Duluth, Georgia

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.)[8]

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.

In 1922, Duluth elected Georgia's first female mayor, Alice Harrell Strickland.[9][10] She donated 1-acre (4,000 m²) of land for a "community forest" and began efforts to conserve land for public recreation.

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.

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 31,873 people, 11,202 households, and 7,634 families residing in the city.

As of the census[6] of 2010, there were 26,600 people, 10,555 households, and 6,872 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,620 inhabitants per square mile (1,010/km²). There were 11,313 housing units at an average density of 1,114 per square mile (430/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 48.7% White, 20.2% African American, 0.4% Native American, 22.3% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 5.2% from other races, and 3.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 14.0% of the population.

There were 10,555 households, out of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.6% were married couples living together, 14.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.9% were non-families. 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.10.

In age 18 and over, for every 100 females, there were 87.9 males.

The average income for a household in the city was $60,088, and the median income for a family was $69,437. Males had a median income of $46,683 versus $34,334 for females. The per capita income for the city was $29,185. About 3.0% of families and 4.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.8% of those under age 18 and 3.2% of those age 65 or over.

• Advanced Armament Corporation
• AGCO
• Asbury Automotive Group
• Barco
• Broadcom
• Ciba Vision
• Datapath, Inc. (formerly Rockwell Collins Satellite Communication Systems, Inc.)
• General Dynamics SATCOM Tech (formerly)
• Given Imaging
• Merial Animal Health
• Nordson
• Primerica
• Roper Industries
• Tetra Tech
• ViaSat

The city hosts an annual Fall Festival on the last weekend of every September, which is held in the town center. The Southeastern Railway Museum is located in Duluth, and is Georgia's official transportation museum.[14]

Duluth's downtown area is home to a variety of attractions that add to its vibrant atmosphere. The Red Clay Theater stands out as a premier performing arts venue with exceptional acoustics, hosting a range of live performances. Falling Rabbit tantalizes taste buds with its innovative dishes and carefully crafted flavors, while Pure Taqueria satisfies culinary cravings with its authentic Mexican cuisine. Families can enjoy the playful fountain, providing a refreshing spot for kids to have fun. Additionally, coffee enthusiasts can savor the renowned blends of Break Coffee Roasters. These attractions collectively contribute to the charm and allure of downtown Duluth, offering a mix of arts, dining, and family-friendly experiences.

• Berkeley Lake Elementary (Duluth)
• Chattahoochee Elementary (Duluth)
• Harris Elementary (Duluth)
• Mason Elementary (Duluth)
• Parsons Elementary (Duluth)
• Chesney Elementary (Duluth)

• Coleman Middle School (Duluth)
• Duluth Middle School (Duluth)

• Duluth High School (Duluth)

• Atlanta Adventist Academy (Duluth)
• Duluth Junior Academy (Duluth)
• Duluth Montessori School (Duluth)
• Notre Dame Academy (Duluth)

Gwinnett County Public Library operates the Duluth Branch in Duluth.[19]

Duluth holds the title of being a railroad city. Trains carrying both passengers and cargo can be seen at all times of the day. In addition, Duluth is a heavily car-dependent suburb. A number of collector roads distribute traffic around both incorporated and unincorporated areas of the city, some of the most important being Buford Highway (), Duluth Highway (), Sugarloaf Parkway, and Pleasant Hill Road. Apart from Buford Highway, these roads bring traffic to Interstate 85, connecting the Duluth area to central Atlanta about 25 mi (40 km) away.

Gwinnett County Transit serves the city.

Through the 1960s, the Southern Railway ran passenger trains with a stop in Duluth. The local #36 Atlanta - Washington made a flagstop on the northbound trip. The local #35 Salisbury - Atlanta and the Peach Queen (Washington - Atlanta) made stops on their southbound trip.[20]

The Western Gwinnett Bikeway, is a multi-use trail under construction along the Peachtree Industrial Boulevard. It is a shared use path, cycle track, and bike lane used to connect Duluth to neighboring Berkeley Lake, Norcross and Suwanee.[21]

In January 2018 significant plans were approved for the engineering phase to upgrade State Bridge Road and Pleasant Hill Road.[22] There is community-wide support from the community in both neighboring Johns Creek and Duluth for the pedestrian river bridge for the project. It will serve to improve bike-pedestrian safety, boost local economies by improving access to businesses, enhance connections with surrounding neighborhoods and improve traffic flow in the area. In addition, the upgrade will serve to ease the inspection and maintenance of the bridge in the future.

In March 2018, the Gwinnett County Commissioners approved the agreement with the Johns Creek City Council.[23][24] Both sides have agreed to remove the sidewalks from the existing bridges in order to widen the roads. To improve safety for pedestrians, a new pedestrian bridge will be constructed on one side of the river. A pedestrian underpass linking both sides of the wider road is being considered to further improve access and provide for a safer crossing of the road.

The Rogers bridge project is another significant plan that is to connect to Johns Creek via reconstructing a bike/pedestrian bridge across the Chattahoochee River. The engineers will determine whether to replace or rehabilitate the existing Rogers Bridge over the Chattahoochee River, will take into account the environmental impacts of each option, and will restore the working bike/pedestrian connection between Duluth and Johns Creek. This will allow access to the planned 133-acre parkland under development in Johns Creek and will allow Fulton County residents access to Rogers Bridge Park, the Chattapoochee Dog Park, and the Western Gwinnett Bikeway currently under development by Gwinnett County.[25]