Athens, Alabama
From Freepedia
Athens is a city located in Limestone County, Alabama. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city is 18,967. The city is the county seat of Limestone County.
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Geography
Athens is located at 34°47'23" North, 86°58'10" West (34.789602, -86.969424)1.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 102.1 km² (39.4 mi²). 101.9 km² (39.3 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.23% water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 18,967 people, 7,742 households, and 5,140 families residing in the city. The population density is 186.2/km² (482.3/mi²). There are 8,449 housing units at an average density of 82.9/km² (214.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 77.72% White, 18.26% Black or African American, 0.40% Native American, 0.71% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.92% from other races, and 0.97% from two or more races. 4.86% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 7,742 households out of which 30.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% are married couples living together, 13.0% have a female householder with no husband present, and 33.6% are non-families. 31.0% of all households are made up of individuals and 13.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.37 and the average family size is 2.97.
In the city the population is spread out with 23.9% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.8% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 38 years. For every 100 females there are 89.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 85.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city of Athens is $33,980, and the median income for a family is $44,544. Males have a median income of $37,191 versus $22,748 for females. The per capita income for the city is $19,315. 16.3% of the population and 13.7% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 21.2% of those under the age of 18 and 16.8% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Points of Interest
- Athens is one of the oldest incorporated cities in the State of Alabama, having been incorporated one year prior to the state's admittal to the Union in 1819.
- It is the home of Athens State University, formerly Athens State College. This institution is primarily a junior/senior teacher's college and features a historic campus with fine antebellum architecture.
- It is the home of Browns Ferry nuclear plant, a Tennessee Valley Authority installation of 1974 that was once the world's largest nuclear plant and provides many jobs to the area and most of the electricity for the Huntsville, Alabama metropolitan area.
- Athens' historic district of narrow, tree-lined avenues boasts many examples of antebellum architecture and is a nationally protected district.
- Athens is host of the Tennessee Valley Old Time Fiddlers' Convention, an annual bluegrass and crafts festival which draws enthusiasts from across America and elsewhere, including the United Kingdom and Australia.
- Sites in and around Athens were used as filming locations for Disney's Tom and Huck.
- It sits near the confluence of the Tennessee River and the Elk River. Boating and water sports are popular.
- Athens was traditionally a cotton and railroad town, but since the local aerospace boom of the 1950's and 1960's it has increasingly entered the orbit of nearby industry center Huntsville as the area's cotton production has steadily declined.
- It is sometimes referred to as the "chicken stew capital of the world."
- Athens is located exactly halfway between the cities of Nashville, Tennessee and Birmingham, Alabama on Interstate 65.
External links
- Athens Municipal Website
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Local or Yahoo! Maps
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
- Satellite image from Google Local or Microsoft Virtual Earth
