Snellville - Atlanta’s Best Suburb!
February 2, 2008
Snellville is a fast-growing city in Gwinnett County, about 20 miles outside of Atlanta.
Growth
Its population of around 20,000 people has risen 30% in just the last 8 years. The city has a thriving business community attracted by the proximity to Atlanta and large suburban communities in cities such as Lawrenceville, Stone Mountain and Lilburn.
Original Settlement
The city is names after Thomas Snell who was only 17 years old when he arrived from England in 1874. He first visited New York before making his way south, earning a farm job.
He was living in a small settlement near Stone Mountain then known as New London, when a friend from England arrived. Together the two built a small wood frame building and started a business together, “Snell and Sawyer’s Store”. Within a few years the business was prospering and catering to customers from the neighboring towns of Lawrenceville and Loganville. Eventually New London began to be called Snellville, perhaps partly because the store referred to “Snellville” in their advertising. Snell died in 1894 but the name had stuck.
Official Beginnings of Snellville
The City of Snellville was originally chartered in 1923 but that fell dormant and another one was given in 1940. The city limits were enlarged to a 1 mile radius from the center of town.
Snellville’s Growth
Much of Snellville’s growth has happened since 2000, but there was another spurt in the 1960s.