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Athens

City · Athens County · 23,868 residents · 1.95% municipal income tax

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Athens County

Local events in Athens

269 events in the next 90 days from 6 public calendars. All local events in Athens

  1. Material Matters: An Exhibition by the Museum Studies Program

    10 a.m. to midnight · Kennedy Museum of Art · Paid · From Ohio University

  2. Athens Art Guild Art Market

    9 a.m. to noon · Athens Community Center · From Athens County CVB (athensohio.com)

  3. The Bobcat Build: Help us build a home with Habitat for Humanity

    9 a.m. to 4 p.m. · Parks Hall · Paid · From Ohio University

Checked October 20; the events page is refreshed daily.

Lakes near Athens

The history under the water: the valley before, the dam, the stories. All Ohio lakes

Deep dives about Athens

Long reads built from maps, newspapers and public records. All deep dives

Notable people from Athens

Ohioans tied to this place, each with a sourced profile. All notable Ohioans

History from Athens

People and inventions tied to this place, each with its sources. All people · All inventions

How Athens began

Athens sits on a bend of the Hocking River in the hill country of southeastern Ohio, platted around 1800 by surveyors acting for the Ohio Company of Associates on land Congress had set aside in 1787 to endow a university in the Northwest Territory. The town and Ohio University, chartered February 18, 1804, grew up together and share a name drawn from the university and library of ancient Athens, Greece. Athens was incorporated as a village in 1811 and became a city in 1912 once its population passed 5,000. For more than a century its economy and identity were also shaped by the Athens Lunatic Asylum (1874-1993), one of the largest employers in the county, and by repeated Hocking River floods that led the Army Corps of Engineers to reroute the river around the city after 1968. Today Athens is the Athens County seat and a college town built around Ohio University's College Green.

Settled 1797, platted 1800, incorporated 1811 (village); 1912 (city), by Surveyors for the Ohio Company of Associates, acting under the 1787 congressional land grant that also endowed Ohio University.

Where the name comes from

Athens was named for Athens, Greece, the center of learning in the ancient world, because its founders intended the town to be the seat of a university. Athens County, formed in 1805, took the same name for the same reason.

Before the town

Archaeological evidence places human presence in the Hocking Valley back to roughly 8000-1500 BC, with people hunting elk, deer and bear and gathering nuts, berries, roots and seeds. The Adena culture (roughly 1000-800 BC onward) settled in small villages along the Hocking River in the Athens area and left pottery, ornaments and burial mounds; the Hopewell culture that followed (from about 300 BC) is associated with earthworks nearby, most notably the Plains Mound/earthworks a few miles north of Athens in what is now Athens Township, built between roughly 300 BC and AD 200. By the time Euro-American explorers and surveyors reached the area in the later 1700s, the Shawnee were the predominant nation in the region, holding the Scioto and Miami country and, per period accounts, 'the present county of Athens and adjacent region.' The Hocking River's name is itself a Native-language legacy: in the Delaware (Lenape) tongue 'Hockhocking' is said to mean 'bottle,' describing the shape of a wide place in the river near modern Lancaster, and the Shawnee term recorded for the river, rendered 'Wea-tha-kagh-qua-sepe,' is likewise translated as 'bottle river.' No specific village site, trail or treaty boundary within the present city limits of Athens itself is documented in the sources consulted; the nearest well-documented Native site (the Plains earthworks) lies outside the city in Athens Township.

Nations recorded here: Shawnee, Adena culture, Hopewell culture.

  • The Plains earthworks (Plains Mound) (mound|earthwork) — The Plains, Athens Township, a few miles north of the city of Athens, Adena/Hopewell, c. 300 BC - AD 200 (athensfoundation.org)

Timeline

  1. — Congress grants the Ohio Company of Associates two townships of land in the Northwest Territory to endow a 'literary institution,' the land grant that later became Ohio University.
  2. — European-American settlers first arrive at the site that becomes Athens.
  3. — The town of Athens is surveyed and platted; Manasseh Cutler proposes a model charter for a university there.
  4. — The Ohio General Assembly passes an act, signed February 18, establishing 'the President and Trustees of the Ohio University,' the first university chartered in the Northwest Territory.
  5. — Athens County is formed and organized, named, like the town, for Athens, Greece.
  6. — Ohio University opens its doors, with three students enrolled.
  7. — Athens is incorporated as a village.
  8. — The College Edifice (later Manasseh Cutler Hall), begun in 1816, is finally completed after an 1818 lightning strike and fire delayed the work; it is the oldest academic building at Ohio University and in the original Northwest Territory.
  9. — The Hocking Canal opens, giving Athens a shipping connection and spurring growth.
  10. — Construction of the Athens Lunatic Asylum begins in 1868 on the former Coates farm; the Kirkbride-plan hospital, designed by Cleveland architect Levi T. Scofield, opens January 9, 1874.
  11. — Athens begins relying on groundwater for its municipal water supply; the first well is sunk about 4,400 feet west of the courthouse and 2,000 feet north of the Hocking River, near today's West State Street.
  12. — A confrontation between U.S. Army regulars and Ohio National Guard troops ends in gunfire on Washington Street, killing one guardsman and wounding five others.
  13. — Athens is incorporated as a city after its population passes 5,000.
  14. — The city's well system has expanded to supply about 1.3 million gallons of water per day.
  15. — After a severe Hocking River flood in 1968, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reroutes and widens about 5.5 miles of the river channel around Athens, moving it hundreds of feet from its historic course.
  16. — The Athens Lunatic Asylum closes; Ohio University acquires the property through a land swap the same year, later renaming it 'The Ridges.'
  17. — Ohio EPA and the city's groundwater consultant study sporadic volatile organic compound detections in the well field and rate the aquifer highly susceptible to contamination.
  18. — Ohio EPA requires Athens to obtain a Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permit, triggering a formal stormwater management program.
  19. — A major water treatment plant upgrade is completed and an orphaned brine well in the Armitage well field is plugged by an ODNR contractor.

Stories

A university before there was a state

Ohio University's roots go back further than Ohio itself. In 1787 the Continental Congress granted the Ohio Company of Associates two full townships of Northwest Territory land to endow a 'literary institution' — a promise made before a single American settler had crossed into the region. Manasseh Cutler, the New England minister and lobbyist who helped negotiate that grant, drafted a model charter for the school in 1800, and on February 18, 1804 the Ohio General Assembly formally created 'the President and Trustees of the Ohio University' in the little town of Athens. It opened its doors in 1808 with three students. The College Edifice they occupied, begun in 1816, was delayed by an 1818 lightning fire and not finished until 1819; renamed Manasseh Cutler Hall, it still stands on College Green as the oldest academic building anywhere in the old Northwest Territory, and was made a National Historic Landmark in 1965.

The asylum on the hill

In 1867 the Ohio Legislature went looking for a site in southeastern Ohio for a new state mental hospital and settled on the Coates farm outside Athens. Cleveland architect Levi T. Scofield — who also designed the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield — laid out a sprawling Kirkbride-plan building 853 feet long, built around the then-progressive theory that patients healed better in a home-like environment with light, air and useful work. It opened January 9, 1874, and by the 1950s the Athens Lunatic Asylum was the town's largest employer, with about 1,800 patients across 1,019 acres and 78 buildings that included its own farms, orchards, greenhouse and dairy. Early admission records list causes of 'insanity' that read as a catalogue of Victorian medicine's blind spots — epilepsy, menopause, 'hysteria.' The asylum closed in 1993 as psychiatric care moved toward community treatment; Ohio University took over the campus the same year and renamed it The Ridges after a naming contest. Three campus cemeteries hold 1,930 burials, hundreds of them marked only by number until Ohio began restoring names to the graves in 1943; a 2000 restoration effort found 80 military veterans among the dead, 68 of them from the Civil War.

Moving the river

Athens sits in a bend of the Hocking River, and the river has flooded the town repeatedly and destructively — recorded floods struck in 1832, 1873, 1907, 1937, 1949, 1964 and 1968. The 1968 flood was the last straw: the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers spent the next year rechanneling and widening about 5.5 miles of the Hocking around the city, moving the river's course hundreds of feet from where it had run for a century, in an effort to keep downtown Athens from flooding again.

Water from a well by the courthouse

Before Athens had a modern water system, the city turned to groundwater rather than the flood-prone Hocking River. Its first municipal well, sunk in 1894, sat about 4,400 feet west of the courthouse and 2,000 feet north of the river, near today's West State Street — an early recognition that the alluvial aquifer along the Hocking could supply the growing college town more reliably than the river itself. By 1954 that well system was producing roughly 1.3 million gallons a day; nearly a century later, in 2003, state and city investigators found sporadic traces of volatile organic compounds in the same aquifer and rated it highly vulnerable to contamination, a concern that shaped later stormwater rules (the 2017 MS4 permit) and a 2019 treatment-plant upgrade paired with the plugging of an old, orphaned brine well in the Armitage well field.

Photographs

Drawing of Athens County's 1806 Court House and Jail, from a Digital Public Library of America collection
Drawing of Athens County's 1806 Court House and Jail, from a Digital Public Library of America collection (1806 (drawing published later))
Photo: Digital Public Library of America, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain · Wikimedia Commons
The Athens County Court House as it appeared circa 1880
The Athens County Court House as it appeared circa 1880 (c. 1880)
Photo: Digital Public Library of America, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain · Wikimedia Commons
The O'Bleness family home at 76 West State Street, Athens, built 1877
The O'Bleness family home at 76 West State Street, Athens, built 1877 (1877)
Photo: Digital Public Library of America, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain · Wikimedia Commons
The Henderson Crider Drug Company storefront in Athens, from the Ohio University 'Athena' yearbook
The Henderson Crider Drug Company storefront in Athens, from the Ohio University 'Athena' yearbook (1910)
Photo: Ohio University 'Athena' yearbook, 1910, public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Downtown Athens, Ohio, 2004
Downtown Athens, Ohio, 2004 (2004)
Photo: Wikimedia Commons contributor, CC BY-SA · Wikimedia Commons

Local history sources: en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · ohio.edu · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · ohio.edu · athensfoundation.org · en.wikipedia.org · commons.wikimedia.org

Historic places

9 places in Athens on the National Register of Historic Places, 1 of them National Historic Landmark. Press a pin or a name for its whole record.

  1. Manasseh Cutler Hall, Ohio University LandmarkBuilding · Athens · listed 1966
    Address
    Ohio University campus
    Where
    Athens, Athens County · ZIP 45701
    What it is
    Building
    Listed on the National Register
    1966
    National Historic Landmark
    Yes
    NRIS reference number
    66000604
    Coordinates
    39.32614, -82.10038

    National Register file (NPS) ↗ Search Wikipedia ↗ Street map and directions ↗ On the Cracked Buckeye map

  2. Athens B & O Train DepotBuilding · Athens · listed 1983
    Address
    Depot St.
    Where
    Athens, Athens County · ZIP 45701
    What it is
    Building
    Listed on the National Register
    1983
    NRIS reference number
    83001944
    Coordinates
    39.32906, -82.10576

    National Register file (NPS) ↗ Search Wikipedia ↗ Street map and directions ↗ On the Cracked Buckeye map

  3. Athens State Hospital Cow BarnBuilding · Athens · listed 1978
    Address
    SW of Athens off U.S. 33
    Where
    Athens, Athens County · ZIP 45701
    What it is
    Building
    Listed on the National Register
    1978
    NRIS reference number
    78002003
    Coordinates
    39.31455, -82.11516

    National Register file (NPS) ↗ Search Wikipedia ↗ Street map and directions ↗ On the Cracked Buckeye map

  4. Beasley BuildingBuilding · Athens · listed 1982
    Address
    93 W. Union St.
    Where
    Athens, Athens County · ZIP 45701
    What it is
    Building
    Listed on the National Register
    1982
    NRIS reference number
    82001358
    Coordinates
    39.32889, -82.10495

    National Register file (NPS) ↗ Search Wikipedia ↗ Street map and directions ↗ On the Cracked Buckeye map

  5. Herrold, Thomas Jefferson, House and StoreBuilding · Athens · listed 1980
    Address
    234 W. Washington St.
    Where
    Athens, Athens County · ZIP 45701
    What it is
    Building
    Listed on the National Register
    1980
    NRIS reference number
    80002937
    Coordinates
    39.33235, -82.11011

    National Register file (NPS) ↗ Search Wikipedia ↗ Street map and directions ↗ On the Cracked Buckeye map

  6. Mount Zion Baptist ChurchBuilding · Athens · listed 1980
    Address
    Congress and Carpenter Sts.
    Where
    Athens, Athens County · ZIP 45701
    What it is
    Building
    Listed on the National Register
    1980
    NRIS reference number
    80002938
    Coordinates
    39.33252, -82.10187

    National Register file (NPS) ↗ Search Wikipedia ↗ Street map and directions ↗ On the Cracked Buckeye map

  7. Sheltering Arms HospitalBuilding · Athens · listed 1982
    Address
    Clark St.
    Where
    Athens, Athens County · ZIP 45701
    What it is
    Building
    Listed on the National Register
    1982
    NRIS reference number
    82003542
    Coordinates
    39.33567, -82.11190

    National Register file (NPS) ↗ Search Wikipedia ↗ Street map and directions ↗ On the Cracked Buckeye map

  8. Stedman-Shafer Grocery Warehouse BuildingBuilding · Athens
    Address
    21 North Shafer St.
    Where
    Athens, Athens County · ZIP 45701
    What it is
    Building
    Latest NPS certification action
    2020
    NRIS reference number
    100005540
    Coordinates
    39.33100, -82.11110

    National Register file (NPS) ↗ Search Wikipedia ↗ Street map and directions ↗ On the Cracked Buckeye map

  9. White's-Vale MillBuilding · Athens · listed 1982
    Address
    OH 682
    Where
    Athens, Athens County · ZIP 45701
    What it is
    Building
    Listed on the National Register
    1982
    NRIS reference number
    82003543
    Coordinates
    39.32112, -82.12536

    National Register file (NPS) ↗ Search Wikipedia ↗ Street map and directions ↗ On the Cracked Buckeye map

Source: National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places point file. The listing year is shown where NPS's certification date agrees with the listing's reference number. Listing recognizes significance; it does not restrict a private owner.

Every historic place in Athens County on the full map

Water

Wells in the Hocking River valley aquifer at the city's West State Street well field, about 2,000 feet north of the Hocking River The water here

Hospitals, fire stations and more

Inside Athens's boundary: 2 hospitals, 2 health centers, 1 dialysis center, 1 nursing home, 4 fire and EMS stations, 1 college, 3 public schools, 1 library, 5 museums, 3 police stations, 8 public charging sites, 1 Superfund site, 2 Toxics Release Inventory facilities, 1 station or terminal and 9 spill cases. Press a pin or a name for its whole record and its source.

Hospitals (2)

  1. Appalachian Behavioral Health CarePsychiatric hospital · Athens
    What it is
    Psychiatric hospital
    Address
    100 Hospital Drive, Athens, OH 45701
    County
    Athens County
    Beds
    88
    Ownership
    Government - state
    Medicare overall rating
    not rated
    Emergency department (Medicare)
    No
    Phone
    (614) 594-5000
    Medicare ID
    364015

    Medicare Care Compare ↗ Hospital's website ↗ Where HIFLD got this record ↗ HIFLD hospitals (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗

  2. O'Bleness Memorial HospitalGeneral hospital · Athens
    What it is
    General hospital
    Address
    55 Hospital Drive, Athens, OH 45701
    County
    Athens County
    Beds
    135
    Helipad
    Yes
    Ownership
    Non-profit
    Medicare overall rating
    3 of 5 stars
    Emergency department (Medicare)
    Yes
    Medicare reports it as
    Ohiohealth O'Bleness Hospital
    Phone
    (740) 592-9354
    Medicare ID
    360014

    Medicare Care Compare ↗ Hospital's website ↗ Where HIFLD got this record ↗ HIFLD hospitals (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗

Source: HIFLD hospitals inventory via FEMA (closed hospitals it still lists left out, hospitals opened since added), with Medicare Care Compare ratings matched by name and address.

Community health centers (2)

  1. Hopewell Health Centers - AthensHealth center · Athens
    Run by
    a federally qualified health center
    Setting
    Clinic
    City
    Athens
    Coordinates
    39.32860, -82.11844

    Find a Health Center (HRSA) ↗ HRSA data (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗

  2. Hopewell Health Centers - Athens RespiteHealth center · Athens
    Run by
    a federally qualified health center
    Setting
    Clinic
    City
    Athens
    Coordinates
    39.31346, -82.11595

    Find a Health Center (HRSA) ↗ HRSA data (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗

Source: HRSA health center service delivery sites, active, September 2026 (school-based sites left out). Health centers see patients whether or not they have insurance, with fees on a sliding scale.

Dialysis centers (1)

  1. Davita Rivers Edge DialysisDialysis · Athens
    Address
    1006 E. State St., Ste. B, Athens, OH 45701
    Dialysis stations
    12
    Medicare star rating
    3 of 5 stars
    Services
    in-center hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis
    Ownership
    for profit
    Chain
    DaVita
    Medicare certified since
    2009-11-04
    Phone
    (740) 592-1364
    Medicare ID
    362748

    Medicare Care Compare ↗ CMS dialysis facility list (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗

Source: CMS dialysis facility list, September 2026, geocoded with the Census Bureau batch geocoder (an address it could not place sits at its ZIP center).

Nursing homes (1)

  1. Kimes Nursing and Rehab LLC1 of 5 stars · Athens
    Address
    75 Kimes Lane, Athens, OH 45701
    Certified beds
    61
    Residents on an average day
    56
    Medicare overall rating
    1 of 5 stars
    Health inspections
    1 of 5 stars
    Staffing
    1 of 5 stars
    Quality measures
    2 of 5 stars
    Penalties since 2023
    1 fine totalling $68,432 (latest 2026-03-09)
    Ownership
    For profit - Individual
    Takes
    Medicare and Medicaid
    Phone
    (740) 593-3391
    Medicare ID
    366250

    Medicare Care Compare ↗ CMS nursing home data (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗

Source: CMS Care Compare nursing home provider and penalties files; Medicare star ratings run 1 to 5.

Fire and EMS stations (4)

  1. Athens County Emergency Medical Services Station 51Athens
    Address
    21 Kenny Drive, Athens, OH 45701
    Coordinates
    39.31834, -82.13783

    USGS National Map structures (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗

  2. Athens Fire Department Station 1Athens
    Address
    61 Columbus Road, Athens, OH 45701
    Coordinates
    39.33761, -82.10407

    USGS National Map structures (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗

  3. Athens Fire Department Station 2Athens
    Address
    454 Richland Avenue, Athens, OH 45701
    Coordinates
    39.31030, -82.10384

    USGS National Map structures (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗

  4. Richland Area Fire Department Station 2Athens
    Address
    301 East State Street, Athens, OH 45701
    Coordinates
    39.33722, -82.08944

    USGS National Map structures (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗

Source: USGS National Map structures (most Ohio records last updated 2019 to 2022), checked against the Columbus and Cleveland station lists. The department that answers a call is set by jurisdiction and mutual aid, not by distance.

Colleges (1)

  1. Ohio University-Main CampusPublic university · Athens
    What it is
    Public university
    City
    Athens
    Students, 2023-24 (12-month count)
    28,654
    Tuition and fees, in state
    $13,746
    Tuition and fees, out of state
    $24,114
    Graduation rate
    66% of bachelor's students, within six years (a class of 3,991)
    IPEDS unit ID
    204857

    College Navigator (NCES) ↗ IPEDS data (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗

Source: NCES IPEDS 2024 directory, 2023-24 enrollment and tuition, graduation rates for the 2017 (four-year) and 2020 (two-year) entering classes.

Public schools (3)

  1. Athens Middle School4 of 5 stars · Athens
    Address
    51 W State St - 55, Athens, OH 45701
    School district
    Athens City School District
    Kind (NCES)
    Regular School
    Students, 2023-24
    360
    Teachers (full-time equivalent)
    31
    Report card, 2025-26
    4 of 5 stars
    Performance index
    79.6%
    Ohio building IRN
    024471
    NCES school ID
    390435200098

    NCES school record ↗ Ohio School Report Card ↗ Street map and directions ↗

  2. East Elementary School4.5 of 5 stars · Athens
    Address
    3 Wallace Dr, Athens, OH 45701
    School district
    Athens City School District
    Kind (NCES)
    Regular School
    Students, 2023-24
    334
    Teachers (full-time equivalent)
    24
    Report card, 2025-26
    4.5 of 5 stars
    Performance index
    86.3%
    Ohio building IRN
    009431
    NCES school ID
    390435200100

    NCES school record ↗ Ohio School Report Card ↗ Street map and directions ↗

  3. Morrison Gordon Elementary School3.5 of 5 stars · Athens
    Address
    793 W Union St, Athens, OH 45701
    School district
    Athens City School District
    Kind (NCES)
    Regular School
    Students, 2023-24
    387
    Teachers (full-time equivalent)
    21
    Report card, 2025-26
    3.5 of 5 stars
    Performance index
    79%
    Ohio building IRN
    025585
    NCES school ID
    390435200101

    NCES school record ↗ Ohio School Report Card ↗ Street map and directions ↗

Source: NCES EDGE public school locations 2024-25 and Common Core of Data 2023-24 (type, students, teachers); Ohio School Report Cards 2025-26 (Department of Education and Workforce), matched by name within the district.

Public libraries (1)

  1. Athens BranchBranch · Athens
    Address
    30 Home St, Athens, OH 45701
    What it is
    Branch
    Library system
    Athens County Public Libraries
    Open
    3,120 hours a year, 52 weeks
    Building
    20,635 sq ft
    System's visits, FY2024
    315,692
    System's loans, FY2024
    559,090
    People the system serves
    62,431
    Phone
    (740) 592-4272

    IMLS Public Libraries Survey (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗

Source: IMLS Public Libraries Survey FY2024 (outlets and their systems). Any Ohio resident can get a free card at any Ohio public library.

Museums, historical societies, gardens and zoos (5)

  1. Athens County Historical Society & MuseumHistorical society · Athens
    What it is
    Historical society
    City
    Athens
    Coordinates
    39.33097, -82.10108

    Search Wikipedia ↗ IMLS Museum Data Files (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗

    The museum list is IMLS's 2018 file; a museum may have closed or moved since.

  2. Chagrin Falls Park Historical SocietyHistorical society · Athens
    What it is
    Historical society
    City
    Athens
    Coordinates
    39.34578, -82.12154

    Search Wikipedia ↗ IMLS Museum Data Files (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗

    The museum list is IMLS's 2018 file; a museum may have closed or moved since.

  3. Kennedy Museum Of ArtArt museum · Athens
    What it is
    Art museum
    City
    Athens
    Coordinates
    39.31910, -82.10165

    Search Wikipedia ↗ IMLS Museum Data Files (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗

    The museum list is IMLS's 2018 file; a museum may have closed or moved since.

  4. Ohio Valley Museum Of DiscoveryChildren's museum · Athens
    What it is
    Children's museum
    City
    Athens
    Coordinates
    39.33747, -82.07641

    Search Wikipedia ↗ IMLS Museum Data Files (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗

    The museum list is IMLS's 2018 file; a museum may have closed or moved since.

  5. Trisolini GalleryArt museum · Athens
    What it is
    Art museum
    City
    Athens
    Coordinates
    39.34852, -82.09617

    Search Wikipedia ↗ IMLS Museum Data Files (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗

    The museum list is IMLS's 2018 file; a museum may have closed or moved since.

Source: IMLS Museum Data Files, 2018.

Police stations (3)

  1. Athens County Sheriff's OfficeAthens
    Address
    13 West Washington Street, Athens, OH 45701
    Coordinates
    39.32906, -82.10185

    USGS National Map structures (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗

  2. Athens Police DepartmentAthens
    Address
    11 North College Street, Athens, OH 45701-2437
    Coordinates
    39.32955, -82.10035

    USGS National Map structures (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗

  3. Ohio University Police DepartmentAthens
    Address
    118 Ridges Circle Drive, Athens, OH 45701
    Coordinates
    39.32013, -82.10891

    USGS National Map structures (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗

Source: USGS National Map structures, police stations, corrected and completed by hand (September 2026). The department that answers a call is set by jurisdiction, not by distance.

Public EV charging (8)

  1. ACPL CHARGER #14 Level 2 · Athens
    Address
    30 Home Street, Athens, OH 45701
    Ports
    4 Level 2
    Plugs
    J1772
    Network
    ChargePoint Network
    Hours
    24 hours daily
    Phone
    888-758-4389

    Station Locator (NREL) ↗ Alternative Fuels Data Center (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗

  2. DONWOODAUTO DON WOOD FORD 3 DC fast6 DC fast · 2 Level 2 · Athens
    Address
    2065 E State St, Athens, OH 45701
    Ports
    6 DC fast · 2 Level 2
    Plugs
    CCS, J1772
    Network
    ChargePoint Network
    Hours
    24 hours daily
    Phone
    888-758-4389

    Station Locator (NREL) ↗ Alternative Fuels Data Center (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗

  3. DONWOODAUTO DW FORD 14 Level 2 · Athens
    Address
    2065 East State Street, Athens, OH 45701
    Ports
    4 Level 2
    Plugs
    J1772
    Network
    ChargePoint Network
    Hours
    24 hours daily
    Phone
    888-758-4389

    Station Locator (NREL) ↗ Alternative Fuels Data Center (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗

  4. DONWOODAUTO DW TOYOTA 1 DC fast1 DC fast · Athens
    Address
    898 E State St, Athens, OH 45701
    Ports
    1 DC fast
    Plugs
    CCS, Tesla (NACS)
    Network
    ChargePoint Network
    Hours
    24 hours daily
    Phone
    888-758-4389

    Station Locator (NREL) ↗ Alternative Fuels Data Center (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗

  5. DONWOODAUTO HYUNDAI 1 DC fast2 DC fast · Athens
    Address
    810 E State St, Athens, OH 45701
    Ports
    2 DC fast
    Plugs
    CCS, CHAdeMO, Tesla (NACS)
    Network
    ChargePoint Network
    Hours
    24 hours daily
    Phone
    888-758-4389

    Station Locator (NREL) ↗ Alternative Fuels Data Center (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗

  6. FRONT OF POOL DC FAST CHARGE DC fast1 DC fast · 2 Level 2 · Athens
    Address
    601 E State St, Athens, OH 45701
    Ports
    1 DC fast · 2 Level 2
    Plugs
    CCS, CHAdeMO, J1772
    Network
    ChargePoint Network
    Hours
    24 hours daily
    Phone
    888-758-4389

    Station Locator (NREL) ↗ Alternative Fuels Data Center (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗

  7. Little Fish Brewing Co1 Level 2 · Athens
    Address
    8675 Armitage Rd, Athens, OH 45701
    Ports
    1 Level 2
    Plugs
    J1772
    Network
    Non-Networked
    Hours
    24 hours daily
    Price
    Free
    Phone
    740-447-5011

    Station Locator (NREL) ↗ Alternative Fuels Data Center (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗

  8. O'BLENESS OBH STATION 36 Level 2 · Athens
    Address
    75 Hospital Dr, Athens, OH 45701
    Ports
    6 Level 2
    Plugs
    J1772
    Network
    ChargePoint Network
    Hours
    24 hours daily
    Phone
    888-758-4389

    Station Locator (NREL) ↗ Alternative Fuels Data Center (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗

Source: NREL Alternative Fuels Data Center station list (May 2026), public and open stations, the posts at one address counted as one site.

Superfund sites (1)

  1. Factory and Station Ground Water PlumeSuperfund program · Athens
    Address
    Factory Street and Station Street Intersection, Athens, OH 45701
    County
    Athens County
    Status
    Superfund program site, not on the National Priorities List
    EPA program ID
    OHN000520341
    EPA registry ID
    110071102288

    EPA facility record ↗ EPA Facility Registry Service (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗

Source: EPA Facility Registry Service, Superfund (SEMS) and National Priorities List sites. Many program sites were assessed and needed no cleanup.

Facilities reporting toxic releases (2)

  1. Diagnostic Hybrids Inc.Toxics Release Inventory · Athens
    Address
    2005 E State St Suite 100, Athens, OH 45701
    County
    Athens County
    Status
    Reports to the Toxics Release Inventory (active)
    EPA program ID
    4570WDGNST25EST
    EPA registry ID
    110067127727

    EPA facility record ↗ EPA Facility Registry Service (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗

  2. Ts Trim Industries Inc *Toxics Release Inventory · Athens
    Address
    10 Kenny Dr., Athens, OH 45701
    County
    Athens County
    Status
    Reports to the Toxics Release Inventory (active)
    EPA program ID
    45701TSTRM10KEN
    EPA registry ID
    110000771585

    EPA facility record ↗ EPA Facility Registry Service (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗

Source: EPA Facility Registry Service, Toxics Release Inventory reporters. Reporting a release is required of large users of listed chemicals; it is not by itself a violation.

Stations and terminals (1)

  1. 701 E State StIntercity bus stop · Greyhound Lines
    What it is
    Intercity bus stop
    Operator
    Greyhound Lines
    City
    Athens
    Coordinates
    39.33750, -82.07700

    BTS Intermodal Passenger Connectivity Database (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗

Source: BTS Intermodal Passenger Connectivity Database and National Transit Map (2025). Bus stops are counted on the card and drawn on the full map.

Spills reported since 2021 (9)

  1. Fuel Oil/ Home Heating / Heating Oil2025-09-08 · Athens
    Reported
    2025-09-08
    What spilled
    Fuel Oil/ Home Heating / Heating Oil
    Largest amount reported
    10 gallons
    Where
    Athens, Athens County
    Ohio EPA district office
    SEDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2509EPA0001518

    Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗

  2. Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)2024-09-25 · Athens
    Reported
    2024-09-25
    What spilled
    Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road); Oil Motor / Lube Oil / Vehicle
    Largest amount reported
    40 gallons
    Where
    Athens, Athens County
    Ohio EPA district office
    SEDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2409EPA0001647

    Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗

  3. Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)2024-07-16 · Athens
    Reported
    2024-07-16
    What spilled
    Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
    Where
    Athens, Athens County
    Ohio EPA district office
    SEDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2407EPA0001198

    Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗

  4. Other / All Other / Trade Name / Mixture / Solution Etc2024-04-24 · Athens Twp
    Reported
    2024-04-24
    What spilled
    Other / All Other / Trade Name / Mixture / Solution Etc
    Largest amount reported
    4,000 gallons
    Where
    Athens Twp, Athens County
    Ohio EPA district office
    SEDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2404EPA0000677

    Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗

  5. Fuel Gasoline ( 25% Ethanol Not E85)2024-04-18 · Athens
    Reported
    2024-04-18
    What spilled
    Fuel Gasoline ( 25% Ethanol Not E85)
    Where
    Athens, Athens County
    Ohio EPA district office
    SEDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2404EPA0000650

    Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗

  6. Oil Transformer Non Pcb Reached water2023-03-27 · Athens
    Reported
    2023-03-27
    What spilled
    Oil Transformer Non Pcb
    Largest amount reported
    25 gallons
    Reached a waterway
    Unnamed
    Where
    Athens, Athens County
    Ohio EPA district office
    SEDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2303EPA0000462

    Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗

  7. Fat(S) / Oil / Grease / Tallow Food Types (Fog)2022-12-13 · Athens
    Reported
    2022-12-13
    What spilled
    Fat(S) / Oil / Grease / Tallow Food Types (Fog)
    Where
    Athens, Athens County
    Ohio EPA district office
    SEDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2212EPA0001853

    Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗

  8. Other / All Other / Trade Name / Mixture / Solution Etc2022-01-25 · Athens
    Reported
    2022-01-25
    What spilled
    Other / All Other / Trade Name / Mixture / Solution Etc
    Largest amount reported
    10 gallons
    Where
    Athens, Athens County
    Ohio EPA district office
    SEDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2201EPA0000075

    Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗

  9. Sewage Sludge / Biosolids Reached water2021-07-03 · Athens
    Reported
    2021-07-03
    What spilled
    Sewage Sludge / Biosolids
    Reached a waterway
    99 - Unnamed
    Where
    Athens, Athens County
    Ohio EPA district office
    SEDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2107EPA0000988

    Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗

Source: Ohio EPA emergency response spill reports, 2021 to September 2026, one point per case where Ohio EPA placed it. A report is what the caller or responder recorded; amounts are often blank or estimated.

Its ZIP codes

Each ZIP code that touches Athens, with the share of its residents who live here and the same headline figures as the ZIP page.

ZIPShareWaterRadon Home valueSchoolsFlood
45701 Athens 71% Wells in the Hocking River valley aquifer at the city's West State Street well field, about 2,000 feet north of the Hocking River 2.5 pCi/L average radon Median year built 1966 Athens City · 4 stars overall 29% of residents in the 1% floodplain

Local government

Who holds office in Athens, how its elections and ballot issues came out, and the state auditor's record.

Money issues on the ballot since 2020: 3 of 4 passed.

Ballot issues

DateIssueForAgainstResult
2026-05-05 1: #1 City of Athens Income Tax 973965Passed (50.21% for), unofficial
2025-05-06 3: #3 City of Athens Municipal Income Tax 632843Failed (42.85% for)
2022-05-03 1: #1 City of Athens Income Tax Increase 841571Passed (59.56% for)
2020-11-03 1: 1 City of Athens Income Tax Levy 4,2811,622Passed (72.52% for), unofficial

Elections for office

DateOfficeCandidates and votes
2025-05-06 Treasurer (DEM primary) Joshua Thomas 967, 100.0%
2025-05-06 President of Council (DEM primary) Micah McCarey 1,040, 100.0%
2025-05-06 Member of Council, Ward 4 (DEM primary) Alan G. Swank 299, 100.0%
2025-05-06 Member of Council, Ward 3 (DEM primary) Michael Harrison Burchby Wood 276, 100.0%
2025-05-06 Member of Council, Ward 2 (DEM primary) John Adams Staser 187, 100.0%
2025-05-06 Member of Council, Ward 1 (DEM primary) Megan Leah Almeida 114, 55.07%; Anthony D. Jacobs 79, 38.16%
2025-05-06 Member of Council at Large (DEM primary) Beth Clodfelter 860, 30.63%; Iva Faber 518, 18.45%; Paul Isherwood 627, 22.33%; Jessica Thomas 803, 28.6%
2021-11-02 Member of Council at Large (unofficial count) Sarah H. Grace (DEM) 1,620, 26.54%; Damon Krane 580, 9.5%; Micah McCarey (DEM) 1,624, 26.6%; Iris Virjee 685, 11.22%; Ben Ziff (DEM) 1,596, 26.14%

Winners in bold. Results from the county board of elections' official canvass unless marked.

Auditor of State record

The county

Athens County: 16 ZIP codes, 29 cities, villages and townships, 67,237 people.

Nearby places

Athens Township, Athens County Alexander Township, Athens County Canaan Township, Athens County Waterloo Township, Athens County Lodi Township, Athens County Ames Township, Athens County Dover Township, Athens County Lee Township, Athens County

Rain and snow

How much has actually fallen on Athens, day by day, from 1893 to now. Daily totals, not averages.

rain, last 30 days
1.18 in
2026-09-30 to 2026-10-29
rain so far in 2026
45.2 in
9.4 in above normal for the date
snow so far in 2026
19.6 in
a normal year brings 17.9 in
a normal year
42.2 in
average of 30 years, 1991-2020
The last twelve months
MonthRain (in)Snow (in)Days counted
October 2026 1.18 — 29
September 2026 8.98 — 30
August 2026 8.60 — 31
July 2026 4.03 — 31
June 2026 6.17 — 30
May 2026 5.15 — 31
April 2026 2.51 — 30
March 2026 5.62 4.6 31
February 2026 1.03 4.5 28
January 2026 1.96 10.4 31
December 2025 1.85 8.4 31
November 2025 2.53 0.6 30
On the record, 1893–2026
Wettest year2018 — 64.0 in
Driest year1930 — 24.1 in
Snowiest year1985 — 54.5 in
Wettest day on record9 September 2004 — 5.12 in
Heaviest snowfall in a day23 January 1966 — 13.50 in
Deepest snow on the ground21 January 1978 — 20.98 in

59% of these days are measurements from a gauge inside Athens; the rest are estimated from the nearest gauges around it.

46,864 days of records, 1893-03-01 to 2026-10-29. Source: NOAA NCEI GHCN-Daily, 3,240 gauges in and around Ohio. A day is "gauged" when a gauge standing inside the boundary reported it, and the value is the mean of those gauges. Otherwise it is interpolated by inverse distance from every gauge reporting within 50 miles. Nothing is carried forward, back-filled or smoothed. Against NOAA nClimDiv county monthly precipitation over 136,848 complete county-months (checked 2026-10-31): correlation 0.9515, median absolute difference 0.217 in a month. Built 2026-10-31 from the Cracked Buckeye precipitation archive. Snow is the softer number — snowfall is measured by hand with a ruler, no agency publishes a gridded county snowfall series, and blowing snow defeats every observer.

Environmental permits and filings

What Ohio EPA has on file for Athens: permits, inspections, violations, cleanups and the state loans behind sewer and water work. Every line links to the agency's own document.

facilities and sites on file
111
those placed on the map inside Athens
What kind of permits
ProgramFacilities and sites
Wastewater and stormwater discharge27
Sewer and water-line construction26
Hazardous waste24
State sewer loans8
Air pollution6
Contaminated-site cleanup3
Landfills3
State water loans3
Wetland and stream fill3
Brownfield2
Composting2
Public drinking water2
2 smaller programs
The latest filings
DateFacility or siteWhat
ATHENS PWS Public drinking water report
ATHENS PWS Public drinking water notice of violation
ATHENS PWS Source-water protection report
ATHENS COUNTY 691 LANDFILL Landfills inspection
ATHENS COUNTY 691 LANDFILL Landfills report
ATHENS COUNTY 691 LANDFILL Landfills report
ATHENS PWS Public drinking water warning letter
ATHENS COUNTY 691 LANDFILL Landfills inspection
ATHENS COUNTY 691 LANDFILL Landfills inspection
OHIO UNIVERSITY COMPOSTING FACILITY Composting inspection
ATHENS PWS Public drinking water report
ATHENS COUNTY 691 LANDFILL Landfills report
HOCKING HILLS CREMATION SERVICES Air pollution report
HOCKING HILLS CEMETERY AND CREMATION SERVICES Air pollution report
OHIO UNIVERSITY COMPOSTING FACILITY Composting inspection
ATHENS PWS Public drinking water violation resolved
ATH-SR 56 - 11267 ROUNDABOUT Wastewater and stormwater discharge permit
ATH-682-607 PID 118465 Wastewater and stormwater discharge permit
ATHENS COUNTY 691 LANDFILL Landfills inspection
ATHENS PWS Public drinking water notice of violation
AMBASSADOR LAUNDRIES INC Brownfield assessment
ATHENS PWS Public drinking water plan
ATHENS COUNTY 691 LANDFILL Landfills report
ATHENS COUNTY 691 LANDFILL Landfills report
CITY OF ATHENS Wastewater and stormwater discharge permit

Source: Ohio EPA eDocument portal (edocpub.epa.ohio.gov), indexed 2026-10-14. Facilities are placed on the map from Ohio EPA's own map layers, EPA's Facility Registry, coordinates written in the filings, or a geocoded street address. A permit filed under a private person's name (most are household septic systems) is counted but never named, placed or linked; licenses for individual workers and open-burning notices are left out entirely.

Quick answers

What county is Athens, Ohio in?

Athens is a city in Athens County, Ohio, with 23,868 residents.

When was Athens, Ohio founded?

Athens was settled 1797; laid out 1800; incorporated 1811 (village); 1912 (city). Founders on record: Surveyors for the Ohio Company of Associates, acting under the 1787 congressional land grant that also endowed Ohio University. Source

How did Athens, Ohio get its name?

Athens was named for Athens, Greece, the center of learning in the ancient world, because its founders intended the town to be the seat of a university. Source

What ZIP code is Athens, Ohio?

Most of Athens is in ZIP code 45701.

Where does Athens, Ohio get its water?

The main water source for Athens (Athens): Wells in the Hocking River valley aquifer at the city's West State Street well field, about 2,000 feet north of the Hocking River.

Cite this page as:

Cracked Buckeye, "Athens, Athens County", https://crackedbuckeye.com/place/athens/, built 2026-10-31, accessed [date].

How to cite · Report a correction · Built 2026-10-31