Athens Homes Guide

Athens Homes

Background

Located in the rolling hills of the Piedmont between the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Upper Coastal Plain, an easy fifty mile drive from Atlanta, Athens is the largest city in Clarke County, in northeast Georgia. Since 1990, the governmental functions of Athens and Clarke County have been consolidated under a unified government, though the smaller town of Winterville, also in Clarke County, continues to maintain some degree of separation and autonomy.

Athens is a city of moderate size and moderate costs with a rich tradition of education, history, music, the arts, social equity and an excellent quality of life. Athens is the culturally vibrant home of the University of Georgia (represented by the acronym UGA, which fans of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, set in relatively nearby Savannah, will recall as the inspiration for the naming of a dynasty of the university’s mascot bulldogs, Uga I, Uga II, etc.). There is no denying that Athens is a college town, but it is not exclusively a youth-driven community. Money Magazine recently (2005) named Athens as one of the five best places in the United States to retire. There are many reasons for this distinction, but major factors include the broad range of cultural, educational, and recreational opportunities paired with the inviting economy wherein modest homes start in the $150,000 range and an evening fine dining for two in the many charming restaurants can easily cost less than $50. Anyone over the age of 62 is invited to take classes at the university at no cost.

The virtually untouched antebellum charm of Athens’ buildings provide a fitting and notable coordinating-while-contrasting home to the many benefits and charms of the energetic“New South”.

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