4%.[5]
In the 2020 census Sugar Hill had a population of 25,076, with 8,271 households in the city. Thepopulation density was 2,253.8 inhabitants per square mile (870.2/km2). The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 62.7% white, 12.4% black or African American, 0.7% Native American, 11.4% Asian, and 6.9% from two or more races. 19.9% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.[4]
In 2020, 27.4% of people were under 18. The median income for a household in the city was $89,583, and the median income for a family was $75,473. Males had a median income of $53,890 versus $37,991 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $35,990. 8.2% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 17.4% of those under age 18 and 4.0% of those age 65 or over.[4]
Sugar Hill, as with the rest of Gwinnett County, has a sales tax of 6%, which comprises the 4% state sales tax and a 2% local tax.[21]
On April 28, 2011, GovernorNathan Deal signed legislation that allowed individual local communities to vote on whether to allow alcohol sales on Sundays, which had previously been prohibited by the Georgia General Assembly since the 1800s.[22] Supporters of the proposal to allow Sunday sales of alcohol argued that doing so would help the economy.[22] A total of 97 cities and counties in Georgia held referendums on November 8, 2011,[23] including Sugar Hill. The Sugar Hill city council voted to allow Sugar Hill residents vote on the issue[18] and on November 15, 2011,[24] Sugar Hill became one of several cities that voted to allow Sunday sales of alcohol.[25] In 2012, the remaining areas of Gwinnett County that did not hold November 8 referendums voted to allow Sunday sales.[26]
The city of Sugar Hill is governed by a mayor and five member city council.[27]
When Sugar Hill was established in 1939, the town charter called for a mayor and five city councilmen, and that these elected officials were to be elected every two years.[7] An amendment to the town's charter in 1952 changed the election process so that the mayor and three members of the town council are elected on even years for a term of two years, and two other members of the council are elected on odd years for a term of two years.[28] In 1975, when the new charter was enacted that reincorporated the Town of Sugar Hill as the City of Sugar Hill, it added the requirement that a councilmen be appointed as mayor pro tempore, and retained the election method established in 1952.[9]
The city's budget in 2012 was $28.2 million, and in 2013 was $19.4 million.[29] In 2010[30] Sugar Hill approved the process of constructing a larger city hall to accommodate for the city's increase in population. The new city hall was completed and opened in January 2013.[31]
Sugar Hill is part ofGeorgia's 7th congressional district[32][33] The city is part of theGeorgia State Senate's 45th district, and the 97th, 98th, and 102nd districts for theGeorgia House of Representatives.[32]
Gwinnett county operatesGwinnett County Public Schools forK-12 students living in Sugar Hill. Sugar Hill Elementary, White Oak Elementary, Sycamore Elementary, Lanier Middle School andLanier High School are the public schools serving the city of Sugar Hill residents. Portions of Sugar Hill also fall under the North Gwinnett district, encompassing Riverside Elementary, North Gwinnett Middle School, andNorth Gwinnett High School.
Gwinnett County Public Library operates the Buford-Sugar Hill Branch in Buford.[34]
As part of the Metro Atlanta area, Sugar Hill's primary network-affiliated television stations areWXIA-TV (NBC),WANF (CBS),WSB-TV (ABC), andWAGA-TV (Fox).[35]WGTV is the local station of the statewideGeorgia Public Television network and is aPBS member station.[36]
Sugar Hill is served by the North Gwinnett Voice andGwinnett Daily Post, which is the most widely distributed newspaper in Sugar Hill as well as Gwinnett county's legal organ.[37] TheAtlanta Journal-Constitution is also distributed in Sugar Hill. The weeklyGwinnett Herald served Sugar Hill from 1871 until 1885.[38]
Sugar Hill's major road isState Route 20, which travels through Sugar Hill in a general northwest–southeast direction, going southeast into the adjoining city of Buford and northwest intoForsyth County. The nearest interstates areI-985 andI-85, which are both accessible via State Route 20 in Buford.
The city is a member of the Municipal Gas Authority of Georgia[13][41] and manages the Sugar Hill Gas Department, which providesnatural gas for the city's residents.[42]
Municipalities and communities ofGwinnett County, Georgia,United States | ||
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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