Athens is a city in and the county seat of Limestone County, in the U.S. state of Alabama; it is included in the Huntsville–Decatur–Albertville combined statistical area. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city is 25,407.

History

Founded in 1818 by John Coffee, Robert Beaty, John D. Carroll, and John Read, Athens is one of the oldest incorporated cities in the state, having been incorporated one year prior to the state's admittance to the Union in 1819. Limestone County was also created by an act of the Alabama Territorial Legislature in 1818. The town was first called Athenson, but was incorporated as Athens after the ancient city in Greece. The town's first mayor was Samuel Tanner, and the Tanner area, south of Athens, was named on his behalf.

The Athens area was the home of William Wyatt Bibb, the first governor of Alabama, and its second governor, his brother Thomas Bibb, who succeeded him in office when he died in a fall from his horse.

Before European settlers arrived, the area which would become Athens was part of Chickasaw lands, settlers from Tennessee began intruding into what would become Limestone County in the first decade of the 1800s; the Chickasaw ceded lands north and east of the Tennessee River by about 1816, opening legal settlement in the area.

Encyclopedia of Alabama

In 1818, a group of land speculators, including Robert Beaty and John D. Carroll, purchased 160 acres and began selling lots in what would become the city of Athens. The city was incorporated on November 19, 1818 — notably before Alabama even became a state (December 14, 1819). On March 22, 1819, the city was chosen as the county seat for the newly formed Limestone County.

Cotton and agriculture dominated the economy in these early years. Due to the fertile soil of the Tennessee Valley region, it drew settlers who believed the land would sustain crops and prosperity.

thumb|left|250px|Founders Hall, [[Athens State University.<br>(WPA photo 1930s)]]

In 1822, local residents purchased of land and constructed a building to house the Athens Female Academy. The school became affiliated with the Methodist church in 1842, and was eventually renamed Athens Female College. After becoming coeducational in 1932, the school changed its name again to Athens College. After being taken over by the State of Alabama in 1974, the college was converted to a "reverse junior college", offering the last two years of instruction for graduates of area community colleges. It is today known as Athens State University.

Many homes in the central part of modern Athens date to the antebellum period, and are part of historic preservation districts.

On May 2, 1862, during the Civil War, Athens was seized by Union forces under the command of Col. John Basil Turchin. After occupying the town on May 2, 1862, Turchin assembled his men and reportedly said, "I shut my eyes for two hours. I see nothing". He did, in fact, leave the town to reconnoiter defensive positions, during which time his men ransacked the town. Turchin was later court-martialed over his treatment of Athens. The incident was controversial, and Lost Cause supporters vilified Turchin.

thumb|right|150px|Governor [[George S. Houston]]

Athens was the home of Governor George S. Houston, Alabama's first post-Reconstruction Democratic governor, who served from 1874 through 1878. Houston was noted for reducing the debts incurred to benefit private railroad speculators and others by his Reconstruction Republican predecessors. During Reconstruction, Athens was the home of the Trinity School, a school founded for the children of former slaves by Mary Fletcher Wells and funded by the American Missionary Association.

Athens was traditionally a cotton and railroad town, but since the local aerospace boom of the 1950s and 1960s, it has increasingly entered the orbit of nearby industry center Huntsville as the area's cotton production has steadily declined.

thumb|left|250px|Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Station. Nuclear Regulatory Commission photo.

Athens is the home of Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant, a Tennessee Valley Authority installation first operated in 1974, that was once the world's largest nuclear plant. It provides many jobs to the area and most of the electricity for the Huntsville-Decatur Metro Area. On March 22, 1975, the Browns Ferry plant became the scene of what was, with the exception of the Three Mile Island accident, the most serious nuclear accident in United States history. A worker using a candle to check for air leaks started a fire among control wires, causing a temporary threat to operational control of the reactor (see Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant article on Unit One Fire).

On December 28, 2024, a high-end EF1 tornado struck downtown Athens causing significant damage to the Limestone Courthouse square and caused roof damage to many businesses in downtown Athens and several trees were uprooted including one outside the courthouse.

thumb|Fallen tree caused by the EF1 tornado

Geography

Athens is midway between Nashville and Birmingham on Interstate 65. Athens shares a boundary with Huntsville.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (0.23%) is water.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally cool winters. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Athens has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

Athens first appeared on the 1850 U.S. Census as an incorporated place. It did not appear on the 1860 census, but returned again in 1870 and every census to date.

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Athens had a population of 25,406 living in 6,080 families. The median age was 41.3 years. 22.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 88.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 86.3 males age 18 and over.

87.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 12.7% lived in rural areas.

There were 10,407 households in Athens, of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 45.5% were married-couple households, 17.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 33.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

Athens, the 1st Beat/Precinct of Limestone County first reported on the 1870 U.S. Census. This included both the town/city of Athens and the surrounding area. It did not report a figure for 1880, but returned in 1890 and every census to date. In 1870, when racial demographics were reported, it had a Black majority in that beat. In 1960, Athens precinct was changed to a census division as part of a general reorganization of counties.

Transportation

  • 25px I-65
  • 25px US 31
  • 25px US 72
  • Norfolk Southern Railway
  • <!-- Image with inadequate rationale removed: 45px -->CSX Transportation railroad
  • 25px Pryor Field Regional Airport (regional/municipal airport)

Intercity bus service is provided by Greyhound Lines.

Education

  • Athens City Schools
  • Athens State University

Media

  • The News Courier, daily newspaper
  • WVNN 770 AM
  • WKAC 1080 AM
  • WZYP 104.3 FM
  • WTZT-CD TV channel 11

Notable people

<!-- PLEASE PLACE NEW INSERTIONS IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER, AND IF THE PERSON HAS NO WIKI PAGE, A COMMENT ON TALK JUSTIFYING INCLUSION WOULD BE HELPFUL -->

  • Woody Abernathy, former professional baseball outfielder
  • Sheila Andrews, country music singer
  • Bill Arnsparger, defensive coordinator in the National Football League (NFL) for Miami Dolphins teams that won consecutive Super Bowls (1972 and 1973); head coach of the LSU Tigers football team
  • Keith Askins, NBA assistant coach, former player Miami Heat
  • Don Black, KKK Grand Wizard
  • Reed Blankenship, NFL safety, for the Philadelphia Eagles
  • Michael Boley, NFL outside linebacker New York Giants
  • George Ruffin Bridgeforth, professor Tuskegee Institute, first Black alumnus of University of Massachusetts Amherst
  • Wally Bullington, head football coach for Abilene Christian University 1968–1976
  • Tom Calvin, former NFL halfback
  • Dick Coffman, former Major League Baseball player
  • Slick Coffman, former Major League Baseball player
  • Billy Davis, former member of the Arizona State Senate
  • P. O. Davis, early radio pioneer, agricultural editor and Alabama Cooperative Extension Service educator and administrator
  • Anderson East, R&B singer who is featured on the Fifty Shades Darker soundtrack
  • Richard Hendrix, professional basketball player
  • Jake Hess, Grammy Award-winning southern gospel singer
  • George S. Houston, Governor of Alabama 1874-1878 and U.S. Senator from Alabama 1879
  • Brittany Howard, singer and guitarist with Alabama Shakes
  • C. Eric Lincoln, African-American scholar
  • Patti J. Malone, noted African-American mezzo-soprano singer
  • Bobby Marlow, former Canadian Football League running back
  • John Mason Martin, U.S. representative 1885–1887
  • Mitch McConnell, U.S. senator from Kentucky, lived in Athens 1942–1950
  • Alfred McCullough, American football player
  • Kevin Miller, radio talk show host
  • Jessie Murph, singer
  • Roger Murrah, songwriter
  • Andy Nelson, former safety for the Baltimore Colts and New York Giants
  • Edmund Pettus, lawyer, soldier, and U.S. senator 1897–1907
  • Luke Pryor, served as a U.S. senator in 1880, and as a U.S. representative 1883–1885
  • Wayne Redmond, former baseball player for the Detroit Tigers
  • William N. Richardson, U.S. representative 1900–1914
  • Philip Rivers, NFL quarterback, San Diego Chargers
  • Charles Henry Sykes, editorial cartoonist
  • Charles Coleman Thach, president of Auburn University 1902–1920
  • Alice Vassar LaCour, Fisk Jubilee singer and teacher
  • Lee Vickers, professional football player for the Omaha Nighthawks
  • James C. Watkins, ceramic artist
  • Quez Watkins, professional football player
  • Henry A. White, Alabama educator and state representative; served on the Athens City Council
  • Pryor Williams, former professional football player

Athens was the primary filming location of Brittany Howard's "Stay High" music video.

<gallery class="center">

File:Limestone County Courthouse, Athens, Alabama 02.jpg|Limestone County Courthouse, Athens

File:Downtown Athens, Alabama LCCN2010640842.tif|Downtown Athens

File:Downtown Athens, Alabama LCCN2010640839.tif|Downtown Athens

File:Athens, Alabama LCCN2010640828.tif|Downtown Athens

File:Governor George S. Houston House, 101 Houston Street, Athens (Limestone County, Alabama).jpg|Governor George S. Houston House

File:Athens Masonic Hall.jpg|Masonic Hall

File:Athens former post office, 35611.jpg|Former post office

File:Confederate soldiers monument, Athens, Alabama LCCN2010640840.tif|Confederate soldiers monument, Athens

File:Athens First Methodist Church.jpg|First Methodist Church

File:"Sacked and Plundered" historic sign, Athens, Alabama LCCN2010640827.tif|"Sacked and Plundered" historic sign

File:Presbyterian Church built in 1895, Athens, Alabama LCCN2010640834.tif|Presbyterian Church, Athens

File:Limestone Drug building, Athens, Alabama LCCN2010640841.tif|Limestone Drug building

File:FRONT VIEW. - Frances Snow Pryor House, Jefferson Street, Athens, Limestone County, AL HABS ALA,42-ATH,2-1.tif|Frances Snow Pryor House

File:FRONT VIEW. - Vining-Wood-Vasser House, 301 East Washington Street, Athens, Limestone County, AL HABS ALA,42-ATH,10-1.tif|Vining-Wood-Vasser House

File:WEST FRONT AND NORTH SIDE - Judge William Harrison Walker House, 309 East Clinton Street, Athens, Limestone County, AL HABS ALA,42-ATH,9-1.tif|Judge William Harrison Walker House

File:WEST FRONT AND SOUTH SIDE - Dr. R. H. Richardson House, 401 South Clinton Street, Athens, Limestone County, AL HABS ALA,42-ATH,8-1.tif|Dr. R. H. Richardson House

File:Pryor Field Regional Airport.jpg|Pryor Field Regional Airport

File:WEST FRONT, SOUTH SIDE - Father Robert Donnell House, 601 South Clinton Street, Athens, Limestone County, AL HABS ALA,42-ATH,7-1.tif|Father Robert Donnell House

</gallery>

References

  • Athens-Limestone Public Library
  • Institute of Southern Jewish Life's History of Athens
  • Built in America Collection from Library of Congress American Memory Collection contains historic drawings, photographs, and descriptions of homes and buildings in Athens.
  • James Croley Smith Collection, The University of Alabama in Huntsville Archives and Special Collections contains sketches of historic buildings in Athens.
  • Downtown Different Athens, Alabama