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Athens, Georgia Quick Hits
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Home to the University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia is located in the Piedmont Plateau in the northeast corner of Georgia just 65 miles northeast of Atlanta. Athens has humid summers and short, mild winters. January temperature highs average 48 degrees with lows of 31 degrees while July high averages 92 degrees and lows averages 65 degrees. Annual rainfall is 31 inches. The 236 frost free days and mild winters are a boon to the gardens that flourish year-round. Spring brings amazing displays of beautiful dogwoods and colorful azaleas.
Athens’ airport, Ben Epps Airport, provides passenger air service via USAir Express to Charlotte. Atlanta’s Hartsfield International Airport is easily accessible via a divided four lane highway into Atlanta.
A wide range of incredibly affordable housing is available to suit all architectural tastes and price ranges, from country homes to golf club communities to tree-lined neighborhoods to historic southern homes. There is also a wide variety of rental housing to choose from, ranging from college apartments to luxury apartments.
Highly regarded medical services are provided by Athens Regional Medical Center, a state-of-the-art facility with an Open Heart Surgery Center and St. Mary’s Hospital, an acute care facility.
The University of Georgia sits on 3500 acres of woodlands among Greek Revival architecture. The university has thirteen schools and colleges offering twenty master’s degrees in 137 subject areas and doctoral degree programs in 78 areas of concentration. The university library holds the original Constitution of the Confederate States of America. Recognized for its bioscience programs, the university is home to the Complex Carbohydrate Research Center where the study of biochemical mechanisms that control plant growth and development is conducted and the Life Sciences Building for their biotechnology, genetics, and biochemistry programs.
The university’s Performing Visual and Arts Center houses the Georgia Museum of Art where a permanent collection of works of art and changing exhibits are featured. It is also the site of the State Botanical Garden; 300 acres of specialty gardens and plant life and five miles of nature trails leading through diverse ecosystems.
Athens has a vibrant cultural scene, including several theater groups and dance companies that perform throughout the year. Located in the historic district, the Classic Center is a beautiful performing arts theatre hosting Broadway plays, concerts, theatrical and musical productions, and trade and entertainment events year long. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Morton Theatre now functions as a community performing arts center. The Georgia Center for Continuing Education conducts conferences, lectures, and seminars on a variety of topics reaching people through its professional development and personal enrichment programs.
Athens’ location is the gateway to the picturesque 108 mile Antebellum Trail that travels along some of Georgia’s grandest architecture and historic sites dating before the American Civil War. Bounded by the Oconee National Forest and only an hour’s drive from the breathtakingly beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, Athens is a haven for nature lovers. Swimming, fishing, boating, sailing, and camping can be enjoyed at Watson Mill Bridge State Park, Sandy Creek Lake, Lake Lanier, or Hartwell Lake Recreation Area. Hartwell Lake was built by the US Army Corps of Engineers and created by damming the Savannah River. It has 56,000 surface acres of water and 962 miles of shoreline. The fisherman can fish for Largemouth bass, striped bass, white bass, black crappie, bluegill bream, walleyed pike, and chain pickerel. The Oconee River is an excellent canoeing and kayaking river.
The City Parks Department has 4 parks with outdoor tennis courts and 6 with swimming pools. The golfer will find 2 private 18-hole courses and 1 public 18-hole course. The University of Georgia has an 18-hole golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones and indoor tennis courts and swimming pool opened to the public. The sports fan will find professional sports in Atlanta, home to the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta Braves.
The historic downtown is a restored district of specialty shops and restaurants, many with outdoor seating. Shopping is available at the Georgia Square Mall and a variety of quaint shopping plazas throughout the city.
Athens affords its residents a quality-of-life that is deeply rooted in southern hospitality, charm, and history. It’s location is in or near environmentally diverse settings from rolling wooded hills to panoramic mountains to pristine sun drenched beaches and ocean waters to metropolitan Atlanta. Whether its enjoying a leisurely lifestyle, educational pursuits at the University of Georgia, or a combination of both, Athens has its own unique gentility that is appreciated and savored by its residents.
