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I started to think of all the kinds of things I end up telling clients when I am driving them around ATH for a first time tour. It is the same stuff I end up talking about to friends when they come to visit. I started to make a list and it just keeps getting longer and longer. Here is Part I, and I will continue posting subsequent parts over the course of the next week or two. The first posts will deal mostly with Athens, and I am working on stuff you need to know about moving to Oconee County since the O.C. is increasingly becoming it’s own place, a place independent of ATH and one where the residents can live well while rarely getting into ATH if they don’t want to. As always, I invite you to hit the comments button at the end of this post and add your own two cents.
This is a University Town. UGA dominates here. The town sprang up to serve a land grant university established in the 18th Century. The school was supposed to be located in the lower piedmont region, but frequent raids by the Creek Indians made higher ground more desirable. Sometimes the school and the town bump heads, but the record is clear: the school was here first. The town is a day younger.
This is a River Town. Believe it or not we are a river town. It took the city and a progressive government to finally realize this and make something of this fact. We now have a really cool ATH jewel called the Athens Greenway, which is a series of trails, parks, and nature centers stretching through and out of town, culminating at Sandy Creek Park and Lake Chapman, a body of water monitored by the UGA Forestry Department. This whole system is still a secret even to some residents. Outdoor enthusiasts know about and love it. And so do young families since it is a cheap and fun area to explore.
Athens is a Football Town. And not just any football town; it’s an SEC football town. Yes, UGA is home to the national champion Gym Dawgs, who have won countless national titles, and yes our baseball team took it to Omaha this year for the College World Series, but football is king. Love it or hate it, get used to it. Six Weekends a year, this town throws a huge party called Game Day Weekend. Is it a day or is it a weekend? The town goes nuts and there is much drinking and revelry, culminating with a bit of madness at Sanford Stadium. It’s kind of fun to listen to a chorus of car keys being jingled at opposing fans by 90,000 rabid Dawg fans when a home team win is imminent.
Athens is An Artist’s Town Great news! There are still hip towns in the United States where one can live within their means, own a house, and still make a living doing his/her art. We may be the only town left, but it’s happening. My wife seems continually tickled by this reality. Maybe because we came from the Bay Area where almost every artist slowly joined the mass exodus North to more affordable environs, leaving a homogenous zone in comparison to what is once was. Athens residents support local artists through the purchase of art. Numerous art festivals are held throughout the year.
Athens is a music town. R.E.M., Drive By Truckers, Widespread Panic, Vic Chestnut, The Whigs, Modern Skirts. These are some names you may have heard, but there are also some wildly talented musicians you never heard of, wowing you in the evening on stage and selling you your morning coffee the next day. Think I’m exaggerating? You will need to stay up very late to find out because Music starts very late in Athens. Check out athensmusic.com for more.
Athens Has A Symphony. They are good and well worth seeing.
Music Starts Very Late in Athens. How Late? Headliners often come on well after midnight. But you can hear the first three opening bands beginning around ten, and many club goers are actually there more to see those bands. Good news, though: Things are starting to change a little for us old timers. And by old timers I means people like me who need reading glasses and graduated from high school in the 80’s. Increasingly, you are seeing venues cater to people who have to be alert during work hours, and the Melting Point is a venue that from its inception has promoted earlier start times. They are also known for bringing in national acts. Expect a mixed crowd at many gigs in Athens. The fun part about the music scene here is that you have to explore to discover the music because it won’t come bite your leg. Don’t be afraid to consult folks who know the scene. And if you are not the club type, we have a symphony and other more adult places to hear great music, Ashford Manor being one of them
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