Gwinnett County · The 1905 railroad city
About Dacula
Dacula is a city in eastern Gwinnett County, about thirty-eight miles northeast of Atlanta, and it carries one of the oddest origin stories on the corridor: the name was coined from the letters in Decatur and Atlanta, the two cities to the west, by a local postmaster. It was incorporated in 1905 and grew around the railroad that reached the settlement in 1891.
Today Dacula is a bedroom city anchored by the Hamilton Mill and Mulberry communities on its edges, with the Dacula cluster of Gwinnett County schools running the education side and the Little Mulberry parks holding the green.
What it is
A railroad settlement with a borrowed name
The settlement grew after the Georgia Carolina and Northern Railway arrived in 1891. Railroad workers called the stop Hoke, residents called it Freeman after a prominent local citizen, and a postmaster eventually coined the name Dacula from letters in Decatur and Atlanta. The Georgia General Assembly incorporated the city in 1905.
Dacula sits in eastern Gwinnett County, about thirty-eight miles northeast of Atlanta, with Highway 29 and the Braselton Highway running through it and Little Mulberry Park holding its largest green space.
How it works
Mayor, council, and a city manager
The city
- A mayor and four council members elected at-large to four-year terms.
- A professional city manager runs the day-to-day administration.
- City parks like Olde Mill Park and the downtown core along Dacula Road.
The county keeps
- The public schools, through the Gwinnett County Dacula cluster.
- Property tax, elections, and the county-level services.
- The big parks: Dacula Park, Rabbit Hill, and Little Mulberry are county parks.
Straight answers
Questions people actually ask
Where did the name Dacula come from?
A postmaster coined it from letters in Decatur and Atlanta, the two cities to the west. It has no other meaning, which is why it reads like a riddle.
Is Dacula in Gwinnett County?
Yes, entirely. Unlike Buford and Braselton, Dacula sits fully inside Gwinnett, which simplifies the school and tax questions for every address in the city.
What schools serve Dacula?
The Gwinnett County Dacula cluster: the elementary schools feed Dacula Middle School, which feeds Dacula High School. The schools page has the full chain.
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.