82-457: 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 . 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
164-586: A consolidated city-county (also known as either a city-parish or a consolidated government in Louisiana, depending on the locality, or a unified municipality , unified home rule borough , or city and borough in Alaska) is formed when one or more cities and their surrounding county ( parish in Louisiana , borough in Alaska ) merge into one unified jurisdiction. As such it is a type of unitary authority that has
246-528: 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 State of Georgia . 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
328-501: A 2020 population of 215,415, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Metropolitan Athens is a component of the larger Atlanta–Athens–Clarke County–Sandy Springs Combined Statistical Area . 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. Major music acts associated with Athens include numerous alternative rock bands such as R.E.M. ,
410-528: A day train from Atlanta, making connections at Augusta with an ACL train bound for Florence, South Carolina . A unique feature of the Georgia Railroad and Banking Company charter was that the state legislature gave the corporation large tax breaks, which were legally challenged on several occasions. The charter also called for daily-except-Sunday passenger service. The lawyers advised management to maintain passenger service on all lines, so as to not violate
492-471: A mayor-council government with a new city charter on August 24, 1872, and Henry Beusse was elected as the first mayor of Athens. 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
574-494: A minimum at or below freezing. Official record temperatures range from −4 °F (−20 °C) on January 21, 1985 to 109 °F (43 °C) on June 29, 2012 ; the record cold daily maximum is 18 °F (−8 °C) on January 30, 1966, while, conversely, the record warm daily minimum is 79 °F (26 °C) as recently as August 11, 2007. Temperatures rarely fall below 10 °F (−12 °C), having last occurred January 7, 2014. The average window for freezing temperatures
656-512: 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. During World War II ,
738-529: A sheriff as required by the Georgia Constitution. These consolidated cities are: Five cities in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia were formed by the consolidation of a city with a county: Chesapeake , Hampton , Newport News , Suffolk , and Virginia Beach (from Norfolk, Elizabeth City, Warwick, Nansemond, and Princess Anne counties, respectively). However, in each case an independent city
820-424: A single railroad. The Georgia Railroad was the first to be merged away. The railroad properties of the Georgia Railroad and Banking Company, which had been operated under a lease for 90 years by CSX and its predecessors, were formally merged into Seaboard System Railroad. The mixed train service ended in 1983. In 1986, Seaboard System Railroad renamed itself CSX Transportation . The same year, Georgia Railroad Bank
902-538: A site for the university on a hill above Cedar Shoals, in what was then 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 . The first buildings on
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#1733084857365984-454: A television station, WUGA-TV (formerly WNEG-TV) from studios on the UGA campus, but maintained its transmitter near Toccoa , its city of license; what is now 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 MHz with a (-) offset and a PL tone of 123.0/123.0. Its antenna
1066-642: A trading settlement on the banks of the Oconee River called Cedar Shoals stood where Athens is 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 . Georgia's control of the area was established following the Oconee War . In 1801, a committee from the university's board of trustees selected
1148-585: A unified government with Clarke County , referred to jointly as Athens–Clarke County where it is the county seat . 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. Athens is the sixth-most populous city in Georgia, and the principal city of the Athens metropolitan area , which had
1230-403: Is Sitka, Alaska . Consolidated city-counties are typically formed to address particular government challenges. Among the benefits of having a unified jurisdiction include potential cost savings, more efficiency, increased legal powers and revenue sources, and a more streamlined planning system. Most consolidated city-counties have a single chief executive who acts as both the city mayor and as
1312-451: Is November 5 to March 24, allowing a growing season of 225 days. Precipitation is relatively well spread (though the summer months are slightly wetter), and averages 46.3 inches (1,180 mm) annually, but has historically ranged from 28.61 in (727 mm) in 1954 to 71.39 in (1,813 mm) in 1964. Snowfall is sporadic, averaging 2.9 inches (7.4 cm) per winter, but has reached 13.6 inches (34.5 cm) in 2010–2011. As of
1394-497: Is an alternative newspaper publishing weekly. Classic City News is a not-for-profit local news source. Local radio stations include: 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
1476-417: 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
1558-600: Is located at 390’ AGL on a tower in the northern part of the city. The Athens Radio Club is affiliated with the American Radio Relay League and sponsors four community events each year. 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
1640-521: Is the case in the Atlanta metropolitan area , where the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) studies and makes recommendations on the impact of all major construction and development projects on the region, but generally cannot stop them. The Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA) is a true government agency of the state of Georgia , and does control some state transportation funding to
1722-515: Is the focus of U.S. Highways U.S. Route 29 (US 29), US 78 , US 129 , US 441 , and Georgia State Route 72 (SR 72), and near the eastern terminus of SR 316 and the southern terminus of SR 106 . Other state routes in Athens are SR 8 and SR 15 , which follow US 29 and US 441 respectively, SR 10 which follows US 78 east and west of Athens but deviates to US 78 Bus. to go through Athens, and SR 15 Alt. which starts at
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#17330848573651804-438: 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 of 2010, there were 100,266 people, 39,239 households, and 19,344 families residing in the city. The population density was 851.5 inhabitants per square mile (328.8/km). There were 41,633 housing units at an average density of 353.6 units per square mile (136.5 units/km). The racial makeup of
1886-631: The American Civil War , the Confederate States of America maintained a gunpowder factory in Augusta. Carloads of gunpowder would be transported on the Georgia Railroad to various battlefields in the "Western Campaign." Although the Civil War saw heavy damage to railroads such as the Georgia Railroad, management used their considerable resources to restore operation as quickly as possible. The Georgia Railroad even resorted to temporarily abandoning
1968-412: The Athens branch to secure enough rail to reopen its main line. After their defeat, returning Confederate soldiers were given free rides home, to the extent that the company's limited rail network would allow. They also honored all Confederate scrip issued by their bank. No depositor lost their savings even if Confederate money had no value. It helped that the Georgia Railroad and Banking Company had
2050-593: The Australian Capital Territory government in Australia performs all municipal functions of the city of Canberra , and thus functions as an integrated city-territory. Similarly, the City of Tokyo merged with the prefecture to form Tokyo metropolis in 1943. In Russia, there are urban districts - territories consisting of a city and nearby settlements united by one mayor's office. As a rule, urban districts are
2132-507: The Essential Air Service provisions. SeaPort Airlines provides commercial air service to Nashville International Airport , TN. Until 2012, Georgia Skies and Wings Air provided commercial air service to Atlanta , and until 2008 (before either airline's current AHN service), US Airways provided service to Charlotte . Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL) is the primary point of departure and arrival for Athenians due to
2214-504: The Midwest and Upper South have the highest concentration of large consolidated city-county governments in the United States, including Indianapolis, Indiana ; Nashville, Tennessee ; Louisville, Kentucky ; Kansas City, Kansas ; and Lexington, Kentucky . The largest consolidated city-county in the United States by population is Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , while the largest by land area
2296-697: The SR ;10 Loop interchange at Milledge Avenue and follows Milledge and Prince Avenues to US 129 which it follows to the north. The SR 10 Loop serves as a limited-access perimeter. The city is bisected east to west by Broad Street/Atlanta Highway (US 78 Bus. and SR 10) and north to south by Milledge Avenue (SR 15 Alt.). Lumpkin Street, Prince Avenue (SR 15 Alt.), North Avenue, and Oconee Street (US 78 Bus.) along with Broad Street are major thoroughfares radiating from downtown . College Station Road and Gaines School Road are major thoroughfares on
2378-560: The Savannah and Atlanta Railroad , which connected with the Georgia Railroad at Warrenton , the Georgia Railroad now competed with the Central of Georgia Railroad for traffic to and from Savannah. Soon the ACL came to dominate the Augusta interchange traffic, through its Charleston and Western Carolina Railway subsidiary and via the ACL's spur from its main line at Florence, South Carolina , in order that
2460-618: The Seaboard Coast Line Railroad (SCL). SCL continued to operate the Georgia Railroad as a subsidiary alongside the Louisville & Nashville Railroad and the Clinchfield Railroad . These were known collectively as the "Family Lines System." SCL continued to operate the Georgia Railroad under its initial charter; the Georgia Railroad was maintained as a separate company, with SCL leasing the rail properties. Two years later,
2542-526: The Twilight Series . One of these races is the Athens Twilight Criterium . In 2010, the average household rent in Athens was $ 962. The national average was $ 1,087. Of the Athens population 25 years of age or older, 39.3% have earned a bachelor's degree or higher. The Georgia Museum of Art at the University of Georgia has been, since 1982, the official state art museum. Culture coexists with
Athens, Georgia - Misplaced Pages Continue
2624-640: 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 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
2706-674: The Athens–Clarke County school district remained segregated until 1964. According to the United States Census Bureau , the balance has a total area of 118.2 square miles (306.1 km), of which 117.8 square miles (305.1 km) is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km) (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 49.7 inches (1,260 mm). Light to moderate sporadic snowfall occasionally can occur in winter. In
2788-518: 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. In the late 18th century,
2870-690: The Georgia Railroad could compete with the Seaboard Air Line Railroad and Southern Railway for traffic from Atlanta up the Eastern seaboard . A 1925 timetable showed four daily roundtrips between Atlanta and Augusta. A trip on the Night Express of that era was described by W.F Beckum. By the opening of the 1960s, however, passenger service had been reduced to an overnight through-train from Atlanta to Augusta, continuing as an Atlantic Coast Line Railroad train to Wilmington, North Carolina , and
2952-555: The Georgia Railroad ended its traditional passenger service, though it continued to operate a bare-bones mixed train service between Atlanta ( Atlanta Union Station ) and Augusta ( Augusta Union Station ). In 1980, SCL merged with Chessie System to form CSX Corporation . In 1982, SCL and L&N merged to form the Seaboard System Railroad , beginning what would be a process in which the CSX operating companies would be merged into
3034-797: 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, The Elephant 6 Recording Company , Hall Johnson , Neal Pattman , Pylon , R.E.M ., Vic Chesnutt , and Widespread Panic. 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). The district has 791 full-time teachers and 11,457 students as of 2010. The Athens Banner-Herald publishes daily. UGA has an independent weekly newspaper, The Red & Black . Flagpole Magazine
3116-799: The Kids Who Rocked Athens, Rodger Lyle Brown described the indie rock scene in Athens. National acts that have come out of Athens include: The Whigs , Reptar , 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 , The Olivia Tremor Control , of Montreal , Widespread Panic , Perpetual Groove , Five Eight , Dead Confederate , Thayer Sarrano , Jet by Day , 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
3198-622: The Madison branch to Terminus (Atlanta) and thereby compete with the Central Railroad and Banking Company of Georgia (later the Central of Georgia Railroad ), which together with the Macon & Western Railroad , was competing for traffic through Charleston's rival port of Savannah, Georgia . By 1850, this railroad had built 213 miles (343 km) of track and was up to 232 miles (373 km) by 1860. At
3280-597: 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. A Confederate memorial that used to stand on Broad Street near the University of Georgia Arch was removed the week of August 10, 2020. During Reconstruction , Athens continued to grow. The form of government changed to
3362-577: 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 , connecting Athens to Augusta by 1841, and to Marthasville (now Atlanta ) by 1845. In the 1830s and 1840s, transportation developments and the growing influence of the University of Georgia made Athens one of
Athens, Georgia - Misplaced Pages Continue
3444-540: 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
3526-463: The University of Georgia/Medical College of Georgia Medical Partnership, the University of Georgia College of Public Health, and other health-related programs. 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. Despite the Brown vs. Board of Education Supreme Court ruling in 1954,
3608-452: The capitals of the constituent entities of the Russia and other major cities in the region. In 2020, there were 635 urban districts. In nine consolidated city-county governments in the United States, the formerly independent incorporated places maintain some governmental powers. In these cities, which the United States Census Bureau calls "consolidated cities", statistics are recorded both for
3690-580: The charter. The Georgia was among the last railroads to operate both freight and inter-city passenger trains in the " Lower 48 " states, into the Amtrak era. The Georgia Railroad originally fell under common management with the Atlanta & West Point Railroad and the Western Railway of Alabama , commonly known as "the West Point Route." In 1967, ACL merged with the Seaboard Air Line Railroad to form
3772-419: The cities and counties, but otherwise has very little authority beyond this small power of the purse . The case of New York City is unique, in that the city consists of five boroughs , each of which is co-extensive with a county. Each has its own district attorney; however, county-level government is essentially non-existent as all executive and legislative power is exercised by the city government throughout
3854-563: The cities of Bremen and Bremerhaven ). Nearly every larger city in Germany is an independent city, like Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Munich or Dresden; Austria , where the capital of Vienna is both a city and state; France , where the capital city of Paris has been coterminous with the département of Paris since 1968 ; and South Korea , where Seoul is a special city , while six other cities ( Busan , Daegu , Daejeon , Gwangju , Incheon , and Ulsan ) are metropolitan cities . Additionally,
3936-402: The city and county both nominally exist, although they have a consolidated government, whereas in an independent city, the county does not even nominally exist. Furthermore, a consolidated city-county may still contain independent municipalities maintaining some governmental powers that did not merge with the rest of the county. Not considering Hawaii , which has no independent municipalities,
4018-630: The city and the surrounding area and acquire an existing 400,000-square-foot facility. 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. Each spring, there are bicycle races collectively known as
4100-468: 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. 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
4182-553: The company. In 1881, Colonel William M. Wadley, Central Railroad and Banking Company of Georgia president, leased the railroad properties of the Georgia Railroad and Banking Company, including the A&;WP and WofA. Wadley assigned half of the lease to his company and half to the L&;N. Following the Panic of 1896 , the Central went into receivership and its portion of the lease lapsed, whereupon it
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#17330848573654264-619: The corner of Washington and Hull Streets, known as the "Hot Corner", where the Morton Building was constructed in 1910. 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
4346-670: 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 , Flat Duo Jets , The Primates , Modern Skirts , The Whigs , Squalls , Drive-by Truckers , Futurebirds , Bloodkin , Randall Bramblett , Vic Chesnutt , Tishamingo , Bubba Sparxxx , Dead Confederate , Corey Smith , and Humble Plum . In his insider book, Party Out of Bounds: The B-52's, R.E.M., and
4428-484: The east side of Athens, along with US 78 east (Lexington Road). On the west side, most major thoroughfares intersect US 78 Bus. (Broad Street/Atlanta Highway), including Alps Road/Hawthorne Avenue, Epps Bridge Parkway, and Timothy Road/Mitchell Bridge Road. Athens-Ben Epps Airport (FAA code AHN) has been operational since 1917. It is east of downtown outside Georgia State Route 10 Loop and north of US Route 78 . AHN qualifies for air service to be provided under
4510-597: The entire consolidated government and for the component municipalities. A part of the consolidated government is called the "balance", which the Census Bureau defines as "the consolidated city minus the semi-independent incorporated places located within the consolidated city". In Georgia, consolidations often required multiple attempts, changes in procedures, and different local laws in the state legislature. They often did not include some smaller jurisdictions. They also retained characteristics of both types of government, e.g,
4592-505: The financial strength to honor those promises. At that time, most Southern banks were repudiating any obligations related to Confederate currency . This helped to solidify the bank's reputation as one of the premier banks in the southeastern United States, well into the 20th century. The Georgia Railroad Freight Depot , designed by architect Max Corput , was completed in 1869 and is the oldest building in Downtown Atlanta . The company
4674-918: The five boroughs. The city, as currently constituted, was created in 1898 when the city of New York (then comprising what would become the boroughs of Manhattan and The Bronx ) annexed Kings County, Queens County, and Richmond County as the boroughs of Brooklyn , Queens , and Staten Island , respectively. Similar unitary authority arrangements also exist in other countries. England has six " metropolitan counties " created in 1974: Greater Manchester , Merseyside , South Yorkshire , Tyne and Wear , West Midlands , and West Yorkshire . From 1986, these metropolitan counties do not have county councils but rather joint boards for certain functions. Modern unitary authorities are similar, and are known as county boroughs in Wales . In Scotland, Aberdeen , Dundee , Edinburgh and Glasgow are functionally "independent cities", though
4756-514: The governmental powers of both a municipal corporation and a county. A consolidated city-county is different from an independent city , although the latter may result from consolidation of a city and a county and may also have the same powers as a consolidated city-county. An independent city is a city not deemed by its state to be located within the boundary of any county and considered a primary administrative division of its state. A consolidated city-county differs from an independent city in that
4838-511: The head of the county government, and a multi-district elected body that serves as both the city council and as the county legislative body. In many states, consolidated city-counties must be approved by voters. According to information compiled by former Albuquerque mayor David Rusk , 105 referendums were held in the United States between 1902 and 2010 to consider proposals to consolidate cities and counties. Only 27 of these proposals were approved by voters. Wyandotte County, Kansas , uses
4920-504: The line was chartered to build a railroad from Augusta to Athens , with a branch to Madison . It was converted to 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ( 1,435 mm ) in 1886. The 5 ft ( 1,524 mm ) gauge railroad opened in 1845 with J. Edgar Thomson as its Chief Engineer and Richard Peters as its first Superintendent. At that time the rates were as follows: Several other railroads were then under construction: The Georgia Railroad decided to extend
5002-629: 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 . 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 schools opened in the fall of 1886. Telephone service
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#17330848573655084-431: 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 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
5166-522: The relative lack of air service to AHN. 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 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. Consolidated city-county In United States local government ,
5248-526: The same sort of functions as American consolidated city-counties. One example is the City of Toronto , created in 1998 from the amalgamation of the central government and the six constituent municipalities of the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto (a type of regional municipality ), itself originally created in 1954. In Germany, Berlin and Hamburg are both cities and states (the state of Bremen consists of
5330-456: The second unified government in Georgia and the 28th nationwide. 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. ACCPD is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) and was named
5412-781: The spring, sporadic thunderstorms can occasionally become severe, rarely producing tornadoes . The city sits on a series of hills, unique to the Piedmont region . Athens has a humid subtropical climate . Its climatic regime is in many ways typical of Southeastern United States with hot summers transitioning into cool winters, but with precipitation being consistently high throughout the year. Normal monthly temperatures range from 43.5 °F (6.4 °C) in January to 80.6 °F (27.0 °C) in July; on average, maxima reach 90 °F (32 °C) or higher and stay below 40 °F (4 °C) on 58 and 5.8 days annually, and there are 48 days annually with
5494-586: 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. During the American Civil War , 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
5576-542: The term "unified government" to refer to its consolidation with Kansas City, Kansas , and most of the towns within the county boundaries remain separate jurisdictions within the county. Individual sections of a metropolitan or regional municipality may retain some autonomous jurisdiction apart from the citywide government. Often, in place of another level of government, local governments form councils of governments – essentially governmental organizations which are not empowered with any law-making or law enforcement powers. This
5658-459: The term is not used. London is unique however, being a ceremonial county (officially known as Greater London ) containing the 32 London boroughs. Enclaved within Greater London, the ancient City of London forms a distinct county, which today forms only a tiny part of what most consider to be London as a capital city, which takes up 607 square miles. The Canadian province of Ontario contains several single-tier municipalities , which serve
5740-441: The time, goods from the Mississippi and Ohio valleys had to go by riverboat to New Orleans and then via coastal steamships around the Florida Keys , to get to the big population centers in the Northeast. Shipping cross-country by rail to the ports of Charleston and Savannah made perfect economic sense. The banking side of the business was quickly more successful than the railroad side. The Georgia Railroad & Banking Company
5822-426: The town's musical legacy. Every summer since 1996 the city has hosted AthFest, a nonprofit music and arts festival in the downtown area. 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
5904-522: 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. 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 . 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
5986-437: 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. In 1990, the City of Athens and Clarke County voters voted to unify their governments, becoming only
6068-401: 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
6150-460: Was a historic railroad and banking company that operated in the U.S. state of Georgia . In 1967 it reported 833 million revenue-ton-miles of freight and 3 million passenger-miles; at the end of the year it operated 331 miles (533 km) of road and 510 miles (820 km) of track. The company was chartered in 1833 in Augusta, Georgia . In 1835, the charter was amended to include banking. Originally
6232-479: Was created and as such they are not consolidated city-counties. Instead, the Code of Virginia uses the term "consolidated city." Similarly, Carson City was consolidated with Ormsby County, Nevada in 1969, but the county was simultaneously dissolved. The city is now a municipality independent of any county. Georgia Railroad The Georgia Railroad and Banking Company ( reporting mark GA ) also seen as "GARR",
6314-584: Was eventually reassigned to the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL). In 1902, the ACL acquired controlling interest in the L&N; thus the Georgia, A&WP, and WofA became non-operating subsidiaries of the Atlantic Coast Line. In 1909, white firemen of the Georgia Railroad, organized under the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen , went on a mass strike . With the building of
6396-557: Was filmed in Athens. The movie Darius Goes West was shot in Athens. In 2000, the fictional Ithaca University scenes in Road Trip were filmed on the North Campus of the University of Georgia. In 2012, Trouble with the Curve was partially filmed at The Globe in downtown Athens. In the same year, The Spectacular Now was filmed entirely in Athens and the surrounding area. The city
6478-465: 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 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
6560-628: Was later re-chartered as the Georgia Railroad Bank, then a subsidiary of the First Railroad and Banking Company, which eventually opened banks in Atlanta under the name of First Georgia Bank. The banking operations were merged with First Union in 1986 and First Union subsequently merged with Wachovia Corporation (now Wells Fargo ). The Georgia Railroad Bank entered the insurance business using subsidiaries such as First of Georgia, however these were subsequently sold, at considerable profit to
6642-448: Was perhaps the strongest bank in Georgia for many years. The bankers used some of their wealth to buy controlling interests in the Atlanta & West Point Railroad (A&WP) and the Western Railway of Alabama (WofA), which provided a continuous line from Atlanta to Montgomery, Alabama , although the WofA was standard gauge , while all the other lines in the South were broad gauge. During
6724-450: 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. The university and town continued to grow with cotton mills fueling the industrial and commercial development. Athens became known as the " Manchester of
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