Athena is a city in
Umatilla County, Oregon
Umatilla County () is one of the List of counties in Oregon, 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. The population of 81,826 ranks it as the 14th largest in Oregon, and largest in Eastern Oregon. Hermiston, Oregon, Hermiston is the largest ci ...
, United States. The population was 1,126 at the
2010 census. It is part of the
Hermiston-Pendleton Micropolitan Statistical Area.
History
Athena, about halfway between
Pendleton, Oregon
Pendleton is a city in and the county seat of Umatilla County, Oregon, Umatilla County, Oregon, United States. The population was 17,107 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, which includes approximately 1,600 people who are ...
, and
Walla Walla, Washington
Walla Walla ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Walla Walla County, Washington, United States. It had a population of 34,060 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, estimated to have decreased to 33,339 as of 2023. The combined populat ...
, was originally called Centerville. However, confusion about the name sometimes arose because Oregon had another Centerville, in Washington County, and the state of Washington had a
Centerville, in Klickitat County. In 1889, local government officials asked the Centerville school principal, D. W. Jarvis, to recommend a different name. He chose ''
Athena
Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretism, syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarde ...
'' after the Greek goddess, and they agreed.
Centerville got its first post office on October 11, 1878. The first postmaster was William T. Cook. The post office name was changed to ''Athena'' on May 16, 1889.
Nineteenth-century settlers of
Scottish
Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including:
*Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland
*Scottish English
*Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...
descent brought to Athena an interest in the customs and music of Scotland. Before
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, Athena had a
Caledonian Society that held an annual picnic featuring Scottish dancing and
bagpipes
Bagpipes are a woodwind instrument using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. The Great Highland bagpipes are well known, but people have played bagpipes for centuries throughout large parts of Europe, N ...
. McEwen High School in Athena (now
Weston-McEwen High School
Weston-McEwen High School is a public high school in Athena, Oregon, United States that is known for its pipe band.
History
Athena Weston School District was created in the 1970s with the merger of when the Athena and Weston school districts mer ...
) revived the tradition in the 1950s when it organized a Scots dance group and a
pipe band
A pipe band is a musical ensemble consisting of pipers and drummers. The term pipes and drums, used by military pipe bands is also common.
The most common form of pipe band consists of a section of pipers playing the Great Highland bagpipe, ...
. The band has since performed at many venues in the United States and has traveled to Scotland and England to play. The Athena Caledonian Games languished during World War I but were re-established in 1976 as a Bicentennial event that has continued ever since.
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the city has a total area of , all of it land.
Climate
According to the
Köppen Climate Classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
system, Athena has a
warm-summer Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...
, abbreviated "Csa" on climate maps.
Demographics
2010 census
As of the
census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2010, there were 1,126 people, 446 households, and 325 families residing in the city. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
was . There were 484 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 91.4%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.4%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 3.0%
Native American, 0.4%
Asian, 2.8% from
other races, and 2.0% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino of any race were 4.5% of the population.
There were 446 households, of which 33.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.1% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 27.1% were non-families. 23.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.91.
The median age in the city was 41.6 years. 25% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.2% were from 25 to 44; 29.2% were from 45 to 64; and 16.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.0% male and 52.0% female.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,221 people, 446 households, and 341 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 473 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 90.17% White, 3.69% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.08%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...
, 3.60% from other races, and 2.29% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.16% of the population.
There were 446 households, out of which 40.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.4% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.5% were non-families. 20.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.15.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 31.5% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $36,875, and the median income for a family was $40,234. Males had a median income of $30,323 versus $20,598 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the city was $15,566. About 10.5% of families and 12.0% 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 15.3% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Athena is served by the
Athena Weston School District.
Industry
Hodaka motorcycles were once designed in Athena under the aegis of the Pacific Basin Trading Company, with manufacture in Japan. The Hodaka marque is recognized as an American vintage cycle; it was the vintage marque at the 2006
American Motorcyclist Association
The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) is an American nonprofit organization of more than 200,000 motorcyclists that organizes numerous motorcycling activities and campaigns for motorcyclists' legal rights. Its motto, mission statement is "t ...
(AMA)
Vintage Motorcycle Days at
Mid-Ohio
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is a road course auto racing facility located in Troy Township, Morrow County, Ohio, United States, just outside the village of Lexington, Ohio, Lexington. It hosts a number of racing series such as IndyCar Series, Indy ...
. Reunions of former PABATCO employees, vintage enthusiasts, and present-day Hodaka owners and riders are held in Athena annually, including swap meet, bike show, scrambles, and observed trials.
References
Further reading
*''Athena Press'', issues archived at the Athena library.
*Gaston, Joseph, ''Centennial History of Oregon'', Chicago: SJ Clarke Publishing, 1912.
*Geissel, Genevieve and Mildred Miley, "Athena, Once Centerville, Has Interesting History", Umatilla County Historical Society ''Pioneer Trails'', V2, no.3, April 1978.
*Gilbert, Frank T., ''Historic Sketches'', Portland, Oregon: AG Walling Printing, 1882.
External links
Entry for Athenain the ''
Oregon Blue Book''
*
{{Authority control
Cities in Oregon
Cities in Umatilla County, Oregon
Pendleton–Hermiston Micropolitan Statistical Area
1904 establishments in Oregon
Populated places established in 1904