Athens is a city in Limestone County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city is 18,967. According to the 2007 U.S. Census estimates, the city had a population of 22,936.[1] The city is the county seat of Limestone County, and is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area.
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 of Alabama, 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.[2] The town was first called Athenson, then the name was then shortened to Athens, after the ancient city in Greece. The town's first mayor was Samuel Tanner, and the town just south of Athens was named on his behalf.[3]
The Athens area was the home of William Wyatt Bibb, the first Governor of Alabama, and of its second Governor, his brother Thomas Bibb, who succeeded him in office when he died in a fall from his horse.[4]
Founders Hall, Athens State University.
(WPA photo 1930s).
In 1822, local residents purchased 5 acres (20,000 m2) of land and built 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.[5]
Many homes in the central part of modern Athens date to the antebellum period, and are part of historic preservation districts.[6]
In May 1862, during the Civil War, Athens was seized by Union forces under the command of Col. John Basil Turchin, a Russian émigré. The resulting pillage and plunder came to be known as the Rape of Athens. Homes were looted and burned, and Union horses were stabled in local churches. The occupation was eased after Turchin’s superiors intervened.[7]
Athens was the home of Governor George Houston, Alabama’s first post-Reconstruction Democratic governor from 1874 through 1878. Houston was noted for reducing the debts incurred to benefit private railroad speculators and others by his Reconstruction Republican predecessors.[8] During Reconstruction, Athens was the home of the Trinity School, a school founded for the children of former slaves by the American Missionary Association.[9]
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.
In 1934, Athens became the first city to get its electricity from the Tennessee Valley Authority.
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 incident, 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.[10]
Geography
Athens is located at 34°47′23″N 86°58′10″W / 34.78972°N 86.96944°W / 34.78972; -86.96944 (34.789602, -86.969424).[11]. It is halfway in between Nashville and Birmingham on Interstate 65. Athens shares a city limit boundary with Huntsville, but at&t refuses to include Athens in the Huntsville/Decatur/Madison local calling area.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 39.4 square miles (102.1 km²), of which, 39.3 square miles (101.9 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (0.23%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census[12] of 2000, there were 18,967 people, 7,742 households, and 5,140 families residing in the city. The population density was 482.3 people per square mile (186.2/km²). There were 8,449 housing units at an average density of 214.8/sq mi (82.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 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 were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 7,742 households out of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% were married couples living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.6% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.97.
In the city the population was 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 were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 89.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city of Athens was $33,980, and the median income for a family was $44,544. Males had a median income of $37,191 versus $22,748 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,315. About 13.7% of families and 16.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.2% of those under age 18 and 16.8% of those age 65 or over.
Athens actually borders Huntsville and it within 3 miles of Decatur,yet is a long distance call to both areas with AT&T. AT&T has not kept pace with growth in the region as reported in the Huntsville Times/Decatur Daily/Athens-News-Courier. There is even a Facebook group that wants Athens added to the Huntsville/Decatur local calling area.[13]
Health care
Transportation
Education
Media
Notable persons from Athens
- Don Black, White Nationalist and the webmaster of the Internet White Nationalism Forum Stormfront.
- Keith Askins, NBA Assistant coach, former player Miami Heat
- Wes Brown, Defensive Tackle, Tennessee Volunteers
- Dick Coffman, former major league baseball player
- Jane Davis, artist
- P. O. Davis, early radio pioneer, agricultural editor and Alabama Cooperative Extension Service educator and administrator
- Richard Hendrix, NBA
- Patti J. Malone, former slave, noted mezzo soprano singer
- Kevin Miller, radio talk show host
- Roger Murrah, songwriter
- Philip Rivers, NFL quarterback, San Diego Chargers
- Gary Redus, former baseball player
- Lee Vickers professional football player for the New York Giants
References
- ^ a b "Annual Estimates of the Population for Incorporated Places in Alabama". United States Census Bureau. 2008-07-10. http://www.census.gov/popest/cities/tables/SUB-EST2007-04-01.csv. Retrieved 2008-07-14.
- ^ Alabama State Archives: Limestone County
- ^ Foscue, Virginia. Place Names in Alabama. University: U of Alabama Press, 1989.
- ^ Limestone County Historical Society: Belle Mina
- ^ Athens State University: History
- ^ City of Athens: Map of Historic Districts
- ^ Limestone County Historical Society: Athens Sacked
- ^ Alabama State Archives: Gov. George S. Houston
- ^ "Trinity Cistern." Limestone County Historical Society. Retrieved Nov-22-2009. Text of page: "Cistern: Last Remnant of Trinity School. Located in th[e] parking lot of the New [Clinton Street] Court House Annex. Picture of a historical marker inscribed as follows: 'This cistern is the last remnant of Trinity School located here 1865-1907. The cistern was used to store rainwater collected from the roof. No physical evidence remains of the Ross Hotel, the Chapman Quarters, and other buildings on this block, which played an important role in Athens history. Trinity, a school for the children of former slaves, was established here, on the old Richardson property, in 1865, primarily through the efforts of Miss Mary Frances Wells, the school's principal and chief proponent. Trinity Hall was built here 1881-82, as a joint effort by the American Missionary Association and local African Americans who hand made and laid the bricks for the building. It burned in 1907 and was rebuilt the following year on the old Civil War fort site west of town. ERECTED BY THE LIMESTONE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY 2005'"
- ^ Nuclear Regulatory Commission: Bulletin No. 75-04A: Cable Fire at Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Station
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ Facebook group: at&t needs to add Athens AL to the Huntsville/Decatur local calling area
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