Norcross, Georgia
Location in Gwinnett County and the state of Georgia
Coordinates: 33°56′19″N 84°12′31″W / 33.93861, -84.20861
Country	United States
State	Georgia
County	Gwinnett
Area
- Total	4.1 sq mi (10.6 km²)
- Land	4.1 sq mi (10.6 km²)
- Water	0 sq mi (0 km²)
Elevation	1,047 ft (319 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	8,410
- Density	2,051.2/sq mi (793.4/km²)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes	30000-30099
Area code(s)	770
FIPS code	13-55776[1]
GNIS feature ID	0319621[2]

Norcross shopping district and downtown

Norcross is a city in Gwinnett County, Georgia, United States. The city had a population of 8,410 in 2000. Census Estimates for 2005 show a population of 9,887.

History

Norcross was founded in 1866 by John Thrasher. Thrasher named the town after his good friend Jonathan Norcross, the fourth mayor of Atlanta. Thrasher himself had been an early settler of Whitehall, but left in 1842. The site of Whitehall is now in downtown Atlanta, just southwest of the city center.

The original settlers in the Norcross area lived in Pinckneyville, two miles north of Norcross, at the crossroads of Peachtree and Medlock Bridge. They later abandoned their settlement and joined Thrasher in Norcross when the railroad was built in 1870. As the first train stop going northeast out of Atlanta towards Washington, D.C., it became a resort town for the Atlanta elite. Made more attractive by its slightly cooler temperatures due to the higher elevation, vacation homes were built in what is now Historic Norcross.

Geography

Norcross is located at 33°56′19″N, 84°12′31″W (33.938551, -84.208630)^[3]. It came into being because it was the first train station stop going northeast out of Atlanta, Georgia towards Washington, D.C.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.1 square miles (10.6 km²), of which, 4.1 square miles (10.6 km²) of it is land and 0.24% is water.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 8,410 people, 2,644 households, and 1,768 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,050.4 people per square mile (792.0/km²). There were 2,750 housing units at an average density of 670.5/sq mi (259.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 53.50% White, 20.82% African American, 0.54% Native American, 6.10% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 15.39% from other races, and 3.63% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 40.93% of the population.

There were 2,644 households out of which 33.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.3% were married couples living together, 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.1% were non-families. 22.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.04 and the average family size was 3.35.

In the city the population was spread out with 22.7% under the age of 18, 14.8% from 18 to 24, 40.9% from 25 to 44, 15.5% from 45 to 64, and 6.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 130.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 134.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $44,728, and the median income for a family was $42,893. Males had a median income of $26,485 versus $27,347 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,573. About 11.8% of families and 17.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.0% of those under age 18 and 17.2% of those age 65 or over.

There are a number of Mexican colonias in the city, which are apartment complexes that cater towards first-generation Mexican immigrants, legal or illegal. Typically, each one has its own dollar store and Mexican grocery, sometimes under the same roof.

Schools

Gwinnett County Public Schools serves Norcross.

Elementary Schools

• Beaver Ridge Elementary (Norcross)
• Meadowcreek Elementary (Meadowcreek)
• Norcross Elementary (Norcross)
• Peachtree Elementary (Norcross)
• Rockbridge Elementary (Meadowcreek)
• Simpson Elementary (Norcross)
• Susan Stripling Elementary (Norcross)

Middle Schools

• Pinckneyville Middle (Norcross)
• Summerour Middle (Norcross)

High Schools

• Meadowcreek High (Meadowcreek)
• Norcross High (Norcross)

Other Schools

• GIVE Center West (Alternative School)
• Wesleyan School (Private School)

Famous Residents

• Jodie Meeks, Kentucky Wildcats basketball player
• Gani Lawal, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets basketball player

Local companies

• Rock-Tenn, a Fortune 1000 paper and packaging manufacturer
• American Megatrends, BIOS and motherboard manufacturer
• Digitrax, makers of Digital Command Control products and accessories for model railroaders.
• Micromeritics, manufacturer of various small-particle analysis instruments.
• Objectware, Inc., web development company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia with an active branch in Virginia serving metro Washington DC.
• Waffle House, a restaurant chain located mainly in the Southern United States.
• Unisource, a major distributor of paper, packaging and facility supplies.
• Institute of Industrial Engineers, a professional society for Industrial Engineers.
• Salwa, a South Asian halal food manufacturer.
• Reddy US Therapeutics, a subsidiary of Dr Reddy Laboratories, Pharmaceutical company.
• Avalon International, Leader in payment processing software & solutions
• Hitachi Koki USA, Ltd., a pneumatic and power tool company.
• The Athlete's Foot Brands, LLC, Athletic Footwear and Clothing

References

1. ^ ^{a b} American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
2. ^ US Board on Geographic Names. United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
3. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

External links

City of Norcross Website: http://www.norcrossga.net

• Listen to the Norcross Police Department

• Norcross, Georgia is at coordinates 33°56′19″N 84°12′31″W / 33.938551, -84.20863 (Norcross, Georgia)Coordinates: 33°56′19″N 84°12′31″W / 33.938551, -84.20863 (Norcross, Georgia)

v â€¢ d â€¢ e Municipalities and communities of Gwinnett County, Georgia
County seat: Lawrenceville
Cities	Auburn | Berkeley Lake | Buford | Dacula | Duluth | Grayson | Lawrenceville | Lilburn | Loganville | Norcross | Snellville | Sugar Hill | Suwanee
Towns	Braselton | Rest Haven
CDP	Mountain Park
Unincorporated communities	Five Forks | Peachtree Corners