Athens is a town in

Mercer County, West Virginia Mercer County is a county in Southern West Virginia on the southeastern border of the U.S. state of West Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 59,664. Its county seat is Princeton. The county was originally established in the St ...

, United States. The population was 944 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Bluefield micropolitan area which has a population of 107,578. Athens is the home of Concord University.

History

The community was named Concord; however, in 1896 another post office in Concord, Hampshire County, West Virginia was established and the town's name was changed to Athens after the

Greek city Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

and center of learning. The community incorporated as a town on August 6, 1906. Located near Athens is the Col. William Henderson French House, listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1976.

Geography

The town is situated on a bluff above Laurel Creek, a tributary of the Bluestone River. The campus of Concord University lies at the eastern end of town.

West Virginia Route 20 West Virginia Route 20 is a major north–south state highway in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 52 (West Virginia), U.S. Route 52 in Bluewell, West Virginia, Bluewell, a small Incorpor ...

(State Street) traverses Athens, connecting the town with Princeton to the southwest and the rural towns along New River to the northeast. 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 town has a total area of , all land.

Climate

The climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round. 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, Athens has a

marine west coast climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring co ...

, abbreviated "Cfb" on climate maps.Climate Summary for Athens, West Virginia
/ref>

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 1,048 people, 347 households, and 182 families living in the town. 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 408 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 91.1%

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 ...

, 5.6%

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 ...

, 0.1% Native American, 2.1% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 0.9% 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 1.4% of the population. There were 347 households, of which 21.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.8% 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, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 47.6% were non-families. 34.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.76. The median age in the town was 23.1 years. 11.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 43.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 16% were from 25 to 44; 18.4% were from 45 to 64; and 10.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 48.2% male and 51.8% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,102 people, 359 households, and 199 families living in the town. The

was 2,549.5 inhabitants per square mile (989.5/km²). There were 414 housing units at an average density of 957.8 per square mile (371.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 92.29%

, 4.81%

, 0.18% Native American, 1.54% Asian, 0.09%

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 ...

, and 1.09% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.91% of the population. There were 359 households, out of which 20.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.7% were

living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.3% were non-families. 32.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.74. In the town, the population was spread out, with 12.7% under the age of 18, 40.1% from 18 to 24, 17.4% from 25 to 44, 17.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females, there were 147.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 156.5 males. The median income for a household in the town was $27,260, and the median income for a family was $45,694. Males had a median income of $28,214 versus $20,268 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 town was $13,553. About 9.7% of families and 20.7% 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 17.1% of those under age 18 and 9.6% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

* Don Caruth, West Virginia politician

References

External links

*
Official site
{{authority control Towns in Mercer County, West Virginia Towns in West Virginia Bluefield micropolitan area 1906 establishments in West Virginia Populated places established in 1906