My love-hate relationship with Gwinnett County, Georgia

When people ask where I am from, my automatic response is to say Atlanta. Technically, no I did not grow up in the city limits of Georgia’s capital. I live in a middle-class suburban area about 35 minutes out from the city, in what is called Metro-Atlanta in a county called Gwinnett. But no one that is not from Georgia is going to know where that is. Plus everything in Georgia excluding Atlanta is stereotypically associated with a rural lifestyle, which is not at all my experience.

I was so eager to get out of my hometown and come here to Miami, mostly because if you do not want to travel or spend money there is not all that much to do around. Even still I get homesick and overwhelmed by feelings of nostalgia when I think back on the things I miss about Gwinnett.

My best friends

Yeah, of course, you make new friends that you grow to love to death but you still miss those inside jokes and memories of late nights and stupid decisions with the people in the know you better than anyone else in the world. Nope, those aren’t tears in my eyes, it’s just allergies, haven’t you heard about the pollen in Georgia?

Southern living

Just for a second let’s forget about the rampant racism and focus on the South’s two best qualities: hospitality and food. Growing up with a Chick-fil-A and Waffle House on every corner and then finding out the nearest waffle house is about an hour away is heartbreaking.

Finding the adventure

Like I said, Gwinnett isn’t the most exciting place so you really have to seek out interesting stuff to do. Thankfully though if you are willing to put in the effort (and probably drive at least 20 minutes) Georgia has some hidden gems to totally worth exploring.