In 1818, the Georgia legislature created Gwinnett County from Creek and Cherokee Indian lands. The state's 42nd county was named for Button Gwinnett, one of Georgia's three signers of the Declaration of Independence.

Following a period of rapid growth during the 1980s and 1990s, Gwinnett has become a true live-work-play community, with big-city shopping, thousands of employers and more than 300,000 jobs. Gwinnett now boasts excellent facilities for recreation, professional sports, concerts, conventions and cultural events. An effective, efficient government is meeting the challenges of rapid growth, while maintaining excellent credit and keeping future debt burdens low. Success continues to attract tens of thousands of new residents every year.