Buford, Georgia is located 25 miles north of Atlanta and along the southern edge of beautiful Lake Lanier in Gwinnett County.  Buford was originally called "The Leather City" because it was known as a historic tannery town. The city is home to the Buford Artists Colony, where over 30 artists make and sell art, pottery, jewelry and furniture in the shops of Main Street Buford. According to 2000 Census, the City of Buford had a population of 10,668 persons.

Unlike many of its sister cities in North Georgia that close when the sun goes down, Buford's downtown comes alive. Once known for a tannery whose 2,500 employees made it the largest business in the area, Buford has become home to restaurants and an arts community that draw visitors from outside the county. Galleries, antiques stores and other retail shops line both sides of Main Street. Less than a mile away on Main Street Street, the former Bona Allen Shoe and Horse Collar Factory is now a mini-entertainment center and artists colony with several restaurants and 18 artists' studios and galleries in the renovated four story brick complex.

The Bona Allen Tannery made saddles for some of Hollywood's famous horses, including Roy Rogers' Trigger and Gene Autrey's Champion. Both brought their horses to Buford by railcar for personal fittings.
One of the area's newsmakers in recent months has been sculptor Vic McCallum's "American Made," a life-sized statue of Roy Rogers and Trigger being presented with a saddle by a Bona Allen employee. Buford is the only municipality in Gwinnett County to maintain its own school system.

Buford is the only municipality in Gwinnett County to maintain its own school system.