Athens is a city in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

of Limestone County, in the U.S. state of

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

; it is included in the

Huntsville-Decatur-Albertville, AL Combined Statistical Area The Huntsville–Decatur, AL Combined Statistical Area is the most populated sub-region of North Alabama, and is the second fastest growing region in the State of Alabama, with 659,486 living within the CSA. It is also currently the 57th largest ...

. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city is 21,897.

History

Founded in 1818 by John Coffee, Robert Beaty, John D. Carroll, and John Read, Athens is one of the oldest incorporated cities in the state, having been incorporated one year prior to the state's

admittance to the Union In electrical engineering, admittance is a measure of how easily a circuit or device will allow a current to flow. It is defined as the reciprocal of impedance, analogous to how conductance & resistance are defined. The SI unit of admittance ...

in 1819. Limestone County was also created by an act of the Alabama Territorial Legislature in 1818.A Digest of the Laws of the State of Alabama: Containing The Statutes and Resolutions in Force at the end of the General Assembly in January, 1823. Published by Ginn & Curtis, J. & J. Harper, Printers, New-York, 1828. Title 62. Chapter XXV. Page 803
"An Act to Incorporate the Town of Athens, in Limestone County.—Passed November 19, 1818." (Google Books)
/ref> The town was first called Athenson, but was incorporated as Athens after the

ancient city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

in Greece. The town's first mayor was Samuel Tanner, and the Tanner area, south of Athens, was named on his behalf. The Athens area was the home of

William Wyatt Bibb William Wyatt Bibb (October 2, 1781 – July 10, 1820) was a United States Senator from Georgia, the first governor of the Alabama Territory, and the first Governor of the U.S. state of Alabama. Bibb was a member of the Democratic-Republican ...

, the first governor of Alabama, and its second governor, his brother

Thomas Bibb Thomas Bibb (May 8, 1783 – September 20, 1839) was the second governor of the US state of Alabama and served from 1820 to 1821. He was the president of the Alabama Senate when his brother, Governor William Wyatt Bibb, died in office on July 1 ...

, who succeeded him in office when he died in a fall from his horse. In 1822, local residents purchased of land and constructed a building to house the Athens Female Academy. The school became affiliated with the Methodist church in 1842, and was eventually renamed Athens Female College. After becoming coeducational in 1932, the school changed its name again to Athens College. After being taken over by the State of Alabama in 1974, the college was converted to a “reverse junior college,” offering the last two years of instruction for graduates of area community colleges. It is today known as

Athens State University Athens State University is a public upper-division university in Athens, Alabama. Its academics are housed in three colleges: Education, Arts and Sciences, and Business. History Athens State University is Alabama's oldest educational institution ...

. Many homes in the central part of modern Athens date to the antebellum period, and are part of historic preservation districts. On May 2, 1862, during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, Athens was seized by Union forces under the command of Col. John Basil Turchin. After occupying the town on May 2, 1862 Turchin assembled his men and reportedly told them: "I shut my eyes for two hours. I see nothing." He did, in fact, leave the town to reconnoiter defensive positions, during which time his men ransacked the town. The incident was controversial, and

Lost Cause The Lost Cause of the Confederacy (or simply Lost Cause) is an American pseudohistorical negationist mythology that claims the cause of the Confederate States during the American Civil War was just, heroic, and not centered on slavery. First ...

supporters vilified Turchin. Athens was the home of Governor George S. Houston, Alabama's first post-Reconstruction Democratic governor, who served from 1874 through 1878. Houston was noted for reducing the debts incurred to benefit private railroad speculators and others by his Reconstruction Republican predecessors. During Reconstruction, Athens was the home of the Trinity School, a school founded for the children of former slaves by

Mary Fletcher Wells Mary Fletcher Wells (died September 14, 1893) was a philanthropist, educator, and founder of the Trinity School. Wells was unable to formally matriculate at Michigan University and instead studied there under private tutelage. She taught in high ...

and funded by the

American Missionary Association The American Missionary Association (AMA) was a Protestant-based abolitionist group founded on in Albany, New York. The main purpose of the organization was abolition of slavery, education of African Americans, promotion of racial equality, and ...

. Athens was traditionally a

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...

and

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

town, but since the local

aerospace Aerospace is a term used to collectively refer to the atmosphere and outer space. Aerospace activity is very diverse, with a multitude of commercial, industrial and military applications. Aerospace engineering consists of aeronautics and astrona ...

boom of the 1950s and 1960s, it has increasingly entered the orbit of nearby industry center

Huntsville Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in th ...

as the area's cotton production has steadily declined. Athens is the home of

Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant The Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant is located on the Tennessee River near Decatur and Athens, Alabama, on the north side (right bank) of Wheeler Lake. The site has three General Electric boiling water reactor (BWR) nuclear generating units and is ow ...

, a Tennessee Valley Authority installation first operated in 1974, that was once the world's largest

nuclear plant A nuclear power plant (NPP) is a thermal power station in which the heat source is a nuclear reactor. As is typical of thermal power stations, heat is used to generate steam that drives a steam turbine connected to a generator that produces elec ...

. It provides many jobs to the area and most of the electricity for the Huntsville-Decatur Metro Area. On March 22, 1975, the Browns Ferry plant became the scene of what was, with the exception of the

Three Mile Island accident The Three Mile Island accident was a partial meltdown of the Three Mile Island, Unit 2 (TMI-2) reactor in Pennsylvania, United States. It began at 4 a.m. on March 28, 1979. It is the most significant accident in U.S. commercial nuclea ...

, the most serious

nuclear accident A nuclear and radiation accident is defined by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as "an event that has led to significant consequences to people, the environment or the facility. Examples include lethal effects to individuals, lar ...

in United States history. A worker using a candle to check for air leaks started a fire among control wires, causing a temporary threat to operational control of the reactor (see Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant article on Unit One Fire).

Geography

Athens is midway between Nashville and Birmingham on

Interstate 65 Interstate 65 (I-65) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates ending in 5, it is a major crosscountry, north–south route, connecting between the Great Lakes and the Gulf ...

. Athens shares a boundary with Huntsville. According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (0.23%) is water.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally cool winters. According to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

system, Athens has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

Athens first appeared on the 1850 U.S. Census as an incorporated place. It did not appear on the 1860 census, but returned again in 1870 and every census to date.

2000 Census data

As of the census of 2000, there were 18,967 people, 7,742 households, and 5,140 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 8,449 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 77.72%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 18.26%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.40% Native American, 0.71%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 1.92% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 0.97% from two or more races. 4.86% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race. There were 7,742 households, of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% were married couples living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.6% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.97. In the city, the age distribution of the population showed 23.9% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.5 males. The median income for a household in the city of Athens was $33,980, and the median income for a family was $44,544. Males had a median income of $37,191 versus $22,748 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $19,315. About 13.7% of families and 16.3% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 21.2% of those under age 45 and 10.8% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 21,897 people, 9,038 households, and 5,881 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 9,862 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 73.0%

, 17.5%

, 0.6% Native American, 0.9%

, 0.1%

, 5.9% from

, and 1.9% from two or more races. 8.8% of the population were

of any race. There were 9,038 households, of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.5% were married couples living together, 13.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.9% were non-families. 31.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.96. In the city, the age distribution of the population showed 22.8% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 26.2% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.7 males. The median income for a household in the city of Athens was $42,127, and the median income for a family was $54,013. Males had a median income of $43,672 versus $31,601 for females. The

for the city was $26,136. About 15.5% of families and 17.5% of the population were below the

, including 26.4% of those under age 45 and 8.5% of those age 65 or over.

2020 census

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, there were 25,406 people, 9,397 households, and 6,080 families residing in the city.

Athens Precinct/Division (1870-)

Athens, the 1st Beat/Precinct of Limestone County first reported on the 1870 U.S. Census. This included both the town/city of Athens and the surrounding area. It did not report a figure for 1880, but returned in 1890 and every census to date. In 1870, when racial demographics were reported, it had a Black majority in that beat. In 1960, Athens precinct was changed to a census division as part of a general reorganization of counties.

Health care

Athens-Limestone Hospital
101-bed facility

Transportation

* U.S. Highway 31 *

U.S. Highway 72 U.S. Route 72 (US 72) is an east–west United States highway that travels for from southwestern Tennessee, throughout North Mississippi, North Alabama, and southeastern Tennessee. The highway's western terminus is in Memphis, Tennessee and ...

Norfolk Southern Railway The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad in the United States formed in 1982 with the merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. With headquarters in Atlanta, the company operates 19,420 route miles (31 ...

CSX Transportation CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...

railroad *

Pryor Field Regional Airport Pryor Field Regional Airport is a public airport located three miles (5 km) northeast of the central business district of Decatur, Alabama, Decatur and south of Athens, Alabama, Athens, in Limestone County, Alabama, Limestone County, Alabam ...

(regional/municipal airport) Intercity bus service is provided by

Greyhound Lines Greyhound Lines, Inc. (commonly known as simply Greyhound) operates the largest intercity bus service in North America, including Greyhound Mexico. It also operates charter bus services, Amtrak Thruway services, commuter bus services, and pac ...

. Historically, the

Louisville and Nashville Railroad The Louisville and Nashville Railroad , commonly called the L&N, was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States. Chartered by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1850, the road grew into one of the ...

ran daily

passenger train A passenger train is a train used to transport people along a railroad line. These trains may consist of unpowered passenger railroad cars (also known as coaches or carriages) hauled by one or more locomotives, or may be self-propelled; self pr ...

s, including the '' Pan-American'' and an unnamed train, making stops in Athens. This service ended in 1971.

Education

Athens-Limestone Public Library
* Athens City Schools
Athens Bible School

Lindsay Lane Christian Academy K3-12
*

Media

*''

The News Courier ''The News Courier'' is a daily newspaper published in Athens, Alabama, covering Limestone County, Alabama. It is owned by Community Newspaper Holdings Inc. Today's ''News Courier'' was created in 1969, when ''The Alabama Courier'' (founded 1892) ...

'', daily newspaper * WVNN 770 AM * WKAC 1080 AM *

WZYP WZYP (104.3 FM, "104.3 'ZYP") is a Top 40 (CHR) music-formatted radio station licensed to serve Athens, Alabama, and broadcasting in the Huntsville, Alabama, area. The station is owned by Cumulus Media and formerly broadcast in HD. The broadca ...

104.3 FM * WTZT-CD TV channel 11

Notable people

* Woody Abernathy, former professional baseball outfielder * Sheila Andrews,

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

singer *

Bill Arnsparger William Stephen Arnsparger (December 16, 1926 – July 17, 2015) was an American college and professional football coach. He was born and raised in Paris, Kentucky, served in the United States Marine Corps during World War II, and graduated from Mi ...

defensive coordinator in the National Football League (NFL) for

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...

teams that won consecutive

Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the game ...

s (1972 and 1973), head coach of the

LSU Tigers The LSU Tigers and Lady Tigers are the athletic teams representing Louisiana State University (LSU), a state university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. LSU competes in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as a ...

Football team. *

Keith Askins Keith Bernard Askins (born December 15, 1967) is a retired American professional basketball player. Basketball career After playing at the University of Alabama, the 6'7" Askins signed with the National Basketball Association's Miami Heat in 19 ...

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

Assistant coach, former player

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Southe ...

* Don Black, KKK

Grand Wizard The Grand Wizard (later the Grand and Imperial Wizard simplified as the Imperial Wizard and eventually, the National Director) referred to the national leader of several different Ku Klux Klan organizations in the United States and abroad. The ti ...

Neo Nazi Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and racial supremacy (often white supremacy), attack r ...

White Nationalist White nationalism is a type of racial nationalism or pan-nationalism which espouses the belief that white people are a raceHeidi Beirich and Kevin Hicks. "Chapter 7: White nationalism in America". In Perry, Barbara. ''Hate Crimes''. Greenwoo ...

. *

Michael Boley Michael Jerome Boley (born August 24, 1982) is a former American football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Southern Miss and was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the fifth round of the 20 ...

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

Outside linebacker

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

Wally Bullington Wallace "Coach Bully" Bullington (May 17, 1931 – July 20, 2018) was a former American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He served Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas for 39 years as football player, assista ...

, head football coach for

Abilene Christian University Abilene Christian University (ACU) is a Private university, private Churches of Christ, Christian university in Abilene, Texas. It was founded in 1906 as ''Childers Classical Institute''. ACU is one of the largest private universities in the Sout ...

from 1968 to 1976 *

Tom Calvin Thomas Marvin Calvin (June 13, 1926 – January 22, 2020) was an American football halfback in the National Football League (NFL). Calvin played college football for the University of Alabama. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in ...

, former NFL halfback *

Dick Coffman Samuel Richard Coffman (December 18, 1906 – March 24, 1972) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher with the Washington Senators, St. Louis Browns, New York Giants, Boston Bees and Philadelphia Phillies between 1927 and 1945. Coffman b ...

, former

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

player *

Slick Coffman George David "Slick" Coffman (December 11, 1910 – May 8, 2003) was an American baseball pitcher. He played 18 years of professional baseball, including four years in Major League Baseball with the Detroit Tigers (1937–1939) and St. Louis Brow ...

, former Major League Baseball player * Billy Davis, former member of the

Arizona State Senate The Arizona State Senate is part of the Arizona Legislature, the state legislature of the US state of Arizona. The Senate consists of 30 members each representing an average of 219,859 constituents (2009 figures). Members serve two-year terms w ...

P. O. Davis Posey Oliver "P.O" Davis (1890–1973), was an American educator and administrator, as well as a pioneering agricultural editor and broadcaster. He perhaps is best remembered as the longest serving director of the Alabama Extension Service (now ...

, early radio pioneer, agricultural editor and Alabama Cooperative Extension Service educator and administrator *

Anderson East Michael Cameron Anderson (born July 17, 1987), known professionally as Anderson East, is an American musician from Athens, Alabama, who currently is based in Nashville, Tennessee. East's sound is notable for combining R&B, soul, and roots rock ...

, R&B singer that is featured on the Fifty Shades Darker soundtrack *

Richard Hendrix Venard Richard Hendrix ( Macedonian: Венард Ричард Хендрикс; born November 15, 1986) is an American-born naturalized Macedonian professional basketball player who last played for Niigata Albirex BB of the B.League. He has al ...

, Professional Basketball Player *

Jake Hess Jake Hess (December 24, 1927 – January 4, 2004) was an American Grammy Award-winning southern gospel singer.McNeil, W.K., Ed. (2010). ''Encyclopedia of American Gospel Music''. Routledge. . Pp. 201-202. Life The son of "a sharecropper who was ...

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

-winning

southern gospel Southern gospel music is a genre of Christian music. Its name comes from its origins in the southeastern United States. Its lyrics are written to express either personal or a communal faith regarding biblical teachings and Christian life, as ...

singer *

Brittany Howard Brittany Amber Howard (born October 2, 1988) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter known for being the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and main songwriter of rock bands Alabama Shakes, Thunderbitch, and Bermuda Triangle. Her work wi ...

, singer and guitarist with

Alabama Shakes Alabama Shakes were an American rock band formed in Athens, Alabama, in 2009. The band consists of lead singer and guitarist Brittany Howard, guitarist Heath Fogg, bassist Zac Cockrell, and drummer Steve Johnson. The band began its career touring ...

C. Eric Lincoln Charles Eric Lincoln (June 23, 1924 – May 14, 2000) was an American scholar.Eric V. Copage in ''The New York Times'', May 17, 2000.Penne J. Laubenthal"C. Eric Lincoln" Encyclopedia of Alabama, June 14, 2011. He was the author of several books, i ...

, African-American scholar * Patti J. Malone, noted African-American mezzo-soprano singer *

Bobby Marlow Robert R. "Bobby" Marlow (February 8, 1930 – June 5, 1985) was an American and Canadian football running back who played for the Alabama Crimson Tide football, University of Alabama and the Canadian Football League's (CFL) Saskatchewan Roughrider ...

, former

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

running back * John Mason Martin, U.S. Representative from 1885 to 1887 * Andy *

Mitch McConnell Addison Mitchell McConnell III (born February 20, 1942) is an American politician and retired attorney serving as the senior United States senator from Kentucky and the Senate minority leader since 2021. Currently in his seventh term, McConne ...

, U. S. Senator from Kentucky, lived in Athens from 1942 to 1950 *

Alfred McCullough Alfred McCullough (born July 16, 1989) is an American football offensive lineman who is currently a free agent. He played college football at the University of Alabama and attended Athens High School in Athens, Alabama. He was a member of the Ba ...

, American football player * Kevin Miller, radio talk show host *

Roger Murrah Roger Alan Murrah (born November 20, 1946) is a songwriter and independent music publisher who has written hits for artists including Waylon Jennings, Alan Jackson, Al Jarreau, and Alabama.Andy Nelson, former

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to risk management, the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are ...

for the

Baltimore Colts The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team that played in Baltimore from its founding in 1953 to 1984. The team now plays in Indianapolis, as the Indianapolis Colts. The team was named for Baltimore's history of horse breed ...

and

Edmund Pettus Edmund Winston Pettus (July 6, 1821 – July 27, 1907) was a lawyer and politician who represented Alabama in the United States Senate from 1897 to 1907. He served as a senior Officer (armed forces), officer of the Confederate States Army, ...

, lawyer, soldier, and

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

from 1897 to 1907 *

Luke Pryor Luke Pryor (July 5, 1820August 5, 1900) was a United States Senate, U.S. senator from the U.S. state, state of Alabama. He was appointed to fill the Senate term left by the death of George S. Houston and served from January 7 to November 23, 1880, ...

, served as a U.S. Senator in 1880, and as a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from 1883 to 1885 *

Wayne Redmond Howard Wayne Redmond (November 25, 1945 – August 8, 2020) was an American former professional baseball player. He played 933 games of minor league baseball during his nine-season (1965–1973) career, and had brief trials with the and Detroit ...

, former baseball player for the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

* William N. Richardson, U.S. Representative from 1900 to 1914 *

Philip Rivers Philip Michael Rivers (born December 8, 1981) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons, primarily with the Chargers franchise. He played college football at NC State and was sele ...

quarterback,

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...

Charles Henry Sykes Charles Henry "Bill" Sykes (November 12, 1882 – December 19, 1942) was an American cartoonist associated with the Public Ledger (Philadelphia), Philadelphia ''Public Ledger'' and ''Evening Ledger'' from 1911 until its closing in 1942. Born in ...

, editorial cartoonist * Charles Coleman Thach, president of

Auburn University Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a public land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama. With more than 24,600 undergraduate students and a total enrollment of more than 30,000 with 1,330 faculty members, Auburn is the second largest uni ...

from 1902 to 1920 *

Alice Vassar LaCour Alice Vassar LaCour (born 1870s – died 1924) was an American educator and singer. Early life and education Alice Maud Vassar was from Athens, Alabama, where she attended the Trinity School run by missionary Mary Fletcher Wells. She graduated ...

, Fisk Jubilee singer and teacher *

Lee Vickers Lee Vickers (born March 13, 1981) is a former American football tight end. He was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2006. He played college football at North Alabama Lions football, North Alabama. Vickers has also p ...

, professional football player for the

Omaha Nighthawks The Omaha Nighthawks were a professional American football team based in Omaha, Nebraska, which played in the United Football League, joining the league as an expansion team in 2010. During their first season, the Nighthawks played their home gam ...

* James C. Watkins, ceramic artist * Quez Watkins, professional football player * Henry A. White, Alabama educator and state representative; served on the Athens City Council * Pryor Williams, former professional football player

Gallery

File:Limestone County Courthouse, Athens, Alabama 02.jpg, Limestone County Courthouse, Athens File:Downtown Athens, Alabama LCCN2010640842.tif, Downtown Athens File:Downtown Athens, Alabama LCCN2010640839.tif, Downtown Athens File:Athens, Alabama LCCN2010640828.tif, Downtown Athens File:Governor George S. Houston House, 101 Houston Street, Athens (Limestone County, Alabama).jpg, Governor George S. Houston House, Athens File:Athens Masonic Hall.jpg, Athens Masonic Hall File:Athens former post office, 35611.jpg, Athens Former Post Office File:Confederate soldiers monument, Athens, Alabama LCCN2010640840.tif, Confederate soldiers monument, Athens File:Athens First Methodist Church.jpg, Athens First Methodist Church File:"Sacked and Plundered" historic sign, Athens, Alabama LCCN2010640827.tif, "Sacked and Plundered" historic sign, Athens File:Presbyterian Church built in 1895, Athens, Alabama LCCN2010640834.tif, Presbyterian Church, Athens File:Limestone Drug building, Athens, Alabama LCCN2010640841.tif, Limestone Drug building, Athens File:FRONT VIEW. - Frances Snow Pryor House, Jefferson Street, Athens, Limestone County, AL HABS ALA,42-ATH,2-1.tif, Frances Snow Pryor House, Athens File:FRONT VIEW. - Vining-Wood-Vasser House, 301 East Washington Street, Athens, Limestone County, AL HABS ALA,42-ATH,10-1.tif, Vining-Wood-Vasser House, Athens File:WEST FRONT AND NORTH SIDE - Judge William Harrison Walker House, 309 East Clinton Street, Athens, Limestone County, AL HABS ALA,42-ATH,9-1.tif, Judge William Harrison Walker House, Athens File:WEST FRONT AND SOUTH SIDE - Dr. R. H. Richardson House, 401 South Clinton Street, Athens, Limestone County, AL HABS ALA,42-ATH,8-1.tif, Dr. R. H. Richardson House, Athens File:Pryor Field Regional Airport.jpg, Pryor Field Regional Airport, Athens File:WEST FRONT, SOUTH SIDE - Father Robert Donnell House, 601 South Clinton Street, Athens, Limestone County, AL HABS ALA,42-ATH,7-1.tif, Father Robert Donnell House, Athens

References

External links

*
Athens-Limestone Public Library

Chamber of Commerce and tourism resource

Built in America Collection from Library of Congress American Memory Collection
contains historic drawings, photographs, and descriptions of homes and buildings in Athens.
James Croley Smith Collection, The University of Alabama in Huntsville Archives and Special Collections
contains sketches of historic buildings in Athens.
Downtown Different , Athens, Alabama
{{authority control Populated places established in 1818 Cities in Alabama Huntsville-Decatur, AL Combined Statistical Area Cities in Limestone County, Alabama County seats in Alabama 1818 establishments in Alabama Territory