Duluth

The land was Cherokee territory and mostly forest. An Indian trail was extended through the area during the War of 1812 and settlers called it Old Peachtree Road. It linked Fort Peachtree, in present-day Atlanta, with Fort Daniel, near present-day Dacula. Gwinnett County was established in 1818 and white settlement grew after that.

Cotton merchant Evan Howell built a road from his cotton gin on the Chattahoochee River to Old Peachtree Road. The crossing became known as Howell's Cross Roads, and later Howell's Crossing. In 1871 the community was renamed Duluth, after Congress funded a north-south railroad through the area. The name honors Duluth, Minnesota, which was itself named for Daniel Greysolon, Sieur du Lhut.

A schoolhouse went up in 1871 on the site of today's Coleman Middle School. The first Methodist church was organized the same year, and the first Baptist congregation formed in 1886. Both congregations still exist at new locations along State Route 120.

The Bank of Duluth was chartered in 1904 and the Farmers and Merchants Bank followed in 1911. Neither survived the Great Depression. In 1922 Duluth elected Georgia's first female mayor, Alice Harrell Strickland. She donated one acre for a community forest and promoted public land for recreation.

The population was 242 in 1880 and 2,956 in 1980. It grew quickly with the rest of Gwinnett County in the 1970s and 1980s, reaching 9,029 in 1990 and 22,122 in 2000. The 2010 census counted 26,600.

For much of the 20th century Duluth was one of the few small towns in rural Gwinnett with its own hospital, Joan Glancy Memorial Hospital. Gwinnett Medical Center Duluth replaced it in 2006. A major revitalization of downtown took place in the early 21st century.

Recurring happenings include Art Month, Fridays-N-Duluth and Howl on the Green, along with concerts. The city also has a Parks and Recreation department.

The Duluth branch of the Gwinnett County Public Library serves the city.

The city has its own Economic Development office. The city also has Finance, Human Resources, Public Works, Stormwater, Municipal Court, and Community Development and Engineering departments.

Health care is part of the local picture. Northside Hospital Duluth was built in 2006, and the Northside Gwinnett Joan Glancy Campus stands near downtown.

The main roads are Buford Highway (US 23 and Georgia 13), Duluth Highway (Georgia 120), Sugarloaf Parkway and Pleasant Hill Road. Apart from Buford Highway, they link to Interstate 85, which runs about 25 miles to central Atlanta. Ride Gwinnett bus service covers the city.

Railroads shaped the town. Through the 1960s, Southern Railway passenger trains stopped in Duluth, including the local Atlanta to Washington service.

Gwinnett County Public Schools runs the public schools. Elementary schools serving the city include Berkeley Lake, Chattahoochee, Chesney, Harris, Mason and Parsons. Harris Elementary is named for B.B. Harris, a former principal and superintendent.

Middle schools are Coleman, Duluth and Hull. High schools are Duluth High School and Peachtree Ridge High School.

Private schools in the area include Atlanta Adventist Academy and Notre Dame Academy.