|
|
|
Athens, Georgia Georgia
Athens is home to the
University of Georgia, a large public university, and is
situated in the North East corner of Georgia. In many
ways, Athens is the quintessential college down, with a
vibrant downtown, leafy streets and a stimulating
ambiance. About hundred 18,000 people call this
appealing town home, and the city has been growing
during the last decade. The cost of living is just below
the national average, something not often found in a
college town, and the median home price is roughly
hundred and $150,000. The median household income
is below the national average, but the crime rate is
below the national average. Athens also has a
poverty rate higher than the national average, but this
may be attributed to the large student
population. It is a useful metropolis; just 23% of
the population is age 45 or better.
|
|
|
Athens is named after the Greek capital,
with founding fathers hoping to create a another great
center of learning. The land for the University
was donated by an early trustee in 1801, and the early
buildings were little rustic to say the
least. Today, the University of Georgia is
the country's oldest chartered State University, and
Athens is known as the "Classic City" thanks
its Greek-style architecture.
Downtown is the center of life in
Athens, and much of it is reminiscent of a Norman
Rockwell painting. Restaurants, shops, bookstores,
cafés, banks and other retailers lined the streets.
Music wafts from various venues. The city also has
other shopping venues, including a major mall with
national retort retail stores such as Sears and J. C.
Penny's.
|
| There are wine tastings and a community
orchestra. Fortunately, Athens was spared
during the Civil War and so fourteen
neighborhoods and 35 other structures are listed
on the National Register of Historic Places.
Three golf courses are on the outskirts of town,
and if you
think this is just a college town, think
again. The University offers free classes,
taught by local professors, to anyone over 62.
Neighborhoods are mostly well-kept and streets boast
tree canopies. Close to downtown and near the University
older neighborhoods have homes from the 1930s, 1940s and
1950s. Newer homes can be found on the edges of town
where much of the recent growth has taken place.
There are some gated communities including Kingston
Greens, a golf course community which is about 20
minutes north of the city, and Laurel Shoals.
These are not age restricted communities but tend to
attract a more mature demographic.
The Athens Transit System provides bus service around
the city, and the University has its own bus system for
students and faculty.
At an elevation of nearly 800 feet, Athens has a
relatively moderate four season climate. Summers are hot
and humid, and winters are cool and mild. The average
summer high temperature is in the low 90s, and the
average winter temperature is in the low 30s. Snow
is rare, 215 days of the year. On the comfort index, a
combination of humidity and temperature, Athens comes in
below the national average. It also has a tornado
risk that is 70% above the national average.
Athens is a regional healthcare center and has two
hospitals, including St. Mary's Healthcare System
with175 beds and Athens Regional Medical Center with321
beds. Both hospitals are award-winning and
accredited by the Joint Commission. Athens
Regional Medical Center accepts both Medicaid and
Medicare patients.
With its lively atmosphere, low crime rate,
reasonable cost of living, historic architecture and
intellectually stimulating atmosphere provided by the
University, Athens is a place to consider for
retirement. |
|
