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72-764: At the end of 1925, HV operated 349 miles of road on 881 miles of track; that year it reported 2614 million ton-miles of revenue freight and 25 million passenger-miles. The earliest predecessor of the Hocking Valley was the Mineral Railroad , incorporated in April 1864 to build from Athens in the rich Hocking Valley to Columbus . The company changed its name to the Columbus and Hocking Valley Railroad in June 1867, shortly after construction began at Columbus, and

144-626: A decade after the United States victory in the American Revolutionary War . In 1800, the town site was first surveyed and plotted and incorporated as a village in 1811. Ohio had become a state in 1803. Ohio University was chartered in 1804, the first public institution of higher learning in the Northwest Territory . Previously part of Washington County, Ohio , Athens County was formed in 1805, named for

216-564: A man-made lake . Camping is available. Both Sells Park and Strouds Run State Park are part of The Athens Trail Network, a multi-use trail network branching out from Sells Park . The City of Athens has recently established the Strouds Ridge Preserve project, currently including some 345 acres (140 ha), to save land from development adjacent to the state park. This preserve includes an 85-acre (340,000 m ) old-growth forest known as "Hawk Woods", or, more formally,

288-430: A police force with about 25 officers. Each of these departments work well together and support each other. Both have additional help when needed by the county sheriff department. Athens Fire department founded in 1830 and became full-time in the 1930s has two stations, a staff of about 30. They work 24 on 48 hours off. The department not only covers the cities fire department needs but also that of Ohio University. The city

360-769: A registered dietician. Holzer Athens , (2131 East State Street) employs 42 health care professionals at its clinic. Their service line includes allergy and immunology, anesthesiology, audiology, breast health, cancer care, chiropractic care, ear, nose & throat, eye care, gastroenterology, gynecology, heart & vascular care, imaging & radiology, kidney care, lab services, low-dose CT, men's health, midwifery, occupational health & wellness, orthopedics, pain management, pediatrics, pharmacy, podiatry, pregnancy & birth, primary care, sleep medicine, sports medicine, surgery, therapy services, urgent care, women's health, and work health & wellness. Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Too Many Requests If you report this error to

432-467: A skate park, fitness equipment, an indoor walking and running track, event rental facilities, and playgrounds. The Arts, Parks and Recreation Department actively supports a variety of community recreation initiatives. It sponsors adult summer and fall slow-pitch softball that is popular among residents in Athens and the county. The recreation department has organized men's, women's, and co-ed leagues, although

504-421: A small mall, several shopping strip centers, large box stores, car dealerships, hotels/motels and many local and national sit-down / fast food restaurants. On the north side of town is Columbus Road area with some shopping, car dealer, motels, eateries and office buildings. On the south side, Richland Avenue has large student housing apartment complexes. West Union St. has a hospital complex, some student housing and

576-453: A state in 1803 and on February 18, 1804, the state legislature passed an act establishing the "Ohio University" in the town of Athens. Athens received city status in 1912, following the 1910 census showing the population had passed 5,000 residents, the requirement for city status in Ohio. Originally, large tracts of land in Athens and Alexander Townships were set aside through a contract between

648-633: A tie vote. City Hall is located in uptown on Washington Street. Athens is also covered by the Athens County Department of Health, the Athens County Planning Office, and Athens County Job and Family Services. The city of Athens has a strict parking policy. The city has a professional Police Department since 1911 working 24/7 year round. Today the force is made up of about 30 Officers plus a like number of reserve officers and support staff. Ohio University also has

720-779: A whole part of the OhioHealth system. In early 2021 a new 2 story Medical Office building opened. Between 2019 and 2021 a new ICU opened, numerous equipment and facilities upgrades, and major expansion and renovation of the ED. Hopewell Health Centers operate several health care facilities in Athens, including Athens Behavioral Health and Primary Care Clinic (90 Hospital Drive), Respite Adult Crisis Program (7976 Dairy Lane), Athens County WIC Program (215 Columbus Road, Suite 106), and Early Childhood Program (9 Kenny Drive). Hopewell Health Centers offer comprehensive behavioral health care, dental health care, and primary health care. A sliding fee scale

792-779: Is a multi-use trail network branching out from Sells Park at the end of Avon Place. A series of twelve trails and connectors branch out into the surrounding woods, heading eastwards to eventually connect with the trails of Strouds Run State Park. The trails are designed for hiking, running, and biking, although some sections are off-limits to bicycles. The trails provide scenic views of the East State Street commercial area and travel past and through notable features such as Sells Pond, Riddle State Nature Preserve (also known as Hawk Woods), Boulder Cove, Turtlehead Cave (also known as Blue Ash Rockhouse), Finger Rock, Pioneer Cemetery, and Dow Lake at Strouds Run State Park . The trail network

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864-614: Is a public university located in Athens (30,000+ students ) that is situated on an 1,800-acre (7.3 km ) campus. Founded in 1804, it is the oldest university in Ohio , oldest in the Northwest Territory , and ninth oldest public university in the United States. Known as the Bobcats, Ohio University hosts over 250 academic programs, 5,300 employees, and has been recognized by the John Templeton Foundation as one of

936-406: Is available for dental health care, primary health care, and some behavioral health care services. Board Certified/Board Eligible health professionals include family practice physicians, dentists, adult psychiatrists, child and adolescent psychiatrists, nurse practitioners, and advanced practice nurses. Hopewell also employs social workers, counselors, psychologists, chemical dependency counselors, and

1008-758: Is currently the only osteopathic medical school in the state and offers the degree Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.). The college is accredited by the American Osteopathic Association . In 1993, Barbara Ross-Lee, D.O., was appointed to the position of dean of the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine; she was the first African-American woman to serve as the dean of a U.S. medical school. The Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine has 814 students enrolled across three campuses in Athens, Cleveland, and Dublin. Ohio University partners with University Medical Associates (UMA), which

1080-456: Is just over 5,000 feet long with landing system, lighting and hangars. The nearest airports with commercial flights are Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport near Parkersburg, West Virginia and John Glenn Columbus International Airport and Rickenbacker International Airport near Columbus. Athens has a public bus system which is free to OU students & staff and at a reduced price for seniors & school age students. It has several routes inside

1152-437: Is located on the east side of Athens, near The City of Athens Ohio Community Recreation center. Sells Park comprises 22.5 acres (980,491.87 ft²), and includes Sells Pond, a 1,876.03 square yards (1,568.60 m ) pond. Strouds Run State Park is located just outside the city, bordering the city line. This park features 2,606 acres (10.55 km ) of wooded hills, including many bluffs and rock shelters , centered around

1224-498: Is maintained by community and university volunteers. Athens is governed by a mayoral-council form of government. Elected officials include mayor, auditor, treasurer, seven council members, and council president. The mayor, auditor, and treasurer are elected for four-year terms. Council members and council president are elected for two-year terms. Four council members represent each of the city's four wards. Three council members are elected at-large. Council president only votes in case of

1296-531: Is now an established poet and essayist in Mebourne. Bands hailing from Athens include The Headstone Circus , The Snapdragons , Appalachian Death Ride, She Bears, Southeast Engine , The Ridges and the metal band Skeletonwitch . Athens native Steve Reis, a founder of the Columbus, Ohio-based band McGuffey Lane named his band after a street in Athens. Several theater companies have operated in Athens over

1368-404: Is open year-round. Court Street has a number of small to large student apartment buildings. Ohio University 's main 'college green' entrance is located at Court & Union. The student center ( John Calhoun Baker University Center , coloquially "Baker Center") is at one end of Court Street. Several Athens shopping areas are located outside the uptown area; the largest is on East State Street with

1440-487: Is part of the county-wide Enhanced 911 system. This system is able to locate landline or registered cell phone users, and send a text or phone call message of alert to those who sign up. The city has a large number of rental homes/apartments which are inspected by the Housing Code Office. The city of Athens is the county seat making it the home of many county government offices and the county courthouse at

1512-572: Is reputed to be the largest city in the United States to do so. As of the census of 2010, there were 23,832 people, 6,903 households, and 1,842 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,424.4 inhabitants per square mile (936.1/km ). There were 7,391 housing units at an average density of 751.9 per square mile (290.3/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 86.4% White , 4.4% African American , 0.2% Native American , 6.1% Asian , 0.6% from other races , and 2.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.4% of

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1584-465: Is served by OhioHealth O'Bleness Memorial Hospital a 140+ bed non-profit community hospital founded in the early 1920s as Sheltering Arms Hospital. O'Bleness, built in the early 1970s, overlooks the Hocking River and is near the university campus. O'Bleness emergency department (as well as the lab & radiology) is open 24/7 365 days at year. The hospital has a helipad located near the ED. On

1656-487: Is the second largest skate park in Ohio. The City of Athens Ohio Community Recreation center (Athens Community Center), known simply as "The Rec Center" to locals, offers programming in athletics, childcare, sports camps, community events and more. Located in the East State Street area, the center is accessible from the Hockhocking Adena Bikeway . Recreation facilities include an outdoor swimming pool,

1728-614: The Hocking Canal opened, enabling shipping from the Ohio River up the Hocking River , which passes through Athens, to Nelsonville, Ohio , and points beyond. However, the canal was closed during cold winters when it froze over. The first railroad reached Athens in 1857. In the late 19th century, an interurban line opened between Athens and Nelsonville and operated for some years. The Athens Lunatic Asylum , later named

1800-681: The Kanawha and Michigan Railway to make the connection from Charleston , but in 1917 it opened the first piece of the Northern Subdivision , which joined the main line at Limeville with Norfolk and Western Railway trackage rights to Columbus, and in 1927 a separate line to Columbus was completed. When the C&;O acquired control of the Pere Marquette Railway in 1929, the Hocking Valley served as its connection to

1872-478: The Ohio River , mostly centered around the lower Hocking River watershed. According to the 2010 census, the city has a total area of 10.05 square miles (26.0 km ), of which 9.83 square miles (25.5 km ) (or 97.81%) is land and 0.22 square miles (0.57 km ) (or 2.19%) is water. Large sections of Athens and Ohio University are located in the floodplain of the Hocking River. Over the last two centuries

1944-639: The Panic of 1873 , began in August 1875, and the line was opened from Columbus to Marion on November 1, 1876, and the rest of the way to Walbridge , outside Toledo , on January 11, 1877. Trackage rights were acquired over the Toledo and Woodville Railroad (a Pennsylvania Railroad subsidiary) to reach Toledo, including a dock on the Maumee River to handle Hocking Valley coal and iron ore. The final piece of

2016-504: The Athens State Hospital, opened in 1874. This was on high ground to the south of town and to the south of the Hocking River. In the late 19th century the hospital was the town's largest employer. The state hospital was eventually decommissioned and the property was deeded to Ohio University. It is now known as The Ridges . Much of the building space has been renovated for offices and research space or demolished, and most of

2088-711: The Congress (under the Articles of Confederation) and the Ohio Company of Associates, a group of American Revolutionary War veterans. These lands were given to Ohio University by the Federal government. This was the first federal land grant for a university, pre-dating the Morrill Act by more than 70 years. At first, lands were mostly leased out, but the failure of many lessors to pay their rents resulted in most of

2160-696: The Dale & Jacki Riddle State Nature Preserve . Also adjacent to the state park is the 75-acre (300,000 m ) Blair Preserve, owned by the Athens Conservancy . The Hockhocking Adena Bikeway is a multi-use asphalt trail with its main hub (mile marker 0) at the Athens Community Center on East State Street. The trail extends 16.4 miles (26.4 km) northwest to Robbins' Crossing and Hocking College in Nelsonville and on to

2232-696: The Logan-Nelsonville area, including along Snow Fork (initially incorporated in July 1875 as the Snow Fork Valley Railroad ) to Orbiston (1877), Murray City (1882), and Coalgate (1893), and along Brush Fork to New Pittsburg (1877–78). The Columbus and Toledo Railroad was incorporated in May 1872 to connect its namesake cities on an eastern route through Delaware , Marion , Upper Sandusky , and Fostoria . Construction, delayed by

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2304-608: The OFCC CFAP, construction will begin in 2025 and be completed within an estimated 18 to 30 months. On the city's east side, Athens has a public library, a branch of the Athens County Public Libraries . Railroad came to the city in the 1850s, with the last passenger train ending in 1981. That left a few freight trains passing near the city. Until 1981, Amtrak's Shenandoah (Cincinnati - Washington, D.C.) stopped at Athens station . In earlier years,

2376-658: The Rocky Brands complex near the Public Square, and approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) further east along East State Street and US Route 50 to South Canaan Road (Athens County Road 24A). Access points with parking are located at mile 4 at the West State Street Park, mile 10.2 off Rt. 682 in The Plains, and mile 16.4 at Robbins' Crossing and Hocking College. The trail, which generally follows

2448-689: The Second Territorial General Assembly, held in Chillicothe from November 23, 1801, to January 23, 1802, the General Assembly passed an act establishing the "American Western University" at Athens. The act was approved by Arthur St. Clair, Governor of the Northwest Territory on January 9, 1802. However, no university with the name of American Western University would be established. Ohio became

2520-593: The ancient center of learning, Athens , Greece. Ohio University in Athens was established with the first federal endowment of an educational institution in the United States. In July 1787, the Congress of the Confederation gave to the Ohio Company of Associates "two townships of good land for the support of a literary institution" in the newly created Northwest Territory . During The First Session of

2592-400: The average family size was 2.72. In the city the population was spread out, with 6.7% under the age of 18, 66.7% from 18 to 24, 13.7% from 25 to 44, 8.0% from 45 to 64, and 4.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.9 males. The median income for a household in the city

2664-535: The city and one to The Plains . OU has a bus system that links with a city bus system. Many student apartment complexes have their own bus shuttle. Athens also has an inter-city bus line from Athens to Columbus , Cincinnati , Marietta, Ohio , and Cleveland –the GoBus –running twice a day with stops in-between. At Ohio University the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine was established in 1975. It

2736-500: The city) saw large growth during the post-World War Two era and again during the Vietnam War era. Growth slowed in the 1980s with small increases in growth into present times. Athens is located in the unglaciated Allegheny Plateau about 47 miles from Chillicothe and 35 miles west of Marietta . Athens is surrounded by hills that rise about three hundred feet from river valley to the narrow ridge tops. The county extends west from

2808-447: The city. The population density was 2,560.4 people per square mile (988.6 people/km ). There were 6,715 housing units at an average density of 805.6 per square mile (311.0/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 89.16% White , 3.82% Black or African American , 0.15% Native American , 4.47% Asian , 0.06% Pacific Islander , 0.60% from other races , and 1.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.41% of

2880-650: The co-ed leagues have seen strongest participation in recent years. Soccer leagues are organized year round, with programs offered through the Community Recreation Center, Ohio University and the Athens Soccer Academy. Youth sports, such as soccer leagues, summer camps and little league, are also supported by local residents. Programming for the arts are facilitated through Arts West, the Dairy Barn, and Ohio University. Sells Park

2952-481: The corner of Court and Washington streets. Each of Athens County's three commissioners are usually from the city of Athens. Athens is a stronghold of the Democratic Party . President Barack Obama visited the city and Ohio University late during the 2012 re-election campaign. The city and Athens County have voted Democratic during all presidential elections since 1972 except for 1984. Ohio University

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3024-514: The county fairgrounds. Athens has a long musical tradition that includes local acts and events for touring musicians, performing at Ohio University and festivals in Athens. The folk song "Athens County" - words by Joe Dolce ; music by Jonathan Edwards - refers to Athens, Ohio, where Edwards & Dolce attended college in the late 60s. Edwards went on to have a Number 2 hit song nationally with 'Sunshine' while Dolce moved to Australia and had an international Number 1 hit with Shaddap You Face . Dolce

3096-602: The county. They became a minor source after the best and most available coal had been extracted and cheaper brick-making became available outside the area. A former manufacturing company was the Midget Motors Corporation , makers of the small automobile, the King Midget . Ohio University is the largest employer in Athens County. In addition to direct employment through the university, much of

3168-546: The course of the Hocking River, provides access to the East State Street commercial areas, Ohio University's campus (at South Green and Peden Stadium ), The Plains, and Hocking College. It is designed for walking, running, biking, cross-country skiing, skating, and wheelchairs. Additionally several city streets are marked as bike lanes. Athens is a qualified Tree City USA as recognized by the National Arbor Day Foundation . The Athens Trail Network

3240-419: The daily B&O trains, Diplomat (St. Louis - Jersey City, NJ) and National Limited (St. Louis - Jersey City, NJ) stopped at the station. The first 4-lane road into and out of the city came in the early 1970s. SR 32 from Athens to Cincinnati was completed in the early 1980s. Four lanes from Athens to Belpre / Parkersburg was completed in the late 1990s on US-50, SR-32 & 7 hooking up with I-77. In

3312-410: The early 2000s, SR-33 'Super-2' highway was complete, linking Athens to I-77 at Ravenswood , WVa. In October 2013, the last section of the 4-lane highway was completed, bypassing Nelsonville's two lane road on SR-33, linking Athens with Columbus . Ohio University has a modern regional airport about 15 miles southwest of the city near Albany off US-50/SR-32 called Gordon K. Bush Airport . The runway

3384-401: The ensuing quarrel quickly escalated into a shoot-out on Washington Street, during which one guardsman was killed and five others were wounded. By 1935, Athens was known as a coal and fruit-producing region and a state center of higher education and psychiatric care. The major manufactured goods included stoves, lumber, parquetry flooring, caskets, and flooring. The university (and in turn,

3456-517: The grounds have been set aside as open space, including a land lab . In 1904, the U. S. Army and the Ohio National Guard conducted joint training exercises near the city. Multiple US army regulars became drunk and were arrested by National Guard Provosts for causing disturbances. The arrests angered the regulars; on Friday a large contingent set out from camp to free an arrested comrade. The armed regulars were stopped by provosts and

3528-493: The hillsides. The old Athens Mental Hospital grounds (now part of the university) was built on the top of a hillside in the late 1860s, and is completely stable due to its position atop the hill rather than on a slope. The recent University Courtyard Apartments is also built on similar underlying geology across a small valley, but the hilltop was extensively removed in order to create a stable base. The city receives all its water supply from wells in unconsolidated river aquifers , and

3600-504: The hospital grounds is the Cornwell Center, which houses a catheterization lab, cardiac/pulmonary rehabilitation program as well as medical offices. The Castrop Center houses Athens Cancer Center, medical offices plus a public pharmacy. A new 2 story Doctor's Park building open in 2021 with doctor offices, including exams and Lab. O'Bleness was in a management agreement with OhioHealth from 2010 until early 2014 when O'Bleness became

3672-413: The land being sold. The sale of these lands funded the growth of Ohio University. Today it is one of the largest institutions of higher learning in Ohio, with an enrollment of over 20,000 on the Athens campus and over 28,000 for all campuses. The earliest industry in the area was salt production, followed by iron production and coal extraction. The largest employer in the county is Ohio University. In 1843,

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3744-462: The late 1840s. Currently it consists of 5 schools: East Elementary (PK-3), Morrison Gordon Elementary (PK-3), The Plains Intermediate School (4-6), Athens Middle School (grades 7–8), and Athens High School home of the 'Bulldogs' and Joe Burrow Stadium. East Elementary and Morrison Gordon Elementary were replaced with new buildings on the same locations, and opened in Fall 2021, and The Plains Intermediate

3816-404: The line on an extended route to Columbus, but ran out of funds, and yet another company, the Ohio and West Virginia Railway , was incorporated in May 1878 to continue construction. The north end was moved back to Logan a year later, and construction began in July 1879, now allied with the Columbus and Hocking Valley. Operation over the full route commenced on October 15, 1880, and a branch alongside

3888-554: The line opened for business from Columbus to Lancaster on January 20, 1869, Logan on August 28, 1869, Nelsonville on September 17, 1869, and Athens on July 25, 1870. The first branch, from Logan east to New Straitsville , was completed in January 1871, and the railroad completed a cutoff from Nelsonville north alongside Monday Creek to the Straitsville Branch in 1880. Several more branches reached additional mines in

3960-840: The local economy depends on tourism and events related to the university, through local restaurants, bars, stores and hotels. Manufacturing and technology related businesses, including Quidel Corporation (formerly Diagnostic Hybrids ), Stewart-MacDonald, Sunpower, Mitchell Electronics , Fastenall, and Gorman-Redlich. Since the 1970s Athens has earned a reputation as one of the more progressive (liberal) communities in Southeastern Ohio . That reputation includes Democratic political leaning, presence of some international communities, support for use of alternative energy, calling for ' smart growth ' development, development of small farms emphasizing sustainable and organic-produced crops, and support for local businesses . The Athens Farmers Market

4032-516: The negative effects of seasonally high river levels. Athens is located mostly on and around a south-jutting ridge bordered by a loop in the Hocking River. The underlying geology is mostly sandstone and shale , including " redbed " shale that presents a severe slip hazard when structures are built over it on hillsides. However, there are safe zones above sandstone beds, most notably the Connelsville Sandstone that outcrops high on

4104-407: The population. There were 6,271 households, out of which 12.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 22.9% were married couples living together, 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 69.6% were non-families. 34.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and

4176-438: The population. There were 6,903 households, of which 11.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 20.5% were married couples living together, 4.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 73.3% were non-families. 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size

4248-615: The rest of the system. Finally, the Hocking Valley was merged into the C&O in April 1930. A small branch railroad was organized in 1903 as the Athens, Amesville and Chauncey Railway . Its trackage was 3.65 miles in 1907, and 5.99 miles in 1908. It was built expressly to service coal mines in the Sugar Creek valley north of Athens, Ohio, and connected to the Hocking Valley Railway mainline just northwest of Athens. It

4320-564: The river to Pomeroy was completed in January 1881. The three companies merged in August 1881 to form the Columbus, Hocking Valley and Toledo Railway , which stretched across the state from Toledo to Pomeroy. A short extension near Toledo was built in 1890, connecting to the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway (a New York Central Railroad subsidiary) at Rockwell Junction . The new company entered receivership in February 1897 and

4392-641: The system was incorporated in March 1870 as the Gallipolis, McArthur and Columbus Railroad , which would build from Gallipolis on the Ohio River to Logan . It acquired part of an incomplete roadbed graded in the 1850s by the Scioto and Hocking Valley Railroad between Hamden and Logan , but was unable to survive the Panic of 1873. The Columbus and Gallipolis Railway , incorporated in July 1876, tried to complete

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4464-514: The top character building institutions in the country. In addition to its main campus in Athens, Ohio University also operates regional campuses in Chillicothe, Cleveland, Dublin, Ironton (Ohio University - Southern), Lancaster, Pickerington, Proctorville, St. Clairsville (Ohio University - Eastern), and Zanesville. Outside of Ohio University, the residents of Athens are served by the Athens City School District, founded in

4536-480: The town suffered from many destructive floods, including notable floods in 1832, 1873, 1907, 1937, 1949, 1964 and 1968. In 1969 the Army Corps of Engineers completed a major work that rerouted and expanded the channel of the Hocking River, for a stretch of several miles around the town, moving the river hundreds of feet to the south. That project and the ongoing efforts to maintain the channel have greatly reduced

4608-564: The years. Studio for Young Actors, aka Drama Club Youth Academy was a youth theater which operated from 2000 to approximately 2010. They performed both original and published plays and musicals featuring young actors. Their main venue was Stuart's Opera House in Nelsonville, Ohio They subsequently moved their performance venue to Arts/West a community arts space in Athens, Ohio, operated by the City of Athens. A university park on Richland Ave

4680-430: Was $ 17,122, and the median income for a family was $ 53,391. Males had a median income of $ 35,849 versus $ 28,866 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 11,061. About 14.8% of families and 51.9% of the population were below the poverty line , including 19.1% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over. From the mid-1800s until the 1950s, coal and brick -making were major sources of employment in

4752-437: Was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.74. The median age in the city was 21.6 years. 5.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 67.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 14.4% were from 25 to 44; 7.9% were from 45 to 64; and 4.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.0% male and 50.0% female. As of the census of 2000, there were 21,342 people, 6,271 households, and 1,906 families residing in

4824-519: Was 23,849 at the 2020 census . Located along the Hocking River within Appalachian Ohio about 65 miles (105 km) southeast of Columbus , Athens is best known as the home of Ohio University , a large public research university with an undergraduate and graduate enrollment of more than 21,000 students. It is the principal city of the Athens micropolitan area . The first permanent European settlers arrived in Athens in 1797, more than

4896-471: Was built by coal interests, but operated by the Hocking Valley Railway, and was merged into it in 1911. This line never ventured anywhere near Amesville or Chauncey , and did not even technically connect to Athens . After the merger, it was known as the Sugar Creek Branch. Athens, OH Athens is a city and the county seat of Athens County, Ohio , United States. The population

4968-546: Was designed by Athens' own Maya Lin . Athens recreation facilities include a community recreation center, several city parks and play grounds, public gardens, soccer fields, an arts center called Arts West, two off-leash enclosed dog parks, and an extensive scenic trail system in the city lands, adjacent Strouds Run State Park, and the Blair Preserve owned by the Athens Conservancy. The Athens Skate Park

5040-425: Was founded in 2003, and is a wide-ranging medical service provider in multiple locations around the Athens area, both on campus and off. UMA's mission is to deliver health care services to the residents of southeastern Ohio while providing clinical training opportunities for future osteopathic physicians. Ohio University also runs Campus Care, which is an on-campus clinic for enrolled students. Additionally, Athens

5112-566: Was reorganized in February 1899 as the Hocking Valley Railway , which came under the control of a syndicate in December 1902. The stock was distributed among several railroad companies in June 1903, with one-third going to the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway ( Pennsylvania Railroad ) and one-sixth each to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad , Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O), Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway ( New York Central Railroad ), and Erie Railroad . The C&O gained control in March 1910, and initially used

5184-474: Was significantly remodeled for a re-opening in Fall 2022. In 2019, a new Athens High School was scheduled to begin design and construction in 2024 with a planned Fall 2026 opening. As a result of COVID and other work-related delays, work has not yet begun, but as a result of a tax-funded levy passed in November 2023 giving a $ 24 million bond to the Athens City School District (ACSD), as well as $ 28.5 million from

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