Duluth

Duluth is a city in Gwinnett County, Georgia, United States. Located north of Interstate 85, it is approximately 22 miles (35 km) northeast of Atlanta. As of the 2020 census, Duluth had a population of 31,873, and the United States Census Bureau estimated the population to be 31,864 as of 2021. The agricultural manufacturer AGCO is based in Duluth. The city made national headlines twice in March, 2005, when suspect Brian Nichols was captured in a Duluth apartment. In April, local resident Jennifer Wilbanks was reported missing before her planned wedding. She was found a few days later in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she admitted to having lied about being kidnapped. Duluth is located in the northeastern section of the Atlanta metropolitan area. It lies 25 mi (40 km) from the Downtown section of Atlanta, west of State Route 120, and west of the Interstate 85 exit for I-85. It was named after the city of Duluth, Minnesota, which was named for a French captain and explorer of the upper Midwest, who negotiated peace between the Chippewa and the Sioux nation. It is one of the few small towns with its own hospital, Joan Glancy Memorial Hospital. The hospital was replaced with Gwinnet Medical Center Duluth in 2006. The site of the old hospital is now GMC's Glancy Campus, home to the Glancy Rehab Center for Diabetes & Nutrition Education Center and the Duluth location of the GMC Center for Sleep Disorder.

History

Duluth is the primary city name, but also Berkeley Lake, Peachtree Cor, Peachtree Corners are acceptable city names or spellings. Duluth was originally Cherokee territory. Indian trail, called Old Peachtree Road by the settlers, was extended through the area during the War of 1812. In 1922, Duluth elected Georgia's first female mayor, Alice Harrell Strickland. 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 days later in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she admitted to having lied about being kidnapped. The Bank of Duluth was charted in 1904, followed by the Farmers and Merchants Bank in 1911. Joan Glancy Memorial Hospital was replaced with Gwinnett Medical Center Duluth in 2006. 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 Gwinnet Arena near the Gwinett Convention Center. The Duluth location of GMC's Diabetes & Nutrition Education Center is now home to the Glancy Rehabilitation Center. It is one of the few small towns with its own hospital, Joan Glancies Memorial Hospital. Many older residents of the area who call other towns home were actually born in Duluth. The city made national headlines twice in 2005, when a shooting suspect was captured after a woman was held hostage in an apartment in the city. It was named after a French captain and explorer who negotiated peace between the Chippewa and the Sioux nation.

Geography

Duluth is located in the northeastern section of the Atlanta metropolitan area. Unincorporated portions of Forsyth County use a Duluth ZIP code despite being outside Duluth city limits in a different county. A significant part of the nearby city of Johns Creek in Fulton County shares at least one ZIP code with Duluth. Duluth has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa.) The monthly averages range from 41.0 °F in January to 78.3° in July. The local hardiness zone is 7b. It is located 25 mi (40 km) from Downtown Atlanta, the city lies in the west-central section of Gwinnett County, bounded to the north by the Chattahoochee River (which also acts as the county line), northeast by Suwanee, south by unincorporated land, and west by Berkeley Lake. The city has a population of approximately 4,000. It has a latitude and longitude of 35°N, with an average temperature of 41°C. The monthly average temperature is 41°F, with a monthly average of 78°F in July, and 41°E in January. It also has a high school football team, the Duluth Bulldogs, which was founded in the 1950s. The team won the Georgia Tech Yellowjackets football championship in the 1960s and 1970s. It was the first team to win the state championship in both men's and women's football. The U.S. National Football League (NFL) has a team called the Atlanta Falcons, which won the Super Bowl in 2008.

Demographics

As of the 2010 census, there were 26,600 people, 10,555 households, and 6,872 families residing in the city. 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%. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 14.0% of the population. The average household income was $60,088, and the median income for a family was $69,437. The per capita income for the city is $29,185. The city has a population of 31,873, and as of the 2020 U.S. census there are 11,202 households and 7,634 families. The median age of a city resident is 18.9 years old, and for every 100 females, there are 87.9 males. In the city, the average household size is 2.52 and the average family size is 3.10. It is the only city in the state with more than 10,000 people living under the age of 18. It has the highest percentage of people living in poverty, with 4.8% of those under age 18 and 3.2 per cent of those over 65 living below the poverty line. In 2010, the city had a median income of $46,683, and in 2010 the city's median age was 18.8 years old.

Economy

Downtown Duluth boasts a thriving business district. Every year the city hosts an annual Fall Festival on the last weekend of every September. The Southeastern Railway Museum is located in Duluth, and is Georgia's official transportation museum. There are many shops and dining choices to choose from. The city is home to the U.S. Air Force Academy and the University of Wisconsin-Duluth. It is also the home of the Georgia Institute of Technology, which was founded in 1875. The town is located on the banks of the Chattahoochee River, which runs through the center of the city. It also has a number of lakes and rivers, many of which are popular tourist attractions. Duluth is also known for its golf course, which is one of the oldest in the United States. It was built in the early 1900s and was the site of the first golf course in the state. It has a reputation for being a great place to play golf, especially in the winter months. The Duluth Golf Club is located near the city's downtown area, and hosts a golf tournament every year. It's also home to several other golf courses, including the North Carolina Golf Club and the South Carolina Golf Course, which dates back to the 18th century. The state's largest employer is the Georgia Power Company, which has a plant in the town of Duluth that was established in 1876. It provides electricity, water, and other services to the majority of the town's residents.

Sports

Unincorporated Gwinnett County is home to the Georgia Swarm of the National Lacrosse League since 2016. The Sugarloaf Country Club hosted the AT&T Classic, a PGA Tour golf tournament from 1997 to 2008. The Georgia Swarm shares the Gas South Arena with the Atlanta Gladiators of the ECHL, a professional minor league ice hockey team. The Greater Gwinnet Championship, a Champions Tour golf event, was initiated in 2013 in the unincorporated part of the county. The county is also home to Berkeley Hills Country Club and the 1818 Club, a private dining club. It has a zip code of 51501. The city of Duluth has a population of 2,841. The Gwinnetts have a population density of 1,836 per square mile. It is the second-largest city in the state, after Atlanta, Georgia, with 1,741 per square kilometer. It also has a post office with a ZIP code of 61501, the third-largest in the country. The town has a total population of 3,831. The area has a history of being home to a number of professional sports teams, including the Atlanta Falcons, the Atlanta Hawks, and the Atlanta Flames. It was the site of the World Series of Ice Hockey in the 1980s and 1990s, and was the birthplace of the Atlanta Ice Hockey Club. It's also the home of Georgia Swarm, which plays in the Arena at the South Side, which opened in 2003.

Parks and recreation

The city maintains 7 parks as well as the Festival Center. Some of the sports offered are Tennis, Soccer, Ballet, Zumba. Swimming is available only 3.9 miles from city hall at West Gwinnett Aquatic Center. The city parks include: Bunten Road Park, Chattapoochee Dog Park, Church Street Park, Rogers Bridge Park, Scott Hudgens Park, Taylor Park, W.P. Jones Park and Shorty Howell Park. The Festival Center is located at the former site of the Gwinnet County Fairgrounds. The festival center is open to the public on Saturday and Sunday afternoons from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and is open until 6 p.M. on Monday and Tuesday. It is open from 9am to 6pm on the days of the festival, and from 11am to 5pm on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Government

The mayor of Duluth is Nancy Harris, the former principal of B.B. Harris Elementary School and Suwanee Elementary School. The city is represented in the Georgia General Assembly by Senator Zahra Karinshak, Representative Bonnie Rich and Representative Pedro "Pete "Marin who together form the city's legislative delegation. The mayor and five city council members are elected for staggered four-year terms. Elections are held every two years, in the odd-numbered years, and the mayor and councilMembers are elected in staggered four year terms. The council members appoint the city administrator and city clerk, who are appointed by the mayor. Duluth's mayor is a former principal and Gwinnett County School Superintendent, and Harris Elementary is named for her father, B. B. Harris, who was also a former school principal and superintendent. The school district has two high schools, one in Duluth and the other in SuwanEE. The Duluth Public Library is located in the city and is open to the public on weekdays. It is also open on the weekends and during the summer months. It has a library branch in downtown Duluth, which is open from 9am to 5pm. The library is open until late at night, when it is closed for the night. It also has an office in the middle of the day, when the city is in the process of building a new library. It was the first public library in the state of Georgia, and was founded in 1883.

Education

Gwinnett County Public Schools operates public schools serving residents of Duluth. The Duluth Branch of the U.S. Library of Congress operates the Duluth branch in Duluth, Minnesota. Public schools include elementary, middle, and high schools. Private schools include private schools, Montessori schools, and private academies. Public libraries operate public and private libraries in the city. They are located at the following locations: Duluth High School, Duluth Junior Academy, and Notre Dame Academy, among others.

Infrastructure

Duluth holds the title of being a railroad city. Trains carrying both passengers and cargo can be seen at all times of the day. A number of collector roads distribute traffic around both incorporated and unincorporated areas of the city. 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. In January 2018 significant plans were approved for the engineering phase to upgrade State Bridge Road and Pleasant Hill 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. 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 WesternGW Bikeway currently under development by Gwinnet County. In March 2018, the Gwinnette County Commissioners approved the agreement with the Johns Creek City Council. 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. In addition, the upgrade will serve to ease the inspection and maintenance of the bridge in the future.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Duluth, Fulton County, Georgia = 37.1. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 40. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 99. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Duluth = 5 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 31,873 individuals with a median age of 35.4 age the population grows by 14.63% in Duluth, Fulton County, Georgia population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 3,118.69 residents per square mile of area (1,204.08/km²). There are average 2.57 people per household in the 9,869 households with an average household income of $64,907 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is of the available work force and has dropped -6.39% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 17.82%. The number of physicians in Duluth per 100,000 population = 108.1.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Duluth = 53.3 inches and the annual snowfall = 1.4 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 108. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 218. 87 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 27.9 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 36, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Duluth, Fulton County, Georgia which are owned by the occupant = 57.71%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 15 years with median home cost = $180,380 and home appreciation of -5.08%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $9.81 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $5,922 per student. There are 14.3 students for each teacher in the school, 637 students for each Librarian and 498 students for each Counselor. 7.78% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 32.62% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 13.82% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).