Buford, GA is a lot more interesting than you might think at first. Like several other cities in Gwinnett County, it owes its early history to the railroad. In fact, it is the same railroad as Suwanee and Norcross, the Atlanta – Richmond Air-Line Railroad. And Buford owes its name to Algernon Sydney Buford.
- Image by lane.bailey via Flickr
- Image by lane.bailey via Flickr
In order to draw a Lunch Stop” on the railroad, the city (then town) was named in honor of the railroad’s President, Algernon S. Buford. While he had an office in Atlanta during construction of the line, he was from Richmond, VA, and served in the VA Legislature and graduated from the University of VA.
It was incorporated in 1872, and changed from being a “town” to being a “city” in 1896. By 1900, Buford was the largest city in Gwinnett County and maintained that honor for most of the next 60 years. It had two banks before any other city had a single permanent bank. By the 1920s, the Bona allen Co. had earned Buford the name “Leather City” for their shoe, saddle and harness manufacturing. Even Roy Rogers (and Trigger) insisted on Bona Allen saddles and harnesses… During their heydey, they were THE tack of choice for Hollywood’s biggest names in Westerns.
The next phase in the life of Buford started in 1950, with the construction of Buford Dam on the Chattahoochee River. It took until 1958 for the dam to be completed and then the lake to be filled, but in 1958, Lake Lanier was opened to recreation. Now, Buford sits near the edge of the lake, straddling Gwinnett And Hall Counties.
What about now?
Buford, GA is home to the Mall of Georgia. It sits between the Gwinnett Braves stadium in Lawrenceville, the Atlanta Falcons training facility in Flowery Branch and the Atlanta Thrashers practive facility in Duluth. The Gwinnett Gladiators also play nearby in Duluth. The southern edge of Lake Lanier… the “big water” borders Buford on its northern side.
- Image via Wikipedia
Gwinnett County Schools serve the unincorporated areas around Buford with the North Gwinnett, Mill Creek and Mountain View Clusters. Lanier High School will be opening in the Fall of 2010. The City of Buford is served by its own school system, with Buford Elementary, Buford Academy, Buford Middle and Buford High Schools.
CNNMoney/Fortune Small Business named Buford one of the Ten Best Places to Live & Launch. It came in #3, behind Bellevue, WA and Georgetown, TX, and ahead of Marina del Ray, CA and Portland, OR. Despite the “long drive” to Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, proximity to Lake Lanier and numerous recreational opportunities made Buford a top choice.
And you can live here too…
To see the latest market stats for Buford, take a look here…
If you’d like to browse homes currently for sale in Buford, check this out…