Lawrenceville, Georgia

Lawrenceville was incorporated by an act of the Georgia General Assembly on December 15, 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. Lawrence, a native of New Jersey, is probably best known today for his dying command, "Don't give up the ship!"[8] William Maltbie, the town's first postmaster, suggested the name of "Lawrenceville."

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.

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 since 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.

Lawrenceville is located in central Gwinnett County at 33°57′11″N 83°59′33″W (33.953052, −83.992469).[9] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 13.5 square miles (35.0 km²), of which 13.4 square miles (34.7 km²) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²), or 0.83%, is water.[6]

Nearby cities are Dacula to the east, Buford to the north, Suwanee to the north-northwest, Duluth to the northwest, Norcross to the west, Lilburn to the southwest, Snellville to the south, and Grayson to the southeast.

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.[12]

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 $32,779, and the median income for a family was $38,557. Males had a median income of $27,263 versus $24,903 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,649. About 28.7% of families and 40.5% 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.

Gwinnett County Public Schools operates public schools.

Lawrenceville is home to Northside Hospital Gwinnett (formerly 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.

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 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 11th season. Now in its 23rd season, Aurora Theatre (http://www.auroratheatre.com/), is the second largest professional theatre in Georgia, produces 800 ticketed events a year, attracts 80,000 visitors, and conducts the 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 reports of paranormal activity at the historic courthouse and the Female Seminary. Co-Founded in 1996 by Anthony Rodriguez and Ann-Carol Pence, Aurora Theatre works to be both a community partner and destination location. On the brink of another campus expansion, the new expanded Lawrenceville Performing Arts Center, when completed, will house four performance spaces and encompass an entire city block of Lawrenceville's historic downtown.

Each August, the city hosts the annual Polish Pierogi Festival. There are food booths set up serving pierogi, kielbasa and sauerkraut. There are also live music performances, and other events include the Pierogi Toss and eating competitions.[16][17]

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

Atlanta Biologicals is located in Lawrenceville.

Peach State Federal Credit Union headquartered in Lawrenceville serves 39,800 members across Barrow, Clarke, DeKalb, Forsyth, Gwinnett, Jackson, Oconee and Walton Counties.

The soccer team Atlanta United 2 of the USL and the Triple-A Minor League Baseball Gwinnett Stripers of the International League both play at Coolray Field. Atlanta United 2 moved to Kennesaw in the 2019 season.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Lawrenceville.

• Official website
• Georgia.gov: Lawrenceville