Athens, Georgia
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| Athens, Georgia, USA | |
 |
|
| County | Clarke County |
|---|---|
| Area | |
| - City | 118.2 km² (45.6 sq mi) |
| - Land | 117.8 km² (45.5 sq mi) |
| - Water | 0.4 km² (0.2 sq mi) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - City | 100,266 |
| - Density | 851.5/km² (2,205.4/sq mi) |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| Website: http://www.athensclarkecounty.com/ | |
Athens is a city in Clarke County, Georgia, U.S., in the northeastern part of the state, at the eastern terminus of Georgia 316. The University of Georgia is located in this college town and is responsible for the initial creation of Athens and its subsequent growth. In 1991, after a vote the preceding year, the city abandoned its charter in order to form a unified government with Clarke County, referred to collectively as Athens-Clarke County. As of the 2000 census, the consolidated city-county (including all of Athens-Clarke County except Winterville and a part of Bogart) had a total population of 100,266. The metro area had a population of 175,085 as of 2005 Census estimates. Athens-Clarke County is the principal city of and is included in the Athens-Clarke County, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area.[1]
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[edit] History
In the late 18th century, a trading settlement on the banks of the Oconee River called Cedar Shoals stood where Athens is located today. On January 27, 1785, the Georgia General Assembly granted a charter by Abraham Baldwin for the University of Georgia as the first state-supported university. Sixteen years later, in 1801, a committee from the university's board of trustees selected a site for the university on a hill above Cedar Shoals in what was then Franklin County. On July 25, John Milledge, one of the trustees and later governor of Georgia, bought 633 acres (2.6 km²) from Daniel Easley and donated it to the university. Milledge named the surrounding area Athens after the city that was home to the academy of Plato and Aristotle in ancient Greece.
The first buildings on the University of Georgia campus were 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 University of Georgia and the City of Athens' first permanent structure. This brick building is now called Old College.
Athens officially became a town in December 1806 with a government made up of a three-member commission. The university continued to grow, as did the town, with cotton mills 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 1841, railroad lines were laid through Athens, expanding the commercial development and connecting the city with Atlanta to the west and Greenville, South Carolina to the north.
During the American Civil War, William T. Sherman's Union army concentrated on Atlanta, cutting off the rail lines to prevent Athens from resupplying the besieged city. After burning Atlanta, the Union army largely ignored Athens in the March to the Sea, instead turning southeast to Savannah, Georgia.
During Reconstruction, Athens continued to grow. The form of government changed to a mayor-council government with a new city charter on August 24, 1872 with Captain Henry Beusse as the first mayor of Athens. Freed slaves moved to the city, many attracted by the new centers for education such as the Freedman's Bureau. This new population was served by three black newspapers - the Athens Blade, the Athens Clipper, and the Progressive Era.
As Athens became a more populous city in the 1880s, city services and improvements were undertaken. The Athens Police Department was founded in 1881 and public schools opened in 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 streetcars, pulled by mules, in 1888.
By its centennial in 1901, Athens was a much-changed city. A new city hall was completed in 1904. An African-American middle class and professional class had grown around the corner of Washington and Hull Streets, known as the "Hot Corner." The theater at the Morton Building hosted movies and performances by well-known black musicians such as Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway, and Duke Ellington. Athens got its first tall building in 1908 with the seven-story Southern Mutual Insurance Company building.
During World War II, the U.S. Navy built new buildings and paved runways to serve as a training facility for naval pilots. In 1961, Athens witnessed part of the Civil Rights movement when Charlayne Hunter and Hamilton Holmes became the first two black students to enter the University of Georgia.
[edit] Music
The Athens music scene grew in the early 1970s with Ravenstone, a regionally popular band sometimes called "one of the godfathers of Athens rock," and later during the 1980s with the 40 Watt Club, and R.E.M. and the B-52's scoring breakout hits. Other bands that made their mark included Mercyland, the Indigo Girls, Matthew Sweet, The Tone Tones, The Method Actors, Love Tractor, Corey Smith, Pylon, Flat Duo Jets, The Squalls, The Normaltown Flyers, The Primates, Redneck Greece De-Lux, The Side Effects, Modern Skirts, Fabulous Bird, Dark Meat and Widespread Panic.
Other national acts that have come out of Athens include: Danger Mouse, John Berry, Vic Chesnutt, Drive-By Truckers, Elf Power, Jucifer, Azure Ray, The Fountains, Neutral Milk Hotel, The Olivia Tremor Control, Of Montreal, Five Eight, Bomb the Music Industry, Big Atomic (formerly, Catfish Jenkins), Kevn Kinney, David Blackmon, Macha, Now It's Overhead and Sound Tribe Sector Nine (STS9). R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe still occasionally resides in Athens.
A complete list of the city's musicians can be found in Flagpole Magazine's annual music guide, published annually or located on their website.
[edit] Culture
Common to many college towns, Athens has a significant liberal community that coexists with the university students in creating an art scene, music scene and intellectual environment. The city is home to numerous music venues, bars, and coffee shops that cater to the various populations.
The town is home to such notable features as the only remaining one of two double barrelled cannons produced during the American Civil War, the famous Tree That Owns Itself, the State Botanical Garden of Georgia, and the University of Georgia Campus Arboretum. Athens was home to Network Translations, Inc., which produced the PIX firewall which was later purchased by Cisco Systems.
Athens also has a vibrant literary scene. The city is home to independent publisher Hill Street Press and well-known authors with previous or current residence in the city include Pulitzer Prize winners Deborah Blum and Edward Larson, as well as Judith Ortiz Cofer, Terry Kay, Jim Kilgo, Coleman Barks, and Philip Lee Williams.
[edit] Geography and Climate
Athens is located at (33.955464, -83.383245)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the balance has a total area of 306.2 km² (118.2 mi²). 305.0 km² (117.8 mi²) of it is land and 1.2 km² (0.5 mi²) of it (0.41%) is water.
| Monthly Normal and Record High and Low Temperatures | ||||||||||||
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rec High °F | 80 | 81 | 88 | 93 | 97 | 104 | 104 | 107 | 99 | 98 | 86 | 79 |
| Norm High °F | 51.4 | 56.5 | 64.7 | 73 | 80.5 | 87.2 | 90.2 | 88.2 | 82.5 | 72.9 | 63.2 | 54.2 |
| Norm Low °F | 32.9 | 35.4 | 42.3 | 48.7 | 57.6 | 65.3 | 69.3 | 68.5 | 62.7 | 50.7 | 42.2 | 35.3 |
| Rec Low °F | -4 | 5 | 11 | 26 | 37 | 45 | 55 | 54 | 36 | 24 | 7 | 2 |
| Precip (in) | 4.69 | 4.39 | 4.99 | 3.35 | 3.86 | 3.94 | 4.41 | 3.78 | 3.53 | 3.47 | 3.71 | 3.71 |
| Source: USTravelWeather.com [1] | ||||||||||||
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 100,266 people, 39,239 households, and 19,344 families residing in the city. The population density was 328.8/km² (851.5/mi²). There were 41,633 housing units at an average density of 136.5/km² (353.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 64.71% White, 27.37% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 3.15% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 3.11% from other races, and 1.41% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.39% of the population.
There were 39,239 households out of which 22.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.3% were 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 the population was spread out with 17.8% under the age of 18, 31.6% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 15.3% from 45 to 64, and 8.0% who were 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.
[edit] Neighborhoods
- Boulevard
- Cobbham
- Pauldoe
- Parkview Homes
- Rocksprings Homes
- Broad Acres Homes
- Spring Valley
- Nellie B Projects
- Downtown
- East Athens
- Five Points
- Newtown
- Normaltown
- Pulaski Heights
- Tallasee
- Cedar Shoals
- West Athens
- 106
[edit] Notes
[edit] External links
- Athens-Clarke County: Unified City/County Government Official Site
- Athens Convention & Visitors Bureau
- Athens Stuff Guide
- The University of Georgia
- University of Georgia Libraries: On Athens-Clarke County
- OnlineAthens: Athens, Georgia news
- Know Georgia Athens
- Athens (the New Georgia Encyclopedia)
- Flagpole Magazine (Athens' alt-weekly)
- Georgia Music Hall of Fame - Athens Music History
- AthFest - Music and Art Festival
- Stitching Stars Storytelling Festival Annual storytelling festival in January
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
- Skate Park of Athens
- Railfanning.org: Athens, Ga.
- Hot 100.7 FM WPPP Athens Altenative Radio
