Everything about Athens Tennessee totally explained
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This article is about the city in Tennessee. For other uses, see Athens (disambiguation)
Athens is a
city in
McMinn County,
Tennessee,
United States. It is the
county seat of
McMinn County and the principal city of the Athens Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of the larger
Chattanooga-Cleveland-Athens Combined Statistical Area. The population was 13,220 at the 2000 census.
Geography
Athens is located at (35.448171, -84.602069). The city is situated amidst a series of narrow, elongate ridges and low hills that are characteristic of the
Appalachian Ridge-and-Valley Province. The
Unicoi Mountains rise roughly east of Athens, and the
Tennessee River flows nearly to the west. Starr Mountain, one of the more noticeable ridges in McMinn County, is located roughly southeast of Athens.
Oostanaula Creek (sometimes spelled "Eastanalle" or a similar variation) rises in the hills north of Athens and traverses the city approximately upstream from its mouth along
Hiwassee River. Other major streams in the area include Mouse Creek, which parallels Oostanaula to the west, and Chestuee Creek, which parallels Oostanaula to the east.
Athens is centered around the junction of
U.S. Route 11, which connects the city to
Sweetwater to the north and
Cleveland to the south, and Tennessee State Route 30, which connects Athens to
Etowah and
U.S. Route 411 to the southeast and
Decatur to the west.
Interstate 75 passes just west of Athens.
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 13.5
square miles (35.1
km²).13.5 square miles (35.1 km²) of it's land and none of the area is covered with
water.
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, there were 13,220 people, 5,550 households, and 3,590 families residing in the city. The
population density was 976.3 people per square mile (377.0/km²). There were 6,086 housing units at an average density of 449.4/sq mi (173.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 86.33%
White, 9.32%
African American, 0.23%
Native American, 1.38%
Asian, 0.07%
Pacific Islander, 1.34% from
other races, and 1.33% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 3.01% of the population.
There were 5,550 households out of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.2% were
married couples living together, 14.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.3% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.89.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.9% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 84.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $29,277, and the median income for a family was $39,563. Males had a median income of $32,170 versus $20,917 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $16,877. About 14.6% of families and 18.4% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 22.6% of those under age 18 and 22.1% of those age 65 or over.
History
Early history and Civil War
The
Cherokee were living in McMinn County at the time of the arrival of the first Euro-American explorers. The Athens area was situated nearly halfway between the
Overhill Cherokee villages of
Great Tellico to the north in
Monroe County and
Great Hiwassee along the Hiwassee River to the south. In 1819, the Cherokee signed the Calhoun Treaty, selling the land north of the Hiwassee (including all of modern McMinn County) to the United States. McMinn County was organized on November 13, 1819 at the home of John Walker in what is now
Calhoun. Pumpkintown, located nearest the center of the new county, was chosen as the county seat in 1823 and renamed Athens shortly thereafter. The name "Athens" may have been chosen due to perceived topographical similarities to
Athens, Greece.
By 1834, the population of Athens had grown to over 500. Prominent early settlers included William Henry Cooke, who operated an iron forge near modern Etowah, and Samuel Clegg (or Cleage), a construction entrepreneur. Jesse Mayfield, whose descendants founded
Mayfield Dairy Farms, arrived in the early 1820s. The Hiwassee Railroad received a charter in the mid-1830s to build a railroad connecting Knoxville, Tennessee and
Dalton, Georgia. The railroad began construction in 1837, although financial and legal problems delayed its completion until 1851. In 1836,
General John Wool arrived in Athens to help coordinate the
Cherokee Removal. Although initially voluntary, the operation became a forced removal in 1838 when many Cherokee refused to leave. The removal culminated in the forced march west that became known as the Trail of Tears. Wool set up his headquarters at the Bridges Hotel, which was located across the street from the McMinn County Courthouse.
McMinn County was staunchly divided during the
U.S. Civil War. The well-established railroad brought numerous pro-secessionist and anti-secessionist speakers to the county, including
Andrew Johnson,
Horace Maynard,
John Bell, and
William "Parson" Brownlow. In 1861, McMinn County voted against secession by a narrow 1,144 - 904 margin. The county sent 12 units to the
Union army and 8 units to the
Confederate army. General
William Tecumseh Sherman was briefly headquartered at the Bridges Hotel while preparing his "March to the Sea."
Post-Civil War
After the Civil War, the railroad lured business opportunists to McMinn County. In 1887, several investors established the Athens Mining and Manufacturing Company with plans to convert the town into a model industrial community and initiate large-scale mining operations in the area. Textile mills, flour mills, and timber mills dominated the county's industry by the late 1800s, complemented by furniture and appliance factories in the 1920s.
In 1946, several McMinn County
World War II veterans ran for local office in hopes of removing a county government deemed corrupt. On August 1, local authorities locked themselves in the county jail along with the ballot boxes. Suspecting foul play, the veterans armed themselves and assembled on a hill across the street from the jail. After an exchange of gunfire, the county authorities surrendered. The ballots were counted, and the veterans' ticket was elected, ending the so-called
Battle of Athens.
Notable people born or raised here
Athens Media
Athens is in The
Chattanooga and Knoxville Television Markets, and is serviced by
Comcast Cable
Athens is served by one daily newspaper publication,
The Daily Post Athenian as well as 7 radio stations, (4 FM, and 3 AM)
FM
Cat Country 93.9 Country, (which is actually licensed to
Spring City, TN)
101.7 WLAR Country
J-103 religious (licensed to
Etowah, TN) simulcast with
WBDX in Chattanooga
WKPJ-LP 104.5 religious, an affiliate of
The Life Talk Radio Network
AM
WCPH 1220 Adult Standards, (licensed to
Etowah, TN) an affiliate of The
Music of Your Life
WYXI 1390 Oldies
WLAR 1450 Country (Simulcast of WJSQ FM)
Further Information
Get more info on 'Athens Tennessee'.
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