Lawrenceville Real Estate Lawrenceville was incorporated by an act of the Georgia General Assembly on 15 December 1821. This makes Lawrenceville the second oldest city in the Metro Atlanta Area. The city is named after Captain James Lawrence, commander of the Frigate Chesapeake during the War of 1812. In 1871 a permanent site for the county courthouse was selected and purchased, the four streets bordering the square were laid out along with other streets in the village, and a public well was dug. Major Grace built the first permanent courthouse, a brick structure, in 1923-24 for a cost of $4,000. The courthouse presently on the square was constructed in 1885. William Maltbie, the townÕs first postmaster, suggested the name ÒLawrencevilleÓ in honor of Captain James Lawrence, a naval commander during the War of 1812. Lawrence, a native of New Jersey, is probably best known today for his dying command, "Don't give up the ship!" Courtland Winn served two terms as mayor starting in 1884 when he was 21 years old. The two most famous people born in Lawrenceville gained their fame elsewhere. Charles Henry Smith, born in 1826, left as a young man and lived most of his life in other Georgia towns. Beginning during the Civil War, he wrote humorous pieces for Atlanta newspapers under the name Bill Arp. He has been described as the South's most popular writer of the late 19th century, though he is not much read today. Ezzard Charles, born in Lawrenceville in 1921, grew up in Cincinnati, where opportunities for African-Americans were far better at the time. He eventually was heavyweight boxing champion of the world. As a boy, Oliver Hardy lived in downtown Lawrenceville around 1900. But the future movie star's stay was brief. His family moved often within North Georgia. Lawrenceville was one of many venues in the nation where Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt faced obscenity charges in the late 1970s. On March 6, 1978, during a lunch break in his Lawrenceville trial, he and his local attorney Gene Reeves were shot by a sniper near the courthouse. Both survived, though Flynt was seriously disabled. Imprisoned serial killer Joseph Paul Franklin claims to have been the shooter, but has never been charged in the case. A heavily fictionalized treatment of the shooting can be seen in the 1996 movie The People vs. Larry Flynt. DEMOGRAPHICS As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 22,397 people, 7,484 households, and 5,313 families residing in the city. The population density was 665.7/km2 (1,723.9/mi2). There were 7,684 housing units at an average density of 228.4/km2 (591.5/mi2). The racial makeup of the city was 76.04% White, 13.61% African American, 0.22% Native American, 3.17% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 4.46% from other races, and 2.41% from two or more races. 12.14% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 7,484 households out of which 39.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.7% were married couples living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.0% were non-families. 23.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.24. In the city the population was spread out with 26.4% under the age of 18, 11.0% from 18 to 24, 35.3% from 25 to 44, 18.2% from 45 to 64, and 9.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 105.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $43,299, and the median income for a family was $48,557. Males had a median income of $34,263 versus $26,903 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,649. 11.5% of the population and 8.7% of families were below the poverty line. 16.0% of those under the age of 18 and 11.9% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line. Deion Sanders once bought land in Lawrenceville to built a house, but sold it to construction companies. Lawrenceville is the post populous incorporated city in Gwinnett County. Source: Wikipedia
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