Peachtree Corners, Georgia

Not to be confused with Peachtree City, Georgia.
Peachtree Corners, Georgia
City

Gateway to Peachtree Corners
Nickname(s): The Corners
Motto: Innovative & Remarkable
Peachtree Corners

Location within Metro Atlanta

Coordinates: 33°58′12″N 84°13′17″W / 33.969893°N 84.221455°W / 33.969893; -84.221455Coordinates: 33°58′12″N 84°13′17″W / 33.969893°N 84.221455°W / 33.969893; -84.221455
Country United States
State Georgia
County Gwinnett
Government
 • Type Council/Administrator
Area
 • Total 16.4 sq mi (42 km2)
 • Land 16 sq mi (40 km2)
 • Water 0.4 sq mi (1 km2)
Population
 • Estimate (2015) 40,978[1]
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes 30092, 30071,30097, 30096, 30360
Area code(s) 770, 678, 404, 470
Website peachtreecornersga.gov

Peachtree Corners is an affluent city in western Gwinnett County, Georgia, United States. It is a northern suburb of Atlanta, and is the largest city in Gwinnett County, with an estimated population of 40,978 in 2015.[1] The city, bordered to the north by the Chattahoochee River, is located east of Dunwoody and south of Johns Creek. Peachtree Corners is the only one of Atlanta's northern suburbs that was developed as a planned community.[2]

History

Settlement

The now-defunct Jones Bridge (1904) once connected Pinckneyville to Alpharetta.

Prior to 1818, the western corner of what became Gwinnett County was Creek and Cherokee Indian Territory, and it was illegal for white families to settle there.[3] 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. In the early 1800s a road was built along a Native American trail from what is now Buford to what is now Atlanta.[3] 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. 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, and due to the heavy trading that could be done via the railroad, all of the area's businesses and many residents moved from Pinckneyville to Norcross.[3][4]

Urban development

Entrance to Technology Park Atlanta

For the next century, the area remained a rural farming community. In the late 1960s, Paul Duke developed the idea of creating Peachtree Corners, a planned community to be constructed in the area that was once known as Pinckneyville.[3] In 1967, Duke initiated the planning of the office component of Peachtree Corners, Technology Park/Atlanta, a campus for high technology industries to employ engineers graduating from the Georgia Institute of Technology.[5] As a member of the Georgia Tech National Advisory Board, he raised $1.7 million to develop the business center.[6] Initial residents of the tech park included GE, Scientific Atlanta, and Hayes Microcomputer Products. In 1968, Duke established Peachtree Corners, Inc., a development corporation for the residential parts of the community.[7]

During the 1970s, Jim Cowart began to develop the neighborhoods that Duke had planned. Initial neighborhoods developed by Cowart included Peachtree Station,[3] Chattahoochee Station, Spalding Corners, Revington, Linfield, and Amberfield. During this period, Cowart laid more sewer pipes than Gwinnett County.[8] 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.[9]

Incorporation

The United Peachtree Corners Civic Association (UPCCA), an umbrella group of neighborhood homeowners' associations, was formed in 1993 in response to land use and overdevelopment concerns in the area.[10] Despite the efforts of the UPCCA, development continued in Peachtree Corners throughout the 1990s, so that in 1999, the idea of incorporating Peachtree Corners was first proposed.[11] However, due to the complexity of existing law, an incorporation movement never materialized.[11] A city of Peachtree Corners was again proposed by the UPCCA in 2005, but efforts were abandoned after a resident survey revealed the majority of citizens did not support incorporation.[12]

In 2010 the UPCCA again pursued the incorporation of Peachtree Corners,[13] after a failed attempt by the city of Norcross to annex a portion of Technology Park.[14] In a referendum held on November 8, 2011, residents of Peachtree Corners voted to incorporate as Gwinnett County's 16th city, and, with a population of 34,274, making Peachtree Corners its largest. Municipal operations began on July 1, 2012.[15][16][17]

Geography

The Chattahoochee River, seen here at Jones Bridge Park, flows through many of Peachtree Corners' neighborhoods.

Peachtree Corners is located in the western corner of Gwinnett County at 33°58′32.1″N 84°13′4″W / 33.975583°N 84.21778°W / 33.975583; -84.21778 (33.969893, -84.221455).[18] Peachtree Corners is bordered by the cities of Dunwoody and Sandy Springs (DeKalb and Fulton counties) on the west, Buford Highway and Norcross city limits on the south, Roswell and Johns Creek (both in Fulton County) across the Chattahoochee River on the north, and the city limits of Berkeley Lake and Duluth on the east.[19]

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
Est. 201540,978[1]
U.S. Decennial Census[20]

Since Peachtree Corners was not a city (nor even a census-designated place) at the time, no demographic data is available for the city from the 2010 U.S. Census. However, the city contains approximately 95% 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.[21] As of 2000, 30092 was 70% white, 13% black, 9% Asian, 4% some other race, and 2% two or more races. Hispanics of any race made up 9% of the population.[22] ZIP Code 30092 had a population of 31,704 at the 2010 census. With parts of ZIP Codes 30071, 30096, 30097, and 30360 being within the city limits of Peachtree Corners, the estimated population is 40,059.[23] The U.S. Census Bureau directly estimated the population of Peachtree Corners to be 40,978 in 2015.[1]

Economy

The economy of Peachtree Corners is largely driven by the concentration of businesses, particularly engineering firms and information technology companies.[24][25] In October 2014 United Arab Shipping Company relocated their North American Headquarters to Peachtree Corners. The company purchased a 50,000 square foot office building on Spalding Drive for logistics, accounting and customer service operations.[26] The office campus includes a 9 1/2 ton ship anchor, weighing 8775 kilograms and measuring 16 feet long by 10 feet wide.[27] In February 2015, Governor Nathan Deal confirmed that Comcast will be expanding their Southeast HQ to Peachtree Corners.[28]In 2016, the Peachtree Corners Incubator was opened in partnership with the Georgia Tech Advanced Technology Development Center.[29]

Parks and recreation

Peachtree Corners is home to several parks, including the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area - Medlock Bridge, Holcomb Bridge Park[30] Jones Bridge Park,[31] Pinckneyville Park,[32] and Simpsonwood Park.[33] The city holds the Annual Peachtree Corners Festival.[34][35]

Government

Peachtree Corners City Hall

The City of Peachtree Corners was incorporated on July 1, 2012,[36] and provides three services: land-use planning and zoning including zoning enforcement, promulgation of building and environmental ordinances and enforcement of them, and solid waste collection.[37] The city is governed by a mayor and six city council members which are elected to four-year terms.[38] The city employees Peachtree Corners has in charge of day-to-day operations include a city manager, city clerk, and the community development director.[39] The city also has code enforcement personnel,[40] and building officials.[41] department directors,[42] Departments in the city include Communications, Community Development, Finance, and Public Works.[43] The city has its own municipal court and employs a city attorney.[44][45]

The city is authorized to collect property taxes of up to one millage a year,[46] though the city operated only on business license and other fees and without levying any property taxes in 2013.[47] The United States Postal Service operates the Peachtree Corners Post Office, which uses ZIP code 30010 for post office boxes in that location.[48] As of July 2014, USPS officially recognized Peachtree Corners as a city, which means residents and businesses may use Peachtree Corners in their mailing address and on their websites. The city is made up of five ZIP Codes, 30092, 30071, 30096, 30097 and 30360.[49]

Education

Gwinnett County Public Library - Peachtree Corners branch

Gwinnett County Public Schools serve Peachtree Corners through Duluth High School, Norcross High School, Duluth Middle School, Pinckneyville Middle School, Simpson Elementary School, Peachtree Elementary School, and Berkeley Lake Elementary School.[50]Further, Wesleyan School, Seigakuin Atlanta International School and Cornerstone Christian Academy (K-8th grade) are private schools located in Peachtree Corners.[51][52][53][54][55] Gwinnett County Public Library operates the Peachtree Corners Library.[56]

Media

As part of the Metro Atlanta area, the city's primary network-affiliated television stations are WXIA-TV (NBC), WGCL-TV (CBS), WSB-TV (ABC), and WAGA-TV (Fox). WGTV is the flagship station of the statewide Georgia Public Television network and is a PBS member station.[57] Peachtree Corners is served by the Gwinnett Daily Post, which is the most widely distributed newspaper as well as Gwinnett county's legal organ.[58] The former site of BJ’s Wholesale Club was used as the set of the 2012 movie “Neighborhood Watch” starring Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, and Jonah Hill.[59] A home on Fitzpatrick Way in Peachtree Corners was used as a filming location for the 2015 movie “Barely Lethal” starring Sophie Turner (actress), Jessica Alba, and Samuel L. Jackson. The film used Simpsonwood Retreat and Conference Center as the staging area.[60]

Notable people

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015". Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  2. ↑ "UPCCA - Annexation". Peachtree Corners Life. 2010-01-03. Retrieved 2012-09-15.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Donahue, Meg (February 21, 2011). "From Pickneyville to Peachtree Corners, it's a community with a rich past - Peachtree Corners, GA Patch". Peachtreecorners.patch.com. Retrieved September 15, 2012.
  4. ↑ "The History of Peachtree Corners Part III". The Patch.
  5. ↑ McKinley Conway (2006). The Great Global Idea Race. Conway Data. p. 67.
  6. ↑ Erica Archibald. "A Look Back to the Future". Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine. p. 48.
  7. ↑ Randy Wyles. "The History of Peachtree Corners Part 6". Patch.
  8. ↑ Scott Bernarde (August 18, 2014). "City Loses Long Time Champion of Peachtree Corners Jim Cowart, 82, died at his home Friday, Aug. 15". Patch.
  9. ↑ Nancy Minor (May 24, 2013). "A Visit to Neely Farm Offers Glimpse of the Past". Patch.
  10. ↑ Judy Putman (November 17, 2011). "Peachtree Corners Business Association Now Forming". Patch.
  11. 1 2 Elliott Brack, "Complex requirements obstruct cityhood", The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, March 7, 1999.
  12. ↑ George Chidi, "PEACHTREE CORNERS: Group abandons cityhood plans; Post office and ZIP code remain on wish list", Atlanta Journal-Constitution, October 25, 2005.
  13. ↑ You, Camie. "Peachtree Corners exploring whether to incorporate city." Gwinnett Daily Post. February 12, 2010. Retrieved on February 24, 2010.
  14. ↑ "Gwinnett News". www.ajc.com. Retrieved 2012-09-15.
  15. ↑ "United Peachtree Corners Civic Association - Feasibility Study". Upcca.com. Retrieved 2012-09-15.
  16. ↑ "Gwinnett News". www.ajc.com. Retrieved 2012-09-15.
  17. ↑ "Gwinnett News". www.ajc.com. Retrieved 2012-09-15.
  18. ↑ "GeoHack - Peachtree Corners, Georgia".
  19. ↑ Archived November 5, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
  20. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Archived from the original on May 11, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  21. ↑ "30092 Zip Code (Norcross, Georgia) Profile - homes, apartments, schools, population, income, averages, housing, demographics, location, statistics, sex offenders, residents and real estate info". City-data.com. Retrieved 2012-09-15.
  22. ↑ "American FactFinder". Factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2012-09-15.
  23. ↑ "Peachtree Corners city Georgia QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau".
  24. ↑ http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2007/02/05/focus14.html?page=all
  25. ↑ http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2004/11/08/focus7.html?page=all
  26. ↑ "United Arab Shipping Company Relocates North American Headquarters Creating 160 Jobs in Gwinnett County".
  27. ↑ "United Arab Shipping Co. Drops an Anchor in Peachtree...". Peachtree Corners, GA Patch. 9 April 2015.
  28. ↑ Urvaksh Karkaria
  29. ↑ Karen Huppertz (May 19, 2016). "Peachtree Corners previews business incubator". AJC.
  30. ↑ "Holcomb Bridge Park".
  31. ↑ "Jones Bridge Park".
  32. ↑ "Pinckneyville Park".
  33. ↑ "It's Official: Simpsonwood Becomes County's Newest Park". Peachtree Corners, GA Patch. 10 February 2015.
  34. ↑ Scott Bernarde (June 11, 2015). "5th Annual Peachtree Corners Festival Begins Saturday". Patch.
  35. ↑ Ron Baker (June 10, 2016). "Peachtree Corners Festival". Gwinnett Magazine.
  36. ↑ Karen Huppertz (May 7, 2016). "How can Peachtree Corners distinguish itself from other cities?". AJC.
  37. ↑ "Bios of candidates for Peachtree Corners council". Gwinnet Daily Post. March 2, 2012.
  38. ↑ "City Charter: House Bill 396". p. 11.
  39. ↑ Camie Young (June 28, 2013). "Peachtree Corners mayor reflects on city's first year, future". Gwinnett Daily Post.
  40. ↑ Karen Huppertz (January 29, 2015). "Peachtree Corners swears in new code enforcement officer". AJC.
  41. ↑ Scott Bernarde (June 23, 2015). "New Building Official Joins City of Peachtree Corners". Patch.
  42. ↑ City Charter, page 16.
  43. ↑ "Departments". Peachtree Corners.
  44. ↑ "Staff Directory". peachtreecornersga.gov. City of Peachtree Corners. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  45. ↑ "Boards". peachtreecornersga.gov. City of Peachtree Corners. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  46. ↑ Cite Charter, page 23.
  47. ↑ Young, Camie. "Peachtree Corners mayor reflects on city's first year, future". Gwinnett Daily Post. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  48. ↑ "corners-ga-1377038 Post Office Location - PEACHTREE CORNERS." United States Postal Service.
  49. ↑ "USPS.com® - ZIP codeTM Lookup". tools.usps.com. United States Postal Service. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  50. ↑ http://patch.com/georgia/peachtreecorners/regional-science-fair-to-showcase-student-ingenuity-a81b347c
  51. ↑ "Peachtree Corners Schools." United Peachtree Corners Civic Association. Saturday January 6, 2007. Retrieved on February 24, 2010.
  52. ↑ Putnam, Judy. "What Are The Peachtree Corners Voting Districts." Peachtree Corners Patch. December 1, 2011. Retrieved on June 6, 2012.
  53. ↑ "Map" (Map). Seigakuin Atlanta International School. Retrieved on January 11, 2012. "5505 Winters Chapel Road , Atlanta , GA 30360 USA"
  54. ↑ "Zoning Map Archived 2012-11-10 at WebCite." (Archive) Peachtree Corners, Georgia. Retrieved on November 9, 2012.
  55. ↑ "Cornerstone Christian Academy". Peachtree Corners Baptist Church. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
  56. ↑ "Hours & Locations." Gwinnett County Public Library. Retrieved on February 24, 2010.
  57. ↑ John McKay; Bonnie McKay & William Schemmel (2008). Insiders' Guide to Atlanta, 8th. Globe Pequot. p. 350.
  58. ↑ http://ga-legals.com/pages/legal_organs
  59. ↑ http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/morning_call/2011/11/new-costco-store-in-norcross-is.html
  60. ↑ "Peachtree Corners Neighborhood Abuzz With Film Crews, Actors". Peachtree Corners, GA Patch. 6 December 2013.
  61. ↑ "David Andrews".
  62. ↑ "Peachtree Corners' Chandler Massey Nominated for Emmy". Peachtree Corners, GA Patch. 15 May 2013.
  63. ↑ "Wesleyan grad Ramsey named nation's top player". www.gwinnettdailypost.com. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
  64. ↑ "Michael Shefiled In Memorial". Patch.
  65. ↑ "Wesleyan grad Thompkins staying at UGA". Gwinnett Daily Post. April 14, 2010.

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