Athena is a city in Umatilla County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2020 census, Athena had a population of 1,209. It is part of the Hermiston-Pendleton Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Athena, about halfway between Pendleton, Oregon, and Walla Walla, Washington, was originally called Centerville. However, confusion about the name sometimes arose because Oregon had another Centerville, in Washington County, and the state of Washington had a Centerville, in Klickitat County. In 1889, local government officials asked the Centerville school principal, D. W. Jarvis, to recommend a different name. He chose Athena after the Greek goddess, and they agreed.

Centerville got its first post office on October 11, 1878. The first postmaster was William T. Cook. The post office name was changed to Athena on May 16, 1889. The Athena Caledonian Games languished during World War I but were re-established in 1976 as a Bicentennial event that has continued ever since.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.

Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Athena has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csa" on climate maps.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Athena had a population of 1,209. The median age was 44.6 years. 20.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 23.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 90.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 88.4 males age 18 and over.

0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 518 households in Athena, of which 29.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 50.2% were married-couple households, 15.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 29.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

|-

| White || 1,033 || 85.4%

|-

| Black or African American || 1 || 0.1%

|-

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 37 || 3.1%

|-

| Asian || 6 || 0.5%

|-

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 0 || 0%

|-

| Some other race || 34 || 2.8%

|-

| Two or more races || 98 || 8.1%

|-

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 66 || 5.5%

|}

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 1,126 people, 446 households, and 325 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 484 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 91.4% White, 0.4% African American, 3.0% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 2.8% from other races, and 2.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.5% of the population.

There were 446 households, of which 33.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.1% were married couples living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 27.1% were non-families. 23.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.91.

References

Further reading

  • Athena Press, issues archived at the Athena library.
  • Gaston, Joseph, Centennial History of Oregon, Chicago: SJ Clarke Publishing, 1912.
  • Geissel, Genevieve and Mildred Miley, "Athena, Once Centerville, Has Interesting History", Umatilla County Historical Society Pioneer Trails, V2, no.3, April 1978.
  • Gilbert, Frank T., Historic Sketches, Portland, Oregon: AG Walling Printing, 1882.
  • Entry for Athena in the Oregon Blue Book