Athens (Atlanta, Gainesville, Oxford: chapel, house, unemployment)

[meltinjohn]

Can someone tell me about Athens.
From what I know its home to REM, the B-52's and the Whigs so I would say the music scene is great.
What else is there that should be brought to ones attention about visiting or moving to Athens? Good/bad, what?

[atlantagreg30127]

I think you need to give some more info about what "bad" would be to you.

As in, if you're thinking about moving there - what are are you? What type of job sector would you be looking for work in? Budget? Stuff you like to do in your spare time? etc.

[Ollie1946]

You should do a search on this forum with that subject. There have been several long responses to your question which I think will be a huge help to you.

In a nutshell, Athens is about the University of Georgia. Everything here depends on the school and everything pretty much revolves around it.

I actually do believe there are other university towns that are nicer with Chapel Hill coming to mind. I have heard Ann Arbor is excellent and Boulder, CO.

Try the search.

Cheers.

[Zel Ya]

Originally Posted by meltinjohn

Can someone tell me about Athens.
From what I know its home to REM, the B-52's and the Whigs so I would say the music scene is great.
What else is there that should be brought to ones attention about visiting or moving to Athens? Good/bad, what?

Don't forget Kenny Rogers. He's part of the music scene, too. He's currently building a new estate near Athens. However, there's a lot more to Athens than just the music scene. A lot more!

For starters, the University of Georgia is located in Athens. This wonderful institution of higher learning is a definite plus to the community offering a broad range of academic and cultural stimulation.

Athens is a college town, so the median age is rather young. In recent years, Athens has been attracting retirees drawn by the moderate cost of living, mild climate, academics and culture, and its close proximity to Atlanta.

The drive to Atlanta is a little problematic. The complicating factors are antiquated roads ( no interstates ), and numerous intersections with stoplights which slow you down.

I find the aesthetics of town very pleasing. It's quaint and charming. Access to Atlanta may be a little slow with stop and go driving, but who wants to leave this nice town for very long?

[meltinjohn]

If i moved to Athens, Id probably stay there a lot and avoid Atlanta or go maybe on occasion.
I like college towns but its funny because a lot of the college towns are alike like Oxford Miss sounds exactly like Athens too. I briefly looked at Oxford too.
Kenny Rogers huh?
To answer one persons question, My job sector is that of a non college grad and I like going to bars with music in em. My main focus in athens would be music you can say and good bars to go to and last but not least, BEER.

[Zel Ya]

Originally Posted by meltinjohn

If i moved to Athens, Id probably stay there a lot and avoid Atlanta or go maybe on occasion.
I like college towns but its funny because a lot of the college towns are alike like Oxford Miss sounds exactly like Athens too. I briefly looked at Oxford too.
Kenny Rogers huh?
To answer one persons question, My job sector is that of a non college grad and I like going to bars with music in em. My main focus in athens would be music you can say and good bars to go to and last but not least, BEER.

In recent years Kenny Rogers called Buckhead home, but Kenny previously lived in the Athens area for many years.

College towns are usually great places to live. I suppose college towns do look somewhat alike, but they're all a bit different.

I have not been in Oxford, Mississippi nor Ann Arbor, which were briefly mentioned by another poster. However, I have been in Chapel Hill and Boulder.

Chapel Hill is a wonderful college town, but the cost of living is much higher compared to Athens. Most of Orange County is pretty darn expensive.

Boulder is a wonderful college town, too, but you have to have deep pockets. Very deep pockets there.

I'll mention another college town--Gainesville, Florida. It's a great-looking college town--that's for sure. Less than a decade ago, housing was very inexpensive in Gainesville. You could buy a new, well-constructed, 1600 square-foot house in Haile Plantation, one of the best subdivisions in Gainesville, for around $140,000. Not today! Those bargains are long gone.

Athens still has fairly reasonable housing costs. If you're on a budget, Athens is a much better place to live than Chapel Hill, Ann Arbor, Boulder, or Gainesville.

[meltinjohn]

Someone I know loves Gainesville and hes headed there.
Id say thats a top FL town in general.

[meltinjohn]

Athens a lot better than Gainesville even wow? Musically might have more to it seeing Gainesville is mostly punk but not much other genres come out of there.

[kangarooster]

Originally Posted by meltinjohn

My job sector is that of a non college grad and I like going to bars with music in em. My main focus in athens would be music you can say and good bars to go to and last but not least, BEER.

If this is what you are after, then Athens is the perfect place for you! On a typical Sat night, there will be dozens of live music shows in bars downtown. I've spent many evenings hopping from one show to another, never spending more than a few bucks for cover, if anything.

Check out the Flagpole (flagpole.com). It's a local Athens mag with all of the music listings in it, plus tons of other info. Hard copies are free and available all over town...it's a must-have for a night out!

Athens has LOTS of beer. No worries there There are even a couple of local breweries/brew-pubs here...Terrapin and Copper Creek.

Hope this helps!

[keeshonder]

While Athens centers around the university it is much more than the university. There is good food, entertainment, the lowest unemployment of any of the larger metropolitan in Georgia. It is nicely situated, close to Atlanta, the mountains, South Carolina, etc. You can have "the country" just minutes outside of downtown. Oconee County, right next door, is very nice. There is golf, fishing, and other outdoor activities all year round. If you are by cyclist, Athens is a big cycling town. And plenty of beer. I am from the pacific northwest, and, I admit, a beer snob. You can get some pretty decent brews here in town, Terrapin has a couple of pretty good brews.

There is an excellent cross section of music with a lot of clubs. Athfest, a music and arts festival, is held every year and there are dozens of acts that come to town.

As mentioned earlier, housing is still pretty affordable here, the median home price hanging in at right around $140,000. You can go slightly outside of town, 10 - 15 minutes and get much more home for the money. I am a local realtor and keep a close eye on the market.