Duluth, GA

Before Duluth had a railroad name, it was Howell's Cross Roads. Evan Howell settled near the Chattahoochee River in 1821, and in 1833 he built a road from the river to Peachtree Road, creating the junction that carried his name for four decades. Railroad service arrived in 1871; the community adopted Duluth's name in 1873 and received its state charter in 1876. Cotton then moved through local gins, warehouses, and the rail depot, at times filling downtown streets with waiting bales. Duluth also made Georgia political history in 1922 by electing Alice Harrell Strickland, the state's first woman mayor. The city had 31,873 residents at the 2020 census and is now part of suburban Gwinnett County northeast of Atlanta. Town Green places an amphitheater, lawn, and splash fountain beside downtown businesses and City Hall, making it the main setting for municipal concerts, festivals, and outdoor movies.

ATTRJohn Phelan / CC BY 4.0

The city's 2026 calendar used the green for a chalk-art festival, a student science showcase and band concert, and other public gatherings. Across Main Street, Red Clay Music Foundry operates as a performance venue and music school, with concerts, songwriter open mics, and lessons. The Duluth Branch of the Gwinnett County Public Library adds a makerspace where programs teach sewing, three-dimensional printing, and digital design. Larger-scale recreation is concentrated at the 45-acre Bunten Road Park, whose facilities include athletic fields, tennis courts, a community building, playground, and walking trails. The railroad story also remains accessible at the Southeastern Railway Museum. Georgia's official transportation history museum occupies 35 acres, displays more than 90 pieces of rolling stock, offers short train rides, and houses the restored Duluth passenger depot.