View source for Athens, Georgia

{{Short description|City in Georgia, United States}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2019}}
{{Infobox settlement
<!-- Basic info ---------------->
| name               = Athens, Georgia
| nickname           = "The Classic City"
| settlement_type    = [[Consolidated city–county]]
| named_for          = [[Athens]], Greece
| motto              = 
<!-- images and maps ----------->
| image_skyline      = Athens Georgia City Hall 1.jpg
| imagesize          = 250px
| image_caption      = Athens City Hall
| flag_size          = 
| image_seal         = Seal of Athens-Clarke County, Georgia.png
| seal_size          = 90px
| image_shield       = 
| shield_size        = 
| image_map          = Clarke_County_Georgia_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Athens_Highlighted.svg
| mapsize            = 250px
| map_caption        = Location of Athens in [[Clarke County, Georgia|Clarke County]] (left) and of Clarke County in [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] (right)
| pushpin_map        = USA Georgia#USA
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Georgia##Location in the United States
| pushpin_relief     = 1
| pushpin_label      = Athens
<!-- Location ------------------>
| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name   = {{Flag|United States}}
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1  = {{Flag|Georgia (U.S. state)|name=Georgia}}
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of counties in Georgia (U.S. state)|County]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Clarke County, Georgia|Clarke]]
<!-- Politics ----------------->
| government_footnotes = 
| government_type    = 
| leader_title       = Mayor
| leader_name        = [[Kelly Girtz]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.redandblack.com/athensnews/breaking-kelly-girtz-claims-victory-as-athens-clarke-county-s/article_d1232676-5e08-11e8-94f5-c7c0444eedfd.html|title=BREAKING: Kelly Girtz claims victory as Athens-Clarke County's next mayor|date=May 22, 2018|first=Maggie |last=Holland |publisher=The Red & Black}}</ref>
| established_title  = Settled
| established_date   = {{start date|1801}}
| established_title2 = As Town
| established_date2  = {{start date|1806|12}}
| established_title3 = As City
| established_date3  = {{start date|1872|08|24}}
<!-- Area --------------------->
| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2021">{{cite web|title=2021 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2021_Gazetteer/2021_gaz_place_13.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=October 13, 2021}}</ref>
| area_total_sq_mi   = 118.10
| area_total_km2     = 305.87
| area_land_sq_mi    = 116.33
| area_land_km2      = 301.29
| area_water_sq_mi   = 1.77
| area_water_km2     = 4.58
<!-- Population ----------------------->
| population_total   = 127315
| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes = <ref name="QuickFacts">{{cite web |title=QuickFacts: Savannah city, Georgia |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/athensclarkecountyunifiedgovernmentbalancegeorgia/POP010220 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=October 13, 2021}}</ref>
| population_rank    = [[List of United States cities by population|218th]] in the United States<br>[[List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state)|6th]] in Georgia
| population_density_sq_mi = 1094.43
| population_density_km2 = 422.57
| population_metro_footnotes = <ref name="2020Pop">{{cite web |title=2020 Population and Housing State Data |url=https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/2020-population-and-housing-state-data.html |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=October 13, 2021}}</ref>
| population_metro   = 215415 ([[List of metropolitan statistical areas|212th]])
<!-- General information --------------->
| timezone           = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|EST]]
| utc_offset         = &minus;5
| timezone_DST       = [[Eastern Daylight Time|EDT]]
| utc_offset_DST     = &minus;4
| coordinates        = {{coord|33|57|N|83|23|W|region:US-GA|display=inline,title}}
| elevation_footnotes = <!--for references: use <ref> </ref> tags-->
| elevation_m        = 194
| elevation_ft       = 636
<!-- Area/postal codes & others -------->
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP Code]]s
| postal_code        = 30601–30609, 30612
| area_code          = [[Area code 706|706]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 13-03440<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=January 31, 2008 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref>
| website            = {{URL|https://www.accgov.com/|accgov.com}}
| population_demonym = Athenian
}}

'''Athens''' is a [[consolidated city-county]] in the U.S. state of [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]. Downtown Athens lies about {{convert|70|mi}} northeast of downtown [[Atlanta]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Atlanta downtown to Athens downtown |url=https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Athens,+Georgia/Atlanta,+Georgia/@33.9033621,-83.8719894,9z/data=!4m8!4m7!1m2!1m1!1s0x88f66d19b4b433b9:0x4d747202d69d617c!1m2!1m1!1s0x88f5045d6993098d:0x66fede2f990b630b!3e0?hl=en-us |website=google.com |access-date=29 January 2024}}</ref> The [[University of Georgia]], the state's flagship public university and an [[Research I university|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, Georgia|Clarke County]], referred to jointly as Athens–Clarke County, where it is the [[county seat]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.athensclarkecounty.com/index.aspx?nid=113|title=Unification of Athens & Clarke County|work=athensclarkecounty.com|access-date=March 16, 2015}}</ref>

As of 2021, the Athens-Clarke County's official website's population of the consolidated city-county (all of Clarke County except [[Winterville, Georgia|Winterville]] and a portion of [[Bogart, Georgia|Bogart]]) was 128,711.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Demographics {{!}} Athens-Clarke County, GA - Official Website |url=https://www.accgov.com/105/Demographics |access-date=2024-10-20 |website=www.accgov.com}}</ref> Athens is the [[Georgia (U.S. state)#Major cities|sixth-most populous city]] in Georgia, and the principal city of the [[Athens-Clarke County, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area|Athens metropolitan area]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/bulletins/fy05/b05-02_appendix.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060320183101/http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/bulletins/fy05/b05-02_appendix.pdf|url-status=dead|title=U.S. Whitehouse OMB Bulletin No. 05-02 Appendix (Code 12020*)|archive-date=March 20, 2006}}</ref> which had a 2020 population of 215,415, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.<ref name="2020Pop" /> Metropolitan Athens is a component of the larger [[Atlanta metropolitan area|Atlanta–Athens–Clarke County–Sandy Springs Combined Statistical Area]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2010/cph-t/CPH-T-2.pdf |title=Statistical data|website=census.gov}}</ref>

The city is a [[college town]] with a vibrant [[Music of Athens, Georgia|music scene]] centered in [[Downtown Athens (Georgia)|downtown Athens]], next to the University of Georgia's North Campus.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://gardenandgun.com/articles/behind-music-athens-georgia/|title=Behind the Music in Athens, Georgia – Garden & Gun|date=November 13, 2017|work=Garden & Gun|access-date=February 21, 2018|language=en-US}}</ref> Major music acts associated with Athens include numerous [[alternative rock]] bands such as [[R.E.M.]], [[the B-52's]], [[Widespread Panic]], [[Drive-By Truckers]], [[of Montreal]], [[Neutral Milk Hotel]], and [[Harvey Milk (band)|Harvey Milk]]. The city is also known as a recording site for such groups as the Atlanta-based [[Indigo Girls]]. 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.<ref>Hale, Grace Elizabeth. Cool Town How Athens, Georgia, Launched Alternative Music and Changed American Culture. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2020.</ref> Athens has been named one of the best college towns in the US by ''[[Travel + Leisure]]'',<ref>{{cite web |last1=Countryman |first1=Vanessa|date=July 2, 2025|title=This Georgia city named one of the best college towns in the US by Travel + Leisure |url=https://www.onlineathens.com/story/news/2025/07/02/which-georgia-city-is-the-best-college-town-travel-leisure-ranks-best/84428120007/ |website=onlineathens.com |publisher=[[Athens Banner-Herald]] |access-date=4 July 2025}}</ref> and one of the nation's most charming small towns by [[HGTV]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Raymond |first1=Jonathan|date=September 15, 2025 |title=Two Georgia cities make HGTV list of 'most charming small downtowns in America' |url=https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/georgia-cities-hgtv-list-most-charming-small-downtowns/85-9fb04d35-2a48-42b8-80b6-16e074ff44b3 |website=11alive.com |publisher=[[WXIA-TV]] |access-date=17 September 2025}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Franklin House (Athens, Georgia) 1936 Historic American Buildings Survey.jpg|275px|thumb|left|Historic American Buildings of Athens in 1936]]
In the late 18th century, a trading settlement on the banks of the [[Oconee River]] called Cedar Shoals stood where Athens is today.<ref>Easom, Maxine Pinson, Patsy Hawkins Arnold, and Gary L. Doster. ''Across the River: The People, Places, and Culture of East Athens.'' 2019.</ref> On January 27, 1785, the [[Georgia General Assembly]] granted a [[charter]] by [[Abraham Baldwin]] for the [[University of Georgia]] as the first [[public university|state-supported university]]. Georgia's control of the area was established following the [[Oconee War]]. In 1801, a committee from the university's board of [[trustee]]s selected a site for the university on a hill above Cedar Shoals, in what was then [[Jackson County, Georgia|Jackson County]]. On July 25, 1801, [[John Milledge]], one of the trustees and later governor of Georgia, bought 633 acres from Daniel Easley and donated it to the university. Milledge named the surrounding area [[Athens]] after the city that was home to the [[Platonic Academy]] of [[Plato]] and [[Aristotle]] in [[Classical Greece]].<ref>Hynds, Ernest C. (1974; 2009 ed.). [https://books.google.com/books?id=F3jXcKhBqnsC&pg=PA2 ''Antebellum Athens and Clarke County, Georgia''], pp. 2-4. University of Georgia Press.</ref>
[[File:Athens, Georgia City Hall 2008.jpg|275px|thumb|left|City Hall on College Avenue in Downtown Athens, seen across Washington Street]] The first buildings on the University of Georgia campus were [[Log building|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]], 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.<ref>Hynds 1974, p. 9.</ref> The university and town continued to grow with [[cotton mill]]s fueling the industrial and commercial development. Athens became known as the "[[Manchester]] 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 [[Georgia Railroad|Georgia]], connecting Athens to [[Augusta, Georgia|Augusta]] by 1841, and to Marthasville (now [[Atlanta, Georgia|Atlanta]]) 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.<ref>''Antebellum Athens and Clarke County, Georgia'', By Ernest C. Hynds, p. 41</ref>

During the [[American Civil War]],<ref>{{cite book|last1=Stegeman|first1=John F.|title=These men she gave : Civil War diary of Athens, Georgia|date=1964|publisher=University of Georgia Press|location=Athens|isbn=9780820334585|url=http://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/ugapressbks/do-pdf:ugp9780820334585|access-date=February 21, 2018}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Seibert|first1=David|title=The Stoneman Raid|url=http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/topics/historical_markers/county/clarke/the-stoneman-raid11|website=GeorgiaInfo: an Online Georgia Almanac|publisher=Digital Library of Georgia|access-date=November 9, 2016}}</ref> A [[Athens Confederate Monument|Confederate memorial]] that used to stand on Broad Street near the University of Georgia Arch was removed the week of August 10, 2020.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Aued|first1=Blake|title=Athens-Clarke County Starts Removing Confederate Monument|url=https://flagpole.com/news/in-the-loop/2020/08/13/athens-clarke-county-starts-removing-confederate-monument|website=Flagpole: The Colorbearer of Athens, Georgia|date=August 13, 2020|publisher=Flagpole Magazine|access-date=October 4, 2020}}</ref>

During [[Reconstruction era of the United States|Reconstruction]], 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.<ref>Thomas, Frances Taliaferro (2nd ed. 2009). [https://books.google.com/books?id=o-8jFTZDrIwC&pg=PA293 ''A Portrait of Historic Athens and Clarke County''], p. 293. University of Georgia Press.</ref> 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]]. This new population was served by three black newspapers: the ''Athens Blade'', the ''Athens Clipper'', and the ''Progressive Era''.<ref>Thomas 2009, [https://books.google.com/books?id=o-8jFTZDrIwC&pg=PA115 pp. 115-17].</ref>

In the 1880s, as Athens became more densely populated, city services and improvements were undertaken. The Athens [[Police]] Department was founded in 1881 and [[Public school (government funded)|public schools]] opened in the fall of 1886. Telephone service was introduced in 1882 by the [[Bell Telephone Company]]. Transportation improvements were also introduced with a street paving program beginning in 1885 and [[streetcar]]s, pulled by mules, in 1888.

[[File:AthensGeorgiaStreetScene2008 05 s 03.jpg|275px|thumb|left|Broad Street in Downtown Athens at an entrance to North Campus of the [[University of Georgia]]]]
By the centennial in 1901, Athens had experienced a century of development and growth. A new [[city hall]] was completed in 1904. An [[African-American]] [[middle class]] 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.<ref>Doster, Emily Jean & Doster, Gary L. (2011). [https://books.google.com/books?id=cQaMPnfjoiQC&pg=PA98 ''Athens''], pp. 98-99. Arcadia Publishing.</ref> The theater at the Morton Building hosted movies and performances by black musicians such as [[Louis Armstrong]], [[Cab Calloway]], and [[Duke Ellington]]. 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.<ref name="UGA">{{cite web |title=THE LYNCHING PROJECT: OCONEE COUNTY |url=https://digihum.libs.uga.edu/exhibits/show/the-lynching-project--murder-a/georgia-historic-overview/oconee-county |website=African American Experience in Athens |publisher=University of Georgia |access-date=6 September 2020 |archive-date=June 22, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200622012802/https://digihum.libs.uga.edu/exhibits/show/the-lynching-project--murder-a/georgia-historic-overview/oconee-county |url-status=dead }}</ref>

During [[World War II]], the [[U.S. Navy]] 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 [[State Normal School (Athens, Georgia)|Normal School]]. It closed in 2011 under the [[Base Realignment and Closure]] process. The 56-acre site is now home to the Health Sciences Campus, which contains the University of Georgia/Medical College of Georgia Medical Partnership, the University of Georgia College of Public Health, and other health-related programs.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Location & Facilities |url=https://publichealth.uga.edu/cph/location-and-facilities/ |access-date=2024-03-21 |website=College of Public Health UGA |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 1961, Athens witnessed part of the civil rights movement when [[Charlayne Hunter-Gault|Charlayne Hunter]] and [[Hamilton E. Holmes|Hamilton Holmes]] became the first two black students to enter the University of Georgia.<ref>Dyer, Thomas G. (1985).[https://archive.org/details/universityofgeor0000dyer/page/329 ''The University of Georgia: A Bicentennial History, 1785–1985''], p. 329. University of Georgia Press.</ref> Despite the ''[[Brown vs. Board of Education]]'' [[United States Supreme Court|Supreme Court]] ruling in 1954, the Athens–Clarke County school district remained segregated until 1964.

===Timeline===
{{hidden begin|title=Timeline of Athens, Georgia|titlestyle=background:#F8F8FF;width:90%}}
* 1801
** [[Franklin College of Arts and Sciences|Franklin College]] opens.{{sfn|Britannica|1910}}
** [[Clarke County, Georgia|Clarke County]] formed from part of [[Jackson County, Georgia|Jackson County]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://publications.newberry.org/ahcbp/ |title=Georgia: Individual County Chronologies |work=Atlas of Historical County Boundaries |author=Scholl Center for American History and Culture |publisher=[[Newberry Library]] |location=Chicago |access-date=March 6, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170305011359/http://publications.newberry.org/ahcbp/ |archive-date=March 5, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* 1806 - Town of Athens incorporated.{{sfn|Hellmann|2006}}
* 1808 - ''Georgia Express'' newspaper begins publication.<ref name=LOC>{{cite web |url= http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/search/titles/results/?state=Georgia&city=Athens&rows=50&sort=date |title=US Newspaper Directory |location=Washington DC |work=Chronicling America |publisher=Library of Congress |access-date= March 6, 2017 }}</ref>
* 1810
** [[Jackson Street Cemetery]] in use (approximate date).
** Population: 273.
* 1832 - ''[[Athens Banner-Herald|Southern Banner]]'' newspaper in publication.<ref name=LOC />
* 1834 - [[Camak House]] and [[T. R. R. Cobb House]] built (approximate date).
* 1841 - Railroad begins operating.<ref name=ACC-timeline>{{cite web |url=http://athensclarkecounty.com/115/Historical-Timeline |title=Historical Timeline: History of Athens-Clarke County |publisher=Athens-Clarke County Unified Government |access-date= March 6, 2017 }}</ref>
* 1842 - [[Joseph Henry Lumpkin House]] built.<ref name=Markers />
* 1850 - Population: 1,661.
* 1856
** [[Oconee Hill Cemetery]] established.<ref name=ACC-timeline />
** [[President's House (University of Georgia)|Benjamin H. Hill House]] built.
* 1859 - [[University of Georgia School of Law|Lumpkin Law School]] and [[Lucy Cobb Institute]] (girls school) established.{{sfn|Federal Writers' Project|1940}}{{sfn|Hynds|1974}}
* 1870 - Population: 4,251.
* 1871 - Athens becomes seat of Clarke County.<ref name=ACC-timeline />
* 1872
** City of Athens incorporated.{{sfn|Britannica|1910}}
** [[University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences|State School of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts]] opens.{{sfn|Federal Writers' Project|1940}}
* 1882 - [[Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery]] established.<ref name=Markers>{{cite web |url= http://georgiahistory.com/education-outreach/historical-markers/marker-index/ |title= (Clarke County: Athens) |work=Explore Georgia's Historical Markers |publisher=[[Georgia Historical Society]] |access-date= March 6, 2017 }}</ref>
* 1883 - Synagogue built.<ref name=Goldring>{{cite encyclopedia |url= http://www.isjl.org/georgia-encyclopedia.html |title= Athens, Georgia |encyclopedia= Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities |publisher= [[Goldring / Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life]] |location=Jackson, Mississippi |access-date= March 6, 2017 }}</ref>
* 1891
** Electric streetcar begins operating.<ref name=ACC-timeline />
** Ladies Garden Club organized.<ref name=Markers />
* 1895 - [[State Normal School (Athens, Georgia)|State Normal School]] opens.{{sfn|Hellmann|2006}}
* 1896 - Electric lighting introduced.<ref name=ACC-timeline />
* 1900 - Population: 10,245.
* 1903 - [[University of Georgia College of Pharmacy]] founded.{{sfn|Britannica|1910}}
* 1904 - City Hall built.<ref name=ACC-timeline />
* 1906 - [[Daniel B. Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources|School of Forestry]] founded.{{sfn|Britannica|1910}}
* 1908 - Southern Mutual Insurance Company building constructed.<ref name=ACC-timeline />
* 1910 - [[Morton Theatre]] in business.<ref name=cinema />
* 1912 - [[Terry College of Business|School of Commerce]] founded.
* 1914
** Reese Street School was founded.<ref name=Markers />
** Clarke County Courthouse built.<ref name=ACC-timeline />
* 1917 - [[Athens Ben Epps Airport]] opens.
* 1921 - Lynching of John Lee Eberhart <ref name="UGA"/>
* 1924 - Athens Country Club founded.<ref>{{cite book|author=John Companiotte|title= History of Golf in Georgia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=csE4CwAAQBAJ|year= 2016|publisher= [[Arcadia Publishing#The History Press|History Press]] |location=Charleston, SC |isbn=978-1-62585-559-6}}</ref>
* 1928 - WTFI radio begins broadcasting.<ref name=ACC-timeline />
* 1929 - University's [[Sanford Stadium]] opens.<ref name=ACC-timeline />
* 1932 - [[University of Georgia]] begins administering previously separate colleges of agriculture, education, law, etc.{{sfn|Thomas|2009}}
* 1938
** [[WGAU]] [[List of radio stations in Georgia (U.S. state)|radio]] begins broadcasting.<ref name=Alicoate1939>{{citation |title=Radio Annual |oclc=2459636 |year=1939 |editor= Jack Alicoate |publisher= Radio Daily |location=New York |chapter-url= https://archive.org/stream/radioannual193900radi#page/225/mode/1up |chapter= Georgia }}</ref>
** [[University of Georgia Press]] established.
* 1940 - Population: 20,650.
* 1948 - [[Georgia Museum of Art]] opens.<ref name=ACC-timeline />
* 1949 - State Farmers Market established near Athens.{{sfn|Federal Writers' Project|1940}}
* 1954 - Prince Avenue Drive-In cinema in business.<ref name=cinema>{{cite web |url= http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/united-states/georgia/athens?status=all |title=Movie Theaters in Athens, GA |work=CinemaTreasures.org |publisher= Cinema Treasures LLC |location=Los Angeles |access-date= March 6, 2017 }}</ref>
* 1958 - [[Athens Technical College|Athens Area Vocational-Technical School]] founded.
* 1959 - Athens Historical Society organized.<ref name=aaslh2002>{{cite book |title=Directory of Historical Organizations in the United States and Canada |year=2002 |edition=15th |isbn=0759100020 |author= [[American Association for State and Local History]] |chapter= Georgia: Athens |publisher=Rowman Altamira |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=LY0Q5Rv4O3YC }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.athenshistorical.org/history-of-society |title= History of Society |publisher=Athens Historical Society |access-date= March 5, 2017 }}</ref>
* 1963 - Beechwood Shopping Center in business.<ref name=ACC-timeline />
* 1965 - ''Daily News'' in publication.<ref name=LOC />
* 1971 - [[Clarke Central High School]] opens.
* 1976
** [[Athens Transit]] bus begins operating.<ref name=ACC-timeline />
** [[The B-52's]] musical group formed.
* 1977 - [[Georgia Theatre]] in business.
* 1979 - [[Pylon (band)|Pylon]] musical group begins performing.
* 1980
** [[Georgia Square Mall]] in business.<ref name=ACC-timeline />
** [[R.E.M.]] musical group formed.<ref name=ACC-timeline />
* 1987 - [[Athens-Clarke County Correctional Institution]] built.
* 1990 - Population: 45,734.
* 1991 - Governments of Athens and [[Clarke County, Georgia|Clarke County]] [[Consolidated city-county|consolidate]].{{sfn|Hellmann|2006}}
* 1992 - Athens-Clarke County Library's Heritage Room (for local history) established.<ref name=aaslh2002 />
* 1996 - Part of [[1996 Summer Olympics]] takes place in Athens.<ref name=ACC-timeline />
* 2000
** City-county website online (approximate date).<ref>{{cite web |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20000302022820/http://www.athensclarkecounty.com/ |url= http://www.athensclarkecounty.com/ |archive-date= March 2, 2000 |title= Athensclarkecounty.com |publisher= Unified Government of Athens-Clarke County |via= Internet Archive, [[Wayback Machine]] |url-status= dead }}</ref>
** Population: 100,266.
* 2001
** [[Athens Institute for Contemporary Art]] founded.
** ''[[Athens Banner-Herald]]'' newspaper in publication.
* 2007 - [[Paul Broun]] becomes [[U.S. representative]] for [[Georgia's 10th congressional district]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Official Congressional Directory |title-link=Official Congressional Directory |location=Washington, D.C. |publisher=Government Printing Office |year= 2009 |chapter= Georgia |series=1991/1992- : S. Pub. |hdl=2027/uc1.c099985288?urlappend=%3Bseq=103 |chapter-url= https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uc1.c099985288?urlappend=%3Bseq=103 |via= [[HathiTrust]] }}</ref>
* 2010 - Population: 115,452.<ref name=quickfacts2010>{{cite web |url= https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/PST045215/1303440 |title= Athens-Clarke County, Georgia |work=State & County QuickFacts |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |access-date= March 5, 2017 }}</ref>
* 2011 - [[Nancy Denson]] becomes mayor.
* 2015 - [[Jody Hice]] becomes U.S. representative for Georgia's 10th congressional district.<ref name=GovTrack>{{cite web |url= http://www.govtrack.us/congress/members |title=Members of Congress |work=[[GovTrack.us|GovTrack]] |author=Civic Impulse, LLC |location=Washington DC |access-date=March 6, 2017 }}</ref>
* 2019 - [[Kelly Girtz]] becomes mayor.{{hidden end}}

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the balance has a total area of {{convert|118.2|sqmi|1}}, of which {{convert|117.8|sqmi|1}} is land and {{convert|0.5|sqmi|1}} (0.41%) is water.

Athens lies within the [[humid subtropical climate]] zone, with hot, humid summers and mild to moderately cold winters. Annual rainfall averages {{convert|49.7|in|mm}}. Light to moderate sporadic snowfall occasionally can occur in winter. In the spring, sporadic [[thunderstorm]]s can occasionally become severe, rarely producing [[tornado]]es. The city sits on a series of hills, unique to the [[Piedmont (United States)|Piedmont region]].

===Climate===
Athens has a [[humid subtropical climate]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=11327&cityname=Athens%2C+Georgia%2C+United+States+of+America&units=|title=Athens, Georgia Climate Summary|publisher=Weatherbase|access-date=December 29, 2015}}</ref> Its climatic regime is typical of that of the [[Southeastern United States]], with hot summers transitioning into cool winters, with precipitation consistently high throughout the year. Normal monthly temperatures range from {{convert|43.5|°F|1}} in January to {{convert|80.6|°F|1}} in July; on average, maxima reach {{convert|90|°F|0}} or higher and stay below {{convert|40|°F|0}} on 58 and 5.8 days annually, and there are 48 days annually with a minimum at or below freezing.<ref name = "NOWData FFC"/>

Official record temperatures range from {{convert|-4|°F|0}} on [[January 1985 Arctic outbreak|January 21, 1985]] to {{convert|109|°F|0}} on [[Summer 2012 North American heat wave|June 29, 2012]];<ref name = "NOWData FFC"/> the record cold daily maximum is {{convert|18|°F|0}} on January 30, 1966, while, conversely, the record warm daily minimum is {{convert|79|°F|0}} as recently as August 11, 2007.<ref name = "NOWData FFC"/> Temperatures rarely fall below {{convert|10|°F|0}}, having last occurred January 7, 2014.<ref name = "NOWData FFC"/> The average window for freezing temperatures is November 5 to March 24, allowing a growing season of 225 days.<ref name = "NOWData FFC"/>

Precipitation is relatively well spread (though the summer months are slightly wetter), and averages {{convert|46.3|in|mm|sigfig=3}} annually, but has historically ranged from {{convert|28.61|in|mm|abbr=on}} in 1954 to {{convert|71.39|in|mm|abbr=on}} in 1964.<ref name = "NOWData FFC"/> Snowfall is sporadic, averaging {{convert|2.9|in|cm|1}} per winter, but has reached {{convert|13.6|in|cm|1}} in 2010–2011.<ref name = "NOWData FFC"/>

{{Weather box|location = Athens, Georgia ([[Ben Epps Airport]]), 1991–2020 normals,<ref>Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. the highest and lowest temperature readings during an entire month or year) calculated based on data at said location from 1991 to 2020.</ref> extremes 1893–present
|single line = Y
| Jan record high F = 80
| Feb record high F = 83
| Mar record high F = 89
| Apr record high F = 97
| May record high F = 100
| Jun record high F = 109
| Jul record high F = 108
| Aug record high F = 107
| Sep record high F = 108
| Oct record high F = 100
| Nov record high F = 86
| Dec record high F = 80
| year record high F = 109
| Jan avg record high F = 71
| Feb avg record high F = 75
| Mar avg record high F = 82
| Apr avg record high F = 86
| May avg record high F = 92
| Jun avg record high F = 96
| Jul avg record high F = 98
| Aug avg record high F = 98
| Sep avg record high F = 93
| Oct avg record high F = 86
| Nov avg record high F = 79
| Dec avg record high F = 72
| year avg record high F = 100
| Jan high F = 54.7
| Feb high F = 58.9
| Mar high F = 66.8
| Apr high F = 74.8
| May high F = 82.3
| Jun high F = 88.9
| Jul high F = 92.0
| Aug high F = 90.4
| Sep high F = 84.6
| Oct high F = 75.1
| Nov high F = 64.9
| Dec high F = 56.8
| year high F = 74.2
| Jan mean F = 44.3
| Feb mean F = 47.9
| Mar mean F = 54.9
| Apr mean F = 62.3
| May mean F = 70.5
| Jun mean F = 77.7
| Jul mean F = 81.0
| Aug mean F = 79.8
| Sep mean F = 73.9
| Oct mean F = 63.5
| Nov mean F = 53.3
| Dec mean F = 46.5
| year mean F = 63.0
| Jan low F = 33.8
| Feb low F = 36.9
| Mar low F = 42.9
| Apr low F = 49.8
| May low F = 58.6
| Jun low F = 66.5
| Jul low F = 70.0
| Aug low F = 69.2
| Sep low F = 63.3
| Oct low F = 51.9
| Nov low F = 41.6
| Dec low F = 36.3
| year low F = 51.7
| Jan avg record low F = 17
| Feb avg record low F = 22
| Mar avg record low F = 27
| Apr avg record low F = 35
| May avg record low F = 45
| Jun avg record low F = 57
| Jul avg record low F = 63
| Aug avg record low F = 62
| Sep avg record low F = 51
| Oct avg record low F = 36
| Nov avg record low F = 27
| Dec avg record low F = 22
| year avg record low F = 15
| Jan record low F = -4
| Feb record low F = 3
| Mar record low F = 11
| Apr record low F = 26
| May record low F = 37
| Jun record low F = 45
| Jul record low F = 55
| Aug record low F = 53
| Sep record low F = 30
| Oct record low F = 24
| Nov record low F = 7
| Dec record low F = 2
| year record low F = -4
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation inch = 4.36
| Feb precipitation inch = 4.36
| Mar precipitation inch = 4.37
| Apr precipitation inch = 3.52
| May precipitation inch = 3.28
| Jun precipitation inch = 4.88
| Jul precipitation inch = 4.20
| Aug precipitation inch = 4.55
| Sep precipitation inch = 3.89
| Oct precipitation inch = 3.34
| Nov precipitation inch = 3.77
| Dec precipitation inch = 4.43
| year precipitation inch = 48.95
| Jan snow inch = 1.4
| Feb snow inch = 0.6
| Mar snow inch = 0.8
| Apr snow inch = 0.0
| May snow inch = 0.0
| Jun snow inch = 0.0
| Jul snow inch = 0.0
| Aug snow inch = 0.0
| Sep snow inch = 0.0
| Oct snow inch = 0.0
| Nov snow inch = 0.0
| Dec snow inch = 0.1
| year snow inch = 2.9
| unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
| Jan precipitation days = 10.6
| Feb precipitation days = 10.1
| Mar precipitation days = 9.6
| Apr precipitation days = 8.5
| May precipitation days = 8.9
| Jun precipitation days = 11.4
| Jul precipitation days = 10.6
| Aug precipitation days = 9.6
| Sep precipitation days = 7.4
| Oct precipitation days = 6.6
| Nov precipitation days = 8.4
| Dec precipitation days = 10.4
| year precipitation days = 112.1
| unit snow days = 0.1 in
| Jan snow days = 0.8
| Feb snow days = 0.4
| Mar snow days = 0.2
| Apr snow days = 0.0
| May snow days = 0.0
| Jun snow days = 0.0
| Jul snow days = 0.0
| Aug snow days = 0.0
| Sep snow days = 0.0
| Oct snow days = 0.0
| Nov snow days = 0.0
| Dec snow days = 0.3
| year snow days = 1.7
| Jan humidity = 69
| Feb humidity = 65
| Mar humidity = 64
| Apr humidity = 63
| May humidity = 69
| Jun humidity = 72
| Jul humidity = 74
| Aug humidity = 76
| Sep humidity = 75
| Oct humidity = 73
| Nov humidity = 71
| Dec humidity = 70
| year humidity = 70
| Jan percentsun = 49
| Feb percentsun = 54
| Mar percentsun = 58
| Apr percentsun = 66
| May percentsun = 68
| Jun percentsun = 67
| Jul percentsun = 63
| Aug percentsun = 75
| Sep percentsun = 64
| Oct percentsun = 63
| Nov percentsun = 58
| Dec percentsun = 50
| year percentsun = 61
|source 1 = [[NOAA]] (humidity and snow 1981–2010)<ref name="NOWData FFC">{{cite web
| url = https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=ffc
| title = NowData - NOAA Online Weather Data
| publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] 
| access-date = May 24, 2021}}</ref><ref name=NCEI>
{{cite web
| url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USW00013873&format=pdf
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
| title = Station: Athens Ben EPPS AP, GA
| work = U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020)
| access-date = May 24, 2021}}</ref><ref>
{{cite web
| url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USW00013873&format=pdf
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
| title = Station: Athens Ben EPPS AP, GA
| work = U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1981-2010)
| access-date = May 24, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210705135906/https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/lcd/annual/2018/01201813AHN.pdf
| archive-date = July 5, 2021
| url = https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/lcd/annual/2018/01201813AHN.pdf
| title = Local Climatological Data Annual Summary with Comparative Data for Athens, Georgia (KAHN)
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
| access-date = July 5, 2021}}</ref>
|date=July 2013}}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1810= 273
|1850= 1661
|1860= 3848
|1870= 4251
|1880= 6099
|1890= 8639
|1900= 10245
|1910= 14913
|1920= 16748
|1930= 18192
|1940= 20650
|1950= 28180
|1960= 31355
|1970= 44342
|1980= 42549
|1990= 45734
|2000= 100266
|2010= 115452
|2020= 127315
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade.html|title=Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decade|publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref><br> 1850-1870<ref name=1870CensusGA>{{Cite web|title= 1870 Census of Population - Georgia - Population of Civil Divisions less than Counties |publisher=United States Census Bureau|date= 1870|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1870/population/1870a-13.pdf |page=}}</ref> 1870-1880<ref name=1880CensusGA>{{Cite web|author-link=   |title= 1880 Census of Population - Georgia - Population of Civil Divisions less than Counties |publisher=United States Census Bureau|date= 1880|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1880/vol-01-population/1880_v1-09.pdf |page=}}</ref><br> 1890-1910<ref name=1910CensusGA>{{Cite web|author-link=   |title= 1910 Census of Population - Georgia  |publisher=United States Census Bureau|date= 1930|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1910/abstract/supplement-ga.pdf |page=}}</ref> 1920-1930<ref name=1930CensusGA>{{Cite web|author-link=   |title= 1930 Census of Population - Georgia  |publisher=United States Census Bureau|date= 1930|url=https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/03815512v1ch04.pdf |pages=251–256}}</ref><br> 1940<ref name=1940CensusGA>{{Cite web|author-link=   |title= 1940 Census of Population - Georgia  |publisher=United States Census Bureau|date= 1940|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1940/population-volume-1/33973538v1ch04.pdf }}</ref> 1950<ref name=1950CensusGA>{{Cite web|author-link=   |title= 1950 Census of Population - Georgia |publisher=United States Census Bureau|date= 1980|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1950/population-volume-2/37779083v2p11ch2.pdf }}</ref> 1960<ref name=1960CensusGA>{{Cite web|author-link=   |title= 1960 Census of Population - Population of County Subdivisions - Georgia  |publisher=United States Census Bureau|date= 1960|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1960/population-volume-1/vol-01-12-c.pdf}}</ref><br> 1970<ref name=1970CensusGA>{{Cite web|author-link=   |title= 1970 Census of Population - Population of County Subdivisions - Georgia  |publisher=United States Census Bureau|date= 1970|url=https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1970a_ga-01.pdf}}</ref> 1980<ref name=1980CensusGA>{{Cite web|author-link=   |title= 1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia  |publisher=United States Census Bureau|date= 1980|url=https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1980a_gaABC-01.pdf}}</ref> 1990<ref name=1990CensusGA>{{Cite web|author-link=   |title= 1990 Census of Population - Summary Social, Economic, and Housing Characteristics - Georgia |publisher=United States Census Bureau|date= 1990|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1990/cph-5/cph-5-12.pdf}}</ref><br> 2000<ref name=2000CensusGA>{{Cite web|author-link=   |title= 2000 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Georgia  |publisher=United States Census Bureau|date= 2000|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/2003/dec/phc-3-12.pdf }}</ref> 2010<ref name=2010CensusGA>{{Cite web|author-link=   |title= 2010 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Georgia  |publisher=United States Census Bureau|date= 2010|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/2010/cph-2/cph-2-12.pdf }}</ref> 2020<ref name=2020CensusP2/>
}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Athens-Clarke County unified government, Georgia – Racial and ethnic composition<br><small>{{nobold|''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.''}}</small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(''NH = Non-Hispanic'')</small>
!Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>{{Cite web|title=P004 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Athens-Clarke County (balance) a|url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALSF12000.P004?g=160XX00US1303440|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Athens-Clarke unified government (balance) |url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US1303440&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!{{partial|Pop 2020}}<ref name=2020CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Athens-Clarke unified government (balance) |url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US1303440&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!% 2000
!% 2010
!{{partial|% 2020}}
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] alone (NH)
|61,950
|65,747
|style='background: #ffffe6; |71,258
|61.79%
|56.95%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |55.97%
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino African Americans|Black or African American]] alone (NH)
|27,284
|30,441
|style='background: #ffffe6; |31,129
|27.21%
|26.37%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |24.45%
|-
|[[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] or [[Alaska Native]] alone (NH)
|160
|138
|style='background: #ffffe6; |297
|0.16%
|0.12%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.23%
|-
|[[Asian Americans|Asian]] alone (NH)
|3,147
|4,807
|style='background: #ffffe6; |4,894
|3.14%
|4.16%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.84%
|-
|[[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]] alone (NH)
|41
|48
|style='background: #ffffe6; |65
|0.04%
|0.04%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.05%
|-
|[[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|Some Other Race]] alone (NH)
|167
|270
|style='background: #ffffe6; |976
|0.17%
|0.23%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.77%
|-
|[[Multiracial Americans|Mixed Race or Multi-Racial]] (NH)
|1,115
|1,872
|style='background: #ffffe6; |4,452
|1.11%
|1.62%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.50%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (any race)
|6,402
|12,129
|style='background: #ffffe6; |14,244
|6.39%
|10.51%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |11.19%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''100,266'''
|'''115,452'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''127,315'''
|'''100.00%'''
|'''100.00%'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''100.00%'''
|}As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 127,315 people, 51,640 households, and 23,615 families residing in the city. As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2" /> of 2010, there were 100,266 people, 39,239 households, and 19,344 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|851.5|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 41,633 housing units at an average density of {{convert|353.6|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|units&nbsp;|units|}}. The racial makeup of the city was 64.71% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 27.37% [[Race (United States Census)|Black]] or [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.21% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 3.15% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.04% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 3.11% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1.41% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 6.39% of the population.

The large population increase from 1990 to 2000 reflects the city's expanded boundaries that came with the consolidation of Athens and Clarke County, and not merely an influx of new residents. Since that time the population has increased an average of 12.7% every ten years.

There were 39,239 households, of which 22.3% had children under 18 living with them, 32.3% were [[Marriage|married couples]] 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, 17.8% of the population was under the age of 18, 31.6% was from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 15.3% from 45 to 64, and 8.0% was 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]] for the balance was $17,103. About 15.0% of families and 28.6% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 25.2% of those under age 18 and 13.5% of those age 65 or over.

==Government==
{{Expand section|date=March 2009}}
{{see also|List of mayors of Athens, Georgia}}
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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.accgov.com/115/Historical-Timeline|title=Historical Timeline &#124; Athens-Clarke County, GA - Official Website|website=www.accgov.com}}</ref>
*Legislative: The [https://www.accgov.com/108/Government government] is headed by an elected [https://www.accgov.com/315/Mayor mayor] and 10 elected [https://www.accgov.com/168/Commission-Information-Biographies commissioners] from 10 equally divided districts. Previously, they have been formed from 8 geographical districts and two 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 [[Georgia Superior Courts|Superior Courts]]. Superior Court covers the Western Judicial Circuit, which also includes [[Oconee County, Georgia|Oconee County]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.athensclarkecounty.com/about.htm |title=General Info About Athens-Clarke County |publisher=Athensclarkecounty.com |access-date=August 14, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100924013108/http://athensclarkecounty.com/about.htm |archive-date=September 24, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Law==
{{Infobox law enforcement agency
| agencyname        = Athens-Clarke County Police Department
| nativename        = 
| nativenamea       = 
| nativenamer       = 
| commonname        = 
| abbreviation      = ACCPD
| patch             = 
| fictional         = 
| logo              = 
| logocaption       = 
| badge             = 
| badgecaption      = 
| flag              = 
| flagcaption       = 
| imagesize         = 
| motto             = 
| mottotranslated   = 
| mission           = 
| formedyear        = 1991
| formedmonthday    = January 14
| preceding1        = 
| dissolved         = 
| superseding       = 
| employees         = 
| volunteers        = 
| budget            = 
| nongovernment     = 
| mapcaption        = 
| sizearea          = 
| sizepopulation    = 
| legaljuris        = 
| governingbody     = 
| governingbodyscnd = 
| constitution1     = 
| police            = Yes
| local             = Yes
| military          = 
| provost           = 
| gendarmerie       = 
| religious         = 
| speciality        = 
| secret            = 
| overviewtype      = 
| overviewbody      = 
| headquarters      = 3035 Lexington Rd.<br/> Athens, Georgia 30605
| hqlocmap          = 
| hqlocleft         = 
| hqloctop          = 
| hqlocmappoptitle  = 
| sworntype         = Sworn
| sworn             = 244 (~210 working strength)
| unsworntype       = Civilian
| unsworn           = 73
| multinational     = 
| electeetype       = 
| minister1name     = 
| minister1pfo      = 
| chief1name        = Jerry Saulters
| chief1position    = [[Chief of police#United States|Chief of Police]]
| child1agency      = 
| unittype          = 
| unitname          = 
| officetype        = 
| officename        = 
| provideragency    = 
| uniformedas       = 
| stationtype       = Number of Station
| stations          = 5
| airbases          = 
| lockuptype        = Holding Facilities
| lockups           = Clarke County Jail - Clarke County Sheriff's Office
| vehicle1type      = Vehicle
| vehicles1         = Chevrolet Impala, Ford Interceptor, Ford Explorer, Ford F-150, Ford Fusion, Toyota Prius
| boat1type         = 
| boats1            = 
| aircraft1type     = 
| aircraft1         = 
| animal1type       = 
| animals1          = 
| animal2type       = 
| animals2          = 
| person1name       = 
| person1reason     = 
| person1type       = 
| programme1        = 
| activity1name     = 
| activitytype      = 
| anniversary1      = 
| award1            = 
| website           = http://www.accpd.org
| footnotes         = 
| reference         = 
}}

The '''Athens-Clarke County Police Department''' (ACCPD) was formed by the merger of the [[law enforcement agencies]] of the City of Athens and Clarke County. {{As of|October 2022}}, Jerry Saulters was sworn in as the new Chief of Police.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.accgov.com/858/Office-of-Chief-of-Police|title = Office of the Chief of Police &#124; Athens-Clarke County, GA - Official Website}}</ref> ACCPD is accredited by the [[Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies]] (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 [[Georgia (U.S. state)|State of Georgia]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Police Department|url=https://www.accgov.com/200/Police/police |access-date=2022-05-06 |website=Athens-Clarke County, GA - Official Website}}</ref>

==Economy==

===Businesses===
[[File:Athens, Georgia - Clayton Street Intersection.jpg|275px|thumb|upright=1.15|right|Downtown Athens at the intersection of Clayton Street and College Avenue]]
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 Boehringer-Ingelheim 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.<ref>{{Cite web|title=RWDC Industries is a new startup hoping to become a bioplastics giant in Athens, Ga.|url=https://techcrunch.com/2020/05/05/rwdc-industries-is-a-new-startup-hoping-to-become-a-bioplastics-giant-in-athens-ga/|access-date=2020-11-09|website=TechCrunch|date=May 5, 2020 |language=en-US}}</ref>

Independent publisher [[Hill Street Press]] is headquartered here. Authors with previous, or current, residence in the city include [[Pulitzer Prize]] winners [[Deborah Blum]] and [[Edward Larson]], as well as [[Judith Ortiz Cofer]], [[Reginald McKnight]], [[Coleman Barks]], and [[Jon Jefferson]].

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.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-08-01 |title=Former Downtown Shoe Store Will Be Turned Into Recording Academy|url=https://flagpole.com/news/city-dope/2018/08/01/former-downtown-shoe-store-will-be-turned-into-recording-academy/|access-date=2020-11-09|website=Flagpole}}</ref>

===Tourism===
Each spring, there are bicycle races collectively known as the [[Twilight Series]]. One of these races is the [[Athens Twilight Criterium]].

===Competitiveness===
{{Update section|inaccurate=yes|reason=Data is more than 12 years old.|date=December 2022}}
In 2010, the average household rent in Athens was $962. The national average was $1,087.<ref name=name>{{cite web|url=http://www.rentjungle.com/average-rent-in-atlanta-rent-trends/.html|title=Rent Jungle Statistics|access-date = October 18, 2010 }}</ref> Of the Athens population 25 years of age or older, 39.3% have earned a bachelor's degree or higher.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/PST045215/13059|title=Population estimates, July 1, 2015, (V2015)|website=census.gov|access-date=March 16, 2016}}</ref>

==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===
[[File:State Botanical Garden of Georgia 001.jpg|275px|thumb|upright=1.15|Formal garden at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia at the University of Georgia]]

* One of the remaining two [[double-barreled cannon]]s produced during the [[American Civil War]] is located in Athens.
* The "[[Tree That Owns Itself]]", which is now an offspring of the original tree, is at the corner of South Finley and Dearing Streets; between 1820 and 1832 the property owner deeded to it the ownership of itself and its surrounding land.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Tree That Owns Itself |url=https://www.visitathensga.com/things-to-do/attractions/the-tree-that-owns-itself/ |website=visitathensga.com |publisher=Visit Athens |access-date=23 June 2025}}</ref>
* The [[Georgia Museum of Art]], the official state museum of art, at the University of Georgia 
* The [[State Botanical Garden of Georgia]] at the University of Georgia
* The [[University of Georgia Campus Arboretum|University of Georgia Campus & Arboretum]]
* [[St. Mary's Episcopal Church (Athens, Georgia)|St. Mary's Church steeple]], all that remains of the site of the first show by what became [[R.E.M.]]<ref>Reed, Ryan. [https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/r-e-m-neutral-milk-hotel-donate-items-to-save-iconic-church-steeple-20141103 "R.E.M., Neutral Milk Hotel Donate Items to Save Iconic Church Steeple"] (November 3, 2014) Retrieved November 14, 2014</ref>
* The Globe bar was voted by ''[[Esquire (magazine)|Esquire]]'' magazine as the bar ranked third highest in America in 2007<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.esquire.com/bestbars/ |title=Best Bars – Esquire |publisher=Esquire.com |access-date=October 29, 2011}}</ref>
* Founded in 1955, [[Allen's (restaurant)|Allen's]] was Athens' oldest bar and grill despite closing in 2004, re-opening in 2007, and closing again in November 2011<ref>{{cite web |url=http://onlineathens.com/local-news/2011-11-29/allens-hamburgers-announces-its-closing |title=Allen's Hamburgers announces it's closing |access-date=July 12, 2013}}</ref>
* Sandy Creek Park is a 782-acre park that surrounds 260-acre Lake Chapman and includes a beach and swimming area with over 28,000 square feet of sand, kayaks, canoes, hiking, boat ramp, fishing, picnic tables, grills, accessible playgrounds, dog park, and other amenities.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://sandycreekpark.com/2776/Sandy-Creek-Park|title=Sandy Creek Park {{!}} Athens-Clarke County, GA - Official Website|website=sandycreekpark.com|language=en|access-date=November 22, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Sandy Creek Park |url=https://www.accgov.com/sandycreekpark |website=accgov.com |publisher=Athens-Clarke County Unified Government |access-date=23 June 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Sandy Creek Park |url=https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g29209-d4580345-Reviews-Sandy_Creek_Park-Athens_Georgia.html |website=tripadvisor.com |publisher=[[Tripadvisor]] |access-date=23 June 2025}}</ref>
*[[Memorial Park (Athens, Georgia)|Memorial Park]]

===Music===
{{Main|Music of Athens, Georgia}}

[[File:Georgia Theater, Athens.JPG|275px|thumb|left|Georgia Theatre]]
The music of Athens, Georgia, includes a wide variety of popular music and was an important part of the early evolution of [[alternative rock]] and [[New wave music|new wave]]. The city is well known as the home of chart-topping bands like [[R.E.M.]] and [[The B-52s]], 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 [[Georgia Theatre]] and [[40 Watt Club]] as the aforementioned bands scored breakout hits. Other notable bands were [[Widespread Panic]], [[Dreams So Real]], [[Indigo Girls]], [[Vigilantes of Love]], [[Matthew Sweet]], [[The Method Actors]], [[Love Tractor]], [[Pylon (band)|Pylon]], [[Flat Duo Jets]], [[The Primates]], [[Modern Skirts]], [[The Whigs (band)|The Whigs]], Squalls, [[Drive-by Truckers]], [[Futurebirds]], Bloodkin, [[Randall Bramblett]], [[Vic Chesnutt]], Tishamingo, [[Bubba Sparxxx]], [[Dead Confederate]], [[Corey Smith (musician)|Corey Smith]], and Humble Plum. 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.<ref>Brown, Rodger Lyle. ''Party Out of Bounds: The B-52's, R.E.M., and the Kids Who Rocked Athens'', 25th Anniversary edition, Published in association with the University of Georgia Music Business Program, The University of Georgia Press. Athens: [Georgia], 2016.</ref>

National acts that have come out of Athens include: [[The Whigs (band)|The Whigs]], [[Reptar (band)|Reptar]], [[Danger Mouse (music producer)|Danger Mouse]], [[Dreams So Real]], [[Nana Grizol]], [[Jucifer]], [[Servotron]], [[Vic Chesnutt]], [[Drive-By Truckers]], [[Elf Power]], [[Neutral Milk Hotel]], [[Lera Lynn]], [[The Sunshine Fix]], [[Colt Ford]], [[Brantley Gilbert]], [[Harvey Milk (band)|Harvey Milk]], [[The Olivia Tremor Control]], [[of Montreal]], [[Widespread Panic]], [[Perpetual Groove]], [[Five Eight (band)|Five Eight]], [[Dead Confederate]], [[Thayer Sarrano]], [[Jet by Day]], [[Mothers (band)|Mothers]], and Humble Plum. R.E.M. members [[Michael Stipe]], [[Mike Mills]] and [[Peter Buck]] still maintain residences in Athens. The photo book ''Athens Potluck'', by [[Jason Thrasher]], documents the town's musical legacy.<ref>Jason Thrasher, ''Athens Potluck'', Deeds Publishing, 2017.</ref>

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, [[Elephant 6|The Elephant 6 Recording Company]], [[Hall Johnson]], [[Neal Pattman]], Pylon, R.E.M., Vic Chesnutt, and Widespread Panic.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Smith|first=Jessica|date=2020-09-02|title=The Athens Music Walk of Fame Honors Past and Present Musicians|url=https://flagpole.com/topstory/2020/09/02/the-athens-music-walk-of-fame-honors-past-and-present-musicians/|access-date=2020-11-29|website=Flagpole|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Athens Music Walk of Fame {{!}} Athens-Clarke County, GA - Official Website|url=https://www.accgov.com/9580/Athens-Music-Walk-of-Fame|access-date=2020-11-29|website=www.accgov.com}}</ref>

===Athfest===
AthFest is a free annual [[music festival|music]] and [[arts festival]], first held in 1997. The festival spans three days in the downtown area during the summer, and planning for the event begins in November.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Sanders|first=Julia|date=June 19, 2019|title=AthFest success adds to Athens' appeal while helping a good cause|url=https://www.augustachronicle.com/news/20190621/athfest-success-adds-to-athens-appeal-while-helping-good-cause|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-09-03|website=The Augusta Chronicle|language=en}}</ref> The first Athens Music Festival (Athfest) was organized by the Athens Convention and Visitors Bureau (ACVB) and the Athens Downtown Development Authority (ADDA).  Jared Bailey was hired to manage the event. In 2009, AthFest became the 501(c)3 non-profit AthFest Educates, which seeks to advance high-quality music and arts education for local youth and the Athens community through direct support of school and community-based programs and events, including an annual music and arts festival. In 2010, AthFest Educates started the annual AthHalf Half Marathon as an additional fundraiser.<ref>{{cite web|last=Laughlin|first=Alex|date=October 22, 2011|title=Runners in Athens Half Marathon race for arts education|url=http://redandblack.com/2011/10/22/runners-in-athens-half-marathon-race-for-arts-education/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120715185705/http://redandblack.com/2011/10/22/runners-in-athens-half-marathon-race-for-arts-education/|archive-date=2012-07-15|accessdate=2012-03-07|website=|publisher=The Red and Black}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=McGuire|first=Spencer|date=October 15, 2018|title=AthFest Half-Marathon and 5k Return To Athens|url=https://www.wuga.org/post/athfest-half-marathon-and-5k-return-athens|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-09-03|website=www.wuga.org|language=en}}</ref>

The 2020 event, the 24th year of the festival, had been deferred to 2021 due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], making it the first time in 23 years that the festival was cancelled.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Ward|first=Janelle|date=March 31, 2020|title=2020 AthFest canceled due to financial concerns|url=https://www.redandblack.com/culture/2020-athfest-canceled-due-to-financial-concerns/article_77d75804-7381-11ea-a988-a3856bc98d3c.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200403051440/https://www.redandblack.com/culture/2020-athfest-canceled-due-to-financial-concerns/article_77d75804-7381-11ea-a988-a3856bc98d3c.html |archive-date=2020-04-03 |access-date=2020-08-26|website=The Red and Black|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=March 30, 2020|title=AthFest makes 'hard decision' to cancel 2020 event|url=https://www.onlineathens.com/news/20200331/athfest-makes-hard-decision-to-cancel-2020-event|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200401004250/https://www.onlineathens.com/news/20200331/athfest-makes-hard-decision-to-cancel-2020-event |archive-date=2020-04-01 |access-date=2020-08-26|website=Athens Banner-Herald|language=en}}</ref> However, in September 2021, the festival was cancelled again for the second year in a row due to continuing concerns of public health from the pandemic.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Allen|first=Stephanie|title=AthFest canceled for the second year in a row due to COVID-19 concerns|url=https://www.onlineathens.com/story/entertainment/2021/09/09/2021-athfest-music-arts-festival-canceled-due-covid-19-concerns/8261912002/|access-date=2021-09-09|website=Online Athens|language=en-US}}</ref>

==Education==
<!--should be moved out to separate article on county schools. Schools here should just be listed by name only. No details--->

===Clarke County School District===
The [[Clarke County School District]] supports grades pre-school to grade twelve. The district consists of fourteen elementary schools, four middle schools, and three high schools (one non-traditional).<ref>[http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/ReportingFW.aspx?PageReq=111&PID=62&PTID=69&CountyId=629&T=0&FY=2009 Georgia Board of Education]{{dead link|date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}. Retrieved July 23, 2010.</ref> The district has 791 full-time teachers and 11,457 students {{as of|2010|lc=y}}.<ref>[http://www.school-stats.com/GA/CLARKE/CLARKE_COUNTY.html School Stats] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924095130/http://www.school-stats.com/GA/CLARKE/CLARKE_COUNTY.html |date=September 24, 2015 }}. Retrieved July 23, 2010.</ref>

===Private schools===
* [[Athens Academy (school)|Athens Academy]] (grades K-12)
*[[Athens Christian School]] (grades K-12)
* Athens Montessori School (grades K-8)
* Downtown Academy (grades K-3)
* [https://joyvillageschool.com Joy Village School] (grades K-8)
* Saint Joseph Catholic School (grades Pre-K-6)
* [[Monsignor Donovan Catholic High School|Donovan Catholic High School]] (grades 7–12)
* Double Helix STEAM School (grades 5–8)
* Al Huda Islamic Center of Athens Sunday School (5 years and older)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.alhudaislamiccenterofathens.org|title=Al Huda Islamic Center of Athens, Georgia|website=www.alhudaislamiccenterofathens.org|access-date=November 22, 2017}}</ref>
[[File:ArchUGA1.jpg|200px|right|thumb|upright|The Arch at an entrance to North Campus of the [[University of Georgia]] in Downtown Athens]]

===Colleges and universities===
* The [[University of Georgia]] (UGA), an [[List of research universities in the United States#Universities classified as "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity|R1 Doctoral University with very high research activity]], is the state's [[Flagship#Colleges and universities in the United States|flagship]] research university, the oldest institution of higher learning in Georgia and, founded in 1785, it is the [[Oldest public university in the United States|first state-chartered university in the United States]].<ref>[http://www.uga.edu/ University of Georgia]. Retrieved July 23, 2010.</ref>
* [[Athens Technical College]] is a [[Technical College System of Georgia]] public college. It offers certificates, diplomas, and associate degrees in business, health, technical, and manufacturing-related fields.<ref>[http://www.athenstech.edu/ Athens Technical College]. Retrieved July 23, 2010.</ref>
* [[Augusta University]] (AU) through its Medical College of Georgia has a [https://medicalpartnership.usg.edu/ Medical Partnership]<ref>[http://medicalpartnership.usg.edu/ AU-UGA Medical Partnership] Retrieved December 4, 2016.</ref> with the University of Georgia housed at the University of Georgia Health Science Campus,<ref>[http://medicalpartnership.usg.edu/?/about/campus AU-UGA Medical Partnership Health Science Campus] Retrieved December 7, 2016.</ref> and the AU College of Nursing has had a campus in Athens<ref>[http://www.augusta.edu/nursing/campuses.php AU CON Campuses] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161129172430/http://www.augusta.edu/nursing/campuses.php |date=November 29, 2016 }} Retrieved December 4, 2016.</ref> since 1974.<ref>[http://www.augusta.edu/nursing/history.php AU CON History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161129172510/http://www.augusta.edu/nursing/history.php |date=November 29, 2016 }} Retrieved December 7, 2016</ref>
* [[Piedmont University]], a private liberal arts institution, established a campus in Athens in 1995<ref>[http://www.piedmont.edu/athens_index.php?loc=athens Piedmont College- Athens Campus] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100717162206/http://www.piedmont.edu/athens_index.php?loc=athens |date=July 17, 2010 }}. Retrieved July 23, 2010.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.piedmont.edu/ath/index.php/at-a-glance |title=Piedmont At A Glance |publisher=Piedmont.edu |date=February 8, 2011 |access-date=August 20, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720030311/http://www.piedmont.edu/ath/index.php/at-a-glance |archive-date=July 20, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> that now is on Prince Avenue<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.onlineathens.com/stories/091307/news_20070913041.shtml |work=Athens Banner Herald |publisher=Online Athens |last=Quigley |first=Rebecca |title=College-bound teens scout options |date=September 12, 2007 |access-date=February 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110614035315/http://www.onlineathens.com/stories/091307/news_20070913041.shtml |archive-date=June 14, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> in the Normaltown neighborhood.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Piedmont announces new location for Athens campus|url=https://www.piedmont.edu/news/view/545|access-date=2020-11-09|website=www.piedmont.edu}}</ref>
* [[College of Athens]] (CoA) is a private Christian college that was established in 2012. CoA currently offers certificates, undergraduate, and graduate degrees in nine various major areas.<ref>[https://acmin.org/ Athens College of Ministry] Retrieved November 3, 2020</ref>

==Media==
{{see also|List of newspapers in Georgia (U.S. state)|List of radio stations in Georgia (U.S. state)|List of television stations in Georgia (U.S. state)}}

===Newspapers===
The ''[[Athens Banner-Herald]]'' publishes daily. UGA has an independent weekly newspaper, ''[[The Red & Black (University of Georgia)|The Red & Black]]''. ''[[Flagpole Magazine]]'' is an [[alternative newspaper]] 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]]
* [[WMSL]] 88.9 FM, a [[Christian radio|religious]] station featuring traditional Christian music and teaching
* [[WUOG]] 90.5 FM, UGA's student-run radio station
* [[WUGA (FM)|WUGA]] 91.7 and 94.5 FM, an affiliate of [[Georgia Public Broadcasting]] and [[National Public Radio]] also broadcasting from the UGA campus
* [[WPPP-LP]] 100.7 FM (Hot 100), a low-power, non-commercial alternative/progressive rock station
* [[WRFC (AM)]] 960 AM, [[ESPN Radio]] (formerly Athens' local [[Top 40]] music station during the 1960s and 1970s). Owned by [[Cox Radio]].
* [[WGAU]] 1340 AM, news and [[talk radio|talk]]. Owned by Cox Radio.
* [[WXAG]] 1470 AM, [[urban gospel]] music

Athens is part of the Atlanta television market. Two Atlanta-market television stations, [[WGTV]] (channel 8) and [[WUVG]] (channel 34), are licensed to Athens, though their transmitters are in the Atlanta metropolitan area. WGTV broadcasts from the top of [[Stone Mountain]]. 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, Georgia|Toccoa]], its city of license; what is now [[WGTA (TV)|WGTA]] has since moved its studios back to Toccoa after being sold by UGA.

Amateur radio has a long history in Athens. The Athens Radio Club 2-meter repeater operates on 145.330&nbsp;MHz with a (-) offset and a PL tone of 123.0/123.0. Its antenna is located at 390’ AGL on a tower in the northern part of the city.<ref>[https://aspace-arls.galileo.usg.edu/repositories/2/archival_objects/2617 Athens Radio Club collection.] Athens Regional Library System.</ref> The Athens Radio Club is affiliated with the [[American Radio Relay League]] and sponsors four community events each year.<ref>[https://www.athensradioclub.org/ Athens Radio Club.] Website</ref>

==In popular culture==
The 1940 film ''[[The Green Hand]]'' was shot in Athens, using local townspeople and students and faculty from the [[University of Georgia]] as its cast. The film had its premiere in Athens in January 1940, at an event attended by Governor [[Eurith D. Rivers]].

The 1980 TV series ''[[Breaking Away (TV series)|Breaking Away]]'' was filmed in Athens.

The movie ''[[Darius Goes West]]'' was shot in Athens.<ref>{{Cite book |title=The History of Independent Cinema |author=Phil Hall |publisher=BearManor Media |page=215 |year=2009 |isbn=978-1-59393-335-7}}</ref>

In 2000, the fictional Ithaca University scenes in ''[[Road Trip (2000 film)|Road Trip]]'' were filmed on the North Campus of the University of Georgia.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0215129/locations|title=Road Trip (2000)|work=IMDb|access-date=March 16, 2015}}</ref>

In 2012, ''[[Trouble with the Curve]]'' was partially filmed at The Globe in downtown Athens.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://onlineathens.com/local-news/2012-09-21/athens-sees-itself-trouble-curve |title=Athens sees itself in "Trouble with the Curve" |date=September 21, 2012 |access-date=July 12, 2013}}</ref> In the same year, ''[[The Spectacular Now]]'' was filmed entirely in Athens and the surrounding area.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://onlineathens.com/features/2012-08-17/soaking-spotlight |title=Soaking up the spotlight |date=August 17, 2012 |access-date=July 12, 2013}}</ref>

==Infrastructure==
<!---needs to be expanded to include rail, bus, utilities, etc. Roads would be broken off as a third level subsection--->

===Transportation===

====Highways====
The city is the focus of U.S. Highways [[U.S. Highway 29 in Georgia|U.S. Route&nbsp;29]] (US&nbsp;29), [[U.S. Highway 78 in Georgia|US&nbsp;78]], [[U.S. Highway 129 in Georgia|US&nbsp;129]], [[U.S. Highway 441 in Georgia|US&nbsp;441]], and [[Georgia State Route 72]] (SR&nbsp;72), and near the eastern terminus of [[Georgia State Route 316|SR&nbsp;316]] and the southern terminus of [[Georgia State Route 106|SR&nbsp;106]]. Other state routes in Athens are [[Georgia State Route 8|SR&nbsp;8]] and [[Georgia State Route 15|SR&nbsp;15]], which follow US&nbsp;29 and US&nbsp;441 respectively, [[Georgia State Route 10|SR&nbsp;10]] which follows US&nbsp;78 east and west of Athens but deviates to [[U.S. Route 78 Business (Athens, Georgia)|US&nbsp;78 Bus.]] to go through Athens, and [[Georgia State Route 15 Alternate (Athens–Commerce)|SR&nbsp;15 Alt.]] which starts at the [[Georgia State Route 10 Loop (Athens)|SR&nbsp;10 Loop]] interchange at Milledge Avenue and follows Milledge and Prince Avenues to US&nbsp;129 which it follows to the north. The SR&nbsp;10 Loop serves as a [[Limited-access road|limited-access]] perimeter. The city is bisected east to west by Broad Street/Atlanta Highway (US&nbsp;78 Bus. and SR&nbsp;10) and north to south by Milledge Avenue (SR&nbsp;15 Alt.). Lumpkin Street, Prince Avenue (SR&nbsp;15 Alt.), North Avenue, and Oconee Street (US&nbsp;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&nbsp;78 east (Lexington Road). On the west side, most major thoroughfares intersect US&nbsp;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]]. As of 2025 it has no scheduled airline service, but was last served by [[SeaPort Airlines (2008–2016)|SeaPort Airlines]] to [[Nashville International Airport|Nashville]] in 2014. Athens' airport would qualify for air service to be provided under the [[Essential Air Service]] (EAS) provisions, but failed to meet the minimum daily passenger threshold of ten per day.<ref>{{cite news|last=GaNun|first=Jacqueline|url=https://www.redandblack.com/athensnews/athens-airport-receives-750-000-federal-grant-to-recruit-commercial-airline/article_0c9a9f8e-578d-11ea-9aff-87f3434aa94b.html|title=Athens airport receives $750,000 federal grant to recruit commercial airline|newspaper=[[The Red & Black (University of Georgia)|The Red & Black]]|date=September 23, 2022|accessdate=June 2, 2025}}</ref> [[Georgia Skies]] and Wings Air provided commercial air service to [[Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport|Atlanta]]. [[US Airways]] flights operated by [[Air Midwest]] provided service to [[Charlotte Douglas International Airport|Charlotte]] unitl 2008.<ref>{{cite news|last=Nelson|first=Don|title=Commercial airline pulls out of Athens|url=https://www.savannahnow.com/story/news/2008/05/16/commercial-airline-pulls-out-athens/13770751007/|newspaper=[[Savannah Morning News]]|date=May 15, 2008|accessdate=June 2, 2025}}</ref> Atlanta is the primary point of departure and arrival for Athenians due to the relative lack of air service to Athens.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.redandblack.com/guides/athens/transportation-guide-how-to-get-around-athens/article_35c08018-cfc1-11ed-a546-53dfb906d6ea.html|title=Transportation guide: How to get around Athens|newspaper=The Red & Black|date=August 15, 2024|accessdate=June 2, 2025}}</ref>

====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.

The {{Convert|211|mi|adj=on}} [[Georgia Hi–Lo Trail]], established in 2024, will connect Athens to [[Savannah, Georgia]], when completed.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Montoya |first=Orlando |date=2024-02-09 |title=Plans unveiled in Georgia for 'America's longest paved trail' |url=https://www.gpb.org/news/2024/02/09/plans-unveiled-in-georgia-for-americas-longest-paved-trail |access-date=2024-07-25 |website=Georgia Public Broadcasting |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Countryman |first=Vanessa |title=A 211-mile trail from Athens to Savannah will soon break ground. Here are the first steps |url=https://www.savannahnow.com/story/sports/outdoors/2024/07/24/hi-lo-trail-georgias-longest-trail-ready-for-groundbreaking-heres-where/74523664007/ |access-date=2024-07-25 |website=Savannah Morning News |language=en-US}}</ref>

====Public transit====
[[Athens Transit]] provides fare-free, intracity transit seven days per week.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.athenstransit.com/ |title=Home |publisher=Athens Transit |date=August 9, 2010 |access-date=August 14, 2010| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100827011849/http://athenstransit.com/| archive-date=August 27, 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[UGA Campus Transit]] provides fare-free transit around the [[University of Georgia]] campus, Milledge Avenue and Prince Avenue on the way to UGA's newest campus, the Health Sciences Campus.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.transit.uga.edu/ |title=University of Georgia Campus Transit System |publisher=Transit.uga.edu |access-date=August 14, 2010 |archive-date=May 27, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527140125/http://www.transit.uga.edu/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> Southeastern Stages, a subsidiary of [[Greyhound Lines]],<ref>[http://locations.greyhound.com/bus-stations/us/georgia/athens/bus-station-410113 Athens, GA Greyhound Bus Station] Intercity Bus Service</ref> provides intercity bus services.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.southeasternstages.com/Home.html |title=Welcome Traveler, to SOUTHEASTERN STAGES, Inc. Providing Motorcoach Services Since 1933 |publisher=Southeasternstages.com |access-date=August 14, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101006021040/http://www.southeasternstages.com/Home.html |archive-date=October 6, 2010}}</ref> 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.<ref>Seaboard Air Line Railroad Timetable, 1954</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://railga.com/Depots/athens.html|title=Athens depots|website=railga.com}}</ref> 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.<ref>''Official Guide of the Railways,'' January 1950, Southern Railway section, Table 30</ref><ref>''Official Guide of the Railways,'' December 1954, Southern Railway section, freight only</ref> 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]].<ref>''Official Guide of the Railways,'' January 1950, Central of Georgia section, Table 12</ref><ref>Central of Georgia timetable, fall/winter, 1954-1955, Table 12 (freight only)</ref>

Passenger service is proposed to return to Athens via a proposed route of the [[Charlotte, North Carolina|Charlotte]] to [[Atlanta]] segment of the [[Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Atlanta to Charlotte Passenger Rail Corridor Investment Plan - Alternatives Development Report|url=http://www.dot.ga.gov/InvestSmart/Rail/EIS/18-Appendix%20B%20-%20Alternatives%20Development%20Report.pdf|date=March 2019|access-date=December 7, 2020}}</ref> The alignment with a proposed station stop in Athens was chosen as this segment's preferred alternative on September 30, 2020.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Federal Rail Administration (FRA) and the Georgia DOT have reviewed comments received during the Tier 1 DEIS public comment period|url=http://www.dot.ga.gov/AboutGeorgia/Pages/TheNetworkDetails.aspx?postID=9/30/20%209:54%20AM%20-%20The%20Federal%20Rail%20Administration%20(FRA)%20and%20the%20Georgia%20DOT%20have%20reviewed%20comments%20received%20during%20the%20Tier%201%20DEIS%20public%20comment%20period|date=September 30, 2020|access-date=December 7, 2020}}</ref>

Freight service is provided by [[CSX]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Georgia Rail System |url=http://www.dot.state.ga.us/maps/Documents/railroad/Georgia_Rail_Map_plain.pdf |access-date=February 17, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 4, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110304084951/http://www.dot.state.ga.us/maps/Documents/railroad/Georgia_Rail_Map_plain.pdf}}</ref> and [[Athens Line]],<ref>{{cite web |title=The Athens Line |publisher=Railga.com |url=http://railga.com/athensline.html |access-date=August 14, 2010}}</ref> 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 [[Atlanta]] and Gwinnett County along the [[Georgia 316]] corridor.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dot.state.ga.us/maps/Documents/railroad/proposed_passenger.pdf |title=Proposed and Existing Georgia Passenger Rail System |access-date=August 30, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110622050140/http://www.dot.state.ga.us/maps/Documents/railroad/proposed_passenger.pdf |archive-date=June 22, 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

===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.<ref>{{Cite web|title=St. Mary's Hospital - Emergency Department {{!}} Athens, GA|url=https://www.stmaryshealthcaresystem.org/locations/st-marys-hospital|access-date=2020-11-09|website=www.stmaryshealthcaresystem.org|language=en}}</ref> The city is also served by the smaller 42-bed Landmark Hospital of Athens.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Critical Care Hospital Athens, GA {{!}} Landmark Hospital of Athens, GA|url=https://www.landmarkhospitals.com/critical-care-hospital-system/critical-care-hospital-athens-ga/|access-date=2020-11-09|website=Landmark Hospitals|language=en-US}}</ref> Piedmont Athens Regional was formerly Athens Regional Medical Center before being acquired by Piedmont Healthcare in 2016.<ref>{{Cite web|title=A System of Better Care Across Georgia {{!}} Piedmont Healthcare|url=https://www.piedmont.org/about-piedmont-healthcare/quickfacts|access-date=2020-11-09|website=www.piedmont.org}}</ref> 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<ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-06-12|title=Piedmont Athens Regional {{!}} Master Facility Plan|url=https://www.dpr.com/projects/piedmont-athens-regional-hospital-patient-tower-enabling-work|access-date=2020-11-09|website=DPR Construction|language=en}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Piedmont Athens Breaks Ground on New Patient Tower|url=https://www.piedmont.org/locations/piedmont-athens/construction-updates/athens-construction-content?story=4364&type=3|access-date=2020-11-09|website=www.piedmont.org}}</ref>

St. Mary's Hospital was founded in 1906 and became a Catholic hospital in 1938. The hospital became 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 that includes 93 hospitals in 26 states and includes St. Mary's Hospital in Athens, nearby 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]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www2.gandul.info/stiri/videanu-primarul-care-da-in-gropi-263209 |title=Videanu, primarul care dă în gropi |work=[[Gândul]] |date=26 August 2006 |language=ro |access-date=November 18, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171028002139/http://www2.gandul.info/stiri/videanu-primarul-care-da-in-gropi-263209 |archive-date=October 28, 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Has ties to the Ukrainian city of [[Kamianets-Podilskyi]].

==Notable people==
{{columns-list|colwidth=30em|
* [[David Barbe]] – musician and producer/engineer
* [[Coleman Barks]] – poet, interpreter of the 13th-century Sufi poet Rumi
* [[John Barrow (American politician)|John Barrow]] - member of Congress, 2005-2015
* [[Kevin Barnes]] – founding member of the band [[of Montreal]]
* [[Kim Basinger]] – film actress
* [[Bill Berry]] – founding member of [[R.E.M.]]
* [[John Berry (country singer)|John Berry]] – singer
* [[Fred Birchmore]] – adventurer and centenarian
* [[Byron Bowers]] – [[Comedian|Stand Up Comedian]]
* [[Brian Bowles (fighter)|Brian Bowles]] – [[martial arts|martial artist]]
* [[Peter Buck]] - founding member of [[R.E.M.]]
* [[Titus Burgess]] – actor and singer
* [[Frank Bush]] – former [[NFL]] player and linebackers coach for the [[Atlanta Falcons]]
* [[Phil Campbell (agricultural commissioner)|Phil Campbell]] – farmer and politician
* [[Henry Hull Carlton]] – member of the U.S. House of Representatives<ref>{{cite book |last=Hannan |first=Caryn |date=1999 |title=Georgia Biographical Dictionary |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y8QGF2QH5K0C&pg=PP1 |publisher=State History Publications |page=143 |isbn=9781878592422}}</ref>
* [[Eve Carson]] – 2004, slain Student Body President of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
* [[Vic Chesnutt]] – singer-songwriter
* [[Howell Cobb]] – Secretary of the Treasury
* [[Bob Cole (composer)|Bob Cole]] – composer
* [[Jeff Daniels]] – actor, born in Athens<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001099/|title=Jeff Daniels|work=IMDb|access-date=March 16, 2015}}</ref>
* [[Leila Denmark]] – pediatrician and supercentenarian
* [[Ben T. Epps]] – aviation pioneer
* [[Colt Ford]] – country musician
* [[Adam Frazier]] – MLB player
* [[Houston Gaines]] – politician, member of [[Georgia House of Representatives]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/biography/176757/houston-gaines |title=Houston Gaines' Biography |publisher=[[Vote Smart]] |access-date=April 15, 2021}}</ref>
* [[Marianne Gordon]] – actress
* [[Henry W. Grady]] – journalist and orator; helped reintegrate the former Confederate States<ref name="Marquis 1607-1896">{{cite book | title = Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607–1896 | publisher = Marquis Who's Who | location = Chicago |year= 1963}}</ref>
* [[Willie Green (American football)|Willie Green]] – former [[NFL]] player
* [[Forrest Griffin]] – [[Mixed martial arts|MMA]] fighter
* [[Elizabeth Guess]] – professional [[Association football|soccer]] player
* [[Young Harris]] – judge, philanthropist, and namesake of [[Young Harris College]]
* [[Al Hester]] – professor of journalism, historian
* [[Henry R. Jackson]] – Major General in the Georgia militia during the Civil War
* [[Wadsworth Jarrell]] – artist
* [[Andy Johnson (American football)|Andy Johnson]] – former NFL player
* [[Hall Johnson]] – American composer and arranger of spirituals
* [[John Kasay]] – Carolina Panthers kicker
* [[Brian Kemp]] – [[Governor of Georgia]]
* [[Todd Kimsey]] – actor (''[[Seinfeld]]'')<ref name=abh>{{cite news|title=Todd Grant Kimsey obituary |url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/onlineathens/obituary.aspx?pid=181569910 |work=[[Athens Banner-Herald]] |date=September 23, 2016 |access-date=October 8, 2016}}</ref> 
* [[Jack Kingston]] - member of Congress representing Georgia's 1st district
* [[Leo Kottke]] – acoustic guitarist
* [[NeNe Leakes]] – reality TV star and actress, raised in Athens
* [[Bill Mallonee]] – American singer-songwriter
* [[Jeff Mangum]] – indie folk musician (lived in Athens until the early 2000s)
* [[Quavious Marshall]] - American rapper and producer, born in Athens
* [[Eaddy Mays]] – television and film actress
* [[Brian McCann (baseball)|Brian McCann]] – MLB player, born in Athens<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=435263 |title=Major League Baseball – Brian McCann |publisher=Mlb.mlb.com |access-date=October 29, 2011}}</ref>
* [[Mary Jackson McCrorey]] – educator, mission worker
* [[Lou McGarity]] – jazz trombonist
* [[Zach Mettenberger]] – NFL quarterback
* [[Ron Meyers (potter)|Ron Meyers]] – potter/ceramics artist and teacher
* [[Fred Mills (musician)|Fred Mills]] – classical music professor and Grammy nominee
* [[Mike Mills]] – founding member of R.E.M.
* [[Quentin Moses]] – football linebacker for the [[Miami Dolphins]], born in Athens
* [[Phaedra Parks]] – Reality TV star and attorney 
* [[Billy Payne]] – former chairman of Augusta National Golf Club
* [[Madeleine Peyroux]] – jazz singer, songwriter, and guitarist, born in Athens
* [[Edwin Pope]] – Miami sportswriter, born in Athens
* [[Leonard Postero]] – Radio personality, Leonard's Losers
* [[Dunta Robinson]] – NFL player
* [[Claire Merritt Hodgson Ruth]] – second wife of baseball great Babe Ruth
* [[Claudio Saunt]] – professor, author, and historian of early America, the U.S. South, and Native American studies
* [[Mildred Seydell]] – one of the first female newspaper journalists in Georgia
* [[Chuck Smith (defensive end)|Chuck Smith]] – former NFL defensive end
* [[Sophie Sosnowski]] - educator of young women in Athens after Civil War
* [[Scott Spillane]] – musician, The Gerbils, and Neutral Milk Hotel
* [[Lucy May Stanton]] – artist known for [[portrait miniature]]s<ref name = "NGE">Fowler, Betty Alice (2009). [http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-972 "Lucy May Stanton (1875–1931)"]. ''[[New Georgia Encyclopedia]]''. Retrieved March 25, 2013.</ref>
* [[Michael Stipe]] – founding member of R.E.M.
* [[Keith Strickland]] – musician, composer, and founding member of The B-52s
* [[May Erwin Talmadge]] – 19th President General of the [[Daughters of the American Revolution]]
* [[Fran Tarkenton]] – Hall of Fame quarterback
* [[Jason Thrasher]] – rock photographer
* [[Laura Slade Wiggins]] – actress and musician
* [[Cindy Wilson]] – founding member of The B-52s
* [[Ricky Wilson (American musician)|Ricky Wilson]] – founding member of The B-52s

}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
<!--arrange in chronological order-->
{{Refbegin}}
;Published in 19th century
* {{cite book
|title= Southern Business Directory
|editor=John P. Campbell
|location=Charleston, SC
|publisher=Press of Walker & James 
|year=1854
|chapter=Georgia: Clarke County |pages= 230+
|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_IRDAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA230
}}
* {{Citation 
|publisher = S. Boykin 
|author= [[Adiel Sherwood]]
|date = 1860 
|edition=4th |location = Macon 
|title = Gazetteer of Georgia 
|chapter= Clarke County: Athens
|chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/gazetteerofgeorg00sher#page/49/mode/1up
}}
* {{cite book|author= Charles Morton Strahan |title=Clarke County, Ga. and the City of Athens|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=--ZYAAAAMAAJ|year= 1893 |publisher=C.P. Byrd, printer
}}

;Published in 20th century
* {{cite book |author= Augustus Longstreet Hull |title= Annals of Athens, Georgia, 1801-1901 |url=https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/007699624 |via= [[HathiTrust]] |year= 1906 |publisher= Banner Job Office }} (Reprinted in 1978 with additions)
* {{cite journal |title= Directory, City of Athens, Georgia |journal=Athens City Directory |publisher=Athens Directory Company |url= https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/009778866 |year= 1909 
}}
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Athens (Georgia) |volume= 2 | page= 845 |date=1910|short= 1 | ref = {{harvid|Britannica|1910}} }}
* {{cite journal |journal=Bulletin of the University of Georgia |volume=14 |title= Negroes of Athens, Georgia |url=https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001650914 |year=1913}}
* {{Citation 
|publisher = University of Georgia Press 
|location = Athens 
|author = [[Federal Writers' Project]] 
|title = Georgia: a Guide to Its Towns and Countryside
|date = 1940
|series= [[American Guide Series]] 
|chapter= Athens
|chapter-url= https://archive.org/stream/georgiaaguidetoi008333mbp#page/n28/mode/1up |via=[[Internet Archive]]
|page=1+
}}
* {{cite book |author= Kenneth Coleman |title=Confederate Athens|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ivfdhkbc89UC|publisher=University of Georgia Press|isbn=978-0-8203-3438-7 |year=2009 |orig-year= 1967
}}
* {{cite book|author= Ernest C. Hynds |title=Antebellum Athens and Clarke County, Georgia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F3jXcKhBqnsC |publisher=University of Georgia Press|isbn=978-0-8203-3446-2 |year=2009 |orig-year= 1974
| ref = {{harvid|Hynds|1974}}
}}
* James K. Reap, Athens: A Pictorial History (Virginia Beach, Va.: Donning Communications, 1982).
* {{citation |title =Athens Historian |publisher=Athens Historical Society |oclc=36821172}} 1996-
* {{cite book |author1=Conoly Hester|author2=Albert L. Hester |title=Athens, Georgia: Celebrating 200 Years at the Millennium |publisher=Community Communications |isbn=978-1-885352-28-6 |location=Montgomery, Ala. |year=1999
}}

;Published in 21st century
* {{cite book
|author=Paul T. Hellmann
|title=Historical Gazetteer of the United States
|year= 2006
|publisher=Taylor & Francis
|isbn=1-135-94859-3
|chapter=Georgia: Athens
|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=REtEXQNWq6MC
| ref = {{harvid|Hellmann|2006}}
}}
* {{cite book |author=Frances Taliaferro Thomas |title=A Portrait of Historic Athens & Clarke County|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o-8jFTZDrIwC |edition=2nd |publisher=University of Georgia Press|isbn=978-0-8203-3044-0 |year=2009
| ref = {{harvid|Thomas|2009}}
}}
* {{cite book |editor1= Suzanne M. Leland |editor2=Kurt Thurmaier |title=City-County Consolidation: Promises Made, Promises Kept?|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ksV6dg8YlE8C |year=2010 |publisher=Georgetown University Press |isbn=978-1-58901-622-4
|chapter=Unification promises and outcomes: the case of Athens and Clarke County, Georgia 
|author= Dan Durning |author2= Paula Sanford 
| ref = {{harvid|Durning|Sanford|2010}}
}}
* {{cite book |series=Postcard History Series |title=Athens |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cQaMPnfjoiQC |location= Charleston, S.C. |publisher= Arcadia |isbn=9780738587929 |year=2011 
}}
* {{cite book|author= Michael J. Gagnon |title=Transition to an Industrial South: Athens, Georgia, 1830-1870|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w7FNvyYj7wIC |publisher=Louisiana State University Press |isbn=978-0-8071-4510-4 |year= 2012
}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Athens, Georgia}}
{{wikivoyage|Athens (Georgia)|Athens, Georgia}}
<!---please do not add spam to this list. -->
* [http://www.athensclarkecounty.com/ Athens-Clarke city/county government official site]
* [http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-2210 Athens profile], Georgia Encyclopedia
* [http://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/cgi/meta.cgi?query=id:dlg_ugapressbks_ugp9780820334462 Antebellum Athens and Clarke County, Georgia] by Ernest C. Hynds in the [http://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/ Digital Library of Georgia]
* [https://www.athenshistorical.org/index Athens Historical Society] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809114817/https://www.athenshistorical.org/index |date=August 9, 2020}}
* {{citation |encyclopedia=[[New Georgia Encyclopedia]] |publisher=Georgia Humanities Council |title=Athens |url=http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/counties-cities-neighborhoods/athens}}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.libs.uga.edu/athens/history.html |publisher=University of Georgia Libraries |title=Athens-Clarke County Guide: History |access-date=August 25, 2017 |archive-date=July 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728155816/https://www.libs.uga.edu/athens/history.html |url-status=dead}}
* [https://styleblueprint.com/everyday/athens-georgia-what-to-do-where-to-eat-where-to-stay/ Ferrier, L. (2020, January 11). Why Athens, GA Deserves a Spot on Your Getaway Bucket List.]
*[http://nathanielburkinsphotography.weebly.com/my-athens-georgia-photography-by-nathaniel-burkins.html Photographs of Athens, GA by Nathaniel Burkins]
{{Athens, Georgia}}
{{Clarke County, Georgia}}
{{Georgia (U.S. state)}}
{{Georgia county seats}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Athens, Georgia| ]]
[[Category:Athens – Clarke County metropolitan area]]
[[Category:Cities in Georgia (U.S. state)]]
[[Category:Consolidated city-counties]]
[[Category:County seats in Georgia (U.S. state)]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1806]]
[[Category:Cities in Clarke County, Georgia]]
[[Category:1806 establishments in the United States]]
[[Category:1800s establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)]]