Athens, officially Athens–Clarke County, is a

consolidated city-county In United States local government, a consolidated city-county is formed when one or more cities and their surrounding county ( parish in Louisiana, borough in Alaska) merge into one unified jurisdiction. As such it has the governmental powers ...

and

college town A college town or university town is a community (often a separate town or city, but in some cases a town/city neighborhood or a district) that is dominated by its university population. The university may be large, or there may be several sma ...

in the U.S. state of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. Athens lies about northeast of downtown

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

, and is a

satellite city Satellite cities or satellite towns are smaller municipalities that are adjacent to a principal city which is the core of a metropolitan area. They differ from mere suburbs, subdivisions and especially bedroom communities in that they have m ...

of the capital. The

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

, the state's flagship public university and an R1 research institution, is in Athens and contributed to its initial growth. In 1991, after a vote the preceding year, the original City of Athens abandoned its charter to form a unified government with Clarke County, referred to jointly as Athens–Clarke County. As of 2020, 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 ...

's population of the consolidated city-county (all of Clarke County except Winterville and a portion of Bogart) was 127,315. Athens is the sixth-largest city in Georgia, and the principal city of the

Athens metropolitan area The Athens metropolitan area ( el, Μητροπολιτική Περιοχή της Αθήνας) spans within the Attica region and consists of 58 municipalities plus areas of East Attica and West Attica, having reached a population of 3,722,54 ...

, which had a 2020 population of 215,415, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Metropolitan Athens is a component of the larger Atlanta–Athens–Clarke County–Sandy Springs Combined Statistical Area. The city is dominated by a pervasive

culture and music scene centered in downtown Athens, next to the University of Georgia's North Campus. Major music acts associated with Athens include numerous

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commercial ...

bands such as R.E.M.,

the B-52's The B-52's, also styled as The B-52s, are an American new wave band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1976. The original lineup consisted of Fred Schneider (vocals, percussion), Kate Pierson (vocals, keyboards, synth bass), Cindy Wilson (vocals, ...

Widespread Panic Widespread Panic is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia. The current lineup includes guitarist/singer John Bell, bassist Dave Schools, drummer Duane Trucks, percussionist Domingo "Sunny" Ortiz, keyboardist John "JoJo" Hermann, and g ...

Drive-By Truckers Drive-By Truckers are an American rock band based in Athens, Georgia. Two of five current members ( Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley) are originally from The Shoals region of northern Alabama and met as roommates at the University of North Alab ...

, of Montreal,

Neutral Milk Hotel Neutral Milk Hotel was an American band formed in Ruston, Louisiana, by musician Jeff Mangum. They were active from 1989 to 1998, and again from 2013 to 2015. The band's music featured a deliberately low-quality sound, influenced by indie rock ...

, and

Harvey Milk Harvey Bernard Milk (May 22, 1930 – November 27, 1978) was an American politician and the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California, as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Milk was born and raised in ...

. The city is also known as a recording site for such groups as the Atlanta-based

Indigo Girls Indigo Girls are an American folk rock music duo from Atlanta, Georgia, United States, consisting of Amy Ray and Emily Saliers. The two met in elementary school and began performing together as high school students in Decatur, Georgia, part o ...

. The 2020 book ''Cool Town: How Athens, Georgia, Launched Alternative Music and Changed American Culture'' describes Athens as the model of the indie culture of the 1980s.

History

In the late 18th century, a trading settlement on the banks of the

Oconee River The Oconee River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map Accessed April 21, 2011 river in the U.S. state of Georgia. Its origin is in Hall County and it terminates where it joins ...

called Cedar Shoals stood where Athens is today. On January 27, 1785, the

Georgia General Assembly The Georgia General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is bicameral, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Each of the General Assembly's 236 members serve two-year terms and are direct ...

granted a

charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the re ...

Abraham Baldwin Abraham Baldwin (November 22, 1754March 4, 1807) was an American minister, Patriot, politician, and Founding Father who signed the United States Constitution. Born and raised in Connecticut, he was a 1772 graduate of Yale College. After the ...

for the

as the first state-supported university. Georgia's control of the area was established following the

Oconee War The Oconee War was a military conflict in the 1780s and 1790s between European Colonists and the Creek Indians known as the Oconee, who lived in an area between the Apalachee and North Oconee rivers in the state of Georgia. The struggle arose from ...

. In 1801, a committee from the university's board of

trustee Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, is a synonym for anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility to ...

s selected a site for the university on a hill above Cedar Shoals, in what was then Jackson County. On July 25, 1801,

John Milledge John Milledge (1757February 9, 1818) was an American politician. He fought in the American Revolution and later served as United States Representative, 26th Governor of Georgia, and United States Senator. Milledge was a founder of Athens, Ge ...

, one of the trustees and later governor of Georgia, bought from Daniel Easley and donated it to the university. Milledge named the surrounding area

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates a ...

after the city that was home to the

Platonic Academy The Academy ( Ancient Greek: Ἀκαδημία) was founded by Plato in c. 387 BC in Athens. Aristotle studied there for twenty years (367–347 BC) before founding his own school, the Lyceum. The Academy persisted throughout the Hellenisti ...

Plato Plato ( ; grc-gre, Πλάτων ; 428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was a Greek philosopher born in Athens during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. He founded the Platonist school of thought and the Academy, the first institution ...

and

Aristotle Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatetic school of ...

Classical Greece Classical Greece was a period of around 200 years (the 5th and 4th centuries BC) in Ancient Greece,The "Classical Age" is "the modern designation of the period from about 500 B.C. to the death of Alexander the Great in 323 B.C." ( Thomas R. Marti ...

The first buildings on the University of Georgia campus were made from logs. The town grew as lots adjacent to the college were sold to raise money for the additional construction of the school. By the time the first class graduated from the university in 1804, Athens consisted of three homes, three stores, and a few other buildings facing Front Street, now known as Broad Street. Completed in 1806 and named in honor of

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading int ...

, Franklin College was the first permanent structure of the University of Georgia and the city of Athens. This brick building is now known as Old College. Athens officially became a town in December 1806 with a government made up of a three-member commission. The university and town continued to grow with

cotton mill A cotton mill is a building that houses spinning or weaving machinery for the production of yarn or cloth from cotton, an important product during the Industrial Revolution in the development of the factory system. Although some were driven b ...

s fueling the industrial and commercial development. Athens became known as the "

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...

of the South" after the city in England known for its mills. In 1833 a group of Athens businessmen led by James Camak, tired of their wagons getting stuck in the mud, built one of Georgia's first railroads, the

, connecting Athens to Augusta by 1841, and to Marthasville (now

) by 1845. In the 1830s and 1840s, transportation developments and the growing influence of the University of Georgia made Athens one of the state's most important cities as the Antebellum Period neared the height of its development. The university essentially created a chain reaction of growth in the community which developed on its doorstep. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...

, Athens became a significant supply center when the New Orleans armory was relocated to what is now called the Chicopee building. Fortifications can still be found along parts of the North Oconee River between College Avenue and Oconee Street. In addition, Athens played a small part in the ill-fated "Stoneman Raid" when a skirmish was fought on a site overlooking the Middle Oconee River near what is now the old Macon Highway. A Confederate memorial that used to stand on Broad Street near the University of Georgia Arch was removed the week of August 10, 2020. During

Reconstruction Reconstruction may refer to: Politics, history, and sociology * Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company *''Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Unio ...

, Athens continued to grow. The form of government changed to a mayor-council government with a new city charter on August 24, 1872, and Henry Beusse was elected as the first mayor of Athens. Beusse was instrumental in the city's rapid growth after the Civil War. After serving as mayor, he worked in the railroad industry and helped bring railroads to the region, creating growth in many of the surrounding communities. Freed slaves moved to the city, where many were attracted by the new centers for education such as the

Freedmen's Bureau The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, usually referred to as simply the Freedmen's Bureau, was an agency of early Reconstruction, assisting freedmen in the South. It was established on March 3, 1865, and operated briefly as a ...

. This new population was served by three black newspapers: the ''Athens Blade'', the ''Athens Clipper'', and the ''Progressive Era''. In the 1880s, as Athens became more densely populated, city services and improvements were undertaken. The Athens

Police The police are a Law enforcement organization, constituted body of Law enforcement officer, persons empowered by a State (polity), state, with the aim to law enforcement, enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citize ...

Department was founded in 1881 and public schools opened in the fall of 1886. Telephone service was introduced in 1882 by the

Bell Telephone Company The Bell Telephone Company, a common law joint stock company, was organized in Boston, Massachusetts, on July 9, 1877, by Alexander Graham Bell's father-in-law Gardiner Greene Hubbard, who also helped organize a sister company – the New Engl ...

. Transportation improvements were also introduced with a street paving program beginning in 1885 and

streetcar A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport a ...

s, pulled by mules, in 1888. AthensGeorgiaStreetScene2008 05 s 03

By the centennial in 1901, Athens had experienced a century of development and growth. A new

city hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

was completed in 1904. An

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 ensl ...

middle class The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. C ...

and the professional class grew around the corner of Washington and Hull Streets, known as the "Hot Corner", where the Morton Building was constructed in 1910. The theater at the Morton Building hosted movies and performances by black musicians such as

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and Singing, vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and se ...

Cab Calloway Cabell Calloway III (December 25, 1907 – November 18, 1994) was an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, conductor and dancer. He was associated with the Cotton Club in Harlem, where he was a regular performer and became a popular vocalis ...

, and

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was bas ...

. In 1907 aviation pioneer Ben T. Epps became Georgia's first pilot on a hill outside town that would become the Athens-Ben Epps Airport. The last, and perhaps only, lynching in Athens occurred on February 16, 1921, when a mob of 3,000 people attacked the Athens courthouse and carried off John Lee Eberhart. Eberhart had been arrested for the murder of his employer, Ida D. Lee, with a shotgun in Oconee County. That night he was driven back to the Lee farm where a mock trial was held. Though he refused to confess, he was tied to a stake and burned to death. The lynching received widespread attention. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...

built new buildings and paved runways to serve as a training facility for naval pilots. In 1954, the U.S. Navy chose Athens as the site for the Navy Supply Corps school. The school was in Normaltown in the buildings of the old

Normal School A normal school or normal college is an institution created to train teachers by educating them in the norms of pedagogy and curriculum. In the 19th century in the United States, instruction in normal schools was at the high school level, turni ...

. It closed in 2011 under the

Base Realignment and Closure Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) is a process by a United States federal government commission to increase United States Department of Defense efficiency by coordinating the realignment and closure of military installations following the end ...

process. The site is now home to the University of Georgia/Medical College of Georgia Medical Partnership, the University of Georgia College of Public Health, and other health-related programs In 1961, Athens witnessed part of the civil rights movement when

Charlayne Hunter Charlayne Hunter-Gault (born February 27, 1942) is an American civil rights activist, journalist and former foreign correspondent for National Public Radio, CNN, and the Public Broadcasting Service. Charlayne Hunter and Hamilton Holmes were the ...

and

Hamilton Holmes Hamilton E. Holmes (8 July 1941 – 26 October 1995) was an American orthopedic physician. He and Charlayne Hunter-Gault were the first two African-American students admitted to the University of Georgia. Additionally, Holmes was the first Af ...

became the first two black students to enter the University of Georgia. Despite the ''

Brown vs. Board of Education ''Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka'', 347 U.S. 483 (1954), was a landmark decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled that U.S. state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional, even if the segregat ...

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

ruling in 1954, the Athens–Clarke County school district remained segregated until 1964.

Timeline

* 1801 ** Franklin College opens. ** Clarke County formed from part of Jackson County. * 1806 - Town of Athens incorporated. * 1808 - ''Georgia Express'' newspaper begins publication. * 1810 ** Jackson Street Cemetery in use (approximate date). ** Population: 273. * 1832 - '' Southern Banner'' newspaper in publication. * 1834 - Camak House and T. R. R. Cobb House built (approximate date). * 1841 - Railroad begins operating. * 1842 -

Joseph Henry Lumpkin House The Joseph Henry Lumpkin House was built in the 1830s, and purchased by its namesake, the first chief justice of the Georgia Supreme Court, in 1842. Early history Built in the 1830s by Charles H. McKinley, the house was originally a much sma ...

built. * 1850 - Population: 1,661. * 1856 **

Oconee Hill Cemetery Oconee Hill Cemetery is a cemetery in Athens, Georgia, United States. The extant cemetery opened in 1856 and is located near the University of Georgia. Oconee Hill Cemetery was purchased in 1855 by the city of Athens when further burials were pro ...

established. ** Benjamin H. Hill House built. * 1859 - Lumpkin Law School and

Lucy Cobb Institute The Lucy Cobb Institute was a girls' school on Milledge Avenue in Athens, Georgia, United States. It was founded by Thomas R.R. Cobb, and named in honor of his daughter, who had died of scarlet fever at age 14, shortly before construction was co ...

(girls school) established. * 1870 - Population: 4,251. * 1871 - Athens becomes seat of Clarke County. * 1872 ** City of Athens incorporated. ** State School of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts opens. * 1882 - Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery established. * 1883 - Synagogue built. * 1891 ** Electric streetcar begins operating. ** Ladies Garden Club organized. * 1895 - State Normal School opens. * 1896 - Electric lighting introduced. * 1900 - Population: 10,245. * 1903 - University of Georgia College of Pharmacy founded. * 1904 - City Hall built. * 1906 - School of Forestry founded. * 1908 - Southern Mutual Insurance Company building constructed. * 1910 - Morton Theatre in business. * 1912 - School of Commerce founded. * 1914 ** Reese Street School was founded. ** Clarke County Courthouse built. * 1917 - Athens Ben Epps Airport opens. * 1921 - Lynching of John Lee Eberhart * 1924 - Athens Country Club founded. * 1928 - WTFI radio begins broadcasting. * 1929 - University's

Sanford Stadium Sanford Stadium is the on-campus playing venue for football at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, United States (also known as UGA). The 92,746-seat stadium is the tenth-largest stadium in the NCAA. Architecturally, the stadium is kn ...

opens. * 1932 -

begins administering previously separate colleges of agriculture, education, law, etc. * 1938 **

WGAU WGAU (1340 AM, "News-Talk 1340") is a radio station licensed to serve Athens, Georgia, United States, that broadcasts a news/talk format. The transmitter is located at the studios (with WNGC) in Five Points. WGAU began broadcasting on May 1, 19 ...

radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a tr ...

begins broadcasting. **

University of Georgia Press The University of Georgia Press or UGA Press is the university press of the University of Georgia, a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia. It is the oldest and largest publishing house in Georgia and a ...

established. * 1940 - Population: 20,650. * 1948 - Georgia Museum of Art opens. * 1949 - State Farmers Market established near Athens. * 1954 - Prince Avenue Drive-In cinema in business. * 1958 - Athens Area Vocational-Technical School founded. * 1959 - Athens Historical Society organized. * 1963 - Beechwood Shopping Center in business. * 1965 - ''Daily News'' in publication. * 1971 -

Clarke Central High School Clarke Central High School (CCHS) is located in Athens, Georgia, United States. In 1970, Clarke County schools were desegregated, and the high school for black children, Burney-Harris High School (formerly Athens High and Industrial School), and t ...

opens. * 1976 **

Athens Transit Athens Transit is a public bus system in Athens, Georgia, United States. The system was started in 1976, and today 20 routes operate throughout the city. The whole system is fare free. Most bus routes have the buses stop at a given location onc ...

bus begins operating. **

The B-52's The B-52's, also styled as The B-52s, are an American new wave band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1976. The original lineup consisted of Fred Schneider (vocals, percussion), Kate Pierson (vocals, keyboards, synth bass), Cindy Wilson (vocals, ...

musical group formed. * 1977 -

Georgia Theatre Georgia Theatre is a live music venue and event space in Athens, Georgia. Many prominent national and local acts across all genres have performed at the Theatre, including rock, folk, country, indie, alternative, hip hop and electronic. The venue i ...

in business. * 1979 - Pylon musical group begins performing. * 1980 ** Georgia Square Mall in business. ** R.E.M. musical group formed. * 1987 - Athens-Clarke County Correctional Institution built. * 1990 - Population: 45,734. * 1991 - Governments of Athens and Clarke County consolidate. * 1992 - Athens-Clarke County Library's Heritage Room (for local history) established. * 1996 - Part of

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

takes place in Athens. * 2000 ** City-county website online (approximate date). ** Population: 100,266. * 2001 **

Athens Institute for Contemporary Art The Athens Institute for Contemporary Art (ATHICA) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) contemporary art gallery in Athens, Georgia, United States. Lizzie Zucker Saltz, ATHICA's founder and director, began the institute in 2001 with the help of FiveArt, Inc ...

founded. ** ''

Athens Banner-Herald The ''Athens Banner-Herald'' is a daily newspaper with less than 20,000 circulation located in Athens, Georgia, USA, and owned by Gannett. The paper has a Sunday special and publishes online under the name ''Online Athens''. It has been through a ...

'' newspaper in publication. * 2007 -

Paul Broun Paul Collins Broun Jr. (born May 14, 1946) is an American physician and politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2007 to 2015. He is a member of the Republican Party and was a member of the Tea Party Caucus. Broun unsuccess ...

becomes U.S. representative for

Georgia's 10th congressional district Georgia's 10th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Georgia. The district is currently represented by Republican Jody Hice, and includes a large swath of urban and rural territory between Atlanta and Augusta ...

. * 2010 - Population: 115,452. * 2011 - Nancy Denson becomes mayor. * 2015 -

Jody Hice Jody Brownlow Hice (born April 22, 1960) is an American politician, radio show host, and political activist who served as the U.S. representative for Georgia's 10th congressional district from 2015 to 2023. He is a member of the Republican Part ...

becomes U.S. representative for Georgia's 10th congressional district.

Geography

According to the

United States 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 th ...

, the balance has a total area of , of which is land and (0.41%) is water. Athens lies within the

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° ...

zone, with hot, humid summers and mild to moderately cold winters. Annual rainfall averages . Light to moderate snowfall can occur in winter. In the spring, frequent

thunderstorm A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm or a lightning storm, is a storm characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere, known as thunder. Relatively weak thunderstorms are some ...

s can sometimes become severe, even producing

tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, alt ...

es. The city itself sits on a series of anomalous hills, unique to the Piedmont region.

Climate

Athens has a

. Its climatic regime is in many ways typical of

Southeastern United States The Southeastern United States, also referred to as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical List of regions in the United States, region of the United States. It is located broadly on the eastern portion of the south ...

with hot summers transitioning into cool winters, but with precipitation being consistently high throughout the year. Normal monthly temperatures range from in January to in July; on average, maxima reach or higher and stay below on 58 and 5.8 days annually, and there are 48 days annually with a minimum at or below freezing. Official record temperatures range from on January 21, 1985 to on June 29, 2012; the record cold daily maximum is on January 30, 1966, while, conversely, the record warm daily minimum is as recently as August 11, 2007. Temperatures rarely fall below , having last occurred January 7, 2014. The average window for freezing temperatures is November 5 to March 24, allowing a growing season of 225 days. Precipitation is relatively well spread (though the summer months are slightly wetter), and averages annually, but has historically ranged from in 1954 to in 1964. Snowfall is sporadic, averaging per winter, but has reached in 2010–2011.

Demographics

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 off ...

, there were 127,315 people, 51,640 households, and 23,615 families residing in the city.

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2010, there were 100,266 people, 39,239 households, and 19,344 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 41,633 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 64.71%

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 ...

, 27.37%

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 ha ...

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 ...

, 0.21% Native American, 3.15% Asian, 0.04%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 3.11% 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 1.41% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 6.39% of the population. The large population increase from 1990 to 2000 reflects the altered boundaries that came with the consolidation of Athens and Clarke County, not just the influx of new residents. There were 39,239 households, of which 22.3% had children under 18 living with them, 32.3% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 50.7% were non-families. 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.95. In the city, the population was spread out, with 17.8% under the age of 18, 31.6% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 15.3% from 45 to 64, and 8.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $28,118, and the median income for a family was $41,407. Males had a median income of $30,359 versus $23,039 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 balance was $17,103. About 15.0% of families and 28.6% 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 ...

, including 25.2% of those under age 18 and 13.5% of those age 65 or over.

Government

In 1990, the City of Athens and Clarke County voters voted to unify their governments, becoming only the second unified government in Georgia and the 28th nationwide. *Legislative: Th
government
is headed by an electe
mayor
and 10 electe
commissioners
from 10 equally divided districts. Previously, they have been formed from 8 geographical districts and 2 super-districts covering districts 1–4 and 5–8 *Executive: The Unified Government of Athens-Clarke County's day-to-day operations is overseen by a manager appointed by the Mayor and Commission. There are 24 main departments, divisions, and offices under the managerial group. *Judicial: Athens-Clarke County houses Magistrate, Juvenile, Municipal, Probate, State, and Superior Courts. Superior Court covers the Western Judicial Circuit, which also includes Oconee County.

Law

The Athens-Clarke County Police Department (ACCPD) was formed by the merger of the

law enforcement agencies A law enforcement agency (LEA) is any government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws. Jurisdiction LEAs which have their ability to apply their powers restricted in some way are said to operate within a jurisdiction. LEA ...

of the City of Athens and Clarke County. , Cleveland Lee Spruill Sr. was sworn in as the new Chief of Police. ACCPD is accredited by the

Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) is a credentialing authority (accreditation), based in the United States, whose primary mission is to accredit public safety agencies, namely law enforcement agencies, trai ...

(CALEA) and was named a "Gold Standard Agency" in 2013. ACCPD's 911 Communications Center is also CALEA certified and has reached "Gold Standard" status. ACCPD is also the first law enforcement agency certified by the

State of Georgia Georgia is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee and North Carolina; to the northeast by South Carolina; to the southeast by the Atlantic Ocean; to the south by Florida; and to the west ...

Economy

Businesses

Athens, Georgia - Clayton Street Intersection

Athens is home to a growing number of young technology companies including Docebo, Roundsphere, and Cogent Education. The city is also home to more established technology companies such as Partner Software, Peachtree Medical Billing, and Digital Insight. Athens is home to several pharmaceutical manufacturing and biotechnology companies such as Merial and Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. The University of Georgia also hosts its own biotechnology research centers mostly from the lower east side of town bordering Oconee county. In May 2020, RWDC Industries, a company that develops alternatives to single-use plastics, announced its plan to invest $260 million into the city and the surrounding area and acquire an existing 400,000-square-foot facility. Independent publisher Hill Street Press is headquartered here. Authors with previous, or current, residence in the city include

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made ...

winners

Deborah Blum Deborah Blum (born October 19, 1954) is an American science journalist and the director of the Knight Science Journalism program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

and Edward Larson, as well as Judith Ortiz Cofer, Reginald McKnight, Coleman Barks, and

Jon Jefferson Jon Jefferson (born 13 November 1955) is a contemporary American author and television documentary maker. Jefferson has written ten novels in the ''Body Farm'' series under the pen name Jefferson Bass, in consultation with renowned forensic anthr ...

. Athens' music industry has also continued to grow as Tweed Recording acquired an 11,000-square-foot facility in downtown Athens to house their new recording studio, academy, and community space.

Tourism

Each spring, there are bicycle races collectively known as the Twilight Series. One of these races is the

Athens Twilight Criterium The Twilight Series is an annual road cycling race that takes place in the spring in Athens, Georgia, United States, since 1980. During the course of each Twilight weekend, competitive events in a variety of fields are staged, including BMX racin ...

Competitiveness

In 2010, the average household rent in Athens was $962. The national average was $1,087. Of the Athens population 25 years of age or older, 39.3% have earned a bachelor's degree or higher.

Arts and culture

The Georgia Museum of Art at the University of Georgia has been, since 1982, the official state art museum. Culture coexists with the university students in creating an art scene, music scene, and intellectual environment. The city has music venues, restaurants, bars, and coffee shops that cater to its creative climate.

Points of interest

* One of the remaining two

double-barreled cannon The double-barreled cannon is an American Civil War-era experimental weapon and is now a modern landmark located in Athens, Georgia. While originally built for warfare, the cannon never saw battle. It is part of the Downtown Athens Historic D ...

s produced during the

is here * The "

Tree That Owns Itself The Tree That Owns Itself is a white oak tree that, according to legend, has legal ownership of itself and of all land within of its base. Also known as the Jackson Oak, the tree is at the corner of South Finley and Dearing Streets in Athen ...

", which is now an offspring of the original tree * The Georgia Museum of Art, the official state museum of art, at the University of Georgia *

The State Botanical Garden of Georgia The State Botanical Garden of Georgia is a botanical garden of in the United States, with a conservatory operated by the University of Georgia. It is located at 2450 South Milledge Avenue, Athens, Georgia. The Garden contains eleven botanical ...

at the University of Georgia * The University of Georgia Campus & Arboretum * St. Mary's Church steeple, all that remains of the site of the first show by what became R.E.M. * The Globe bar was voted by ''

Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...

'' magazine as the bar ranked third highest in America in 2007 * Founded in 1955,

Allen's Allen's, earlier A. W. Allen Limited, is an Australian brand of confectionery products produced by Nestlé. Allen's is the top brand of sugar confectionery in Australia. It is best known for Minties, a soft chewable mint-flavored confectionery, ...

was Athens' oldest bar and grill despite closing in 2004, re-opening in 2007, and closing again in November 2011 * Sandy Creek Park * Memorial Park

Music

The music of Athens, Georgia, includes a wide variety of popular music and was an important part of the early evolution of

and new wave. The city is well known as the home of chart-topping bands like R.E.M. and

The B-52s The B-52's, also styled as The B-52s, are an American new wave band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1976. The original lineup consisted of Fred Schneider (vocals, percussion), Kate Pierson (vocals, keyboards, synth bass), Cindy Wilson (vocals, pe ...

, and several long-time indie /rock hip-hop groups. The Athens music scene grew in the early 1970s and later during the 1980s with the

and

40 Watt Club The 40 Watt Club is a music venue in Athens, Georgia. Along with CBGB, the Whisky a Go Go, and selected others, it was instrumental in launching American punk rock and new wave music. The 40 Watt Club was the primary performance space for numero ...

as the aforementioned bands scored breakout hits. Other notable bands were

Dreams So Real Dreams So Real were an American alternative rock band from Athens, Georgia, who gained national exposure in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They recorded three albums, including two releases on Arista Records. History The trio was led by songw ...

Vigilantes of Love Vigilantes of Love is an American rock band fronted by Bill Mallonee, with many secondary players drawn from the musician pool in and around Athens, Georgia, United States. In its later manifestations in the later 1990s and early 2000s, Mallone ...

Matthew Sweet Sidney Matthew Sweet (born October 6, 1964) is an American alternative rock/power pop singer-songwriter and musician who was part of the burgeoning music scene in Athens, Georgia, during the 1980s before gaining commercial success in the 1990 ...

, The Method Actors,

Love Tractor Love Tractor (1980–current) is a band from Athens, Georgia, founded in spring 1980 by guitarists Mark Cline and Mike Richmond, and bassist Armistead Wellford, students at the University of Georgia. Like The B-52's, Pylon and R.E.M., Love Trac ...

, Pylon, Flat Duo Jets, The Primates,

Modern Skirts Modern Skirts was an alternative rock band based in Athens, GA. The band consisted of four members: Jay Gulley (guitar and vocals), JoJo Glidewell (guitar, piano, and vocals), Phillip Brantley (bass, guitar, and vocals) and John Q. Swint (drums). ...

, The Whigs, Squalls,

Drive-by Truckers Drive-By Truckers are an American rock band based in Athens, Georgia. Two of five current members ( Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley) are originally from The Shoals region of northern Alabama and met as roommates at the University of North Alab ...

, Futurebirds, Bloodkin,

Randall Bramblett Randall Bramblett (born 1948) is an American musician and singer-songwriter, whose career as a solo artist, session player, and touring musician, has spanned more than three decades. He has worked with Gregg Allman, Bonnie Raitt, Goose Creek Sy ...

, Vic Chesnutt, Tishamingo,

Bubba Sparxxx Warren Anderson Mathis (born March 6, 1977), better known by his stage name Bubba Sparxxx, is an American rapper from Georgia. His singles include "Deliverance", " Ugly" (both featuring Timbaland), and " Ms. New Booty" (featuring Ying Yang Twins ...

], Dead Confederate, and Corey Smith. In his insider book, ''Party Out of Bounds: The B-52's, R.E.M., and the Kids Who Rocked Athens,'' Rodger Lyle Brown described the indie rock scene in Athens. National acts that have come out of Athens include: The Whigs,

Reptar Reptar is a fictional character from the American animated television series ''Rugrats''. It is a green '' T. rex'' (and sometimes appears in red-violet and lilac) with rounded, blue spike-like appendages on his back, which intentionally causes ...

, Danger Mouse,

, Jucifer,

Servotron Servotron was a science fiction-influenced rock band active from 1995 to 1999. Members portrayed a collective of robots whose chosen medium for dissemination of ideas was music. They claimed to spread the word of robot domination, encouraging ma ...

, Vic Chesnutt,

Elf Power Elf Power is an American indie rock band that originated in Athens, Georgia, United States. The line-up consists of guitarist/vocalist Andrew Rieger, keyboardist Laura Carter, guitarist Dave Wrathgabar, bassist Bryan Poole, and drummer Peter A ...

Lera Lynn Lera Lynn (born December 5, 1984) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actress. Early life Born in Houston, Texas, Lynn was raised in Georgia. She has a bachelor's degree in anthropology from the University of Georgia. Before att ...

, The Sunshine Fix,

Colt Ford Jason Farris Brown (born August 27, 1969) known professionally as Colt Ford, is an American singer, rapper, songwriter, entrepreneur, and former professional golfer best known for his music fusing the country and rap genres. He has released seven ...

Brantley Gilbert Brantley Keith Gilbert (born January 20, 1985) is an American country rock singer, songwriter and record producer from Jefferson, Georgia. He was originally signed to Colt Ford's label, Average Joes Entertainment, where he released '' Moder ...

, The Olivia Tremor Control, of Montreal,

, Perpetual Groove, Five Eight, Dead Confederate,

Thayer Sarrano Thayer Sarrano is a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and visual artist. Besides her solo work, she has collaborated with numerous bands as a touring member or session player, and is strongly affiliated with the music scene of Athens, Ge ...

, Jet by Day, and

Mothers ] A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the case of gestati ...

. R.E.M. members

Michael Stipe John Michael Stipe (; born January 4, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter and artist, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of alternative rock band R.E.M. He is known for his vocal quality, poetic lyrics and unique stage presence. Pos ...

, Mike Mills and

Peter Buck Peter Lawrence Buck (born December 6, 1956) is an American musician and songwriter. He was a co-founder and the lead guitarist of the alternative rock band R.E.M. He also plays the banjo and mandolin on several R.E.M. songs. Throughout his ca ...

still maintain residences in Athens. The photo book ''Athens Potluck'', by Jason Thrasher, documents the town's musical legacy. Every summer since 1996 the city has hosted AthFest, a

nonprofit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

music and arts festival in the downtown area. In September 2020, the city launched the Athens Music Walk of Fame. The public art walk spans a two-city blocks loop around West Washington and Clayton Streets connected by North Lumpkin Street. Guitar pick plaques were laid on the sidewalk in front of significant music venues like the Georgia Theatre, the 40 Watt Club, and the Morton Theatre. The first round of inductees included The B-52s, Danger Mouse, Drive-By Truckers,

The Elephant 6 Recording Company The Elephant 6 Recording Company is a loosely defined musical collective from the United States. Notable bands associated with the collective include the Apples in Stereo, Beulah, Circulatory System, Elf Power, the Minders, Neutral Milk Hotel ...

Hall Johnson Francis Hall Johnson (March 12, 1888 – April 30, 1970) was an American composer and arranger of African-American spiritual music. He is one of a group—including Harry T. Burleigh, R. Nathaniel Dett, and Eva Jessye—who had great success pe ...

, Neal Pattman, Pylon, R.E.M., Vic Chesnutt, and Widepread Panic.

Education

Clarke County School District

The

Clarke County School District The Clarke County School District is a public school district in Clarke County, Georgia, United States, based in Athens, Georgia. It serves Clarke County, which includes the communities of Athens and Winterville, and part of Bogart. School ...

supports grades pre-school to grade twelve. The district consists of fourteen elementary schools, four middle schools, and three high schools (one non-traditional). The district has 791 full-time teachers and 11,457 students .

Private schools

Athens Academy The Academy of Athens ( el, Ακαδημία Αθηνών, ''Akadimía Athinón'') is Greece's national academy, and the highest research establishment in the country. It was established in 1926, with its founding principle traces back to the ...

(grades K-12) * Athens Christian School (grades K-12) * Athens Montessori School (grades K-8) * Downtown Academy (grades K-3) * Joy Village (grades K-8) * Saint Joseph Catholic School (grades K-8) * Monsignor Donovan Catholic High School (grades 9–12) * Double Helix STEAM School (grades 5–8) * Al Huda Islamic Center of Athens Sunday School (5 years and older) ArchUGA1

Colleges and universities

* The

(UGA), the state's flagship public research university, is the oldest and 3rd largest institution of higher learning (behind

Georgia State University Georgia State University (Georgia State, State, or GSU) is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1913, it is one of the University System of Georgia's four research universities. It is also the largest institution of hig ...

and

Kennesaw State University Kennesaw State University (KSU) is a public research university located in the state of Georgia with two different campuses in the Atlanta metropolitan area, one in Kennesaw and the other in Marietta on a combined of land. The school was fou ...

.) in Georgia. Founded in 1785, it was the first state-chartered university in the United States. *

Athens Technical College Athens Technical College ("Athens Tech") is a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) in Athens, Georgia. It was founded in 1958 as Athens Area Vocational-Technical School. The school was renamed Athens Area Technical Institute in ...

is a

Technical College System of Georgia The Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG), formerly known as the Department of Technical and Adult Education (DTAE), is the State of Georgia Government Agency which supervises the U.S. state of Georgia's 22 technical colleges, while also su ...

public college. It offers certificates, diplomas, and associate degrees in business, health, technical, and manufacturing-related fields. *

Augusta University Augusta University (AU) is a public university, public research university and academic medical center in Augusta, Georgia. It is a part of the University System of Georgia and has satellite medical campuses in Savannah, Georgia, Savannah, Alba ...

(AU) through its Medical College of Georgia has
Medical Partnership
with the University of Georgia housed at the University of Georgia Health Science Campus, and the AU College of Nursing has had a campus in Athens since 1974. * Piedmont College, since 2021

Piedmont University Piedmont University is a private university in Demorest and Athens, Georgia. Founded in 1897, Piedmont's Demorest campus includes 300 acres in a traditional residential-college setting located in the foothills of the northeast Georgia Blue Rid ...

, established a campus in Athens in 1995. Piedmont announced that it would be moving its campus from the Cobbham neighborhood to Normaltown in January 2021. * Athens College of Ministry (ACMin) is a private Christian college that was established in 2012. ACMin currently offers certificates, undergraduate, and graduate degrees in eight various major areas.

Media

Newspapers

The ''

'' publishes daily. UGA has an independent weekly newspaper, '' The Red & Black''. ''

Flagpole Magazine ''Flagpole Magazine'', often abbreviated to simply ''Flagpole'', is an American alternative newsweekly that focuses on the cultural, liberal scene of Athens, Georgia, and its surrounding communities. Athens is known in Georgia and nationally a ...

'' is an

alternative newspaper An alternative newspaper is a type of newspaper that eschews comprehensive coverage of general news in favor of stylized reporting, opinionated reviews and columns, investigations into edgy topics and magazine-style feature stories highlighting l ...

publishing weekly. ''Classic City News'' is a not-for-profit local news source.

Radio and television

Local radio stations include: * WPLP-LP Bulldog 93.3 FM is Athens' locally owned and operated adult album alternative station * WPUP 100.1 FM, Athens top 40 station featuring all of today's hits. Owned by

Cox Radio CMG Media Corporation (doing business as Cox Media Group) is an American media conglomerate principally owned by Apollo Global Management in conjunction with Cox Enterprises, which maintains a 29% minority stake in the company. The company pr ...

* WMSL 88.9 FM, a

religious Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatur ...

station featuring traditional Christian music and teaching *

WUOG WUOG (90.5 FM) is a student-run college radio station licensed in Athens, Georgia. The station serves the Athens area and is currently owned by the University of Georgia. History The station first broadcast on October 16, 1972, with a 3,200 wat ...

90.5 FM, UGA's student-run radio station * WUGA 91.7 and 94.5 FM, an affiliate of

Georgia Public Broadcasting Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) is a state network of PBS member television stations and NPR member radio stations serving the U.S. state of Georgia. It is operated by the Georgia Public Telecommunications Commission, an agency of the ...

and

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other n ...

also broadcasting from the UGA campus * WPPP-LP 100.7 FM (Hot 100), a low-power, non-commercial alternative/progressive rock station *

WRFC (AM) WRFC (960 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station in Athens, Georgia. It airs a sports radio format, mostly using programming from ESPN Radio. Owned by Cox Media Group, the television and radio subsidiary of Cox Enterprises, the station is sist ...

960 AM,

ESPN Radio ESPN Radio, which is alternately platform-agnostically branded as ESPN Audio, is an American sports radio network and extension of the ESPN television network. It was launched on January 1, 1992, under the original banner of "SportsRadio ESPN ...

(formerly Athens' local

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or "cont ...

music station during the 1960s and 1970s). Owned by

. *

1340 AM, news and talk. Owned by Cox Radio. * WXAG 1470 AM,

urban gospel Urban/contemporary gospel is a modern subgenre of gospel music. Although the style developed gradually, early forms are generally dated to the 1970s, and the genre was well established by the end of the 1980s. The radio format is pitched pri ...

music Athens is part of the Atlanta television market. Two Atlanta-market television stations, WGTV (channel 8) and

WUVG WUVG-DT (channel 34) is a television station licensed to Athens, Georgia, United States, broadcasting the Spanish-language Univision and UniMás networks to the Atlanta area. Owned and operated by TelevisaUnivision, the station maintains studios ...

(channel 34), are licensed to Athens, though their transmitters are in the Atlanta metropolitan area. WGTV broadcasts from the top of

Stone Mountain Stone Mountain is a quartz monzonite dome Inselberg, monadnock and the site of Stone Mountain Park, east of Atlanta, Georgia. Outside the park is the small city of Stone Mountain, Georgia. The park is the most visited tourist site in the state o ...

. From 2009 until 2015, UGA operated a television station, WUGA-TV (formerly WNEG-TV) from studios on the UGA campus, but maintained its transmitter near

Toccoa Toccoa is a city in far Northeast Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia near the border with South Carolina. It is the county seat of Stephens County, Georgia, Stephens County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States, located about from Athens, Geo ...

, its city of license; what is now WGTA has since moved its studios back to Toccoa after being sold by UGA.

In popular culture

The 1940 film '' The Green Hand'' was shot in Athens, using local townspeople and students and faculty from the

as its cast. The film had its premiere in Athens in January 1940, at an event attended by Governor

Eurith D. Rivers Eurith Dickinson Rivers (December 1, 1895 – June 11, 1967), commonly known as E. D. Rivers and informally as "Ed" Rivers, was an American politician from Lanier County, Georgia. A Democrat, he was the 68th Governor of Georgia, serving fr ...

. The 1980 TV series '' Breaking Away'' was filmed in Athens. The movie ''

Darius Goes West ''Darius Goes West: The Roll of his Life'' is a documentary film by Logan Smalley about Darius Weems, a teenager living with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. In the middle of 2005 Weems embarked on a 7,000 mile road trip across the United States fro ...

'' was shot in Athens. In 2000, the fictional Ithaca University scenes in ''

Road Trip A road trip, sometimes spelled roadtrip, is a long-distance journey on the road. Typically, road trips are long distances travelled by automobile. History First road trips by automobile The world's first recorded long-distance road trip by ...

'' were filmed on the North Campus of the University of Georgia. In 2012, ''

Trouble with the Curve ''Trouble with the Curve'' is a 2012 American sports drama film directed by Robert Lorenz and starring Clint Eastwood, Amy Adams, Justin Timberlake, Matthew Lillard, and John Goodman. The film revolves around an aging baseball scout whose dau ...

'' was partially filmed at The Globe in downtown Athens. In the same year, '' The Spectacular Now'' was filmed entirely in Athens and the surrounding area.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Highways

The city is the focus of U.S. Highways U.S. Route 29 (US 29), US 78, US 129, US 441, and

Georgia State Route 72 State Route 72 (SR 72) is a state highway that runs west-to-east through portions of Clarke, Madison, and Elbert counties in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. This route is part of a multi two-state route 72 that begins ...

(SR 72), and near the eastern terminus of SR 316 and the southern terminus of Georgia State Route 106, SR 106. Other state routes in Athens are Georgia State Route 8, SR 8 and Georgia State Route 15, SR 15, which follow US 29 and US 441 respectively, Georgia State Route 10, SR 10 which follows US 78 east and west of Athens but deviates to U.S. Route 78 Business (Athens, Georgia), US 78 Bus. to go through Athens, and Georgia State Route 15 Alternate (Athens–Commerce), SR 15 Alt. which starts at the Georgia State Route 10 Loop (Athens), SR 10 Loop interchange at Milledge Avenue and follows Milledge and Prince Avenues to US 129 which it follows to the north. The SR 10 Loop serves as a Limited-access road, limited-access perimeter. The city is bisected east to west by Broad Street/Atlanta Highway (US 78 Bus. and SR 10) and north to south by Milledge Avenue (SR 15 Alt.). Lumpkin Street, Prince Avenue (SR 15 Alt.), North Avenue, and Oconee Street (US 78 Bus.) along with Broad Street are major thoroughfares radiating from Downtown (Athens), downtown. College Station Road and Gaines School Road are major thoroughfares on the east side of Athens, along with US 78 east (Lexington Road). On the west side, most major thoroughfares intersect US 78 Bus. (Broad Street/Atlanta Highway), including Alps Road/Hawthorne Avenue, Epps Bridge Parkway, and Timothy Road/Mitchell Bridge Road.

Airports

Athens-Ben Epps Airport (FAA code AHN) has been operational since 1917. It is east of downtown outside Georgia State Route 10 Loop (Athens), Georgia State Route 10 Loop and north of US Route 78. AHN qualifies for air service to be provided under the Essential Air Service provisions. SeaPort Airlines provides commercial air service to Nashville International Airport, TN. Until 2012, Georgia Skies and Wings Air provided commercial air service to

, and until 2008 (before either airline's current AHN service), US Airways provided service to Charlotte. Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL) is the primary point of departure and arrival for Athenians due to the relative lack of air service to AHN.

Alternative Transportation

Athens encourages the use of alternative transportation. Bike lanes are provided on major thoroughfares. A rail-to-trail redevelopment is being considered to connect Downtown (Athens), Downtown with the East Side. Organizations such as BikeAthens support and encourage biking. Skateboarding and small scooters are also common sights around the UGA campus and Downtown.

Public Transit

provides intracity transit seven days per week. UGA Campus Transit provides fare-free transit around the

campus, Milledge Avenue and Prince Avenue on the way to UGA's newest campus, the Health Sciences Campus. Southeastern Stages, a subsidiary of Greyhound Lines, provides intercity bus services. Low cost curbside bus service to Atlanta and Charlotte is also provided by Megabus (North America), Megabus.

Rail

Athens has no direct passenger rail service; the closest Amtrak stations are in Peachtree Station, Atlanta, Gainesville, Georgia (Amtrak station), Gainesville, and Toccoa (Amtrak station), Toccoa. Until the 1950s and 1960s the Seaboard Air Line Railroad's daily ''Cotton Blossom'' (ended, 1955), Washington - Atlanta, ''Silver Comet (train), Silver Comet'', New York - Birmingham and ''Tidewater'' (ended, 1968), Norfolk - Birmingham service made stops at the SAL's Athens depot at College Avenue and Ware Street, north of downtown. Train service to Athens ended with the last run of the ''Silver Comet'' in 1969. Until the early 1950s, the Southern Railway (U.S.), Southern Railway ran a passenger service to Lula, Georgia, Lula on the Southern's main line northeast of Gainesville. Into the same period, the Central Railroad of Georgia ran mixed passenger and freight trains south to Macon's Terminal Station (Macon, Georgia), Terminal Station. Passenger service is proposed to return to Athens via a proposed route of the Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte to

segment of the Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor. The alignment with a proposed station stop in Athens was chosen as this segment's preferred alternative on September 30, 2020. Freight service is provided by CSX and Athens Line, the latter having leased tracks from Norfolk Southern. The Georgia Department of Transportation has proposed the city as the terminus of a commuter line that links

and Gwinnett County along the Georgia 316 corridor.

Utilities

Electric service in Athens-Clarke is provided by three customer-owned electric cooperatives, Walton EMC, Rayle EMC, and Jackson Electric Membership Corporation, Jackson EMC, as well as by Georgia Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company. The water utility is provided by the city. Garbage is provided by private companies according to customer purchase, though the city does offer municipal garbage pick up as a service. Natural gas is supplied by Atlanta Gas Light through various marketers within the deregulated market.

Healthcare

Athens is served by two major hospitals, the 359-bed Piedmont Athens Regional and the 170-bed St. Mary's Hospital. The city is also served by the smaller 42-bed Landmark Hospital of Athens. Piedmont Athens Regional was formerly Athens Regional Medical Center before being acquired by Piedmont Healthcare in 2016. In March 2018, Piedmont Healthcare announced a $171 million capital investment project for Piedmont Athens Regional which would include the addition of a fourth story to the Prince 2 building as well as the demolition of the 100-year-old 1919 Tower to make space for a new, state of the art, seven-story tower. The entire project is slated for 2022 completion. St. Mary's Hospital was founded in 1906 and became a Catholic hospital in 1938. The hospital becam
St. Mary's Health Care System
in 1993. Today, St. Mary's is part of Trinity Health (Livonia, Michigan), Trinity Health, one of the nation's largest non-profit Catholic healthcare systems and includes St. Mary's Hospital in Athens, 56-bed St. Mary's Sacred Heart Hospital in Lavonia, Ga., and 25-bed St. Mary's Good Samaritan Hospital in Greensboro, Ga.

Sister cities

The City of Athens maintains trade development programs, cultural, and educational partnerships in a Twin towns and sister cities, twinning agreement with Bucharest, Romania.

Notable people

References

Bibliography

;Published in 19th century * * * ;Published in 20th century * (Reprinted in 1978 with additions) * * * * * * * James K. Reap, Athens: A Pictorial History (Virginia Beach, Va.: Donning Communications, 1982). * 1996- * ;Published in 21st century * * * * *

External links

Athens-Clarke city/county government official site

Athens profile
Georgia Encyclopedia
Antebellum Athens and Clarke County, Georgia
by Ernest C. Hynds in th
Digital Library of Georgia

Athens Historical Society
* *
Ferrier, L. (2020, January 11). Why Athens, GA Deserves a Spot on Your Getaway Bucket List.
{{Authority control Athens, Georgia, Athens – Clarke County metropolitan area Census balances in the United States Cities in Georgia (U.S. state) Consolidated city-counties County seats in Georgia (U.S. state) Populated places established in 1806 Cities in Clarke County, Georgia 1806 establishments in the United States 1800s establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)