Suwanee, Georgia, is a great place to live. It’s a small, charming community with a population of about 12,553 that has preserved its history (its Old Town looks as it did 100 years ago!), while at the same time making way for growth and modern-day conveniences. In 2003, Georgia Trend magazine branded it a City of Excellence!
Suwanee’s rapid growth has been related to expansion of its transportation facilities throughout the years. Until the 1970s, it was a small agricultural community. When access to Atlanta was opened by Interstate 85 and U.S. 23, Suwanee’s population grew from 615 to 1,026 within 10 years. The population increased by 265% over the next 10 years. As of 2005, Suwanee's population is 10,956 people. Since 2000, it has had a population growth of 20.87 percent.
Location
The city of Suwanee is a suburb of Atlanta that spans 3 counties in the northern portion of Georgia: Gwinnett County, Forsyth County, and Fulton County. Nearby states include Tennessee to the northwest, North Carolina to the northeast, South Carolina to the east, Florida to the south, and Alabama to the west.
Suwanee is a 40 minute drive to Atlanta, or 34 miles southwest. Montgomery, Alabama is just over a 3 hour drive, or 194 miles southwest. Charlotte, North Carolina is a 3 ˝ hour’s drive, or 218 miles northeast. Nashville, Tennessee is a 4 hour and 15 minute drive, or 270 miles northwest.
Jobs and Housing
Industries providing employment in the city of Suwanee are retail trade; educational, health and social services; manufacturing; professional, scientific, management, administrative; and waste management services.
Suwanee is the primary business address for Arris Group, Inc., Firearms Training Systems, Inc., Clarus Corp., and others.
The unemployment rate in Suwanee is 4.80 percent (U.S. avg. is 5%). Recent job growth is 2.12 percent.
As of February 2007, the average listing price for a two bedroom home is $281,473. Three bedrooms list at an average of $258,909, and four bedrooms at $340,851. Home appreciation the last year has been up 4.86 percent.
Weather
Suwanee gets an average of 51.6 inches of rain per year and 2.1 inches of snow every year. The average US city gets 24.4 inches of snow per year. It rains approximately 114 days of the year, with 220 days of sunshine.
The highs in Suwanee are around 92 degrees and the lows are 35.
Park and Recreation
If you want to relax in the outdoors, there are several beautiful parks in Suwanee, such as City Hall Park, Suwanee Creek Greenway, Martin Farm Road Park, Main Street Park, and George Pierce Park. Suwanee has acquired over 200 acres of property that they will be preserving as open space or developing as parks. The city is creating a recreation area at Suwanee Creek Park. These are great places in which to take a stroll or have a gourmet picnic!
Nearby Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area has great facilities for fishing, boating, kayaking, whitewater rafting, hiking, horseback riding, and biking. Fort Yargo State Park is on 1,814 acres and provides camping, hiking, bicycling, fishing, boating, as well as areas to picnic. You can visit a log fort there that was built in 1792 by settlers for protection against Creek and Cherokee Indians. Visit the playgrounds, pool, trails, playing fields, picnic areas, dog park, fishing, and botanical garden of Piedmont Park or go to Stone Mountain Park where you can see carved on the mountain of exposed granite the figures of President Jefferson Davis, General Robert E. Lee and Lt. General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson.
Play a great game of golf in Suwanee at Bear’s Best Atlanta, Laurel Springs Golf Club, or Olde Atlanta Golf Club.
Suwanee is revitalizing its historic Old Town and building several new parks. Along Main Street in the Old Town, there’s a new Gwinnett County Public Library with a new super playground nearby. While in Old Town, take the kids for a ride on Suwanee's red caboose.
Schools in Suwanee
Elementary Schools
Level Creek Elementary
Parsons Elementary
Riverside Elementary
Settles Bridge Elementary
Sharon Elementary
Suwanee Elementary
Walnut Grove Elementary
Middle and High Schools
Riverwatch Middle School
Collins Hill High School
North Gwinnett High School
Peachtree Ridge High School
Interesting Facts/Historic Buildings and Places
Suwanee was originally a small Indian village situated on the banks of the Chattahoochee River and Suwanee Creek. It was named after a Shawnee tribe that inhabited the region in the late eighteenth century. It is thought that the name “Suwanee” derived from the mispronunciation of the name “Shawnee”.
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