Athens, Texas Facts For Kids

Quick facts for kids Athens, Texas
City
City Hall in Athens, 508 E. Tyler St.
Motto(s):  "Hamburgers – Heritage – Texas"
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Henderson
Incorporated	1856
Government
• Type	Council-Manager
Area
• Total	20.20 sq mi (52.31 km2)
• Land	17.83 sq mi (46.19 km2)
• Water	2.37 sq mi (6.13 km2)
Elevation	482 ft (147 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	12,857
• Density	715.13/sq mi (276.11/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP codes	75751-75752
Area codes	430, 903
FIPS code	48-04504
GNIS feature ID	2409747

Athens is a city in Texas, USA. It's the main city of Henderson County. In 2020, about 12,857 people lived there.

Athens is known as the "Black-Eyed Pea Capital of the World." It was also one of the first places in Texas chosen as a "Certified Retirement Community," meaning it's a good place for older people to live. The city started in 1856. It was named after Athens, the capital city of Greece.

Contents

• Geography of Athens, Texas
  • Water Features in Athens
  • Nearby Cities and Towns
  • Climate in Athens
• People of Athens, Texas
  • Population and Households
  • Age Groups in Athens
  • Income in Athens
• Education in Athens
• Arts and Culture in Athens
• Notable People from Athens
• See also

Geography of Athens, Texas

Athens is located in eastern Texas. The city covers about 20.20 square miles (52.31 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, but some is covered by water.

Water Features in Athens

Lake Athens is a large lake in the eastern part of the city. It covers about 1,799 acres. This lake is a popular spot for fishing and other water activities.

Nearby Cities and Towns

Athens is surrounded by several other cities and towns.

Nearby municipalities

	Dallas (72 miles) Kaufman (40 miles)	Canton (25 miles)
	Corsicana (37 miles)			Tyler (36 miles)
		Athens
	Cayuga (20 miles)	Palestine (34 miles)		Frankston (23 miles)

Climate in Athens

Athens has a humid subtropical climate. This means it has hot, humid summers. Winters are usually mild to cool. The city was affected by a tornado in November 2022.

Climate data for Athens, Texas (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1903–present)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	85 (29)	93 (34)	95 (35)	95 (35)	98 (37)	104 (40)	109 (43)	108 (42)	109 (43)	100 (38)	90 (32)	86 (30)	109 (43)
Mean maximum °F (°C)	75.4 (24.1)	79.2 (26.2)	83.5 (28.6)	86.5 (30.3)	91.2 (32.9)	95.6 (35.3)	99.6 (37.6)	101.0 (38.3)	97.7 (36.5)	90.8 (32.7)	81.6 (27.6)	76.9 (24.9)	102.2 (39.0)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	57.9 (14.4)	62.0 (16.7)	69.0 (20.6)	76.4 (24.7)	83.2 (28.4)	90.1 (32.3)	94.1 (34.5)	95.1 (35.1)	89.2 (31.8)	79.1 (26.2)	67.6 (19.8)	59.3 (15.2)	76.9 (25.0)
Daily mean °F (°C)	46.2 (7.9)	50.2 (10.1)	57.1 (13.9)	64.8 (18.2)	72.9 (22.7)	80.2 (26.8)	83.3 (28.5)	83.7 (28.7)	77.4 (25.2)	66.8 (19.3)	55.9 (13.3)	47.9 (8.8)	65.5 (18.6)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	34.5 (1.4)	38.5 (3.6)	45.2 (7.3)	53.1 (11.7)	62.6 (17.0)	70.3 (21.3)	72.6 (22.6)	72.3 (22.4)	65.7 (18.7)	54.6 (12.6)	44.1 (6.7)	36.5 (2.5)	54.2 (12.3)
Mean minimum °F (°C)	18.9 (−7.3)	23.6 (−4.7)	27.5 (−2.5)	37.0 (2.8)	47.0 (8.3)	61.4 (16.3)	66.1 (18.9)	64.8 (18.2)	52.4 (11.3)	37.6 (3.1)	26.3 (−3.2)	21.9 (−5.6)	16.7 (−8.5)
Record low °F (°C)	−5 (−21)	−6 (−21)	15 (−9)	25 (−4)	34 (1)	41 (5)	53 (12)	51 (11)	38 (3)	26 (−3)	10 (−12)	−2 (−19)	−6 (−21)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	3.54 (90)	3.88 (99)	4.08 (104)	3.82 (97)	4.30 (109)	4.09 (104)	2.53 (64)	2.64 (67)	2.97 (75)	5.09 (129)	3.49 (89)	4.32 (110)	44.75 (1,137)
Average snowfall inches (cm)	0.3 (0.76)	0.3 (0.76)	trace	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.2 (0.51)	0.8 (2.03)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in)	7.2	7.5	8.0	6.2	7.2	6.7	4.5	4.8	4.9	6.5	6.7	7.5	77.7
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in)	0.1	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.3
Source 1: NOAA (snow/snow days 1981–2010)
Source 2: National Weather Service

People of Athens, Texas

The number of people living in Athens has grown over the years.

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1860	240	—
1870	545	127.1%
1880	368	−32.5%
1890	1,035	181.3%
1910	2,261	—
1920	3,176	40.5%
1930	4,342	36.7%
1940	4,765	9.7%
1950	5,194	9.0%
1960	7,086	36.4%
1970	9,582	35.2%
1980	10,197	6.4%
1990	10,967	7.6%
2000	11,297	3.0%
2010	12,710	12.5%
2020	12,857	1.2%
U.S. Decennial Census

Population and Households

In 2020, Athens had 12,857 people. There were 4,095 households, which are groups of people living together. About 2,733 of these were families.

The average household had about 2.55 people. The average family had about 3.13 people.

Age Groups in Athens

The population of Athens includes people of all ages:

• About 26.4% of the people were under 18 years old.
• About 11.6% were between 18 and 24 years old.
• About 25.0% were between 25 and 44 years old.
• About 19.1% were between 45 and 64 years old.
• About 17.9% were 65 years or older.

The average age in Athens was 35 years.

Income in Athens

In Athens, the average income for a household was about $29,372. For families, the average income was about $35,359.

Education in Athens

Students in Athens are mostly served by the Athens Independent School District. The high school for this district is Athens High School, home of the Hornets. A small part of Athens is also in the Brownsboro Independent School District.

Athens is also home to the main campus of Trinity Valley Community College. This college offers many different programs for students.

Arts and Culture in Athens

Athens has several interesting places related to arts and culture.

• The Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center is located east of the city, near Lake Athens. It's run by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and teaches people about fish and aquatic life.
• The East Texas Arboretum and Botanical Society is in the northwest part of the city. It's a beautiful place to see different plants and trees.

Besides Lake Athens, two other large lakes are nearby:

• Cedar Creek Reservoir is northwest of Athens. It's a popular vacation spot, especially for people from the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Many people have lake homes there.
• Lake Palestine is located to the east of Athens.

Notable People from Athens

Many interesting people have connections to Athens, Texas. Some of them include:

• Fred Agnich, a Texas businessman and state lawmaker.
• Fletcher Davis, who some say invented the modern hamburger.
• Pete Donohue, a former Major League Baseball pitcher.
• Jakeem Grant, an NFL wide receiver.
• William Wayne Justice, a former United States District Court judge.
• Terrence McGee, a former NFL cornerback.
• Clint Murchison, Jr., a businessman who founded the Dallas Cowboys football team.
• Sid W. Richardson, an oilman and generous giver to charities.

See also

In Spanish: Athens (Texas) para niños