Gwinnett County, in the Atlanta metropolitan area, has been one of the fastest growing counties in the United States since the 1970s. According to the 2020 U.S. census, its population is 957,032, an increase from the 2010 population of 805,321. Gwinnett County’s close proximity to downtown Atlanta, along with its commitment to expansion of both economic and civic infrastructures, has contributed to its rapid growth. Interstates 85 and 985 traverse the county, as do numerous highways.

Habitat for Humanity International is a nonprofit, interdenominational Christian organization that provides housing for people in need throughout the world. Founded in 1976 by Millard and Linda Fuller, Habitat has built and repaired more than 1 million houses with volunteer labor as of 2015, earning a reputation as a leader in the fight against homelessness. Habitat is headquartered in Americus. Beginnings The only child of an Alabama sharecropper, Millard Fuller worked odd jobs to put himself through college and law school.

Two members of the dance squad for the Atlanta Hawks pose with the team mascot, Harry the Hawk. The twenty-member dance team performs at all the Hawks' home games, which are played in State Farm Arena. The New Georgia Encyclopedia does not hold the copyright for this media resource and can neither grant nor deny permission to republish or reproduce the image online or in print. All requests for permission to publish or reproduce the resource must be submitted to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

A portrait of James Habersham Sr., president of the state legislature and acting governor during the colonial era, was painted by artist Jeremiah Theus in the 1770s. Theus, a native of Switzerland, lived and worked in Charleston, South Carolina, for several decades and established himself as a prominent southern painter. Oil on canvas. The New Georgia Encyclopedia does not hold the copyright for this media resource and can neither grant nor deny permission to republish or reproduce the image online or in print.

John Reynolds, a captain in the British royal navy, served as Georgia’s first royal governor from late 1754 to early 1757. Little is known about Reynolds’s early life except that his birth occurred in England circa 1713 and that at fifteen years of age he volunteered for service in the British navy. His career advanced slowly but steadily. He obtained command of his first vessel, the fireship Scipio, in 1745, and the next year he served as captain of the Arundel, a forty-gun vessel.