Getting oriented · Northeast Georgia
For New Residents
The first month in Buford is a short list: the city handles the water, sewer, and trash; the county handles the ballot and the schools by address side; and the Gwinnett library card opens every branch in the system. None of it is complicated, but the county-line question does not wait.
Set up the essentials below, then spend the first month learning the two rhythms: the mall corridor on the interstate side and the Main Street downtown that predates it.
Set up first
The city services, in order
Water, sewer, and sanitation are city of Buford services, so the utility account starts with the city. Electricity and gas follow the standard regional providers, and internet service is a normal provider choice. The city publishes the contact points for its departments on its official site.
Register
Vehicles, voting, and the library
Vehicle registration runs through the Georgia Department of Driver Services and the tag office in whichever county your address falls in. Voter registration goes through the Gwinnett or Hall county elections office, again by address side. The library card comes from Gwinnett County Public Library, and the Buford-Sugar Hill branch at 2100 Buford Highway is the closest door.
First month
Learning the city in a week
The interstate side
The Mall of Georgia at Exit 115 is the retail and entertainment anchor, with the surrounding plazas carrying the grocery and the chain tables.
The Main Street side
Historic downtown Buford holds the local restaurants and old storefronts along East and West Main, the part of the city that predates the mall.
The lake side
Lake Lanier runs along the north end of the city, with parks, the seasonal water park, and the Lanier Islands resort a short drive up the shore.
An editorial guide, not a listings site. Updated September 13, 2026. Real-estate guidance on this page is provided by Rob Dietrich, REALTOR® with eXp Realty, LLC.