Snellville Real Estate

Snellville

Snellville is a city in Gwinnett County, covering a little over ten square miles at an elevation of about 1,037 feet. It is reached primarily by US Highway 78, which runs directly through the city center. Snellville sits east of Tucker, with the two communities connected along that same US-78 corridor, roughly fourteen miles apart by road, putting Snellville within easy reach of the SRA Signature Realty office in Tucker. Downtown Atlanta lies farther west along the same general route. Georgia Highway 124 crosses US-78 in Snellville and runs north toward Lawrenceville and south toward Lithonia, giving the city convenient connections across Gwinnett and DeKalb Counties.

From Trading Post to Incorporated City

Snellville takes its name from Thomas Snell, an English immigrant who, together with James Sawyer, opened a mercantile store in the area in 1879 that drew customers from well beyond the immediate area. The city was incorporated in 1923 with Snell's nephew, Gladstone Snell, serving as its first mayor, though the young city's charter went dormant more than once before being permanently reactivated in 1947. Unlike many Gwinnett County towns, Snellville never gained a rail line of its own, despite early efforts to bring one through. The area remained largely agricultural until after World War II, when brothers Jimmy and Wayne Mason led a wave of residential and commercial growth, building homes and recruiting businesses that turned Snellville into a fast growing suburb through the second half of the twentieth century. The pace of that growth shows in the numbers: Snellville had fewer than 500 residents in 1960, and by 1980 that figure had grown past 8,500, a trajectory that continued as Gwinnett County expanded in the decades that followed. By the 2020 census, the city's population had grown past 20,500, a sign of just how much the area built on the Snells' original trading post has changed since its early days as a farming community.

Parks and Recreation

Thomas W. Briscoe Park, an 87 acre city park, has long served as a hub for community life and was the original site of the Snellville Days festival. Lenora Park, a 112 acre county park, offers a disc golf course along with a public pool and additional recreation space, and the South Gwinnett Athletic Association complex adds fields for baseball, softball, and football. Together, these parks give Snellville residents a wide range of outdoor options for walking, picnicking, and organized sports within the city and just across its borders, with Briscoe and Lenora Parks alone accounting for close to 200 acres of combined green space.

A Revitalized Town Center

Snellville has rebuilt its civic core around the Grove at Towne Center, a multi building downtown development near City Hall, which was dedicated in 2006 at the corner of Oak Road and Main Street East. The Grove brings together several buildings of shops, restaurants, and a food hall and brewery around shared outdoor gathering space, giving the city a walkable downtown district that stands apart from its long standing shopping centers along US-78 and gives residents a central spot to gather outside of festival days.

Snellville Days and Community Traditions

Snellville Days, held the first weekend of May, has run nearly every year since 1974, when it began as a one time fundraiser for Briscoe Park and proved popular enough to become a permanent tradition. The festival draws crowds from across the region for a weekend of handmade arts and crafts from dozens of vendors, food booths, live entertainment, a children's activity area, and a pop-up museum from the Snellville Historical Society.

• Thomas W. Briscoe Park, 87 acres of green space and recreation


• Lenora Park's disc golf course and public pool


• The Grove at Towne Center, Snellville's redeveloped downtown district


• Snellville Days, an arts and crafts festival held every May since 1974


• Direct access to US Highway 78 for travel across Gwinnett County

Frequently Asked Questions

What county is Snellville in?

Snellville is located in Gwinnett County, east of Tucker along the US Highway 78 corridor.

How far is Snellville from Tucker and Atlanta?

Snellville sits about fourteen miles from Tucker by road, with downtown Atlanta reachable farther west along the same US-78 and Interstate 285 corridor.

Does Snellville have a rail line?

No. Despite early efforts to bring one through, Snellville never gained direct rail service and instead grew around its highway connections.

What is Snellville Days?

Snellville Days is an annual arts and crafts festival held the first weekend of May, running nearly every year since 1974 with vendors, food, live entertainment, and a historical society exhibit.

What is the Grove at Towne Center?

The Grove at Towne Center is a multi building downtown redevelopment near Snellville City Hall that brings together shops, restaurants, a food hall, and a brewery around shared outdoor space, giving the city a newer, walkable center to go with its established shopping along US-78.