1878History
Unable to find his brother, James Sawyer returned to New York and began work on a farm near the Hudson River area until his 21st birthday in 1878, when he returned to England to...
1879History
Shortly following, in August 1879, he returned to Americus, Georgia, and then Gwinnett County.
1883Architecture
In 1883, Sawyer built a home and married Emma Webb, of the historic Snellville Webb family, on November 15.
1884History
=== English settlers ===
In 1884, Thomas Snell and James Sawyer, 17-year-old friends from London, secretly planned a voyage to the United States.
1885Architecture
Sawyer opened Snellville's first post office in 1885 and served as postmaster from the back of his store.
1896History
Snell died at age 39 in 1896 due to complications following an appendicitis operation.
1899History
The lowest temperature recorded in the city is −9 °F (−22 °C), reached on February 13, 1899.
1923Government
=== City beginnings ===
The city of Snellville received its charter from the General Assembly of the State of Georgia in 1923.
1940History
The greatest single accumulation of snow was 10 inches (25 centimeters), on January 23, 1940.
1948History
James Sawyer died in 1948 at age 91 and is buried in the Baptist Cemetery (now Snellville Historical Cemetery).
1960History
It was eventually destroyed in 1960 and replaced by a service station.
1973Disaster
A more prominent issue in winter are the frequent ice storms that can cause more problems than snow; the most severe such storm may have occurred on January 7, 1973.
1980History
Temperatures rarely reach 100 °F (38 °C), which, during the last 30 years, was recorded in 1980, 1983, 1986, 1993, 1995, 2000, and 2007.
1999Government
Abandoned big-box stores had become enough of an eyesore to make them a major issue in the 1999 city elections.
2000Government
==== City land swap ====
In early November 2000, then-Mayor Brett Harrell began negotiating a land swap to transform an abandoned supermarket into a municipal complex and t...
2001Civil Rights
On March 5, 2001, the city held its first public hearing on the land swap.
2003Architecture
In July 2003, the last piece of a $6,700,000 building plan for the project fell into place.
2004Civil Rights
Groundbreaking for the new city hall began in March 2004 with the demolition of the Oakland Village Shopping Center.
2006Civil Rights
On March 12, 2006, the city officially dedicated the new city hall, located at the corner of Oak Road and Main Street East (US 78).
2007Military
On August 13, 2007, the city council awarded a $52,000 contract to Smithco Construction of Gainesville to demolish and remove the remaining piece of the old Oakland Village Shop...
2015Government
The city's mayor, Tom Witts, was elected to a four-year term in 2015.
2017Government
==== 2017-2018 City funds misuse controversy ====
Former Mayor Tom Witts had been under close watch since 2013 for alleged tax evasion, owing tens of thousands of dollars in sta...
2018Government
In late 2018, Mayor Witts was suspended (following his 2017 indictment) due to misuse of funds, spending them on travel and adult websites.
2020History
== Demographics ==
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 20,573 people, 6,093 households, and 4,853 families residing in the city.