Lawrenceville is a city in and the county seat of Gwinnett County, Georgia, in the United States.[3] The 2000 census recorded the city's population as 22,397. The Census Bureau estimates the 2008 population at 29,258. 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 Metro 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. 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 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°57′11″N 83°59′33″W / 33.95306°N 83.9925°W / 33.95306; -83.9925 (33.953052, -83.992469)[4]. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 13.1 square miles (33.8 km²), of which, 13.0 square miles (33.6 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 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).
| Weather data for Lawrenceville |
| 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) |
71
(22) |
| 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
(9) |
| 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] 2009-08-15 |
Demographics
| Historical populations |
| Census |
Pop. |
|
%± |
| 1960 |
3,804 |
|
—
|
| 1970 |
5,115 |
|
34.5% |
| 1980 |
8,928 |
|
74.5% |
| 1990 |
17,250 |
|
93.2% |
| 2000 |
22,397 |
|
29.8% |
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 22,397 people, 7,484 households, and 5,313 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,723.9 people per square mile (665.7/km²). There were 7,684 housing units at an average density of 591.5/sq mi (228.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 48.04% White, 40.61% African American, 0.22% Native American, 1.17% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 1.46% from other races, and 2.41% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 15.14% of the population.
Downtown Lawrenceville (as of June 2006)
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 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.
Lawrenceville is the most populous incorporated city in Gwinnett County.
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 airport, the small 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
The following is a list of schools with a Lawrenceville mailing address, with its high school cluster in parenthesis.
Elementary Schools
- Cedar Hill Elementary School (Central Gwinnett)
- Lawrenceville Elementary School (Central Gwinnett)
- Simonton Elementary School (Central Gwinnett)
- Margaret Winn Holt Elementary School (Central Gwinnett)
- Benefield Elementary (Berkmar)
- Woodward Mill Elementary School (opening in August 2009)
- Lovin Elementary School
Middle Schools
- Central Gwinnett Cluster Middle School (Central Gwinnett) (opening in August 2011)
- J.E. Richards Middle School (Central Gwinnett)
High Schools
Other Schools
Colleges and university
Within Lawrenceville are two public 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 is home to one of the premier hospitals in the region, 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.
Downtown
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. The downtown area includes many restaurants like UpTown Café,Corner Stop Café,Cosmo’s Original Little Italy Pizza, and McCray’s Tavern on the Square.Downtown also offers valuable living on the square with the new Cornerstone On The Square condos and townhomes.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. Another theater is GTC on Gwinnett Drive. The Aurora Theatre also conducts Lawrenceville Ghost Tours--a 90 minute walking tour of the historic downtown area lead 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.
Sports
The AAA minor league baseball Gwinnett Braves of the International League play at Gwinnett Stadium.
Notable natives and residents
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.
References
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_County&Template=/cffiles/counties/usamap.cfm. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "Average weather for Lawrenceville". Weather.com. http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/businesstraveler/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USGA0318?from=36hr_bottomnav_business. Retrieved 15 August 2009.
External links
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