Athens, Texas

This article is about the city in Texas. For other uses, see Athens (disambiguation).

Athens, Texas
City
Location of Athens, Texas
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Henderson
Government
• Type	Council-Manager
• City Council	Mayor Randy Daniel Jerry Don Vaught Carol Barton Carroll Maberry Elaine Jenkins
• City Manager	Pam J. Burton
Area
• Total	17.0 sq mi (43.9 km2)
• Land	14.6 sq mi (37.9 km2)
• Water	2.4 sq mi (6.1 km2)
Elevation	489 ft (149 m)
Population  (2006)
• Total	12,458
• Density	772.8/sq mi (298.4/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP codes	75751-75752
Area code(s)	430, 903
FIPS code	48-04504Template:GR
GNIS feature ID	1329816Template:GR
Website	http://athenstexas.us/

Athens is a city in Henderson County, Texas, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 11,297. It is the county seat of Henderson CountyTemplate:GR. According to the Texas Legislature, Athens is the "Original Home of the Hamburger" . The city also calls itself the "Black-Eyed Pea Capital of the World", due to their annual black-eyed pea festival.

Geography

Athens is located at 32°12′10″N 95°50′57″W (32.202782, -95.849140)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 17.0 square miles (44.0 km²), of which, 14.6 square miles (37.9 km²) of it is land and 2.3 square miles (6.1 km²) of it (13.85%) is water.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 11,297 people, 4,110 households, and 2,807 families residing in the city. The population density was 772.8 people per square mile (298.3/km²). There were 4,549 housing units at an average density of 311.2/sq mi (120.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 72.14% White, 19.23% African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.64% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 6.17% from other races, and 1.45% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.37% of the population.

There were 4,110 households out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% were married couples living together, 15.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.7% are classified as non-families by the United States Census Bureau. Of 4,110 households, 131 are unmarried partner households: 106 heterosexual, 14 same-sex male, and 11 same-sex female households. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.13.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.4% under the age of 18, 11.6% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 19.1% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 90.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,372, and the median income for a family was $35,359. Males had a median income of $27,388 versus $19,375 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,561. About 14.7% of families and 18.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.5% of those under age 18 and 16.7% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

• William Wayne Justice, United States District Court judge

Government

Local Government

According to the city’s most recent Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the city’s various funds had $8.0 million in Revenues, $8.6 million in Expenditures, and $4.2. million in Total Assets, $0.7 milion in Total Liabilities, and $0.7 million in cash and investments.

The structure of the management and coordination of city services is:

City Department	Director
City Administrator	Pam J. Burton
Director of Finance and Technology	David Hopkins, CPA
Human Resources Director	Haven Cox
Fire Chief	John McQueary
Police Chief	Michael D. Hill, Jr.
Director of Planning & Development	Gary Crecelius

Points of interest

• East Texas Arboretum and Botanical Society
• Trinity Valley Community College (headquarters and Henderson County Campus)
• Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center
• Athens Cain Center, Civic and Fitness Center

In 2007, the Texas State Legislature passed Bill HCR-15, designating Athens as the "Original Home of the Hamburger".

References

• United States Census Bureau

External links

• City of Athens, Texas(official city website)
• Athens Chamber of Commerce
• Athens Economic Development Corp.
• Athens Visitor Initiative Program
• Athens, TX from the Handbook of Texas Online
• Bill HCR-15 of the Texas State Legislature (November 2006) designating Athens as the "Original Home of the Hamburger"