No. 5 Athens, Georgia
By Jessica L. Anderson, Associate Editor
From Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine, July 2009
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Population: 183,351
Income Growth: 9.3%
Cost of Living Index: 100
Median Household Income: $40,115
Percentage of Workforce in Creative Class: 32%
It's nicknamed the Classic City for both its name and its neoclassical architecture, but Athens, Ga., is anything but old-fashioned. Although Southern charm clings to streets lined with Greek Revival mansions and Victorian-era storefronts, the air is charged with change.
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The University of Georgia, for which Athens was created as a home, is in large part responsible for that energy. Athens has 110,000 residents, almost a third of whom are students. The university is the city's largest employer.
Though the economy in much of the state is in crisis -- half of Georgia's counties are reporting unemployment of 10% or higher, and the rate has jumped to 9.1% in Atlanta -- the unemployment rate in Athens is 6.8%.
In addition to the university, Athens boasts a hub of regional medical services and has an unexpected manufacturing base. Athens Regional Medical Center, St. Mary's Health Care System and Landmark Hospital, a long-term acute-care facility, provide health care and jobs not only for the community but also for nearby counties. International manufacturing companies, such as Carrier and DuPont, have operations in Athens.
Hospitality is another driver of the economy, and the only sector to have shown employment growth in 2009. Tourism and conventions add to the pot, but the big show is football season, when the Bulldogs come out to play.
The city offers an impressively eclectic variety of entertainment. As the birthplace of the B-52s, R.E.M. and Widespread Panic, Athens serves up music from rock and blues to alt-country. Boutiques and restaurants keep the downtown streets buzzing. Loft space and apartments sit above the hum, adding life after the last note of the night fades away.
Reader Comments (12)
Posted by: C. Wilson at 05/27/2009 02:31:25 PM
Not true at all. I've lived in Athens for 5 years. Jobs are sparse and low paying. Not to mention a poverty level the size of Atlanta in a city less than half the size. Crime is pretty bad too. The point is I'm considering moving to Atlanta to try and improve my career. I've never met anyone who did that the other way around. And the Athens-Clarke County government is not as progressive as you make them out to be.
Posted by: T. Evans at 05/27/2009 11:16:37 PM
Great place to live. I lived there as a student back in the 1990's and wish I could move back. There is an energy and beauty in Athens that you don't find in many places in America. It is deserving of its ranking.
Posted by: Athenian at 05/28/2009 10:32:59 AM
Nice - but not the top 5th at all. No shopping, expensive housing, poverty. Counties outside are growing and attracting business at a much better rate than Clarke.
Posted by: Sharon at 05/28/2009 12:31:53 PM
It most certainly is not deserving of its ranking. As C. Wilson says it's hard to find a job at all much less one that pays decently. The article itself points out that only one sector has shown employment growth. Athens may be beautiful and it may be a good place to be a student but it's not a place to grow a career.
Posted by: MizzouDawg at 05/28/2009 02:34:46 PM
What a city! Athens is head and shoulders above any other college town I have been to, and I live in one. Columbia, Mo. is a wonderful place, but it's no Athens....
Posted by: another athenian at 05/30/2009 08:03:18 PM
Athens may have a lower unemployment rate than the rest of Georgia, but we have one of the highest poverty rates in the state. Athens is not a good place to find a job, unless you are willing to work in a part-time, minimum-wage, service industry job. The only jobs here are the ones that serve the students with a few industrial jobs thrown in. I've never found anything wrong with the shopping though - we have a farmer's market, boutiques, and plenty of chains, if that's your thing.
Posted by: Dan at 05/31/2009 06:37:01 PM
The number of Athenians living in poverty has doubled over the past 10 years, to about 29%, and the abysmally low wages, even with a college degree, are a scandal. Median household income is actually $30,627, far, far less than the national average or even the state average. There is a lot to like about Athens, but the economics aren't that great.
Posted by: anotherathenian at 05/31/2009 07:51:46 PM
I have been here 9 years, arriving from another great but truly unaffordable city: santa fe, new mexico. Shopping here IS great especially downtown, housing IS relatively affordable, and we ARE working on the poverty issue. Just drive around Athens a bit and you will feel like you are in a hometown kind of place. P.S. I can hear the church bells chime every hour from my house, and that's not all bad, either.......
Posted by: SunNSurfin\'Dawg at 05/31/2009 11:05:08 PM
Here in San Diego, California, Athens has a great rep as a college town, especially among the Cal-Berkeley folks who live down here. Athens is hip, beautiful, and just one darn good place to live and raise a family. With California ready to roll over and die, bailing out to the Classic City sounds like a great place to land.
Posted by: Statistics at 06/01/2009 08:22:15 PM
It would be interesting to know if students are counted in the Athenians living in poverty calculations. As a former student, my income put me well below the poverty line, but thanks to a part time job, parents, and the GI bill, I never went hungry, and even had a little left over for a beer or two.
Posted by: S. Stripling at 06/03/2009 05:21:16 PM
Athens is a great place for a student or someone with an academic gig. Other that than you can count on starving there. That aspect hasn't changed in 30 years. I know of several people that have left Athens long ago and still complain to this day how impossible it was/is to find decent employment. Try looking outside the US for some really amazing deals like Buenos Aires,Argentia. New Zealand is on sale now, too, due to currency flucations.
Posted by: Nana says at 06/21/2009 05:32:30 PM
The 183,351 for the population of Athens is not correct in the article--about 80,000 over the real Not sure why that number is posted as population. Editor's Note: All population numbers for Kiplinger's Best Cities are for the statistical metropolitan area. Hope this helps.