Athens is a village in Marathon County,

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

, United States. The population was 1,059 at the 2020 census. It is part of the

Wausau, Wisconsin Wausau ( ) is a city in Marathon County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located along the Wisconsin River and had a population of 39,994 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the core city of the Wausau ...

Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

Athens is located at (45.032641, -90.076442). Athens is almost halfway between the

Equator The equator is the circle of latitude that divides Earth into the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Southern Hemisphere, Southern Hemispheres of Earth, hemispheres. It is an imaginary line located at 0 degrees latitude, about in circumferen ...

and

North Pole The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's rotation, Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True North Pole to distingu ...

, as well as almost halfway between the

Prime Meridian A prime meridian is an arbitrarily chosen meridian (geography), meridian (a line of longitude) in a geographic coordinate system at which longitude is defined to be 0°. On a spheroid, a prime meridian and its anti-meridian (the 180th meridian ...

and

180th meridian The 180th meridian or antimeridian is the meridian (geography), meridian 180° both east and west of the prime meridian in a Geographic coordinate system, geographical coordinate system. The longitude at this line can be given as either east ...

. The Athens area is primarily agricultural with a small industrial park on the south side of the village limits. 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 village has a total area of , all of it land.

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 1,105 people, 471 households, and 298 families living in the village. 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 503 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 96.2%

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 ...

, 0.2%

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, 0.2% Asian, 2.4% from other races, and 0.8% 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 4.9% of the population. There were 471 households, of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.7% 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, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.7% were non-families. 30.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.4% 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 2.96. The median age in the village was 39.5 years. 24.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.7% were from 25 to 44; 24.3% were from 45 to 64; and 17.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 51.0% male and 49.0% female.

2000 census

At the 2000

, there were 1,095 people, 443 households and 299 families living in the village. The

was 448.2 people per square mile (173.3/km²). There were 469 housing units at an average density of 192.0 per square mile (74.2/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 98.72%

, 0.09% Native American, 0.55% from other races, and 0.64% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 2.10% of the population. There were 443 households, of which 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.9% were

living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.5% were non-families. 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.08. Age distribution was 26.8% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 18.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.2 males. The median household income was $39,286, and the median family income was $52,727. Males had a median income of $30,956 versus $22,167 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 village was $17,076. About 1.3% of families and 4.5% 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 0.7% of those under age 18 and 12.1% of those age 65 or over.

Athens Library

The Athens Library is part of the Marathon County Public Library (MCPL) and the Wisconsin Valley Library Service, a regional library system. The library began in the early 1900s as a small collection of books in the Bloczynski Hotel. In 1926, the Athens Women's Club assumed management of the library, moving the collection to the Athens Bank. The library moved again in 1941, to the Community Hall. In 1947, the Athens Library joined the Marathon County Library. In 1973, when the Marathon County Library and Wausau Public Library merged to form the Marathon County Public Library, the Athens Library became a branch of the MCPL.

Education

The Athens School District is made up of three schools: Athens Elementary School, Athens Middle School, and Athens High School. The middle and high schools share the same building. The Athens School District belongs to the Marawood Conference. Its mascot is the Fighting Bluejay. There are two parochial schools in the community, Trinity Lutheran and St. Anthony's Catholic School.

Notable people

* Russ Decker, Wisconsin politician, was born in Athens.'Wisconsin Blue Book 2009-2010,' Biographical Sketch of Russ Decker, pg. 76 * Charles Winninger, notable character actor, was born in Athens.

References

External links

Village of Athens official website

Athens School District
* Marathon County Public Library - Athens Branch {{authority control Villages in Marathon County, Wisconsin Villages in Wisconsin