Dacula, Georgia, lies halfway between Atlanta, the state capital, and Athens, home of the University of Georgia. Many people who pass through may think of it as nothing more than a small, Southern city with a scenic downtown and an unusual name. But Dacula has a long, rich history that began more than 100 years ago.
Early Days
In 1809, three men named Elisha Winn, Roger Pugh, and Elijah Pugh purchased 7,000 acres of land from Jackson County, which became part of Gwinnett County in 1818. Winn became the county’s first judge, and his home was where the new county conducted most of its business. That home, the Elisha Winn House, is still standing on what is now known as Dacula Road.
What’s in a Name?
The small community had many different names before it became known as Dacula.
In the 1840s, it was named Chinquapin Grove after some of the area’s native trees.
In 1891, contractors laying railroad track set up camp in the area, which they named Hoke after a railroad executive.
At one point, residents had started calling it Freeman Town, after Dr. Samuel Freeman, a Civil War surgeon who built a hospital in their community and donated land for a church and a school.
In 1905, the town was incorporated and needed a permanent name. Hoke didn’t work because it was the name of another Georgia town. The postman, a man named John Freeman (no relation to the doctor) decided against calling the new municipality Freeman Town. Instead, he created the unique name Dacula, using letters from the names of two other cities: Decatur and Atlanta.
Cotton Industry
Dacula was a cotton farming community, and the railroad enabled cotton growers to transport their crop all around the region. Cotton played a huge role in Dacula’s economy from the turn of the 20th century until the Great Depression.
A Growing Community
For much of its history, Dacula remained very small. In 1910, five years after it was incorporated, only 169 people lived there.
It wasn’t until the 1980s that the population of Dacula began to grow significantly, with the fastest growth taking place over the past two decades.
According to World Population Review, in the past 10 years, Dacula’s population has increased more than 65 percent — from 4,442 people in 2010, to 7,359 in 2020.
A Great Place To Retire To
More seniors are discovering that Dacula is a great place to retire to. Though it continues to grow, the city has never lost its small-town feel — a place where you are likely to see cows on your daily commute and know the names of all your neighbors. But it is also less than an hour away from the conveniences of a major city, including a world-class international airport.
Senior living communities like Arbor Terrace Hamilton Mill make retiring in Dacula easy. Moving to Arbor Terrace gives seniors a chance to make new friends and take part in a full calendar of fun activities while someone else cooks and cleans for them.
If you’d like to learn more about what Arbor Terrace Hamilton Mill has to offer, call (770) 999-0421 to schedule a tour.
