Lawrenceville, Georgia

Lawrenceville, Georgia
City

Nickname(s): The Crepe Myrtle City, L'ville, Lowdown

Location in Gwinnett County and the state of Georgia
Lawrenceville

Location of Lawrenceville in Metro Atlanta

Coordinates: 33°57′11″N 83°59′33″W / 33.95306°N 83.99250°W / 33.95306; -83.99250Coordinates: 33°57′11″N 83°59′33″W / 33.95306°N 83.99250°W / 33.95306; -83.99250
Country United States
State Georgia
County Gwinnett
Area
 • Total 13.1 sq mi (33.7 km2)
 • Land 13 sq mi (33.6 km2)
 • Water 0.1 sq mi (0.1 km2)
Elevation 1,066 ft (325 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 28,546
 • Density 1,709.7/sq mi (664.6/km2)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes 30042-30046, 30049
Area code(s) 404/678/770
FIPS code 13-45488[1]
GNIS feature ID 0316699[2]

Lawrenceville is a city in and the county seat of Gwinnett County, Georgia, in the United States.[3] It is a suburb of Atlanta, and is located approximately 30 miles northeast of downtown. The Census Bureau estimates the 2010 population at 28,546. Lawrenceville has six ZIP codes (30042-30046, 30049); it is part of the 678/770/404 telephone area code, which is used throughout metropolitan Atlanta.

History

Lawrenceville was incorporated by an act of the Georgia General Assembly on 15 December 1821. This makes Lawrenceville the second oldest city in the metropolitan Atlanta area. The city is named after Commodore James Lawrence, commander of the Frigate Chesapeake during the War of 1812. In 1821 a permanent site for the county courthouse was selected and purchased, the four streets bordering the square were laid out along with other streets in the village, and a public well was dug. Major Grace built the first permanent courthouse, a brick structure, in 1823-24 for a cost of $4,000. The courthouse presently on the square was constructed in 1885.

William Maltbie, the town’s first postmaster, suggested the name “Lawrenceville” in honor of Captain James Lawrence, a naval commander during the War of 1812. Lawrence, a native of New Jersey, is probably best known today for his dying command, "Don't give up the ship!"

Courtland Winn served two terms as mayor starting in 1884 when he was 21 years old.

The two most famous people born in Lawrenceville gained their fame elsewhere. Charles Henry Smith, born in 1826, left as a young man and lived most of his life in other Georgia towns. During the Civil War he wrote humorous pieces for Atlanta newspapers under the name Bill Arp. He has been described as the South's most popular writer of the late 19th century, though he is not much read today. Ezzard Charles, born in 1921, grew up in Cincinnati, where opportunities for African-Americans were far better at the time than in the Deep South. He eventually became the World Heavyweight boxing champion by defeating Joe Louis by unanimous decision on September 27, 1950.

Another resident, Oliver Hardy, became a world-renowned comic actor, a member of the film duo Laurel and Hardy from the 1920s to the 1940s. He lived as a child in downtown Lawrenceville around 1900. But his stay was brief, because his family moved often within Georgia.

Larry Flynt and lawyer Gene Reeves, Jr., were shot from near this archway while walking to lunch

Lawrenceville was one of many venues in the nation where Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt faced obscenity charges in the late 1970s. On March 6, 1978, during a lunch break in his Lawrenceville trial, he and his local attorney Gene Reeves were shot by a sniper near the courthouse. Both survived, though Flynt was seriously disabled. Years later, imprisoned serial killer Joseph Paul Franklin claimed to have been the shooter, but he never produced any proof and was not charged in the case. (Franklin was executed in 2013 in Missouri for a 1977 sniper slaying.) A heavily fictionalized treatment of the Flynt shooting can be seen in the 1996 movie The People vs. Larry Flynt.

Since 1988, Lawrenceville has been the headquarters of the Presbyterian Church in America.

Geography

Lawrenceville is located at 33°57′11″N 83°59′33″W / 33.95306°N 83.99250°W / 33.95306; -83.99250 (33.953052, -83.992469).[4] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 13.1 square miles (34 km2), of which, 13.0 square miles (34 km2) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) of it (0.46%) is water.

Dacula, Duluth, Buford, Grayson, Lilburn, Norcross, Snellville, and Suwanee are nearby cities.

Climate

Lawrenceville has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa).

Climate data for Lawrenceville, Georgia
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °F (°C) 50
(10)		 55
(13)		 63
(17)		 72
(22)		 79
(26)		 85
(29)		 88
(31)		 87
(31)		 81
(27)		 71
(22)		 62
(17)		 53
(12)		 70.5
(21.4)
Average low °F (°C) 31
(−1)		 32
(0)		 39
(4)		 45
(7)		 54
(12)		 63
(17)		 67
(19)		 66
(19)		 60
(16)		 49
(9)		 40
(4)		 33
(1)		 48.3
(8.9)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 5.32
(135.1)		 4.39
(111.5)		 5.48
(139.2)		 3.87
(98.3)		 3.94
(100.1)		 3.78
(96)		 4.02
(102.1)		 3.71
(94.2)		 3.98
(101.1)		 3.74
(95)		 3.63
(92.2)		 3.77
(95.8)		 49.63
(1,260.6)
Source: [5]

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1880463—
189056622.2%
190085350.7%
19101,51878.0%
19202,05935.6%
19302,1564.7%
19402,2233.1%
19502,93231.9%
19603,80429.7%
19705,20736.9%
19808,92871.5%
199016,84888.7%
200022,39732.9%
201028,54627.5%
Est. 201430,212[6]5.8%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]
Downtown Lawrenceville (as of June 2006)

As of 2010 Census, Lawrenceville had a population of 28,546. The median age was 32.4. The racial composition of the population was 48.0% white, 32.0% black or African American, 0.6% Native American, 1.1% Asian Indian, 4.7% other Asian, 10.3% from some other race and 3.4% from two or more races. 22.3% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.2010 general profile of population and housing characteristics of Lawrenceville from the US Census.[8]

In the city the population was spread out with 26.4% under the age of 18, 11.0% from 18 to 24, 35.3% from 25 to 44, 18.2% from 45 to 64, and 9.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 105.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $43,299, and the median income for a family was $48,557. Males had a median income of $34,263 versus $26,903 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,649. About 11.7% of families and 24.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.0% of those under age 18 and 11.9% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Lawrenceville can be accessed through several highways. Georgia 316 passes through Lawrenceville to Athens and connects to Interstate 85 at Exit 106. Interstate 85 South then travels through downtown Atlanta, which is roughly 30 to 35 miles away. Lawrenceville can also be accessed by US 78 (Stone Mountain Freeway) and then Scenic Highway (Georgia 124) via Snellville, GA. Thirdly, some southern unincorporated areas with Lawrenceville addresses can be accessed by Ronald Reagan Parkway. Other highways that pass through Lawrenceville are US 29, GA 8, GA 20, and GA 120.

Lawrenceville also is home to Gwinnett's only public airport, Gwinnett County Airport-Briscoe Field. Although not an international airport—with its daytime control tower, several FBOs (Fixed-Base Operators) and flight-training schools, Brisco Field primarily serves general aviation and some commercial aircraft.

Education

Gwinnett County Public Schools operates public schools.

Schools with Lawrenceville mailing address

The following is a list of schools with a Lawrenceville mailing address, with its high school cluster in parenthesis.

Elementary schools

Middle schools

High schools

Other schools

Colleges and university

Within Lawrenceville are two public colleges:

Libraries

Gwinnett County Public Library operates the Collins Hill, Five Forks and Lawrenceville Branches. The Lawrenceville and Collins Hill Branches are in an unincorporated area.[9]

Hospitals

Lawrenceville is home to Gwinnett Medical Center. GMC is a non-profit, 500-bed health care network based in Gwinnett County. It comprises two hospitals, plus several supporting medical facilities, with more than 4,300 employees and more than 800 affiliated physicians. The flagship campus of GMC is located in Lawrenceville near the intersection of Hwy. 316 and Duluth Highway 120.

Prior to the opening of Gwinnett Medical Center in 1984, the area was served by Button Gwinnett Hospital, which was later converted to an inpatient mental health and substance abuse treatment facility.

Downtown

The Aurora Theatre

Historically significant buildings in downtown Lawrenceville include the Gwinnett Historic Courthouse and Lawrenceville Female Seminary. Also downtown are various landmarks and antique locations. Lawrenceville's revitalization plan was strengthened in 2005 when the city crafted a unique partnership with the Aurora Theatre (Gwinnett county's only professional theatre), which relocated from the nearby town of Duluth to a permanent site in downtown Lawrenceville in May 2007 for the opening of its eleventh season. The Aurora Theatre also conducts Lawrenceville Ghost Tours—a 90-minute walking tour of the historic downtown area led by professional storytellers. Ghost tour guides recount town lore and legends including Lawrenceville's role in the trial of Larry Flynt and the kidnapping of Barbara Jane Mackle.

Economy

Scientific Atlanta, now owned by Cisco Systems, is based near Lawrenceville. Atlanta Biologicals is located in Lawrenceville.

Sports

The AAA minor league baseball Gwinnett Braves of the International League play at Coolray Field.

Notable people

References

  1. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  2. ↑ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  3. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  4. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  5. ↑ "Average weather for Lawrenceville". Weather.com. Retrieved 15 August 2009.
  6. ↑ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014". Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  8. ↑ "2010 Census data for LAWRENCEVILLE, GA". zipcodes.com. Datasheer, L.L.C. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  9. ↑ "Hours & Locations." Gwinnett County Public Library. Retrieved on May 30, 2014.

External links

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Lawrenceville.


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