Georgia Natural Wonder #181 - Chattahoochee River - North Gwinnett County. 1,199

[Top Row Dawg]

Georgia Natural Wonder #181 - Chattahoochee River - North Gwinnett County

We were floating down the Chattahoochee River when we took a side tangent twice on Forsyth County. Below McGinnis Ferry, the west bank of the "Hooch" turns from Forsyth County to old Milton County, today's Fulton County. The east bank of the river below Buford Dam is all Gwinnett County down to this point. We haven't really featured Gwinnett County with any wonder yet. I know there would be a huge tangent on Gwinnett County with all the cities and notable people. Let's stay on the river and see how much Gwinnett County we can explore.


Can see Hooch on County border of antebellum and modern Gwinnett County. Cities I never heard of vs. modern map with familiar cities.

Rogers Bridge

Brushy Creek and Suwanee Creek flow in from the Gwinnett side below McGinnis Ferry. Rogers Bridge is the next park downstream. It features an abandoned through truss bridge over the Chattahoochee River on former Rogers Bridge Road in Johns Creek. It now carries a pipeline. It originally bridged Milton and Gwinnett counties. Gwinnett Bicycle User Group is persuading Gwinnett County to convert the old Rogers Bridge over the Chattahoochee River to a bike and pedestrian bridge.



This trail is located in Johns Creek, GA (Fulton County). Its an out and back asphalt trail on the old Rogers Bridge Rd to a decommissioned Pennsylvania (Petit) truss bridge over the Chattahoochee River. The historic Rogers Bridge itself is closed to all vehicular and foot traffic. Most of the trail runs through public land with NPS property to the east and Cauley Creek Park land to the west. Only pedestrians and bicyclists are allowed on the trail. Dogs must be on leash. A small parking lot is available at the trail head.


Downstream from the Gwinnett County side.

Abbotts Bridge

Cauley Creek comes in from the Gwinnett Side, then you come to Abbotts Bridge crossing the Hooch. Abbotts Bridge is located along the river off GA 120 in Duluth, Gwinnett County. The gravel parking lot can accommodate approximately 40 vehicles, with overflow parking available on both side of the gravel entrance road.



A pavilion is available with space for picnic tables and charcoal grills. A small field area is located near the pavilion and a boat ramp is nearby.


Abbotts Bridge.

A pavilion is available with space for picnic tables and charcoal grills. A small field area is located near the pavilion and a boat ramp is nearby. Restroom facilities are near the pavilion with cold running water. The facility can accommodate approximately 150 people.


Abbotts Bridge Boat Launch.

The most interesting part of the trail is near the boat ramp with its massive oaks and unobstructed views of the river.



This Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area unit is maintained by the National Park Service. There is a $5 parking fee. Dogs are allowed but must be on leash.



Abbotts Bridge.



State Bridge Road crosses becoming Pleasant Hill back toward Gwinnett Place Mall and Duluth. Then Highway 141 crosses at Medlock Bridge.



Medlock Bridge

The Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area provides some of the best parks and hiking available to Atlanta. While the Medlock Bridge unit is not very big and doesn't offer the amenities of some, it's still cool. And it's more than just a boat launch point, although admittedly not much more. Located just south of the river on Medlock Bridge Road (might be called Peachtree Parkway at this point), there's a short access road to the very large parking lot. It also has spaces for five or six boat trailers. You'll find several picnic tables on the grounds, with at least three located between the parking lot and the river. Other than that, you have maybe two miles of trails.



As with all Chattahoochee River NRA units, the trails are pretty well marked on the map and you'll find a map located at each trail intersection. Not that you can get lost. The main trail that runs along the river is quite scenic and is an easy walk along a flat dirt path. The shorter trails up the hill take you into typical Georgia riverside forest terrain. You can easily walk the whole trail system in an hour.



While the Medlock Bridge Trail runs along the river, in most areas you cannot get down to the water due to large drop offs. You might even call them short cliffs. At the few places that you can get to the river and walk along the bank, it is quite muddy. If you are strolling in your Sunday best after church, I suggest just sticking to the trail.



The trail works its way inland, so you are no longer near the Chattahoochee River, but are still on fairly level terrain.



The trail makes a gradual ascent to the top of a small hill where you will find yourself on a ridge high above the river.



The trail leads back to the Chattahoochee and remains close to it for the duration of the hike. There are a couple of hills towards the end, each ascended and descended via a set of stairs made of railroad ties.



Jones Bridge

Hike the Jones Bridge Park Trail on the Chattahoochee River to the remains of an old, heisted bridge, through a scenic forest and to beautiful river views in metro Atlanta.



This scenic hike at Jones Bridge Park explores the Chattahoochee River’s scenic banks in the city of Johns Creek, visiting the remnants of a turn-of-the-century bridge and a beautiful, riverside forest.



A moderate hike (or great trail run) on this under-five-mile loop scores views of the river’s whitewater shoals and its lush, wildflower and wildlife-filled forest.



Cool, early mornings are our favorite time to hike this trail, when golden sunrise light mixes with the occasional, flowing fog that follows the river’s currents. The park makes for a great adventure in just about any weather and every season, though, thanks to the trail’s abundant views of the Chattahoochee River and the park’s namesake, mysterious bridge.



NOTE: unfortunately, the bridge remains have collapsed into the river as of January 2018, and the old bridge no longer is visible on this hike.



Jones Bridge Park: the hike

The adventure departs from the park’s trailhead (view maps and driving directions), venturing north from the parking area and skirting around a metal gate to follow a gravel roadbed. The trail arcs eastbound, gently rolling elevation before approaching the Chattahoochee River and crossing a small stream. The trail reaches the metal remains of Jones Bridge at .45 mile. The bridge was built in 1904, and was dismantled and largely stolen in the 1940s. The bridge’s vibrantly-painted shell and pilings are all that remain.



Departing the bridge, the hike turns west, following the Chattahoochee River downstream as it contours the river’s banks. The trail passes a series of whitewater shoals at .6 mile, where the river meanders through large boulders and angular rock outcrops that punctuate the river’s bed. The trail passes a boat launch at .75 mile, diving into dense forest on the river’s banks. The trail crosses a large wooden suspension bridge at 1 mile.





The trail crosses the park’s paved boat ramp at 1.25 miles before crossing a second wooden suspension bridge and diving back under the shady forest canopy. Side trails depart to the right, visiting the wide-flowing Chattahoochee River and its forested banks.



The trail leaves the river at 1.5 miles, crossing a gravel road and climbing wooden stairs westbound to gain elevation in a vibrantly green, verdant forest. Deer are a common sight here on the trail, especially in early morning and late evening. A network of trails crisscross throughout this section of the park; this route veers left through the trail intersections, hiking southbound to return to the Chattahoochee River’s shore.



The trail reaches the river’s banks after crossing a cleared, unpaved road at 2 miles, arcing southwest to follow the river downstream. The trail reaches the southern end of the park, looping westbound away from the river’s banks. The hike meets a signed intersection at 2.75 miles, turning right to cross a mulched road at 2.85 miles and pass through a densely-vegetated meadow.


The trail reaches the banks of a glassy lake at 3 miles, catching reflective views from its glassy surface. Several houses border the small lake on the opposite shore.



Departing the lake, the trail splits into a number of fragmented trails. This route takes a right at 3.1 miles, a left at 3.15 miles, and crosses a grassy, pine-filled flat before venturing straight through a 4-way trail intersection at 3.25 miles for the most direct route back to the main trail.



Reaching the outbound trail at 3.3 miles, the hike turns left, retracing its steps through the rolling forest northeast toward the trailhead. The trail traces the Chattahoochee River, hiking upstream and trekking across the park’s boat launch before reaching the trailhead at 4.6 miles, completing the adventure.

I came to Jones Bridge several times when my kids were living in Duluth. This was the place to come to on Sundays.



Waded out on the rocks with the kids in tow.



Just a wonderful spot of Gwinnett County.



Jones Bridge Shoals still there.



Simpsonwood

Simpsonwood is named after its donor, Ludie Simpson, who bequeathed 223 pristine acres with frontage on the Chattahoochee River to the Methodist church in 1973 with the understanding that it would not be subdivided or developed.



The church operated a lodge/conference center on the property, but at a loss and decided to sell. Fortunately, Gwinnett County was able to procure the property in 2016.



The goal is for the park to lean more toward a nature preserve than a community park with minimal improvements being planned. As of this date, the lodge has been demolished and the hardscape area is in the process of being re-vegetated.



Only a small chapel remains and will operate as a wedding venue. There is a 3.1 mile dirt trail around the perimeter which is through mature hardwoods.



The high point of the park of course is the Chattahoochee River.



The most direct route to the river is an asphalt roadway through the park’s center that limits vehicle access only up to the chapel. The park is a popular destination for hikers, dog walkers, and fly fishermen.



Simpsonwood Trail.



Holcomb Bridge - Garrett Landing

Highway 140 (Holcomb Bridge Road) crosses and provides two parks there. Holcomb Bridge Park has a playground and a 1/2 acre grassy area. We enjoyed one of the picnic tables by the river. This 12 acre park is located directly on the Chattahoochee River.



The Garrard Landing Park Loop is a 1.2-mile trail which primarily has a compact gravel surface. The ½ mile segment along the Chattahoochee River is fully shaded and has an observation deck. The rest of the trail meanders through an open meadow and features a man made lake, cascading stream, covered bridge, and pond. There are several interconnecting segments that allow customization of the length.



Gwinnett County ends right here at Holcomb Bridge Road crossing the river. It is Fulton County on both sides of the river for a while for here down stream. Holcomb Bridge Park amenities include 12 acres, two river overlooks, pavilion, playground, wooden amphitheater, 0.25-mile soft surface trail, restrooms, and grill.



This park is open from sunrise until sunset unless posted otherwise. Amplified sound is prohibited.

Gwinnett County

Now I came to Gwinnett County a little bit on my post about the origins of the Alcovey River GNW #91 - Factory Shoals. I know we will visit again with a future post on the origins of the Yellow River. There are several man-made wonders like the Vulcan Quarries or Berkley Lake. You have the Lake Lanier Islands. Today, lets tangent just on the north part of Gwinnett County, the part west of I-85. We don't want to stray down to Snellville on a Chattahoochee River exploration.


Vulcan Quarry at Meadow Creek.

Gwinnett County is a suburban county of Atlanta in the north central portion of Georgia. In 2019, the population was estimated to be 936,250, making it the second-most populous county in Georgia. Its county seat is Lawrenceville. The county is named for Button Gwinnett, one of the signatories of the Declaration of Independence. We did a tangent on Button Gwinnett in several post, primarily on his home island St. Catherines GNW  #31.


Two faces of Button Gwinnett.

Gwinnett County is included in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is located about 10 miles northeast of Atlanta's city limits.

History

In 1813, Fort Daniel was created during the War of 1812 in territory that would become Gwinnett County.



The county was created in 1818 by an act of the Georgia General Assembly, Gwinnett County was formed from parts of Jackson County (formerly part of Franklin County) and from lands gained through the cession of Creek Indian lands. The first county election was held at the home of Elisha Winn, and the first Superior Court was held in his barn. The county seat was later placed at Lawrenceville.





In 1831 a group of white men were tried and found guilty in Lawrenceville for violating Georgia law by living in the Cherokee Nation without a valid passport from the Governor. Two of the men appealed to the US Supreme Court in Worcester v. Georgia, which resulted in a ruling stating that only the federal government had jurisdiction over native lands, a decision which still stands.


Worcester was a saucy fellow.

In 1861, all three of Gwinnett County's representatives at the Georgia Constitutional Convention (1861) in Milledgeville voted against secession. Towards the end of the war, Union troops foraged in Gwinnett County as part of the Atlanta Campaign. The Freedmen's Bureau was active in Gwinnett County during Reconstruction. In 1871 the courthouse in Lawrenceville was burned by the Ku Klux Klan in an attempt to avoid prosecution for their crimes, which included the shooting of a black election manager in Norcross. There is a long list of lynchings in Gwinnett County.


Current Gwinnett County Courthouse built in 1871.

Early in the county's history, gold mining was a minor industry. The Gwinnett Manufacturing Company, a cotton textile factory, operated in Lawrenceville in the 1850s through 1865, when it burned. The Bona Allen Company in Buford, Georgia produced saddles, harnesses and other leather goods from 1873 to 1981.


All about the Malls now.

The northeastern part of Gwinnett County was removed in 1914 to form a part of the new Barrow County.

Northwest of I-85

Buford

Buford is a city in Gwinnett and Hall counties in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 12,225.[5] Most of the city is in Gwinnett County, which is part of the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta Metropolitan Statistical Area. The portions of the city in Hall County are not part of Atlanta's metropolitan statistical area, but are part of Atlanta's larger Combined Statistical Area, which includes Hall County.



The city was founded in 1872 after a railroad was built in the area connecting Charlotte, North Carolina, with Atlanta. Buford was named after Algernon Sidney Buford, who at the time was president of the Atlanta and Richmond Air-Line Railway. The city's leather industry, led by the Bona Allen Company, as well as its location as a railway stop, caused the population to expand during the early 1900s until after the Great Depression had ended.



The city operates its own school district, the Buford City School District, and has been the birthplace and home of several musicians and athletes. Various tourist locations, including museums and community centers, the largest mall in the state of Georgia, the Mall of Georgia, and Lake Lanier Islands are in the Buford region.



Buford appears in historical records beginning in the early 19th century. The area that is now Buford was originally part of Cherokee territory. Despite the treaty in 1817 that ceded the territory to the United States and Gwinnett County's legislative establishment in 1818, the area was still largely inhabited by the Cherokee until the 1830s. The first non-Native Americans moved to the Buford area in the late 1820s or early 1830s, although the Buford area was not largely settled by them until the 1860s.



During the post-Civil War construction of the extended Richmond and Danville Railroad System in 1865, railroad stockholders Thomas Garner and Larkin Smith purchased land around the railroad's right-of-way and began developing the city of Buford. The town began rapidly expanding around the railway after its completion in 1871, and it was incorporated as the Town of Buford on August 24, 1872, and renamed the City of Buford in 1896.



Buford was once two towns. The separate, incorporated town of West Buford was established in 1899, with its limits extending from just southwest of Elliott Street to the current overpass at Peachtree Industrial and Hwy. 20. West Buford had its own own governing body, its own school, and its own improvement projects. After just 13 years, West Buford surrendered its town's charter and merged with Buford.



In the late 1800s and early 1900s Buford became widely known for its leather production, becoming prominently associated with the leather industry and earning the nickname "The Leather City". Buford became a large producer of leather products, including saddles, horse collars, bridles, and shoes. Buford's leather industry began with a leather worker named R.H. Allen opening a harness shop and tannery in 1868, three years before the completion of the railway and the founding of Buford. R.H. Allen's brother Bona Allen moved to Buford from Rome, Georgia, in 1872 and founded the Bona Allen Company the following year. The leather industry quickly became the city's largest industry despite setbacks from several fires, including a fire in 1903 that destroyed the buildings of several businesses and a fire in 1906 that destroyed a straw storehouse and nearly destroyed the city's harness and horse collar factory.


The Bona Allen Shoe and Horse Collar Factory is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Bona Allen saddles were available through the Sears mail order catalog, and many Hollywood actors used saddles made by the Bona Allen Company, including cowboy actors Gene Autry, the cast of Bonanza, and Roy Rogers, who used a Bona Allen saddle on his horse Trigger. A statue of Roy Rogers and a Bona Allen saddle-maker saddling Trigger is located in downtown Buford. The Bona Allen Company thrived during the Great Depression in the 1930s, likely as a result of the Depression forcing farmers to choose horses over expensive tractors, thereby increasing the demand for saddles, collars, bridles, and other leather products.


The historic Tannery Row building in downtown Buford

The Bona Allen Company constructed Tannery Row in downtown Buford as a shoe factory in 1919. After a brief employee strike the shoe factory was closed in 1942, although it was briefly reopened by the request of the federal government during World War II to make footwear for the military. Afterwards, the factory closed in 1945. In 2003 Tannery Row became home to the Tannery Row Artist Colony, which houses galleries and studios for artists.



Buford once had its own soft drink bottling plant. In 1915, William R. Davis developed an independent soft drink formula, manufacturing and bottling the Buford favorite with his family at his home on Hill St.. Davis distributed his product locally, but this ended in 1918 when his loaded delivery truck was struck by a train at the Harris Street crossing. Davis was unharmed, but his business never recovered. The drink continued to be manufactured for several years by E.O. Williams after Davis turned over the formula to him.



After the Great Depression the use of horses for farming decreased and tractors took their place, and the Bona Allen Company steadily downsized until the tannery was eventually sold to the Tandy Corporation in 1968.



Buford has had more than its share of tragedies and public disasters. Train wrecks, serious droughts and fires have all been a part of the town's past. On Christmas Day, 1930, downtown Buford was rocked by a huge explosion and fire. Thankfully the fire was put out before the entire business block was destroyed, and no injuries were reported.  From the early 1900s on, many of the town's businesses were destroyed or affected by fire, culminating with the disastrous blaze that destroyed the last of the Bona Allen Tannery in 1981. Tandy Corporation decided not to rebuild the tannery and closed the facility, bringing Buford's long history as "the leather city" to a close.


Bona Allen Home.

Buford has been in the movies. Several Hollywood films have scenes that were shot in and around Buford, including Steve Martin's 1994 A Simple Twist of Fate; 2005's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (sad to say, Johnny Depp wasn't in town), and Six Pack, Kenny Rogers' 1982 race car driver movie, which featured several shots of Main Street.



Sugar Hill

Sugar Hill is a city in northern Gwinnett County in the U.S. state of Georgia and is part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. The population was 18,522 as of the 2010 census, making it the fourth-largest city in Gwinnett County. As of 2019, the estimated population was 24,617.


Damn, Gwinnett County loves their City Halls.

History

Sugar Hill was established through a charter by the Georgia state assembly in 1939 as the Town of Sugar Hill and officially incorporated on March 24, 1939. The town was renamed the City of Sugar Hill in 1975. Before the city was incorporated, the area was part of a route from the railroad in Buford to the city of Cumming. According to 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".



In 2001 a drastic increase in natural 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 a referendum to abolish both the municipal utility and the city itself. 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. The city council responded to this effort by reducing the utility's prices to be comparable to the surrounding area.



Suwanee

Suwanee is a city in Gwinnett County in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 15,355; this had grown to an estimated 20,907 as of 2019. Suwanee was the practicing home of the Atlanta Falcons football team from 1979 to 2001 and was voted among the Top 10 Best Places to Live by Money in 2007. In 2012, Suwanee was rated by Kiplinger as the third best place in America for raising families. In 2013, Suwanee was identified as one of the nation's 10 Best Towns for Families by Family Circle magazine and in 2018, Suwanee was rated #1 for places with the best public schools in Georgia by Niche.


Suwanee City Hall.

Portions of Forsyth and Fulton counties also have Suwanee and its ZIP Code (30024) as a mailing address.

Early history


A building in Old Town Suwanee

Suwanee, as did most towns in Georgia, started out as a Native American village. It was built on the Chattahoochee River, where societies flourished. The city of Suwanee itself was established and officially recognized by the U.S. government in 1837 upon the erection of a post office.


Old Train Depot Suwanee.

In 1871, the Georgia Air Line Railroad was built through Suwanee, and in 1880 the Rhodes House hotel was built to house passengers of the railroad.



This was instrumental in bringing people through the town and helped to generate trade and economic activity. In 1881, a fire burned down all of the buildings on Main Street except for one. From 1880 to 1920, the population saw almost no increase, shifting from 216 people to 241 over the course of 40 years. As of 2015, the population of Suwanee was over 18,000.



Recent history

Beginning in 1933 and ending in 1936, the now heavily traveled Buford Highway was constructed through Suwanee. In 1960, Interstate 85 was built to extend to just south of Suwanee, where it ended at the time. Throughout the last 100 years, several primary education schools have opened in Suwanee, including North Gwinnett High School and Suwanee Elementary School. The first known date for Suwanee High School was 1880, when it was a one-room school house. The first city hall was built in the early 1960s, and the second city hall was built in 1997.


The Suwanee Greenway is one of Gwinnett County’s most popular running, walking, and cycling trails. Traveling over pavement and boardwalks, it stretches more than three miles with only a single road crossing, exploring wildlife-filled wetlands and scenic hardwood forests

In 2005, Town Center was constructed and finished in 2009, at which time the city hall moved to it, where it currently resides. In 2003, Suwanee was named a City of Excellence by the Georgia Municipal Association and Trend Magazine. In 2017, Suwanee was recognized as a Green Community by the Atlanta Regional Commission certified at the bronze level for the city's commitment to environmental stewardship and their leadership in sustainability practices.

Duluth

Duluth is a city in Gwinnett County, Georgia, United States. Located north of Interstate 85, it is approximately 22 miles northeast of Atlanta.


Duluth City Hall.

As of the 2010 census, Duluth had a population of 26,600 and the United States Census Bureau estimated the population to be 29,609 as of 2019. This Atlanta suburb is home to Gwinnett Place Mall, the Gwinnett Civic and Cultural Center, Infinite Energy Center, Hudgens Center for the Arts, and the Red Clay Theater. It is also home to Gwinnett Medical Center–Duluth, an 81-bed hospital constructed in 2006, as well as GMC's Glancy Campus, a 30-bed facility located near downtown. The agricultural manufacturer AGCO is based in Duluth.

History

Duluth was originally Cherokee territory. When Duluth was established in the early 19th century, it was primarily forested land occupied by tribes people. An Indian trail, called Old Peachtree Road by the settlers, was extended through the area during the War of 1812 to connect Fort Peachtree in present-day Atlanta with Fort Daniel near present-day Dacula. When Gwinnett County was established in 1818, white settlement of the area accelerated.


Duluth 1950.

Cotton merchant Evan Howell constructed a road connecting his cotton gin at the Chattahoochee 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 Mayor Evan P. Howell and great-grandfather of Atlanta Constitution publisher Clark Howell. His descendants continue to live in the area, but only Howell Ferry Road in Duluth bears the name.

Railroad era and new name

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 of Duluth, Minnesota. The Midwestern city had gotten its own railroad connection not long before, which had prompted Rep. J. Proctor Knott, a Kentucky 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 for Daniel Greysolon, Sieur du Lhut (1636–1710), a French captain and explorer of the upper Midwest, who negotiated peace between the Chippewa and the Sioux nation.)


Daniel Greysolon, Sieur du Lhut.

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 first Methodist church was organized in 1871, and the first Baptist 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 the Great Depression.


Southeastern Train Museum is in Duluth.

In 1922, Duluth elected Georgia's first female mayor, Alice Harrell Strickland. She donated 1-acre of land for a "community forest" and began efforts to conserve land for public recreation.

Post-war and modern era

Duluth grew rapidly in the 1970s and 1980s, along with the rest of Gwinnett County. Georgia Governor George 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 with Gwinnett 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 suspect Brian Nichols was captured in a Duluth apartment after holding a woman hostage. In April, local resident Jennifer Wilbanks was reported missing a few days before her planned wedding to John Mason. She was found a few days later in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she admitted to having lied about being kidnapped.

Norcross

Norcross is a city in Gwinnett County, Georgia, United States. The population as of the 2010 census was 9,116, while in 2018 the estimated population was 16,563. It is included in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta metropolitan statistical area.



Downtown Norcross today.



History


Norcross train depot

Norcross was chartered as a town on October 26, 1870. The community was named for Jonathan Norcross, a former Atlanta Mayor and railroad official.


Jonathan Norcross.

Of course there is a fancy Norcross City Hall.



The ABC Studios television show Resurrection was filmed in the town square and all around Norcross. The 2018 film Love, Simon has a carnival themed scene filmed in the Norcross town square. All Elite Wrestling conducted their television taping at an undisclosed gym in Norcross in March 2020 during the COVID-19 epidemic.



Peachtree Corners

Peachtree Corners is a city in Gwinnett County, Georgia, United States. It is part of the Atlanta metropolitan area, and is the largest city in Gwinnett County with an estimated population of 43,905 in 2019.



The city is bordered to the north and west by the Chattahoochee River and is located east of Dunwoody. Peachtree Corners is the only Atlanta northern suburb developed as a planned community. Peachtree Corners has earned the designation as a top ten best suburb, and one of the best places to live, in the entire State of Georgia for its education quality, low crime rate, cost of living, employment, access to amenities, and overall top-notch livability, as well as a designation as a best Atlanta suburb for families, millennials, and professionals.

History

Settlement

Prior to 1818, the western corner of what became Gwinnett County was Creek and Cherokee Indian Territory, and it was illegal for white families to settle there. Nevertheless, there were several families of white squatters in the area before settlement was legalized, including Isham Medlock, whose name is lent to Medlock Bridge Road. In the early 1800s a road was built along a Native American trail from what is now Buford, past what is now Peachtree Corners, to what is now Atlanta. A small farming community, known as "Pinckneyville," grew up along that road. By 1827, the community was home to the second school in Gwinnett County, the Washington Academy, founded on what is now Spalding Drive. The area was also home to a post office, saloon, blacksmith shop, carpenter shop and inn; however, the prosperity of Pinckneyville was to be short-lived.



In 1870, a railroad was built through neighboring Norcross, and due to the heavy trading that could be done via the railroad, all of the area's businesses and many residents moved from Pinckneyville to Norcross.


Pavilion at Pinckneyville Park.

Urban development

For the next century, the area remained a rural farming community. In the late 1960s, Paul Duke developed the idea of creating Peachtree Corners, a planned community to be constructed in the area that was once known as Pinckneyville. In 1967, Duke initiated the planning of the office component of Peachtree Corners, Technology Park Atlanta, a campus for high technology industries that could benefit from employing engineers and business people graduating from the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), the University of Georgia, and other universities with technology and business schools. As a member of the Georgia Tech National Advisory Board, he raised $1.7 million to develop the business center. Initial residents of the technology park included GE, Scientific Atlanta (now part of Cisco Systems), and Hayes Microcomputer Products. In 1968, Duke established Peachtree Corners, Inc., a development corporation for the residential parts of the community.



During the 1970s, Jim Cowart began to develop the neighborhoods that Duke had planned. Initial neighborhoods developed by Cowart included Peachtree Station, Chattahoochee Station, and Spalding Corners. During this period, Cowart developed more upscale housing and laid more sewer pipes than the rest of Gwinnett County.

Incorporation

The United Peachtree Corners Civic Association, an umbrella group of neighborhood homeowners' associations, was formed in 1993 in response to land use and development concerns in the area. Despite the efforts of the UPCCA, some development opposed by the UPCCA continued in Peachtree Corners throughout the 1990s; therefore, in 1999, the idea of incorporating Peachtree Corners was first proposed. Nonetheless, due to the complexity of existing law, an incorporation movement did not then materialize. A city of Peachtree Corners was again proposed by the UPCCA in 2005, but efforts were abandoned after a straw survey of some residents seemed to indicate that the majority did not support incorporation. In 2010 the UPCCA again pursued the incorporation of Peachtree Corners after a failed attempt by the city of Norcross to annex a portion of Technology Park Atlanta. In a referendum held on November 8, 2011, residents of Peachtree Corners voted to incorporate as Gwinnett County's 16th city, and, with a population of 43,059, it became the county's largest. Municipal operations began on July 1, 2012.



OK this is getting long, so I am going to save Berkley Lake for a future Natural Wonder and the rest of Gwinnett County for a history tangent down the road. Today's GNW Gals are Hoochie Coochie girls for the Chattahoochee River.