LAWRENCEVILLE, GEORGIA

'Lawrenceville' is the county seat of Gwinnett County, Georgia, in the United States. The 2000 census recorded the city's population as 22,397. The Census Bureau estimates the 2005 population at 28,393. Lawrenceville has three ZIP codes (30043, 30044, 30045); it is part of the 678/770 telephone area code, which is used throughout metropolitan Atlanta.

Contents

History

Geography

Demographics

Infrastructure

Transportation

Education

Schools with Lawrenceville mailing address

Private schools

Colleges and university

Libraries

Hospitals

Attractions

Notable natives and residents

Trivia

External links

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 Metro Atlanta Area. The city is named after Captain James Lawrence, commander of the Frigate Chesapeake during the War of 1812. In 1871 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 1923-24 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. Beginning 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 Lawrenceville in 1921, grew up in Cincinnati, where opportunities for African-Americans were far better at the time. He eventually was heavyweight boxing champion of the world.
As a boy, Oliver Hardy lived in downtown Lawrenceville around 1900. But the future movie star's stay was brief. His family moved often within North Georgia.
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. Imprisoned serial killer Joseph Paul Franklin claims to have been the shooter, but has never been charged in the case. A heavily fictionalized treatment of the shooting can be seen in the 1996 movie ''The People vs. Larry Flynt''.

Geography

Lawrenceville is located at (33.953052, -83.992469).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 33.8 km² (13.1 mi²). 33.6 km² (13.0 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.46%) is water.
Dacula, Duluth, Grayson, Lilburn, Norcross, Snellville, and Suwanee are nearby cities.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 22,397 people, 7,484 households, and 5,313 families residing in the city. The population density was 665.7/km² (1,723.9/mi²). There were 7,684 housing units at an average density of 228.4/km² (591.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 76.04% White, 13.61% African American, 0.22% Native American, 3.17% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 4.46% from other races, and 2.41% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.14% of the population.

In 2000, there were 7,484 households out of which 39.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.7% were married couples living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.0% were non-families. 23.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.24.
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 8.7% of families and 11.5% 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.
Lawrenceville is the most populous incorporated city in Gwinnett County.

Infrastructure

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 travels through downtown Atlanta, which is roughly 25 to 30 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 areas of the Lawrenceville zip code 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 has the Gwinnett County Airport-Briscoe Field, which is not an international airport but serves some commercial (though mainly private) aircraft.

Education

Schools with Lawrenceville mailing address

'Elementary Schools'

★ J.A. Alford Elementary (Berkmar)

★ Benefield Elementary (Berkmar)

★ Betheseda Elementary (Berkmar)

★ Cedar Hill Elementary (Central Gwinnett)

★ Corley Elementary (Berkmar)

★ Craig Elementary (Brookwood)

★ J.G. Dyer Elementary (Collins Hill)

★ Freeman's Mill Elementary (Mill Creek)

★ Gwin Oaks Elementary (Brookwood)

★ Jackson Elementary (Peachtree Ridge)

★ Lawrenceville Elementary (Central Gwinnett)

★ Lovin Elementary (Grayson/Dacula) (opening 8/07)

★ McKendree Elementary (Collins Hill)

★ Kanoheda Elementary (Berkmar)

★ Rebbeca Minor(Berkmar)

★ Rock Springs Elementary (Collins Hill)

★ Simonton Elementary (Central Gwinnett)

★ K.E. Taylor Elementary (Collins Hill)

★ Margaret Winn Holt Elementary (Central Gwinnett)

★ Woodward Mill Elementary (opening 8/09)
'Middle Schools'

★ Berkmar Middle(Berkmar)

★ Central Gwinnett Cluster Middle (Central Gwinnett) (opening 8/11)

★ Creekland Middle (Collins Hill)

★ Alton C. Crews Middle (Brookwood)

★ Five Forks Middle (Brookwood)

★ J.E. Richards Middle (Central Gwinnett)

★ Sweetwater Middle (Berkmar)
'High Schools'

★ Archer High (opening 8/9)

★ Berkmar High (Berkmar)

★ Central Gwinnett High (Central Gwinnett)

★ Mountain View High (opening 8/09)

★ Phoenix High

Private schools

There are several private schools in Lawrenceville, but most of the private schools in the area are in various places throughout Gwinnett County.

Colleges and university

Within Lawrenceville are three public colleges: the Gwinnett Technical College, Georgia Perimeter College's Lawrenceville Campus, and Georgia Gwinnett College. Georgia Perimeter College will be closing the Lawrenceville Campus in 2008, as Georgia Gwinnett College begins admitting freshmen in the fall of 2007.
There are also two private, two-year colleges.

Libraries

Lawrenceville libraries are part of the Gwinnett Public Libraries and two of them are located in Lawrenceville. These include the Lawrenceville Branch and the Five Forks Branch.

Hospitals

Lawrenceville has one major hospital, the Gwinnett Medical Center, which serves much of Central Gwinnett.

Attractions

Downtown Lawrenceville is overflowing with history. Historically significant buildings in downtown Lawrenceville include the Gwinnett Historic Courthouse and Lawrenceville Female Seminary. Also downtown are various landmarks and antique locations. While downtown, visitors can relax in one of several parks, among them Bethesda Park and Senior Center, Collins Hill Park (and Aquatic Center), Rhodes Jordan Park pool. 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) who then relocated from the near-by town of Duluth to a permanent site in downtown Lawrenceville in May of 2007 for the opening of their eleventh season. The Aurora Theatre also conducts Ghost Tours--walking tours of the historic downtown area lead by professional storytellers--that recount town lore and legends including Lawrenceville's role in the trial of Larry Flynt and the kidnapping of Barbara Jane Mackle.

Notable natives and residents

★ Ezzard Charles

★ EJay Day

★ Darius Walker

★ Courtland Winn

★ Brian McCann

★ Jeff Francouer

★ Jonathan Babineaux

★ Jennifer Ferrin

★ Hamilton Jordan

★ Junior Samples

★ Andrew Haney

Trivia

★ Deion Sanders once bought land in Lawrenceville to build a mansion, but sold it to construction companies.

★ The film Road Trip was filmed in parts of Lawrenceville.

External links

★ Georgia.gov: Lawrenceville

★ Web site of the Courts of Gwinnett County

★ Gwinnett County Public Schools

★ Gwinnett County Public Library

★ Aurora Theatre

★ Lawrenceville Ghost Tours

★ Lawrenceville Tourism & Trade Association

★ Listen to the Lawrenceville Police Department