Athens (TX)

The first settlers arrived in Athens in 1850, and in the same year a new city was founded, which was chosen as the third administrative center of Henderson County, since the previous capitals, Buffalo and Centerville, changed the boundaries of the districts outside Henderson. Athens is named after the city ​​of the same name in Alabama , from which was one of the first settlers ^[3] . In 1856, the city’s charter was adopted and the mayor elected; however, until the 20th century, local government virtually did not exist, the streets were not repaired, there were no sidewalks, several houses were unpainted, the main square was overgrown with weeds. In 1901, a new charter was adopted and the city had full-fledged local government bodies ^[4] .

In 1873, the city began to publish a newspaper, in 1880 a cotton belt passed through the city, and by 1900 two railways, Texas and New Orleans, were carried to the city. Cotton remained the main crop until the 1930s. During the Great Depression, farmers switched to herding and growing vegetables. In 1928, the exploration of oil and gas fields in the region began, and in the 1940s oil production began ^[4] .

Athens is located in the central part of the district, its coordinates are: ^[5] .

According to the US Census Bureau , the area of ​​the city is about 49.7 km ² , of which 43.6 km ^{2 is} occupied by land, and 6.1 km ² is the water surface ^[5] . The largest body of water is Lake Athens in the east of the city.

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification , the humid subtropical climate (Cfa) prevails in Athens ^[6] .

According to the 2010 census, 12,710 people lived in the city, there were 4,645 households and 2,970 families. The racial makeup of the city: 65.3% are whites , 17.7% are African Americans , 0.5% are Native Americans, 0.6% are Asians , 0.0% (3 people) are residents of Hawaii or Oceania, 13, 7% are other races, 2.1% are two or more races. The number of Hispanic inhabitants of any races was 26.7% ^[9] .

Of the 4,645 households, 34.7% have children under 18 years old. 43.3% of households were married couples living together (18.1% with children under 18), 16.4% of households were women without husbands, 4.2% of households were men without wives, 36.1% of households were not families. Only one person lived in 31.5% of households, 13% were single elderly people (over 65). The average household size was 2.53 people. The average family size is 3.19 people ^[9] .

The population of the city according to the age range was distributed as follows: 30.1% - residents under 20 years old, 26.8% are between 20 and 39 years old, 27.2% - from 40 to 64 years old, 15.8% - 65 years old and older . The average age is 34.2 years ^[9] .

According to surveys of five years from 2011 to 2015, the average household income in Athens is $ 37,358 per year, the average family income is $ 44,704. The per capita income in the city is $ 22,059. About 21.2% of families and 25.5% of the population are below the poverty line. Including 38.3% under the age of 18 years and 10.2% aged 65 and older ^[10] .

The city is governed by a mayor and a four-person city council. One of the council members is elected deputy mayor ^[11] .

The US Highway 175 and 7, 19 and 31 Texas Highways pass through Athens.

The city is located the Athens Municipal Airport. The airport has one runway length of 1216 meters ^[12] . The nearest airport for commercial passenger flights is the Tyler Pounds Regional Airport. The airport is located about 55 kilometers east of Athens.

The city is served by the Athens Independent School District.

The main campus of Trinity Valley Community College is located in Athens.

According to the financial report for the 2014-2015 financial year, Athens owned assets of $ 31.32 million, the city’s debt obligations amounted to $ 17.33 million. The city’s revenues in 2015 amounted to $ 15.16 million, and expenses - $ 13.88 million ^{[13 ]} .

The city has a number of parks, a sports center, a swimming pool, golf courses, tennis courts, and a cinema. A popular place of recreation is Lake Athens ^[4] .

In May, the Athens Old Fiddlers Reunion violin event takes place, and in July, the holiday of beans, one of the main agricultural products of the region ^[4] .

• The official website of Athens (Neopr.) .
• Athens Chamber of Commerce (Unc.) .
• Information about the city of Athens (English) (HTML). Handbook of Texas Online . Texas State Historical Association.
• Information about the city of Athens on the site texasescapes.com ( Neopr .) .
• Independent Athens School District (Unsolved) .