The City of Lawrenceville, Georgia, known as the "Crepe Myrtle City" is located at the heart of Gwinnett County, Georgia  just a few miles northeast of Atlanta.  Lawrenceville is the county seat of Gwinnett County and serves as the home of the Gwinnett County government. According to 2000 U.S. Census figures, Lawrenceville has a population of 22,397 and covers a land area of 13 square miles.

Times are changing rapidly in Lawrenceville, the county seat and oldest town in Gwinnett, anchored by the Gwinnett Historic Courthouse on The Square.  A push to bring people downtown, day and night, is being led by Emory Morsberger, a developer who has purchased many of the buildings in and around The Square in hopes of turning the area into a destination.  Another group leading the drive is Lawrenceville Tourism & Trade Association, made up of business people, city officials and residents.  Already The Square has become a gathering spot as residents congregate on the lawn for "Moonlight and Music" on Friday nights from March to October.  Among its storied history, the Courthouse was the building Hustler Magazine owner Larry Flynt had just left in 1978 when he was shot and paralyzed by a sniper.  He was on trial on obscenity charges.  Built in 1885, the Old Courthouse is now home to the Gwinnett History Center and is open for tours, art exhibits and special events.  A new Gwinnett Justice Administration Center was built in the late 1980s.  Lawrenceville has more than 22,000 residents.  It was chartered in 1821 and named by Gwinnett resident William Maltbie for Capt. James Lawrence, a naval hero killed in the War of 1812.