Dacula, Georgia

A Dynamic City on the Verge of Transformation

Established in 1905, Dacula is a vibrant and welcoming city at the eastern edge of Gwinnett County, Georgia. Bursting with southern hospitality, this friendly city combines a small town quality of life, with proximity to top notch work and education opportunities. With a longstanding reputation as a bedroom community, Dacula is currently working to redefine its identity, as it embraces commercial and residential growth.

“For at least 50 years, our motto was ‘The City of Homes’. We really were a bedroom community for people that commuted to Atlanta to work in some of the larger industrial complexes,” depicts Mayor Trey King. Noting that the city has experienced a housing boom every ten years since the 1980s, he adds, “Now we’re experiencing something that we have never experienced before. I would say it’s exponential growth in the city, as we are one of the few places in Gwinnett County that are not built out.”

A key factor in this growth is Dacula’s ideal location just 30 miles from Georgia’s major cities of Atlanta and Athens, making it a desirable place for those seeking the balance between small town life and big-city career opportunities.

While generations of families have continued to call Dacula home, the community is growing its commercial and residential offerings, attracting an influx of families and professionals. “We still have that hometown feel,” shares Brittni Nix, City Administrator. “There’s a lot of good accessibility with our road networks and our location, and there’s a lot that’s attractive to new and existing residents.”

Building a New Community Core

Complementing Dacula’s historic downtown, the city is creating a new public gathering space known as the City Core Project. The first phase of the project will see the addition of a new municipal building, a city hall parking deck, amphitheater, and green spaces for community gathering.

“We do have this great sense of camaraderie amongst the community members, but there has been no real official gathering space, so it’s been difficult to facilitate events and take things to that next level,” Nix acknowledges. “We’re really hopeful that this space will continue forward with that sense of community.”

The second phase of the project will include private development, introducing new retail areas, and creating a walkable, thriving city center. “All of this came out of our urban redevelopment plan that we officially approved last year to really help revitalize the area as a whole. The long term vision is to have the new city core are and the historic downtown connect and merge so you really have a holistic downtown area,” she relays.

Community Spaces

Dacula is proud of its city parks, each offering space for visitors and residents to relax and enjoy time with friends and family. Olde Mill Park, the smaller of the two, is adjacent to the historic downtown, and is a beloved area of the community. “We have a gazebo there where people love to come and gather as a community, and we have a Veterans Memorial there to honor our fallen and their families,” describes Mayor King. He adds that 35 parking spaces have recently been added to accommodate increased visitors to the area.

Across the city, the 12-acre Maple Creek City Park has undergone a $1 million revitalization, featuring new playground equipment, adult exercise stations, additional park benches, improved walking trails, beautification efforts, and an enclosed toddler playground. “It’s pretty amazing,” boasts the mayor.

Infrastructure, Collaboration and Workforce to Support Growth

With expansion comes the need for updated infrastructure, and Dacula has partnered with Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources to extend sewer services into the City Core Project area, an important step in facilitating this new development. “We have worked extensively with the county, and we were fortunate enough to receive some ARPA funds that we designated to cover a portion of that sewer project,” details Mayor King.

Additionally, the city identified areas lacking reliable internet and designated ARPA funds to expand broadband access, opening up connectivity for residents and businesses. While he acknowledges the increase in remote workers, King says the majority of Dacula’s workforce consists of skilled blue-collar workers employed in supporting industries for the automotive sector, major Fortune 500 companies, and healthcare.

“As the community transitions, Dacula is finding home for a lot more professionals,” he admits. “We have more and more people that are able to work from home in fields such as cyber security or in project management. So, that’s kind of developing now, and I think that trend will continue. But our core community has always been a skilled blue-collar community. I think that’s one of our biggest assets.”

Mayor King emphasizes the outstanding relationship Dacula has with Gwinnett County, and the importance of this partnership moving forward. “This is one of the last outpost of Gwinnett County where something could be built,” he underscores. “Anything that comes into the city, we want it to be amazing. We want it to be something that we can appreciate not just 5 years from now, but 50 years from now.”

Residential Growth and Community Development

Looking ahead, Dacula is addressing an increased housing demand with an influx of residential developments. The city currently has five major single-family housing projects underway, totaling nearly 800 new homes, in addition to its first-ever townhome and multifamily housing developments. A 55+ senior living community is also expected to come online within the next five years, bringing 120 units to the community.

“We have over 1000 units right now that were recently developed or are actively under construction at various price points, ownership and rental. We’re really tackling this issue and making sure that we have spaces for people to live,” Nix asserts.

Along with residential expansion, Dacula is inviting new economic opportunities through logistics and industrial development. “We have an upcoming logistics center with multiple warehouses, which is an exciting opportunity for the city ,” Nix conveys.

“There would be multiple warehouse spaces that companies could rent out and utilize. While the project is not managed by the city of Dacula, we’ve been helping facilitate their plan reviews and helping to get the project off the ground. Hopefully, that will start this year.”

The city also benefits from proximity to the Rowen development, a knowledge community with potential to bring a range of new job opportunities. “That’s a joint venture between Gwinnett County and the Rowen Foundation,” Mayor King explains.

“Historically, the city of Dacula has been in what we call the Innovation Crescent, which is an area between Atlanta and Athens that was undeveloped at one time. Now we are seeing the beginnings of that Innovation Crescent come to life through the Rowen Project, targeting the agricultural, medical and environmental industries. This will be a big benefit to this community, as far as jobs, and other places to get an education. We’re just at the very beginning of that at this point.”

Planning for the Future

Looking ahead, Dacula’s vision includes completing the City Core Project, revitalizing the historic downtown, and ensuring smart, sustainable growth to provide continued opportunities and enhance quality of life for both current and future residents.

With this in mind, Mayor King shares that leadership is about more than just infrastructure and economic development. “You always have to give your best, do your best, and leave the next generation, or the people that follow behind, in a better place,” he expands. “The most rewarding part is being able to help people, being able to uplift the community. We want to create something that the people that live here can be proud of.”

At a Glance

Who: Dacula, Georgia.
What: A City Redefining Itself Amidst Growth and Opportunity.
Where: Gwinnett County, Georgia.
Website: www.daculaga.gov