Athens, Georgia

Life in Athens

Athens is great imo. There's pretty much something for everyone here, no matter what your interests are. The local art and music scene are rich and varied, with a long history in the town that includes places such as the Georgia Theatre and the Georgia Museum of Art. The parks and the Greenway are well kept and a great place for people of all ages, one even has a small zoo. There are dozens upon dozens of unique and locally owned restaurants of pretty much every cuisine. And of course, the school provides many services that benefit the locals as well (for example, the Ag school has some of the best meat prices in town if you order early enough)

Normaltown and Five Points are my two favorite neighborhoods if you don't want to live right downtown. And if you can commute from just outside the perimeter (10 miles-ish) you can find some very nice rentals that are more 'rural', but honestly everything in Athens is pretty damn close together.

I've left out a LOT I'm sure, but one of the best references I found when I moved here was the local paper, the Flagpole. They publish weekly on everything going on in Athens and it's a good way to get a feel of the town. Check them out for more than I could ever tell you at www.flagpole.com

Good Luck!

Life in Athens

I'm a native, and I love it! Actually, I feel like I've only really taken advantage of the town in the past few years (aka after I lost my car). If you like taking walks, there are so many great places! I'm lucky enough to live near Birchmore Trail and Oconnee Forest Park, but there's also the State Botanical Garden (gorgeous - better than the Atlanta Botanical Garden, I'm told) and the Greenway. Campus is also very nice, and there are several beautiful neighborhoods I like to walk through. I'm a single woman, but if it's like the 5 Points area, I feel safe walking by myself even at night.

It's also great for music - I found my musical niche a couple of years ago, started going to concerts just all the time. Of course, Atlanta is nearby, too, so you have fairly easy access to some bigger names, too (although I have to say, I'm kinda surprised at some of the people who perform in Athens - I've seen a couple who're kinda one-hit-wonders in the mainstream, but continue to be popular in their own sub-genres).

There are some nice, unique little shops downtown… Oh, and the local artist scene is pretty great! If you're into indie-folk music, both Family and Friends and Kishi Bashi are great (I've had the opportunity to meet both of them, although I'm afraid I made a fool of myself with the latter); I've had a few opportunities to meet acclaimed graphic novel artist and New York Times illustrator Eleanor Davis (she's very nice, and I've gotten all my works by her signed)… Oh, and I'm in a poetry group, Word of Mouth Athens! Or at least I was, before the pandemic. I don't know what the status is with that now, especially since a lot of the members are older… I should ask the leader of the group. But yeah, a lot of great writers there, and they also bring in poets from other places to read.

There's also Contra Dance at Memorial Park… But again, I don't know when they're gonna meet again, because a lot of the members are older.

If you're into knitting/crochet, there's Revival Yarns, and they do knitting/crochet circles sometimes.

As for disadvantages, game days can be kind of a pain if you're not into football - the traffic is bad, and there's partying in areas with big student populations. There's also a lot of wealth inequality.

But yeah, overall, I really like Athens! I didn't take advantage of it when I was growing up, but now that I'm on my own, it's kind of been the perfect place for me.

What is Athens like?

Nice! Yeah I’m pretty big into the outdoor scene. I’ve been here in Athens like two weeks now just up in a hotel and have tried to immerse myself in local activities and restaurants. I am from Memphis and my apartment there is backed up to one of our greenlines that runs like 20-30+ miles over the city, so I checked out the Greenway here. I’ve gone hiking up in Amacola Falls and Yonah Mountain the last two weekend I’ve been here. Super cool places. I definitely enjoy the city and who knows. Maybe I’ll be a local as well soon enough.

Considering Athens

As someone who did live there and is now trying to get back, it's a wonderful town. It's the size of a gnat but the constant cycle of college students keeps the culture and atmosphere fresh and hip (still in my 20s too, I can say hip without it being too cringey). And yet the whole town feels lived in and comfy. There is not a lot of work to go around, hence why I'm not there atm, but if you find that perfect situation you should defiantly live there for a while at least!

The hiking scene isn't great. Probably more accurate to say that there isn't one. But you're hardly an hour from a ton of amazing hiking. An hour from a big city with a big airport. Only 4 hours from the beach. Btw, if you're interested in having some babies. Consider living in the county limits of Oconee. The public schools there make private schools look like a joke. Academics, Athletics, Arts. They do them all very well. And all for the low low price of rubbing elbows with a bunch of southerners who think they're a cut above the hoi polloi because they pay a shit ton of property tax. But they're good people, don't let anyone fool you. There's some stats out there that 1 out of every 4 students that graduate from North Oconee is considered gifted on a national level, and 2/3rds of their graduates qualify for the Hope scholarship. It's ranked in the top 2% nationally. Just saying… those are dice I would roll.

Hey all!

Adam Rogers here, today I will be the one to discuss with you the pros and cons of living here in Athens, Georgia. We all know no place is perfect but we can call it home nonetheless. Hopefully with this video I will be able to inform you what you need to know and help you make a decision or just to give you food for thought.

Moving to Georgia! Reach out to us! We absolutely LOVE it when people reach out to us, and we have helped people from all across the world make the move right here to our home city. We can't wait to hear from you! Livinginathensgeorgia@gmail.com

Athens, Georgia is The South's Favorite College Town, Go Dawgs! | Hey Ya'll | Southern Living

Athens, Georgia has always been known for its music scene, and we love the live shows, but there is so much more to this picture perfect southern town than tunes. That's why The South's Best Awards recognized this quaint little town as the best of the best. The food is off the charts, and staying in one of the unique local hotels will make your trip into an event you can tell people about. Now is the time to visit, since the Dawgs are national champions, so grab some soul food and ice cream, tour the campus, then you can thank us for the tip later. Have fun!