Athens, Georgia | |
|---|---|
 Athens City Hall | |
 Seal | |
| Nickname: "The Classic City" | |
 Location of Athens in Clarke County (left) and of Clarke County in Georgia (right) | |
  Athens, Georgia Location in Georgia  Athens, Georgia Location in the United States | |
| Coordinates: 33°57′N 83°23′W / 33.950°N 83.383°W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Georgia |
| County | Clarke |
| Settled | 1801 |
| As Town | December 1806 |
| As City | August 24, 1872 |
| Named for | Athens, Greece |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Kelly Girtz[1] |
| Area | |
| 118.10 sq mi (305.87 km2) | |
| • Land | 116.33 sq mi (301.29 km2) |
| • Water | 1.77 sq mi (4.58 km2) |
| Elevation | 636 ft (194 m) |
| Population | |
| 127,315 | |
| • Rank | 218th in the United States 6th in Georgia |
| • Density | 1,094.43/sq mi (422.57/km2) |
| • Metro | 215,415 (212th) |
| Demonym | Athenian |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Codes | 30601–30609, 30612 |
| Area code | 706 |
| FIPS code | 13-03440[5] |
| Website | accgov.com |
Athens is a consolidated city-county in the U.S. state of Georgia. Downtown Athens lies about 70 miles (110 km) northeast of downtown Atlanta.[6] The University of Georgia, the state's flagship public university and an 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, referred to jointly as Athens–Clarke County where it is the county seat.[7]
As of 2021, the Athens-Clarke County's official website's population of the consolidated city-county (all of Clarke County except Winterville and a portion of Bogart) was 128,711.[8] Athens is the sixth-most populous city in Georgia, and the principal city of the Athens metropolitan area,[9] which had a 2020 population of 215,415, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.[4] Metropolitan Athens is a component of the larger Atlanta–Athens–Clarke County–Sandy Springs Combined Statistical Area.[10]
The city is dominated by a pervasive college town culture and music scene centered in downtown Athens, next to the University of Georgia's North Campus.[11] 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. 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.[12]
- ^ Holland, Maggie (May 22, 2018). "BREAKING: Kelly Girtz claims victory as Athens-Clarke County's next mayor". The Red & Black.
- ^ "2021 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ "QuickFacts: Savannah city, Georgia". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ a b "2020 Population and Housing State Data". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ "Atlanta downtown to Athens downtown". google.com. Google. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
- ^ "Unification of Athens & Clarke County". athensclarkecounty.com. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
- ^ "Demographics | Athens-Clarke County, GA - Official Website". www.accgov.com. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
- ^ "U.S. Whitehouse OMB Bulletin No. 05-02 Appendix (Code 12020*)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 20, 2006.
- ^ "Statistical data" (PDF). census.gov.
- ^ "Behind the Music in Athens, Georgia – Garden & Gun". Garden & Gun. November 13, 2017. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
- ^ Hale, Grace Elizabeth. Cool Town How Athens, Georgia, Launched Alternative Music and Changed American Culture. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2020.