Johns Creek

History

In the early 19th century, the Johns Creek area was dotted with trading posts along the Chattahoochee River in what was then Cherokee territory. The Cherokee Nation at the time was a confederacy of agrarian villages led by a chief. After European settlement, the Cherokee developed an alphabet, and a legislature and judiciary system patterned after the American model.

Some trading posts gradually became crossroads communities where pioneer families – Rogers, McGinnis, Findley, Buice, Cowart, Medlock and others – gathered to visit and sell their crops.

By 1820, the community of Sheltonville (or Shakerag), was a ferry crossing site, with the McGinnis Ferry and Rogers Ferry carrying people and livestock across the river for a small fee. Further south, the Nesbit Ferry did the same near another crossroads community known as Newtown.

In the 1820s, the discovery of gold in the foothills of northeast Georgia within the Cherokee Nation – approximately 45 miles (72 km) north of today's Johns Creek – led to America's second major Gold Rush, the eventual takeover of the Cherokee Nation by the U.S. government in 1830, and the subsequent forced exile (the "Trail of Tears") of Cherokee Indians to Oklahoma and other areas of the American West.

A few Cherokees remained, the most famous being Sarah Cordery (1785–1842), the half-blood Cherokee wife of pioneer John Rogers (1774–1851), and their 12 children. Rogers was a respected, influential plantation owner and colleague of President Andrew Jackson. Rogers's 1828 home – today, a private residence in Johns Creek – was an overnight stop-over for Jackson. Much later, the home was also visited by famed humorist Will Rogers, the great-great-nephew of John Rogers. Johns Creek's name comes from John Rogers's son, Johnson K. Rogers. A local tributary was named after him, and the name "Johns Creek" eventually came to be the name of the area.

In 1831, much of the land in the former Cherokee Nation north of the Chattahoochee was combined into the massive Cherokee County. When Milton County was formed in 1858, the Johns Creek area was folded into it.

Geography

Johns Creek is located in northeastern Fulton County. The elevation ranges from 880 feet (270 m) above sea level along the Chattahoochee River to 1,180 feet (360 m) in the Ocee area along the Alpharetta border. Johns Creek is bounded to the south by the Chattahoochee River and Gwinnett County, and on the northeast by McGinnis Ferry Road and Forsyth County. It is bounded by Roswell to the west, Alpharetta to the northwest, Suwanee to the east, and Duluth, Berkeley Lake, and Peachtree Corners to the south. Downtown Atlanta is 27 miles (43 km) to the southwest.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city of Johns Creek has a total area of 31.3 square miles (81.0 km2), of which 30.7 square miles (79.6 km2) is land and 0.54 square miles (1.4 km2), or 1.76%, is water.

Climate

Johns Creek has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa).

Demographics

Johns Creek first appeared in the 2010 U.S. census.

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Johns Creek had a population of 82,453. The median age was 41.0 years. 25.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 11.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 94.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 92.3 males age 18 and over.

100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 27,926 households and 23,283 families in Johns Creek; 43.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 68.0% were married-couple households, 10.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 18.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 15.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 29,139 housing units, of which 4.2% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.1% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.4%.

2010 census

In 2010, its population was 76,728.

Johns Creek's 2010 demographics showed an estimated $109,576 median household income, a $137,271 average household income and a $45,570 per capita income.

Economy

Top employers

According to the city's 2025 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, the top employers in the city were:

Arts and culture

Johns Creek has metro Atlanta's only part-time, fully professional symphony orchestra, the Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra. Under the leadership of Music Director J. Wayne Baughman, the orchestra performs several times each year.

The Johns Creek Arts Center offers classes and camps for aspiring artists in multiple media throughout the year.

There also are several festivals year-round, such as Founders Week in December in which the community celebrates the city's incorporation with activities and a parade. The Fall Family Festival in September is a community get-together at Newtown Park. Arts on the Creek is a juried art show, and also has musical and stage performers. "The Taste of Johns Creek" is an annual food festival in the fall that features more than 40 local restaurants with proceeds supporting public school extracurricular activities.

There are six golf facilities (five private, one public) in Johns Creek, including the renowned Atlanta Athletic Club, home of the 2011 PGA Championship and the 2014 U.S. Amateur. Other golf facilities include Country Club of the South, Rivermont Golf and Country Club, River Pines Golf, St. Ives Country Club, and The Standard Club.

The Atlanta Athletic Club was the site of the inaugural Atlanta Tennis Championships in 2010. Johns Creek is home to thousands of members of the Atlanta Lawn Tennis Association (ALTA), one of the largest and oldest organized recreation leagues in the country.

Johns Creek, which is bordered by 13.5 miles (21.7 km) of the Chattahoochee River, has multiple nearby spots where paddlers can put in or take out their boats. It has shoals and low-level rapids. It also offers prime trout fishing.

Autrey Mill Nature Preserve and Heritage Center offers a replica of a Creek Indian hut, an 1800s historic village, and wildlife in 46 acres (190,000 m2) of woodlands. Biking the 4-mile (6 km) Greenway along Georgia 141 is a popular pastime. The city has plans to develop and connect other pathways to the Greenway, which will tie in with other cities, adding several miles of trails.

Johns Creek International Festival

Each April, the city hosts the annual Johns Creek International Festival. In 2017, over 23,000 visitors attended the event. It is one of the most culturally diverse cities in the state and nation, representing many countries and cultures from around the world. This free community event features restaurants and food trucks, vendors, international beer and wine garden, live music and dance performances, and fun kids’ activities.

Education

Public schools are operated by Fulton County Schools. Schools located in Johns Creek include:

Elementary schools

Abbotts Hill Elementary School

Barnwell Elementary School

Dolvin Elementary School

Findley Oaks Elementary School

Lake Windward Elementary School

Medlock Bridge Elementary School

Ocee Elementary School

Shakerag Elementary School

State Bridge Crossing Elementary School

Wilson Creek Elementary School

Middle schools

Autrey Mill, River Trail, and Taylor Road

High schools

Chattahoochee, Johns Creek and Northview

Private schools

Perimeter School (Grades K-8)

Providence Christian Academy - Johns Creek Campus (Grades 9–12)

Woodward Academy - North Campus

Cresco Montessori School

Mount Pisgah Christian School (Grades Preschool- 12)

Holy Redeemer Catholic School of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta. - The school opened in fall 1999.

Infrastructure

Transportation

State Route 120

State Route 141

State Route 140

Johns Creek is not directly served by MARTA trains or buses. GRTA Xpress Route 408 formerly connected Johns Creek with the Doraville MARTA station.

In January 2018, significant plans were approved for the engineering phase to upgrade State Bridge Road and Pleasant Hill Road. There is community-wide support from the community in both neighboring Johns Creek and Duluth for the pedestrian river bridge for the project. It will serve to improve bike pedestrian safety, boost local economies by improving access to businesses, enhance connections with surrounding neighborhoods and improve traffic flow in the area. In addition, the upgrade will serve to ease inspection and maintenance of the bridge in the future.

In March 2018, the Gwinnett County Commissioners approved the agreement with the Johns Creek City Council. Both sides have agreed to remove the sidewalks from the existing bridges in order to widen the roads. To improve safety for pedestrians, a new pedestrian bridge will be constructed on one side of the river. A pedestrian underpass linking both sides of the wider road is being considered to further improve access and provide for a safer crossing of the road.

The Rogers bridge project is another significant plan is to connect to Duluth via reconstructing a bike/pedestrian bridge across the Chattahoochee River. The engineers will determine whether to replace or rehabilitate the existing Rogers Bridge over the Chattahoochee River, will take into account the environmental impacts of each option, and will restore the working bike/pedestrian connection between Duluth and Johns Creek. This will allow access to the planned 133 acre parkland under development in Johns Creek, and will allow Fulton County residents access to Rogers Bridge Park, the Chattahoochee Dog Park, and the Western Gwinnett Bikeway currently under development by Gwinnett County.

Law enforcement

The Johns Creek Police Department launched April 27, 2008, and the fire department launched October 27, 2008. The police department was certified by the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police and accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement within two years of the department's formation.