Athens (town), New York

Athens is a town in Greene County, New York, USA. The population was 3,991 at the 2000 census.

The Town of Athens has a village also called Athens. The town is on the eastern end of the county.

History

The Town of Athens was formed in 1815 from parts of the Towns of Catskill and Coxsackie.

In 1890, the total population was 2,361.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 28.8 square miles (74.7 km²), of which, 26.2 square miles (67.8 km²) of it is land and 2.7 square miles (6.9 km²) of it (9.22%) is water.

The east town line is defined by the Hudson River and is the border of Columbia County, New York.

U.S. Route 9W and the New York State Thruway (Interstate 87) pass through the town.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 3,991 people, 1,600 households, and 1,110 families residing in the town. The population density was 152.5 people per square mile (58.9/km²). There are 1,972 housing units with an average density of 29.1/km² (75.3/sq mi). The racial makeup of the town was 95.87% White, 0.98% Black or African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.85% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.65% from other races, and 1.33% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.70% of the population.

There were 1,600 households out of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.8% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.6% were non-families. 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the town the population was spread out with 23.3% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 27.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 94.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $39,719, and the median income for a family was $43,672. Males had a median income of $33,913 versus $22,316 for females. The per capita income for the town was $20,910. About 7.0% of families and 8.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.4% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in the Town of Athens

*Athens -- The Village of Athens is on the east edge of the town.
*Athens Station -- A location south of West Athens.
*Hollister Lake -- A lake in the northwest part of the town.
*Lime Street -- A hamlet in the northwest part of the town.
*Middle Ground Flats -- An island in the Hudson River.
*Sleepy Hollow Lake -- A lake at the north town line.
*West Athens -- A hamlet in the northeast part of the town, located on Route 28.
*The Orchards A subdivision in NW corner of Village that gets no village services.

In Popular Culture

A major plot point in "War of the Worlds" took place in Athens. In the movie most of the town is shown being destroyed. These are the scenes where the flaming train passes by the cast and the crowd is going towards the ferry.

References

External links

* [http://evarts.athens.lib.ny.us/ D.R. Evarts Library (Athens)]