Welcome to Gwinnett County — one of America's fastest-growing counties for the past 20 years. Our dynamic and exciting county combines the best of big-city living with the comforts of the suburbs. The county's population in 2000 was about 588,448 and we’ve only continued to grow since then, with our current population nearing one million residents. Gwinnett has many advantages, beginning with its location and road system. The county is just 45 minutes from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and 30 minutes from downtown Atlanta. Thanks to this location, 80 percent of the U.S. population is within a two-hour flight. Georgia Highway 316 has been extended to Athens, reducing travel time to the University of Georgia to 25 minutes. Gwinnett's infrastructure includes more than 2,750 miles of roadways to provide excellent mobility for our residents. The County Administrator and County Attorney are appointed by the Board of Commissioners and serve at its pleasure. To implement the Board's policy directives, the County Administrator uses a management team consisting of members of his immediate staff and 14 department directors. The 14 departments that make up the executive side are Police Services, Fire and Emergency Services, Corrections, Child Advocacy and Juvenile Services, Communications, Support Services, Financial Services, Community Services, Human Resources, Information Technology Services, Law, Planning and Development, Water Resources, and Transportation. Each department is run by a director who is charged with managing operations in a manner which stresses the County’s values. In addition to the executive side of County government, certain services are provided through Constitutional officers and independent elected officials. These external offices are created by the Georgia Constitution or through state law. In Gwinnett, they include the Sheriff, Tax Commissioner, District Attorney, Probate Court Judge, and Chief Magistrate.