Lilburn, Georgia

Lilburn is home to just over 11,000 people. That includes 57% married couples and 38% (of total) with children under the age of 18. Racially, the makeup is as follows:
69.09% White
11.93% Black
0.34% Native American
11.72% Asian, Pacific Islander
13.22% Hispanic/Latino
2.11% two or more races
4.81% other races

The average household size is 2.80 and the average family size is 3.28.  The 25-44 age range makes up the bulk of the population with 33.7%. The median age is 35. The median household income for Lilburn is around $54,000, with the median for a family right at $63,000.

Recently, the largest traditional marble Hindu temple outside of India was completed and dedicated in Lilburn, at the corner of Lawrenceville Hwy. and Indian Trail.Many suggest that this reflects a dramatic rise in the Indian population in the area. Census data hasn’t concretely reflected that just yet, though it does make sense that many people are and will move to the area to be closer to it.

There are a lot of tucked away bars and restaurants in Lilburn.  Don’t expect to find any ‘booming,’ hip clubs or unbearably crowded or unbearably loud bars.  Many of the best places to eat are also the best places to drink in the evenings, and vice versa.  Another perk: things are incredibly cheap compared to Atlanta night spots.

If you’re interested in the predictability of chains don’t worry, you’ll find a few good ones in Lilburn.  Moe’s Southwest Grill and Chili’s are both located on Stone Mountain Hwy.

Blue Moose Tavern, also on Stone Mountain Hwy., is a great locally owned and operated joint.  They have beer and they have superb bar food.

If you’re looking for something cheap and different, check out the Oyster Barn up on Beaver Ruin.  They have seafood and standards.

Sports Fan is right on Lawrenceville Hwy.; it’s what you would expect.

Zoo Tavern, on Indian Trail Rd., is a biker bar.  There are a couple of other biker type hangouts on Indian Trail.  Most, like The Office for instance, are in strip malls.  Drive down this road and you’ll understand; look for the only things open after dark.  They love karaoke in Lilburn, and these are two great options for that.

If you pay $900 for rent in Lilburn, you’re either getting something really nice or you have a three bedroom apartment.  Because it’s outside of the city AND not inclusive of a major interstate, Lilburn is considered an ‘off the beaten path’ sort of town.  It’s a suburb with a rural feel which people either love or hate.

You can find apartments for as cheap as $400-500 for two bedrooms in Lilburn.  Lots of people live there to save money or as a temporary fix while working in Gwinnett County or above.

The quality of living is, actually not bad at all for the prices in Lilburn.  The only problem is that it’s quite and often boring to city folks.  If you don’t mind driving 30 minutes one way to the city on a regular basis, Lilburn might be a great consideration for you.  But don’t expect to meet singles or live in lively neighborly settings.  Singles are definitely the minority here and residents aren’t living in the area as a lifestyle choice.

One of the downsides to living in Lilburn is that it is just about absolutely necessary to own a vehicle.  Public transportation can be used to get around or to and from other suburban areas or downtown Atlanta, but public means will end up costing you more time, money and headaches than it’s worth.

The transportation system local to the area is Gwinnett County Transit.  But, compared to other parts of the county, Lilburn is a less populated area.  It lies in a position that doesn’t lend it to passing traffic like surrounding towns, making it an out-of-the-way, more expensive Gwinnett County Transit route.  Also, because it’s close to the northeastern Dekalb County border, most people who utilize public transportation to get to near or in Atlanta jobs find personal means of making it to MARTA route.  MARTA is metro Atlanta’s public bus and transit system, which cuts off just south of Lilburn.

Traffic can be horrible in the mornings, travelling south towards the metro center, and even worse in the afternoons if you’re making your way back into Gwinnett County.  I-85 northbound turns into a gridlock frequently between the hours of 3:30 and 6:30.  One option that Lilburn residents know involves taking back roads which swirl up and run around or parallel to Lawrenceville Hwy.

There are a lot of older houses in Lilburn, but most aren’t ‘cool’ or classy. Less useful for Lilburn than other areas of the metro area, Craigslist or RentWiki.com is still a best bet for finding neighborhood advice and apartments for rent.

Creative Loafing might get you some luck, though it’s not likely that paying for an ad there would be a Lilburn resident’s first choice, since the neighborhood doesn’t really include a lot of liberal, alternative lifestyle residents that the magazine caters to. Driving through the neighborhood in search of “For Rent” signs is a great idea for this area. Some local restaurants/bars will have bulletin boards, to be sure to keep an eye out for those as well. Renting to own is not an unpopular concept here. This is an optimal rental situation if you’re looking to stay in the area for an extended period of time, though I highly suggest living there for six months to a year as a trial run before getting committed in this way.

Many people like Lilburn because it still possesses many small town qualities, even though it’s somewhat close to the biggest metropolis of the South.  One of the ways that Lilburn maintains this ‘feel’ is to serve as host to very community oriented annual events. 

The Lilburn Woman’s Club hosts the Lilburn Daze, for instance, an arts and crafts festival of 400 vendors that is celebrated the second Saturday of every October at City Park.  The first Saturday of every December, the Lilburn Christmas Parade takes place, beginning on Main Street and ending in City Park, a great locale in general for outdoor activities for singles and families.

Not the center of the town, Lawrenceville Highway is the main artery of Lilburn.  Most restaurants and hangout spots are located just off this, which is also Hwy. 29.  No matter how good or bad the economy of Lilburn might at be doing at any given time, you can always rest assured that this route is vital to the community.  It brings people to and through the town.  Buying here is a guaranteed equity safe zone and renting here puts you in a convenient locale.

The northern part of Lilburn, up around Beaver Ruin Road, is more quite than other areas.  If you land here you’ll probably find yourself often trekking south, back towards Tucker or Decatur, or northwest towards Duluth and Gwinnett Place Mall and the surrounding chaos.

Stone Mountain Hwy. is a cheaper, but more boring and removed area.  Crossing over Lawrenceville Hwy. though, once the road changes to Indian Trail, you’ll find more efficient, tighter and smaller neighborhoods.  Transportation wise, this is probably the best area in Lilburn to consider.

Grocery stores in Lilburn are pretty similar to other parts of metro Atlanta and the northern half of Georgia in general.  Publix and Kroger have several locations within distance, depending upon which side of town you’re on.

For drugs and general needs, Eckerd, CVS are Walgreens are about equally convenient.

The cell phone company Metro PCS has a strong hold and great plans for the Atlanta area, Lilburn included.  There are more than a few of their locations within reach.  There’s a Home Depot just south of Lilburn on Lawrenceville Hwy. at the corner of Jimmy Carter Blvd.

There are several bank branch locations right in Lilburn.  These include:  Bank of America, Best Bank, BB&T, Regions, Washington Mutual and others.

Many people who live in Lilburn actually work in Duluth, a thriving hot spot for jobs in the tech industry.  Though there just aren’t that many opportunities right in the community, it does serve as a central location and convenient money saver for people working in other parts of Gwinnett County or Dekalb.

Ajcjobs.com is a great place to start for all Atlanta job markets.  Cumulus, just getting their start here, is a more personable, community oriented job site.  You might find way fewer here, but they’re almost all legitimate.  CareerBuilder and Monster are great places to search, but they’re overrun with spammy jobs these days, especially for bigger cities like Atlanta.

When searching online, remember to keep your searches very specific and give out your info only upon consideration.  Otherwise, you WILL get spammed and added to call and snail mail lists.  If you’re looking for temp work, seek out temp agencies – no shortage of those.  Never do a walk in around here for a white collar job, and always do a walk in for a blue collar job.  If they ask you to email and not call, follow directions specifically.  Atlanta can be a tough market, but there are jobs and half of all applicants get weeded out for logistical reasons.

Lilburn is part of the Gwinnett County Public Schools system.  This system is divided by what are called ‘clusters,’ the county’s attempt at providing a less anonymous and more personable educational experience.  Clusters available for Lilburn residents include Parkview, Brookwood, Meadowcreek and Berkmar.  These, together, encompass seven elementary schools, three middle and two high.

If you’re looking for private school options, there are a couple very close and many, many more across the metro area.  Killian Hill Christian School sees children from kindergarten through high school, including learning disability programs for those who require them but don’t want to take their children outside of the normal social school setting.  Providence Christian Academy is another all-encompassing one.  It also sees children through high school, and includes accelerated fine arts and media tracks.

Average three bedroom ‘for sale by owner’ homes are currently listing between $150,000-250,000 in Lilburn.

Statistically, there are just over 2,000 mortgaged homes in Lilburn.  Frankly, it’s not a real estate paradise, but neither is it a real estate nightmare.  Most people who own homes in Lilburn are older.  Houses turn over because of foreclosure or as part of estate sales.  That said, if you have the money and are looking for a quite location, it might be a good choice for you.  Don’t go to Lilburn hoping to flip a house or to make an enormous investment.

As it goes for all of the metro Atlanta area, Lilburn is hot in the summer and moderately cold in the winter.  The warmest month is July, with an average max temperature of 87.5 degrees Fahrenheit, and the coolest is January, with an average minimum temperature of 29.1 degrees Fahrenheit.

Differences between daytime and nighttime temperatures average 20 degrees in the summer and 22 degrees in the winter.  Lilburn’s average annual precipitation is 55.5 inches, with January being the wettest month.