Peachtree Corners, Georgia
Encyclopedia
Peachtree Corners is a city in western Gwinnett County
Gwinnett County, Georgia
, Gwinnett County had a population of 805,321. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 53.3% white , 23.6% black , 2.7% Korean, 2.6% Asian Indian, 2.0% Vietnamese, 3.3% other Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 8.8% some other race and 3.1% from two or more races...

, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. It is a northern suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...

 of Atlanta, located east of Dunwoody
Dunwoody, Georgia
Dunwoody is a city located in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. It is a northern suburb of Atlanta. Dunwoody became incorporated as a city on December 1, 2008...

 and south of Johns Creek
Johns Creek, Georgia
Johns Creek is a suburban city in Fulton County, Georgia, USA, which incorporated December 1, 2006. It is named for a tributary that runs through the area. The city was created out of the northeastern part of unincorporated Fulton County...

. Out of all of Atlanta's northern suburbs, Peachtree Corners is the only one that was developed as a planned community
Planned community
A planned community, or planned city, is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed in a previously undeveloped area. This contrasts with settlements that evolve in a more ad hoc fashion. Land use conflicts are less frequent in planned communities since...

. Although Peachtree Corners uses a Norcross, Georgia
Norcross, Georgia
As of 2010 Norcross had a population of 9,116. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 40.8% white , 19.8% black or African American , 0.7% Native American, 2.1% Asian Indian, 10.7% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 21.5% from some other race and 4.3% reporting two or more races...

, mailing address, the area is not within the Norcross city limits, and the United States Post Office's Peachtree Corners Branch allows use of Peachtree Corners as a mailing address. On November 18, 2011, Peachtree Corners became Gwinnett County's 16th city, and, with a population of 34,274, its largest. Municipal operations will begin On July 1, 2012.

History

Prior to 1818, the western corner of what would later become Gwinnett County was Creek and Cherokee Indian Territory, and it was illegal for white families to settle there. However, there were several families of white squatters in the area before settlement was legalized, including Isham Medlock, whose name is lent to Medlock Bridge Road
Georgia State Route 141
State Route 141 is a north–south route which begins where Roswell Road and Peachtree Road split in Buckhead....

. In the early 1800s a road was built along an Indian trail from what is now Buford
Buford, Georgia
As of 2010 Buford had a population of 12,225. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 65.8% white, 13.8% black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 2.9% Asian, 14.7% reporting some other race and 2.5% reproting two or more races...

 to what is now Atlanta. A small farming community known as Pinckneyville grew up along that road. By 1827, the community was home to the second school in Gwinnett County, The Washington Academy, founded on what is now Spalding Drive
Spalding Drive
Spalding Drive is an approximately 12-mile east-west road connecting three suburban cities in north Atlanta: Sandy Springs, Dunwoody, and Peachtree Corners. The road, which roughly parallels the Chattahoochee River, is lined on both sides with affluent neighborhoods and private estates...

. The area was also home to a post office, saloon, blacksmith shop, carpenter shop and inn. However, the prosperity of Pinckneyville was to be short-lived. In 1870 a railroad was built through Norcross
Norcross, Georgia
As of 2010 Norcross had a population of 9,116. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 40.8% white , 19.8% black or African American , 0.7% Native American, 2.1% Asian Indian, 10.7% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 21.5% from some other race and 4.3% reporting two or more races...

, and due to the heavy trading that could be done via the rail road, all of the area's businesses and residents moved from Pinckneyville to Norcross. For the next century, the Peachtree Corners area remained a rural farming community.

In the late 1960s, Paul Duke pitched an idea for Peachtree Corners, a planned community
Planned community
A planned community, or planned city, is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed in a previously undeveloped area. This contrasts with settlements that evolve in a more ad hoc fashion. Land use conflicts are less frequent in planned communities since...

 to be constructed in the area that was once known as Pinckneyville. Duke envisioned a place where people could live, work, and play in the same quality controlled environment, thus diminishing the need for long commutes. In 1967, Duke initiated the planning of the office component of Peachtree Corners, Technology Park/Atlanta, a campus of low-rise buildings that would house low-pollution, high technology industries. As a member of the Georgia Tech
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...

 National Advisory Board, he persuaded 16 others to invest $1.7 million to develop a business center that would raise funds for Tech’s foundation and supply local jobs for graduates in high technology fields. In 1968, Duke established Peachtree Corners, Inc., and coaxed top developers from throughout the country to work within a stringent set of covenants and restrictions established to control the quality and type of residential development in the area.

The man who turned Paul Duke’s vision into executive neighborhoods in Peachtree Corners was Jim Cowart. Having developed and built homes in Dunwoody
Dunwoody, Georgia
Dunwoody is a city located in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. It is a northern suburb of Atlanta. Dunwoody became incorporated as a city on December 1, 2008...

 for years, Cowart came over to Peachtree Corners in the late 1970s, not as a home builder, but as a land developer. He determined from Gwinnett County
Gwinnett County, Georgia
, Gwinnett County had a population of 805,321. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 53.3% white , 23.6% black , 2.7% Korean, 2.6% Asian Indian, 2.0% Vietnamese, 3.3% other Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 8.8% some other race and 3.1% from two or more races...

 where the sewer treatment lift station would be and went upstream and bought everything he could afford. The first neighborhood in Peachtree Corners that Jim Cowart developed was Spalding Corners. Chattahoochee Station had gone bankrupt, so Cowart took that property over from a bank and finished developing that neighborhood. He began Peachtree Station in 1979, which developed out at 726 homes. Cowart also developed River Station, Revington, Linfield, and Amberfield. The neighborhoods of Riverfield and Wellington Lake were developed by Jim’s son, Dan Cowart, who was also responsible for locating Wesleyan School
Wesleyan School
Wesleyan School is an independent K-12 school located 20 miles north of Atlanta in the suburb of Peachtree Corners. It was founded in 1963 and has existed on its current grounds since 1996. The school includes grades K-12 with a total student body of 1122 for the 2010-2011 school year...

 in Peachtree Corners. In 1985, Cowart built the Farrell Creek sewer line, from the Wolf Creek pumping station to Farrell Creek, and up Farrell Creek to the east side of Highway 141
Georgia State Route 141
State Route 141 is a north–south route which begins where Roswell Road and Peachtree Road split in Buckhead....

. The line that allowed for the 1990s development of Amberfield, Linfield, Riverfield, Wesleyan School
Wesleyan School
Wesleyan School is an independent K-12 school located 20 miles north of Atlanta in the suburb of Peachtree Corners. It was founded in 1963 and has existed on its current grounds since 1996. The school includes grades K-12 with a total student body of 1122 for the 2010-2011 school year...

, and the businesses in Spalding Triangle office park, Check Free, and The Forum. Neely Farm was one of the last neighborhoods to be built in Peachtree Corners, and it is located on the former farm of Frank Neely that abuts the Chattahoochee River
Chattahoochee River
The Chattahoochee River flows through or along the borders of the U.S. states of Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. It is a tributary of the Apalachicola River, a relatively short river formed by the confluence of the Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers and emptying into Apalachicola Bay in the Gulf of...

.

Movement for incorporation

In early 2010, it was announced that the United Peachtree Corners Civic Association was pursuing the incorporation of Peachtree Corners. The move was spurred by a failed attempt of the City of Norcross
Norcross, Georgia
As of 2010 Norcross had a population of 9,116. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 40.8% white , 19.8% black or African American , 0.7% Native American, 2.1% Asian Indian, 10.7% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 21.5% from some other race and 4.3% reporting two or more races...

 to annex a portion of Technology Park, an area located within the boundaries of Peachtree Corners. In a referndum held on November 8, 2011, voters in Peachtree Corners voted overwhelmingly to incorporate the community.

Geography

Peachtree Corners is defined as the area bordered by the cities of Dunwoody
Dunwoody, Georgia
Dunwoody is a city located in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. It is a northern suburb of Atlanta. Dunwoody became incorporated as a city on December 1, 2008...

 and Sandy Springs
Sandy Springs, Georgia
Sandy Springs is a city in north Georgia, United States. It is a northern suburb of Atlanta. With a 2010 population of 93,853, Sandy Springs is the sixth-largest city in the state and the second-largest city in Metro Atlanta. Sandy Springs is located in north Fulton County, Georgia, just south of...

 on the west, Buford Highway
Georgia State Route 13
State Route 13 , known as Buford Highway, Falcon Parkway, and Atlanta Highway, is a state highway in Georgia. It begins at West Peachtree Street and Spring Street just to the north of 17th Street in north Midtown Atlanta. The section near downtown Atlanta is a full freeway, from its south end to...

 and Norcross city limits on the south, the Chattahoochee River
Chattahoochee River
The Chattahoochee River flows through or along the borders of the U.S. states of Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. It is a tributary of the Apalachicola River, a relatively short river formed by the confluence of the Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers and emptying into Apalachicola Bay in the Gulf of...

 on the north, and the city limits of Berkeley Lake
Berkeley Lake, Georgia
Berkeley Lake is a city in Gwinnett County, Georgia, United States. From its 1956 origins as a summer retreat, Berkeley Lake has grown into a thriving community centered on its namesake lake...

 and Duluth
Duluth, Georgia
Duluth is a city in Gwinnett County, Georgia and an increasingly more affluent and developed suburb of Atlanta. Unincorporated portions of Forsyth County also have Duluth as a mailing address, though this area is outside city limits...

 on the east.

Demographics

Since Peachtree Corners was not a city in 2010, no demographic data is available for the city. However, the city contains the entirety of zip code 30092, which in 2004 had an Average Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) of $70,724. The median home price in 2007 was $368,408. As of 2000, 30092 was 70% white
White American
White Americans are people of the United States who are considered or consider themselves White. The United States Census Bureau defines White people as those "having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa...

, 13% black
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...

, 9% Asian
Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,...

, 4% some other race, and 2% two or more races. Hispanics of any race made up 9% of the population.

Government

The city of Peachtree Corners will provide only land-use planning and zoning services, code enforcement and trash collection, leaving other services, such as police, fire protection, and parks, to be provided by Gwinnett County.

The United States Postal Service
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...

 operates the Peachtree Corners Post Office.

Education

The county operates Gwinnett County Public Schools
Gwinnett County Public Schools
Gwinnett County Public Schools is a school district operating in Gwinnett County, Georgia, USA. GCPS is the largest school system in Georgia, with 123 schools and an estimated enrollment of 161,000 students for the 2010-2011 year. GCPS is estimated to be the 14th largest school district in the...

 and Berkley Lake Elementary School, Peachtree Elementary School, Simpson Elementary School, Stripling Elementary School, Duluth Middle School, Pinckneyville Middle School, Duluth High School
Duluth High School
Duluth High School is a public secondary school in Duluth, a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia, USA. It provides education for grades 9-12 and is operated by Gwinnett County Public Schools, and holds a Blue Ribbon School award....

 and Norcross High School
Norcross High School
Norcross High School is located in Norcross, Georgia. It is part of the Gwinnett County Public Schools. It serves the cities of Norcross and Peachtree Corners....

 serve the area.

Wesleyan School
Wesleyan School
Wesleyan School is an independent K-12 school located 20 miles north of Atlanta in the suburb of Peachtree Corners. It was founded in 1963 and has existed on its current grounds since 1996. The school includes grades K-12 with a total student body of 1122 for the 2010-2011 school year...

 is a private school located in Peachtree Corners.

Gwinnett County Public Library
Gwinnett County Public Library
The Gwinnett County Public Library is located in unincorporated Gwinnett County, Georgia, USA, north-east of Atlanta. In FY2004 the public library system circulated over 6 million items to almost 200,000 registered borrowers.- History :...

 operates the Peachtree Corners Library.

The Forum

The Forum
The Forum on Peachtree Parkway
The Forum on Peachtree Parkway is a regional open-air shopping mall in Peachtree Corners, Georgia. It is located at the intersection of Peachtree Parkway and Peachtree Corners Circle.A Phase II expansion was completed in 2006.-Stores:...

 (officially The Forum on Peachtree Parkway) is a 580000 square feet (53,883.8 m²), mixed-use development located in central Peachtree Corners at the intersection of Peachtree Corners Circle and Peachtree Parkway. The Forum features some of the country's most popular fashion retailers, home furnishings and home accessory merchants that are typically found in regional and super-regional malls throughout the United States. Since Peachtree Corners lacks a traditional town center, the Forum has taken on the role and acts as a main street and defacto downtown for the community.

Simpsonwood/Jones Bridge/Spalding Drive

The historic core of Peachtree Corners is a large residential district that is bordered by Peachtree Parkway, the Chattahoochee River
Chattahoochee River
The Chattahoochee River flows through or along the borders of the U.S. states of Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. It is a tributary of the Apalachicola River, a relatively short river formed by the confluence of the Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers and emptying into Apalachicola Bay in the Gulf of...

, Holcomb Bridge, and East Jones Bridge Road. There are numerous subdivisions within the area, many of which are located along the banks of the Chattahoochee. The area is home to three recreational areas - the public Jones Bridge Park and Holcomb Bridge Park, and the private Simpsonwood Conference and Retreat Center. All of the neighborhoods are zoned to either Simpson Elementary School, Gwinnett County's top elementary school, or Peachtree Elementary School, as well as Pinckneyville Middle School. This area is sometimes referred to as "Paul Duke's Peachtree Corners," as it is the original community as planned and developed by Paul Duke.

Technology Park

Technology Park (officially Technology Park/Atlanta) is a major suburban office park, developed in the 1960s-70s, and an instrumental player in the creation of Peachtree Corners. Featuring 500 acres (2 km²) dedicated to creating a supportive environment for companies involved in the fast-moving world of changing technology, with 3800000 square feet (353,031.6 m²) developed to date, there are 7,000 plus tenants that call Technology Park home. Entrances include two on Peachtree Parkway and one on Spalding Drive.

Winters Chapel

Winters Chapel is located at Peachtree Corners' border with Dunwoody
Dunwoody, Georgia
Dunwoody is a city located in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. It is a northern suburb of Atlanta. Dunwoody became incorporated as a city on December 1, 2008...

. The area shares a name with its main road, which travels through Fulton, Gwinnett and DeKalb Counties and was an important 19th century route connecting Decatur and Roswell via Holcomb Bridge Road. The district is named after Winters Chapel (now Winters Chapel Methodist Church), which has resided at its present location since the 1870s. The church itself is named after an instrumental founder, Jeremiah Winters.
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