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Why Athens?

2- Terrapin
Bike Race
3- Sanford Staudium

There are a million ways we could answer that question. Athens is famous for great music, delicious food, and the Georgia Bulldogs. There is something here for everyone of all ages and all walks of life to enjoy. Athens is the place where creative individuals and innovative entrepreneurs come to thrive. The University of Georgia, Athens’ Economic Development Department, and several of our other local partner organizations help provide the resources anyone needs to succeed in their business endeavors.

Don’t just take our word for it, check out the Athens Quality of Life Guide, the Athens Convention & Visitors Bureau and some of the press coverages, interesting facts, events and other news surrounding Athens below!

PRESS COVERAGES:
  • "Five Reasons why Athens, Georgia is the Perfect Post-Pandemic Vacation Spot," May 25, 2021, Sightseers Delight
    "This deceptively sleepy city is, at first glance, everything you think it is: quaint, stately, and historic . . . , but it’s also a quirky and vibrant place filled with hidden gems for travelers."
  • "The Coolest College Towns in America," The Discoverer, April 2021
    "This historic town features all the quintessential calling cards of the South, from a restored victorian-era downtown to boulevards shaded by drooping oak trees."
  • "The 10 Best Day Trips from Atlanta," Lonely Planet, March 10, 2021
    "The pleasant, walkable downtown offers a plethora of funky choices for eating, drinking and shopping."
  • UGA Golf Course, #5, "Best Courses you can Play: Georgia," Golfweek, April 6, 2021
ATHENS FIRSTS:
  • Chartered by the Georgia General Assembly Jan. 27, 1785, The University of Georgia is America's first state chartered university.
  • Athens is the birthplace of America's first garden club. Founders Memorial Garden, on UGA's North Campus, was established to honor the club.
  • Athens resident Ben Epps was the first Southern Aviator. He successfully designed, built, and flew the first airplane in Georgia in 1907, just four years after the Wright brothers' (from Ohio) first flight.
  • Michael Thurmond, Georgia's current Commissioner of Labor, was the first African-American elected to statewide office in Georgia.
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT ATHENS:
  • Football players Herschel Walker (1982) and Frank Sinkwich (1942) are UGA's two Heisman Trophy winners. The trophies are on display at Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall Sports Museum.
  • The 312-acre preserve south of the main campus features a 20,000-square-foot conservatory/visitor's center that contains tropical and semi-tropical plants.
  • Athens is world-renowned for its music scene, and nurtured such bands as REM, the B-52s, Widespread Panic, Drivin' and Cryin', and Pylon, just to name a few.
  • "The Tree that Owns Itself" was willed eight feet of land on all sides around its base, and is surrounded by a vintage cobblestone street. Recognized by Ripley's Believe it or Not!

 

Whether you’re visiting for the weekend, the next four years, or the rest of your life, we welcome you to the Classic City and all it has to offer.

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