Athens, Tennessee
| Athens, Tennessee | |
|---|---|
| City | |
McMinn County Courthouse in Athens
|
|
| Nickname(s): "The Friendly City" | |
| Motto: "Progress Since 1821" | |
 Location of Athens, Tennessee |
|
| Coordinates: 35°26′53″N 84°36′7″W / 35.44806°N 84.60194°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Tennessee |
| County | McMinn |
| Founded | 1822 |
| Incorporated | 1870 |
| Named for | Athens, Greece |
| Area | |
| • Total | 13.5 sq mi (35.1 km2) |
| • Land | 13.5 sq mi (35.1 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 860 ft (262 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 13,548 |
| • Density | 976.3/sq mi (376.9/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP codes | 37303 & 37371 |
| Area code(s) | 423 |
| FIPS code | 47-02320 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1304889 |
| Website | www |
Athens is a city in McMinn County, Tennessee, United States. It is the county seat of McMinn County and the principal city of the Athens Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of the larger Chattanooga-Cleveland-Athens Combined Statistical Area. The population was 13,220 at the 2000 census and 13,458 at the 2010 census.
The Cherokee were living in McMinn County at the time of the arrival of the first Euro-American explorers. The Athens area was situated nearly halfway between the Overhill Cherokee villages of Great Tellico to the north in Monroe County and Great Hiwassee along the Hiwassee River to the south. In 1819, the Cherokee signed the Calhoun Treaty, selling the land north of the Hiwassee (including all of modern McMinn County) to the United States. McMinn County was organized on November 13, 1819 at the home of John Walker in what is now Calhoun. The Native American village, Pumpkintown (a corruption of Potemkin town), was located on a farm about two miles east of present-day Athens. It is sometimes incorrectly identified as a forerunner of Athens. Athens was laid out and chosen as the county seat in 1822. The name "Athens" may have been chosen due to perceived topographical similarities to Athens, Greece.
By 1834, the population of Athens had grown to over 500. Prominent early settlers included William Henry Cooke, who operated an iron forge near modern Etowah, and Samuel Clegg (or Cleage), a construction entrepreneur. Jesse Mayfield, whose descendants founded Mayfield Dairy Farms, arrived in the early 1820s. The Hiwassee Railroad received a charter in the mid-1830s to build a railroad connecting Knoxville, Tennessee and Dalton, Georgia. The railroad began construction in 1837, although financial and legal problems delayed its completion until 1851. In 1836, General John Wool arrived in Athens to help coordinate the Cherokee Removal. Although initially voluntary, the operation became a forced removal in 1838 when many Cherokee refused to leave. The removal culminated in the forced march west that became known as the Trail of Tears. Wool set up his headquarters at the Bridges Hotel, which was located across the street from the McMinn County Courthouse.
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