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Athens is a city in
Athens County, Ohio Athens County is a county in southeastern Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 62,431. Its county seat and largest city is Athens. The county was formed in 1805 from Washington County. Because Ohio's first state university, Ohio ...
, United States, and its
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
. The population was 23,849 at the 2020 United States census. Located along the
Hocking River The Hocking River (formerly the Hockhocking River) is a right tributary of the Ohio River in southeastern Ohio in the United States. The Hocking flows mostly on the unglaciated Allegheny Plateau, but its headwaters are in a glaciated region. ...
within
Appalachian Ohio Appalachian Ohio is a bioregion and political unit in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Ohio, characterized by the western foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and the Appalachian Plateau. The Appalachian Regional Commission defines th ...
about southeast of Columbus, Athens is best known as the home of
Ohio University Ohio University (Ohio or OU) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Athens, Ohio, United States. The university was first conceived in the 1787 contract between the United States Department of the Treasury#Re ...
, a large public research university with an undergraduate and graduate enrollment of more than 21,000 students. It is the principal city of the Athens micropolitan area.


History

The first permanent European settlers arrived in Athens in 1797, more than a decade after the United States victory in the
American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
. In 1800, the town site was first surveyed and plotted and incorporated as a village in 1811. Ohio had become a state in 1803.
Ohio University Ohio University (Ohio or OU) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Athens, Ohio, United States. The university was first conceived in the 1787 contract between the United States Department of the Treasury#Re ...
was chartered in 1804, the first public institution of higher learning in the
Northwest Territory The Northwest Territory, also known as the Old Northwest and formally known as the Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, was formed from part of the unorganized western territory of the United States after the American Revolution. Established ...
. Previously part of
Washington County, Ohio Washington County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 59,711. Its county seat is Marietta. The county, the oldest in the state, is named for George Washington. Wa ...
, Athens County was formed in 1805, named for the ancient center of learning,
Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...
, Greece. Ohio University in Athens was established with the first federal endowment of an educational institution in the United States. In July 1787, the
Congress of the Confederation The Congress of the Confederation, or the Confederation Congress, formally referred to as the United States in Congress Assembled, was the governing body of the United States from March 1, 1781, until March 3, 1789, during the Confederation ...
gave to the
Ohio Company of Associates The Ohio Company of Associates, also known as the Ohio Company, was a land company whose members are today credited with becoming the first non-Native Americans in the United States, Native American group to permanently settle west of the Alle ...
"two townships of good land for the support of a literary institution" in the newly created
Northwest Territory The Northwest Territory, also known as the Old Northwest and formally known as the Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, was formed from part of the unorganized western territory of the United States after the American Revolution. Established ...
.Knight, George W. ''History and Management of Federal Land Grants for Education in the Northwest Territory'', ''The Papers of the American Historical Association,'' Volume 1. New York & London: G. P. Putnam's Sons, The Knickerbocker Press (1886) During The First Session of the Second Territorial General Assembly, held in Chillicothe from November 23, 1801, to January 23, 1802, the General Assembly passed an act establishing the "American Western University" at Athens. The act was approved by Arthur St. Clair, Governor of the Northwest Territory on January 9, 1802.''The Biographical Annals of Ohio, 1906-1907-1908: A Handbook of the Government and Institutions of the State''. Compiled Under the Authority of the Act of April 19, 1904, by A. P. Sandles, Clerk of the Senate, E. W. Doty, Clerk House of Representatives, 77th General Assembly. A revised and enlarged edition of ''Ohio Statesmen and Hundred Year Book'' by Col. W. A. Taylor (1892). However, no university with the name of American Western University would be established. Ohio became a state in 1803 and on February 18, 1804, the state legislature passed an act establishing the "Ohio University" in the town of Athens.''A Legal History of the Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, including Resolutions of Congress, Contracts, Territorial and State Enactments, Judicial Decisions, etc.'' Compiled and Published by Authority of the Board of Trustees. Columbus, O.: Cott & Hann, Book Printers (1881) Athens received city status in 1912, following the 1910 census showing the population had passed 5,000 residents, the requirement for city status in Ohio. Originally, large tracts of land in Athens and Alexander Townships were set aside through a contract between the Congress (under the Articles of Confederation) and the Ohio Company of Associates, a group of
American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
veterans. These lands were given to Ohio University by the Federal government. This was the first federal land grant for a university, pre-dating the
Morrill Act The Morrill Land-Grant Acts are United States statutes that allowed for the creation of land-grant colleges in U.S. states using the proceeds from sales of federally owned land, often obtained from Native American tribes through treaty, cessi ...
by more than 70 years. At first, lands were mostly leased out, but the failure of many lessors to pay their rents resulted in most of the land being sold. The sale of these lands funded the growth of Ohio University. Today it is one of the largest institutions of higher learning in Ohio, with an enrollment of over 20,000 on the Athens campus and over 28,000 for all campuses. The earliest industry in the area was salt production, followed by iron production and coal extraction. The largest employer in the county is Ohio University. In 1843, the Hocking Canal opened, enabling shipping from the Ohio River up the
Hocking River The Hocking River (formerly the Hockhocking River) is a right tributary of the Ohio River in southeastern Ohio in the United States. The Hocking flows mostly on the unglaciated Allegheny Plateau, but its headwaters are in a glaciated region. ...
, which passes through Athens, to
Nelsonville, Ohio Nelsonville is a city in northwestern Athens County, Ohio, United States, located about southeast of Columbus. The population was 5,373 at the 2020 census. It is home to Hocking College as well as Rocky Brands. Nelsonville is surrounded by ...
, and points beyond. However, the canal was closed during cold winters when it froze over. The first
railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...
reached Athens in 1857. In the late 19th century, an interurban line opened between Athens and Nelsonville and operated for some years. The Athens Lunatic Asylum, later named the Athens State Hospital, opened in 1874. This was on high ground to the south of town and to the south of the Hocking River. In the late 19th century the hospital was the town's largest employer. The state hospital was eventually decommissioned and the property was deeded to Ohio University. It is now known as The Ridges. Much of the building space has been renovated for offices and research space or demolished, and most of the grounds have been set aside as open space, including a land lab. In 1904, the U. S. Army and the Ohio
National Guard National guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. ...
conducted joint training exercises near the city. Multiple US army regulars became drunk and were arrested by National Guard Provosts for causing disturbances. The arrests angered the regulars; on Friday a large contingent set out from camp to free an arrested comrade. The armed regulars were stopped by provosts and the ensuing quarrel quickly escalated into a shoot-out on Washington Street, during which one guardsman was killed and five others were wounded. By 1935, Athens was known as a coal and fruit-producing region and a state center of higher education and psychiatric care. The major manufactured goods included stoves, lumber, parquetry flooring, caskets, and flooring."The Columbia Encyclopedia" New York: Columbia University Press (1935) The university (and in turn, the city) saw large growth during the post-World War Two era and again during the Vietnam War era. Growth slowed in the 1980s with small increases in growth into present times.


Geography

Athens is located in the unglaciated Allegheny Plateau about 47 miles from Chillicothe and 35 miles west of Marietta. Athens is surrounded by hills that rise about three hundred feet from river valley to the narrow ridge tops. The county extends west from the
Ohio River The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its river mouth, mouth on the Mississippi Riv ...
, mostly centered around the lower
Hocking River The Hocking River (formerly the Hockhocking River) is a right tributary of the Ohio River in southeastern Ohio in the United States. The Hocking flows mostly on the unglaciated Allegheny Plateau, but its headwaters are in a glaciated region. ...
watershed. According to the 2010 census, the city has a total area of , of which (or 97.81%) is land and (or 2.19%) is water. Large sections of Athens and Ohio University are located in the floodplain of the Hocking River. Over the last two centuries the town suffered from many destructive floods, including notable floods in 1832, 1873, 1907, 1937, 1949, 1964 and 1968.Straw, Richard. "Images of America: Athens" Arcadia Publishing. 2007. In 1969 the Army Corps of Engineers completed a major work that rerouted and expanded the channel of the Hocking River, for a stretch of several miles around the town, moving the river hundreds of feet to the south. That project and the ongoing efforts to maintain the channel have greatly reduced the negative effects of seasonally high river levels. Athens is located mostly on and around a south-jutting ridge bordered by a loop in the Hocking River. The underlying
geology Geology (). is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth ...
is mostly
sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...
and
shale Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock formed from mud that is a mix of flakes of Clay mineral, clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g., Kaolinite, kaolin, aluminium, Al2Silicon, Si2Oxygen, O5(hydroxide, OH)4) and tiny f ...
, including " redbed" shale that presents a severe slip hazard when structures are built over it on hillsides. However, there are safe zones above sandstone beds, most notably the Connelsville Sandstone that outcrops high on the hillsides. The old Athens Mental Hospital grounds (now part of the university) was built on the top of a hillside in the late 1860s, and is completely stable due to its position atop the hill rather than on a slope. The recent University Courtyard Apartments is also built on similar underlying geology across a small valley, but the hilltop was extensively removed in order to create a stable base. The city receives all its water supply from wells in unconsolidated river
aquifer An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing material, consisting of permeability (Earth sciences), permeable or fractured rock, or of unconsolidated materials (gravel, sand, or silt). Aquifers vary greatly in their characteristics. The s ...
s, and is reputed to be the largest city in the United States to do so.


Climate

Athens has a
hot-summer humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...
''Dfa''), typical of most of Ohio.


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 23,832 people, 6,903 households, and 1,842 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 7,391 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 86.4%
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 ...
, 4.4%
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 ...
, 0.2% Native American, 6.1% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 2.3% 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 2.4% of the population. There were 6,903 households, of which 11.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 20.5% 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, 4.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 73.3% were non-families. 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.74. The median age in the city was 21.6 years. 5.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 67.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 14.4% were from 25 to 44; 7.9% were from 45 to 64; and 4.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.0% male and 50.0% female.


2000 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 2000, there were 21,342 people, 6,271 households, and 1,906 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 6,715 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 89.16%
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 ...
, 3.82%
Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
or
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 ...
, 0.15% Native American, 4.47% Asian, 0.06%
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 ...
, 0.60% from other races, and 1.74% 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 1.41% of the population. There were 6,271 households, out of which 12.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 22.9% 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, 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 69.6% were non-families. 34.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.72. In the city the population was spread out, with 6.7% under the age of 18, 66.7% from 18 to 24, 13.7% from 25 to 44, 8.0% from 45 to 64, and 4.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $17,122, and the median income for a family was $53,391. Males had a median income of $35,849 versus $28,866 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 $11,061. About 14.8% of families and 51.9% 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 19.1% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.


Economy

From the mid-1800s until the 1950s,
coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal i ...
and
brick A brick is a type of construction material used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a unit primarily composed of clay. But is now also used informally to denote building un ...
-making were major sources of employment in the county. They became a minor source after the best and most available coal had been extracted and cheaper brick-making became available outside the area. A former manufacturing company was the Midget Motors Corporation, makers of the small automobile, the King Midget.
Ohio University Ohio University (Ohio or OU) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Athens, Ohio, United States. The university was first conceived in the 1787 contract between the United States Department of the Treasury#Re ...
is the largest employer in Athens County. In addition to direct employment through the university, much of the local economy depends on tourism and events related to the university, through local restaurants, bars, stores and hotels. Manufacturing and technology related businesses, including Quidel Corporation (formerly Diagnostic Hybrids), Stewart-MacDonald, Sunpower, Mitchell Electronics, Fastenall, and Gorman-Redlich.


Arts and culture

Athens has a long musical tradition that includes local acts and events for touring musicians, performing at Ohio University and festivals in Athens. The folk song "Athens County" - words by Joe Dolce; music by
Jonathan Edwards Jonathan Edwards may refer to: Musicians *Jonathan and Darlene Edwards, pseudonym of bandleader Paul Weston and his wife, singer Jo Stafford *Jonathan Edwards (musician) (born 1946), American musician **Jonathan Edwards (album), ''Jonathan Edward ...
- refers to Athens, Ohio, where Edwards & Dolce attended college in the late 60s. Edwards went on to have a Number 2 hit song nationally with 'Sunshine' while Dolce moved to Australia and had an international Number 1 hit with Shaddap You Face. Dolce is now an established poet and essayist in Melbourne. Bands hailing from Athens include The Headstone Circus, The Snapdragons, Appalachian Death Ride, She Bears, Southeast Engine, The Ridges and the metal band Skeletonwitch. Athens native Steve Reis, a founder of the Columbus, Ohio-based band McGuffey Lane named his band after a street in Athens. Several theater companies have operated in Athens over the years. Studio for Young Actors, aka Drama Club Youth Academy was a youth theater which operated from 2000 to approximately 2010. They performed both original and published plays and musicals featuring young actors. Their main venue was Stuart's Opera House in Nelsonville, Ohio They subsequently moved their performance venue to Arts/West a community arts space in Athens, Ohio, operated by the City of Athens. A university park on Richland Ave was designed by Athens' own Maya Lin.


Museums

* Athens County Historical Society and Museum DBA The Southeast Ohio History Center: Historic items relating to life in Athens County * The Dairy Barn Arts Center: Contemporary arts and crafts. * Kennedy Museum of Art at Ohio University: Major collections include Southwest Native American textiles and jewelry. Contemporary prints. * Ohio Valley Museum of Discovery: Interactive children's center.


Annual festivals

* Athens is home to the annual Halloween Block Party, a massive international spectacle that draws attention from news media across the world each year. Ohio University's citation as the world's most haunted institution of higher education by the British Psychical Institute; Athens's citation as one of the 10 most haunted American cities; and the annual Halloween celebration, have dually added to Athens's reputation as one of the 10 most terrifying places on Earth and the "World Capital of Halloween". Athens was vaunted as one of the top fifteen most haunted cities in America on the Fox Family Channel special "Scariest Places On Earth" that aired on October 23, 2000. Locals with knowledge of the history of The Ridges criticized the Fox portrayal as sensationalistic and misleading on details of the situation. The block party has welcomed more guests each year, and festivities and security have grown in it for that reason. The event caters to roughly 20,000 to 30,000 dressed up partygoers on four closed blocks of uptown streets. * Blackout Fest is held annually at The Union Bar & Grill and features many local, national, and international indie rock acts. * The Athens Community Music Festival is held each August. In 2017 two dozen local bands were involved. * Concert "Under the Elms" is held on the OU College Green from June until early July with the 'Communiversity Band' (made up of OU faculty, students, alumni as well as community members) * For many years, an annual Springfest was held on the OU Campus. Primarily due to changes in state alcohol laws, it was replaced by an annual event at Ervin's Big Red Barn (and field), a private "party-farm" just outside the city. After the move, the festival was called Derby days. The organization who coordinated the event was removed from campus in 2003. Starting in 2004, Ohio University Seniors Dominic Petrozzi and Timothy Kehoe created One Fest. The festival name is changed each year to represent the number of years it has been held (for example, 2011 was 8Fest). As of 9 Fest, the event has been held at its new location on West Union Street, just outside the campus. It has become one of the largest independent collegiate music festivals in the country, boasting previous performances by national recording artists such as Mike Posner, Machine Gun Kelly, Timeflies, Chip Tha Ripper, Wiz Khalifa, Kendrick Lamar, Steve Aoki and more. in 2008, the name of the festival was changed to "The Number Fest" with an updated "edition" for each year it takes place. Number Fest - 14th Edition will be held on April 16, 2016. * Lobsterfest is an annual free concert hosted by the university's All Campus Radio Network. * Since 1983, the 970WATH-Power 105 Chili Bowl has been an annual event and each year raises money for a charity. Currently it takes place in October, at The Market on State. * Hookah in the hills, an annual festival held twice a year at Poston Lake Music Park in the Spring and Fall, featuring the Columbus-based band Ekoostik Hookah, as well as other local bands. * The annual Athens International Film and Video Festival is one of the few festivals that are on the official list of Academy Award-qualifying festivals. *Ohio Brew Week, founded in 2005 as a way to increase commerce in the town of Athens while students were away for summer, has grown into a nine-day festival including dozens of Ohio craft breweries and hundreds of beers. Notable attendees have included Brooklyn Brewery president Steve Hindy and co-founder of Great Lakes Brewing Company Pat Conway. Events typically include keg tappings, live performances at local venues, and the "last call" street festival.


Parks and recreation

Athens recreation facilities include a community recreation center, several city parks and play grounds, public gardens, soccer fields, an arts center called Arts West, two off-leash enclosed dog parks, and an extensive scenic trail system in the city lands, adjacent Strouds Run State Park, and the Blair Preserve owned by the Athens Conservancy. The Athens Skate Park is the second largest skate park in Ohio. The City of Athens Ohio Community Recreation center (Athens Community Center), known simply as "The Rec Center" to locals, offers programming in athletics, childcare, sports camps, community events and more. Located in the East State Street area, the center is accessible from the Hockhocking Adena Bikeway. Recreation facilities include an outdoor swimming pool, a skate park, fitness equipment, an indoor walking and running track, event rental facilities, and playgrounds. The Arts, Parks and Recreation Department actively supports a variety of community recreation initiatives. It sponsors adult summer and fall slow-pitch softball that is popular among residents in Athens and the county. The recreation department has organized men's, women's, and co-ed leagues, although the co-ed leagues have seen strongest participation in recent years. Soccer leagues are organized year round, with programs offered through the Community Recreation Center, Ohio University and the Athens Soccer Academy. Youth sports, such as soccer leagues, summer camps and little league, are also supported by local residents. Programming for the arts are facilitated through Arts West, the Dairy Barn, and Ohio University. Sells Park is located on the east side of Athens, near The City of Athens Ohio Community Recreation center. Sells Park comprises 22.5 acres (980,491.87 ft²), and includes Sells Pond, a pond. Strouds Run State Park is located just outside the city, bordering the city line. This park features of wooded hills, including many bluffs and
rock shelter A rock shelter (also rockhouse, crepuscular cave, bluff shelter, or abri) is a shallow cave-like opening at the base of a bluff or cliff. In contrast to solutional caves (karst), which are often many miles long or wide, rock shelters are alm ...
s, centered around a man-made
lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...
.
Camping Camping is a form of outdoor recreation or outdoor education involving overnight stays with a basic temporary shelter such as a tent. Camping can also include a recreational vehicle, sheltered cabins, a permanent tent, a shelter such as a Bivy bag ...
is available. Both Sells Park and Strouds Run State Park are part of The Athens Trail Network, a multi-use trail network branching out from Sells Park. The City of Athens has recently established the Strouds Ridge Preserve project, currently including some , to save land from development adjacent to the state park. This preserve includes an
old-growth forest An old-growth forest or primary forest is a forest that has developed over a long period of time without disturbance. Due to this, old-growth forests exhibit unique ecological features. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Natio ...
known as "Hawk Woods", or, more formally, the Dale & Jacki
Riddle State Nature Preserve Hawk Woods is an old-growth forest located in central Athens County, Ohio, United States, outside the city of Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant ...
. Also adjacent to the state park is the Blair Preserve, owned by the Athens Conservancy. The Hockhocking Adena Bikeway is a multi-use asphalt trail with its main hub (mile marker 0) at the Athens Community Center on East State Street. The trail extends northwest to Robbins' Crossing and Hocking College in Nelsonville and on to the Rocky Brands complex near the Public Square, and approximately further east along East State Street and US Route 50 to South Canaan Road (Athens County Road 24A). Access points with parking are located at mile 4 at the West State Street Park, mile 10.2 off Rt. 682 in The Plains, and mile 16.4 at Robbins' Crossing and Hocking College. The trail, which generally follows the course of the Hocking River, provides access to the East State Street commercial areas, Ohio University's campus (at South Green and Peden Stadium), The Plains, and Hocking College. It is designed for walking, running, biking, cross-country skiing, skating, and wheelchairs. Additionally several city streets are marked as bike lanes. Athens is a qualified Tree City USA as recognized by the
National Arbor Day Foundation The Arbor Day Foundation is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization dedicated to planting trees. The Arbor Day Foundation has more than one million members and has planted more than 500 million trees in neighborhoods, communitie ...
.


Trails

The Athens Trail Network is a multi-use trail network branching out from Sells Park at the end of Avon Place. A series of twelve trails and connectors branch out into the surrounding woods, heading eastwards to eventually connect with the trails of Strouds Run State Park. The trails are designed for hiking, running, and biking, although some sections are off-limits to bicycles. The trails provide scenic views of the East State Street commercial area and travel past and through notable features such as Sells Pond,
Riddle State Nature Preserve Hawk Woods is an old-growth forest located in central Athens County, Ohio, United States, outside the city of Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant ...
(also known as Hawk Woods), Boulder Cove, Turtlehead Cave (also known as Blue Ash Rockhouse), Finger Rock, Pioneer Cemetery, and Dow Lake at Strouds Run State Park. The trail network is maintained by community and university volunteers.


Government

Athens is governed by a mayoral-council form of government. Elected officials include mayor, auditor, treasurer, seven council members, and council president. The mayor, auditor, and treasurer are elected for four-year terms. Council members and council president are elected for two-year terms. Four council members represent each of the city's four wards. Three council members are elected at-large. Council president only votes in case of a tie vote. City Hall is located in uptown on Washington Street. Athens is also covered by the Athens County Department of Health, the Athens County Planning Office, and Athens County Job and Family Services. The city of Athens has a strict parking policy. The city has a Police Department since 1911 working 24/7 year round. Today the force is made up of about 30 Officers plus a like number of reserve officers and support staff. According to ODMP, 2 officers of the Athens Police Department have been police department. Ohio University also has a police force with about 25 officers. According to ODMP, 1 officer of the Ohio University Police Department was killed in the line of duty. Each of these departments work well together and support each other. Both have additional help when needed by the county sheriff department. Athens Fire department founded in 1830 and became full-time in the 1930s has two stations, a staff of about 30. They work 24 on 48 hours off. The department not only covers the cities fire department needs but also that of Ohio University. The city is part of the county-wide
Enhanced 911 Enhanced 911 (E-911 or E911) is a system used in North America to automatically provide the caller's location to 911 dispatchers. 911 is the universal emergency telephone number in the region. In the European Union, a similar system exists known ...
system. This system is able to locate landline or registered cell phone users, and send a text or phone call message of alert to those who sign up. The city has a large number of rental homes/apartments which are inspected by the Housing Code Office. The city of Athens is the county seat making it the home of many county government offices and the county courthouse at the corner of Court and Washington streets. Each of Athens County's three commissioners are usually from the city of Athens. Athens is a stronghold of the Democratic Party. President
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
visited the city and
Ohio University Ohio University (Ohio or OU) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Athens, Ohio, United States. The university was first conceived in the 1787 contract between the United States Department of the Treasury#Re ...
late during the 2012 re-election campaign. The city and Athens County have voted Democratic during all presidential elections since 1972 except for 1984. The current mayor is Steve Patterson. A Democrat, Patterson would be elected to his third term as mayor in 2023. As of January 2, 2025, Patterson also serves as President of the
National League of Cities The National League of Cities (NLC) is an American advocacy organization that represents the country's 19,495 cities, towns, and villages along with 49 state municipal leagues. Created in 1924, it has evolved into a membership organization provi ...
.


Education

Ohio University Ohio University (Ohio or OU) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Athens, Ohio, United States. The university was first conceived in the 1787 contract between the United States Department of the Treasury#Re ...
is a public university located in Athens (30,000+ students) that is situated on an campus. Founded in 1804, it is the oldest university in
Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
, oldest in the
Northwest Territory The Northwest Territory, also known as the Old Northwest and formally known as the Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, was formed from part of the unorganized western territory of the United States after the American Revolution. Established ...
, and ninth oldest public university in the United States. Known as the Bobcats,
Ohio University Ohio University (Ohio or OU) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Athens, Ohio, United States. The university was first conceived in the 1787 contract between the United States Department of the Treasury#Re ...
hosts over 250 academic programs, 5,300 employees, and has been recognized by the
John Templeton Foundation The John Templeton Foundation (Templeton Foundation) is a Philanthropy, philanthropic organization founded by John Templeton in 1987. Templeton became wealthy as a Contrarian investing, contrarian investor, and wanted to support progress in relig ...
as one of the top character building institutions in the country. In addition to its main campus in Athens, Ohio University also operates regional campuses in Chillicothe, Cleveland, Dublin, Ironton (Ohio University - Southern), Lancaster, Pickerington, Proctorville, St. Clairsville (Ohio University - Eastern), and Zanesville. Outside of Ohio University, the residents of Athens are served by the Athens City School District, founded in the late 1840s. Currently it consists of 5 schools: East Elementary (PK-3), Morrison Gordon Elementary (PK-3), The Plains Intermediate School (4-6), Athens Middle School (grades 7–8), and Athens High School home of the 'Bulldogs' and Joe Burrow Stadium. East Elementary and Morrison Gordon Elementary were replaced with new buildings on the same locations, and opened in Fall 2021, and The Plains Intermediate was significantly remodeled for a re-opening in Fall 2022. In 2019, a new Athens High School was scheduled to begin design and construction in 2024 with a planned Fall 2026 opening. As a result of COVID and other work-related delays, work has not yet begun, but as a result of a tax-funded levy passed in November 2023 giving a $24 million bond to the Athens City School District (ACSD), as well as $28.5 million from the OFCC CFAP, construction will begin in 2025 and be completed within an estimated 18 to 30 months. On the city's east side, Athens has a public library, a branch of the Athens County Public Libraries.


Media

* '' The Athens Messenger'', Athens' oldest newspaper, founded in 1848. Published five days per week. * The '' Athens News'', a free weekly newspaper * '' The Post'', the student newspaper of Ohio University * ''The New Political'', digital student-run publication at Ohio University covering politics. * ''The Matrix'', the student newspaper of Athens High School * Athens Community Television Public access television, Spectrum cable, Channel 1021 * The Government Channel Athens city government television, Spectrum cable, Channel 1024 * WSIB-LP, 106.7, "Union Station" (oldies) * WYWH-LP, 104.5 FM (Christian) (3ABN Radio Network) * FM Public Radio: WOUB-FM, 91.3 FM, NPR Affiliate, BBC, American Public Media, contemporary adult alternative music * AM Public Radio: WOUB-AM, 1340 AM, Ohio University student-operated radio station * Public Television: WOUB-TV, Channels 20.1, 20.2, 20.3, 20.4, 20.5, 20.6, PBS affiliate *
WATH WATH (970 AM broadcasting, AM) is a radio station broadcasting a Sports radio, Sports format. Licensed to Athens, Ohio, United States, the station is currently owned by Total Media Group and features programming from CBS News Radio, Fox Sports R ...
-AM, 970 AM (oldies) (Athens; Flagship of Ohio University & Copperhead Baseball & Athens High School Football & Basketball) *
WATH WATH (970 AM broadcasting, AM) is a radio station broadcasting a Sports radio, Sports format. Licensed to Athens, Ohio, United States, the station is currently owned by Total Media Group and features programming from CBS News Radio, Fox Sports R ...
-FM 97.1 FM (Athens; 70s and 80s pop-rock music) * WXTQ-FM, 105.5 ( CHR) (Athens; Flagship of Ohio University Men's Basketball and Football & local area high school games) * WJKW, 95.9 FM (Athens;
Contemporary Christian Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from about 1945 to the present. In the social sciences, contemporary history is also continuous with, and related t ...
format)


Infrastructure


Transportation

Railroad came to the city in the 1850s, with the last passenger train ending in 1981. That left a few freight trains passing near the city. Until 1981, Amtrak's '' Shenandoah'' (Cincinnati - Washington, D.C.) stopped at Athens station. In earlier years, the daily B&O trains, ''
Diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...
'' (St. Louis - Jersey City, NJ) and ''
National Limited The ''National Limited'' was the premier train of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) on its route between Jersey City, New Jersey, and St. Louis, Missouri, with major station stops in Washington, D.C., and Cincinnati, Ohio. (Buses took passeng ...
'' (St. Louis - Jersey City, NJ) stopped at the station. The first 4-lane road into and out of the city came in the early 1970s. SR 32 from Athens to Cincinnati was completed in the early 1980s. Four lanes from Athens to Belpre/ Parkersburg was completed in the late 1990s on US-50, SR-32 & 7 hooking up with I-77. In the early 2000s, SR-33 'Super-2' highway was complete, linking Athens to I-77 at Ravenswood, WVa. In October 2013, the last section of the 4-lane highway was completed, bypassing Nelsonville's two lane road on SR-33, linking Athens with Columbus. Ohio University has a modern regional airport about 15 miles southwest of the city near Albany off US-50/SR-32 called Gordon K. Bush Airport. The runway is just over 5,000 feet long with landing system, lighting and hangars. The nearest airports with commercial flights are Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport near Parkersburg, West Virginia and John Glenn Columbus International Airport and
Rickenbacker International Airport Rickenbacker International Airport is a civil-military public airport south of downtown Columbus, Ohio, Columbus, near Lockbourne, Ohio, Lockbourne in southern Franklin County, Ohio, Franklin County, Ohio, United States. The south end of the ...
near Columbus. Athens has a public bus system which is free to OU students & staff and at a reduced price for seniors & school age students. It has several routes inside the city and one to The Plains. OU has a bus system that links with a city bus system. Many student apartment complexes have their own bus shuttle. Athens also has an inter-city bus line from Athens to Columbus,
Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...
,
Marietta, Ohio Marietta is a city in Washington County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located in Appalachian Ohio, southeastern Ohio at the confluence of the Muskingum River, Muskingum and Ohio Rivers, northeast of Parkersburg, West Virginia ...
, and
Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...
–the GoBus–running twice a day with stops in-between.


Health care

At
Ohio University Ohio University (Ohio or OU) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Athens, Ohio, United States. The university was first conceived in the 1787 contract between the United States Department of the Treasury#Re ...
the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine was established in 1975. It is currently the only osteopathic medical school in the state and offers the degree
Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO or D.O., or in Australia DO USA) is a medical degree conferred by the 38 osteopathic medical schools in the United States. DO and Doctor of Medicine (MD) degrees are equivalent: a DO graduate may become li ...
(D.O.). The college is accredited by the
American Osteopathic Association The American Osteopathic Association (AOA) is the representative member organization for the more than 197,000 osteopathic medical doctors ( D.O.s) and osteopathic medical students in the United States. The AOA is headquartered in Chicago, Illi ...
. In 1993, Barbara Ross-Lee, D.O., was appointed to the position of dean of the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine; she was the first African-American woman to serve as the dean of a U.S. medical school. The Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine has 814 students enrolled across three campuses in Athens, Cleveland, and Dublin. Ohio University partners with University Medical Associates (UMA), which was founded in 2003, and is a wide-ranging medical service provider in multiple locations around the Athens area, both on campus and off. UMA's mission is to deliver health care services to the residents of southeastern Ohio while providing clinical training opportunities for future osteopathic physicians. Ohio University also runs Campus Care, which is an on-campus clinic for enrolled students. Additionally, Athens is served by OhioHealth O'Bleness Memorial Hospital a 140+ bed non-profit community hospital founded in the early 1920s as Sheltering Arms Hospital. O'Bleness, built in the early 1970s, overlooks the Hocking River and is near the university campus. O'Bleness emergency department (as well as the lab & radiology) is open 24/7 365 days at year. The hospital has a helipad located near the ED. On the hospital grounds is the Cornwell Center, which houses a catheterization lab, cardiac/pulmonary rehabilitation program as well as medical offices. The Castrop Center houses Athens Cancer Center, medical offices plus a public pharmacy. A new 2 story Doctor's Park building open in 2021 with doctor offices, including exams and Lab. O'Bleness was in a management agreement with OhioHealth from 2010 until early 2014 when O'Bleness became a whole part of the OhioHealth system. In early 2021 a new 2 story Medical Office building opened. Between 2019 and 2021 a new ICU opened, numerous equipment and facilities upgrades, and major expansion and renovation of the ED.
Hopewell Health Centers
operate several health care facilities in Athens, including Athens Behavioral Health and Primary Care Clinic (90 Hospital Drive), Respite Adult Crisis Program (7976 Dairy Lane), Athens County WIC Program (215 Columbus Road, Suite 106), and Early Childhood Program (9 Kenny Drive). Hopewell Health Centers offer comprehensive behavioral health care, dental health care, and primary health care. A sliding fee scale is available for dental health care, primary health care, and some behavioral health care services. Board Certified/Board Eligible health professionals include family practice physicians, dentists, adult psychiatrists, child and adolescent psychiatrists, nurse practitioners, and advanced practice nurses. Hopewell also employs social workers, counselors, psychologists, chemical dependency counselors, and a registered dietician.
Holzer Athens
(2131 East State Street) employs 42 health care professionals at its clinic. Their service line includes allergy and immunology, anesthesiology, audiology, breast health, cancer care, chiropractic care, ear, nose & throat, eye care, gastroenterology, gynecology, heart & vascular care, imaging & radiology, kidney care, lab services, low-dose CT, men's health, midwifery, occupational health & wellness, orthopedics, pain management, pediatrics, pharmacy, podiatry, pregnancy & birth, primary care, sleep medicine, sports medicine, surgery, therapy services, urgent care, women's health, and work health & wellness.


Notable people

* Joe Burrow, NFL football
quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...
for the
Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...
* Earl Cranston, bishop in the
Methodist Episcopal Church The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself nationally. In 1939, th ...
* Joe Dolce, musician and poet * Eilaf Egap, chemist and professor * Dow Finsterwald, professional golfer best known for winning the 1958 PGA Championship * Israel Moore Foster, U.S. representative from Ohio *
Atul Gawande Atul Atmaram Gawande (born November 5, 1965) is an American surgeon, writer, and public health researcher. He practices general and endocrine surgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. He is a professor in the Department ...
, surgeon who has written extensively on medicine and public health *
Kevin Hartman Kevin Eugene Hartman (born May 25, 1974) is an American former soccer player who played 17 seasons in Major League Soccer, being on the field for a record 37,260 minutes. Nicknamed ''El Gato'' (Spanish for "the cat") because of his agility, refl ...
, professional soccer player * David Hostetler, sculptor * Elizabeth Orpha Sampson Hoyt (1828–1912), philosopher, author, lecturer * Stephen Kappes, deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency * Ralph C. Kenney, college coach and sports administrator * John Lefelhocz, artist and quilter * Maya Lin, architect and designer of the
Vietnam Veterans Memorial The Vietnam Veterans Memorial, commonly called the Vietnam Memorial, is a U.S. national memorial in Washington, D.C., honoring service members of the U.S. armed forces who served in the Vietnam War. The site is dominated by two black granit ...
* Tan Lin, writer and artist * Jon Loomis, poet and writer *
Sandy Plunkett Charles "Sandy" Plunkett (born October 18, 1955) is an American artist and comics writer. He worked on several different series for Marvel Comics and DC Comics in the 1970s and 1980s. Early life Plunkett grew up in New York City and began to ...
, comic book artist * Skeletonwitch, an American metal band * Scott Stricklin, college baseball head coach * Fred Swearingen, NFL referee * Art Tripp, percussionist noted for his work with Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart * David Wilhelm, chairman of the
Democratic National Committee The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the principal executive leadership board of the United States's Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party. According to the party charter, it has "general responsibility for the affairs of the ...
from 1993 to 1994 * Jane Corner Young, composer


References


Further reading

* Beatty, Elizabeth G. and Marjorie S. Stone. Getting to Know Athens County. Athens, Ohio: The Stone House (1984) * Daniel, Robert L. Athens, Ohio: The Village Years. Athens, Ohio: Ohio University Press (1997)


External links

*
City website
{{Authority control Cities in Athens County, Ohio County seats in Ohio Populated places established in 1811 1811 establishments in Ohio Cities in Ohio