Duluth GA

Duluth, GA at a Glance

Once an industrious cotton producing town whose streets swelled with bales awaiting shipment, today ranked as the second largest suburb of Atlanta and number 26 on Forbes Magazine's list of America's Best Places to Move, "Pride in the Old and the New" is an apt motto for Duluth, Georgia, a city that retains the color of its local past amidst a living arts culture and a thriving corporate sector.

Originally known as Howell's Crossing for the road that was built by early resident Evan Howell intersecting the Old Peach Road that connected Fort Daniel to the Chattahoochee River in the War of 1812, the city was renamed upon completion of the north-south railroad to Duluth, Minnesota in 1871, so-called in honor of the French explorer Daniel Greysolon, Sieur du Lhut. Mobility and shipping by locomotive led to a surge in growth that has yet to halt in Duluth.

Duluth, GA at a Glance

Located in the northeastern section of the metropolitan area and a quick commute from Atlanta, Duluth is home to some 1,750 local businesses and growing. In its busy downtown district, business and commerce prerogatives compliment those of recreation and leisure, offering specialty shops and restaurants, an outdoor amphitheater, a new cupola-covered Festival Center, Taylor Park, and a fountain in the Town Green. Noontime concerts and shows through the Brown Bag Lunch Series, as well as a B.Y.O.B. SummerStage Concert Series are sponsored by the Main Street Program.

For 22 years running Duluth has been named Tree City, designated for its commitment to preserving local green spaces. Within its less than 10 square miles it boasts six major parks through the Parks & Recreation Department, offering athletic fields, playing courts, wooded walking trails, playgrounds, rec centers, and views of the Chattahoochee.

Throngs of tourists are common in Duluth, whose key attractions include a collection of historic railway equipment that is not only preserved, but still operated for viewing at the Southeastern Railway Museum.

Duluth's Red Clay Theatre lends some of the richest arts offerings in the area with concerts, performances, exhibitions, readings and diverse community programs. The organization teams up on occasion with the Duluth Fine Arts League. A major Duluth organ that works to promote local artists, the league contributes to Duluth High School Theater, raises funds for scholarships through Arts at Twilight, and is responsible for Historic Duluth's Walking Tour of Homes.

The Duluth Fall Festival is a major community force, pulling people together by droves to celebrate public events including a tree lighting ceremony and New Year's Eve celebration in winter. The fall festival itself is held following the Fall Festival Concert during the final weekend of September. More than 250 arts, crafts and food vendors participate in the event, with over 80,000 people in attendance. Live musical performances, a parade by a compendium of local schools and organizations, a silent auction and a 5K road race through historic downtown Duluth are just a few highlights to look forward to.