Athens, Louisiana

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This article is about the village in Louisiana. For other uses, see Athens (disambiguation).
Athens, Louisiana
Village
Athens Town Hall
Athens Town Hall
Location of Athens in Claiborne Parish, Louisiana.
Location of Athens in Claiborne Parish, Louisiana.
Location of Louisiana in the United States
Location of Louisiana in the United States
Athens is located in Louisiana
Athens
Athens
Location in Louisiana
Coordinates: 32°39′01″N 93°01′28″W / 32.65028°N 93.02444°W / 32.65028; -93.02444Coordinates: 32°39′01″N 93°01′28″W / 32.65028°N 93.02444°W / 32.65028; -93.02444
CountryUnited States
StateLouisiana
ParishClaiborne
Incorporated1902
Government
Area
[1]
 • Total3.50 sq mi (9.07 km2)
 • Land3.50 sq mi (9.07 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
302 ft (92 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total249
 • Estimate 
(2019)[2]
269
 • Density76.84/sq mi (29.66/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code(s)318
FIPS code22-03320
Websitewww.athensla.com

Athens is a village in Claiborne Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 249 at the 2010 census.[3]

History[]

The village was named after the ancient city of Athens, capital of Greece.[4] Athens became the parish seat of Claiborne Parish in 1846, but in 1848 fire destroyed the courthouse and all the records in it. Soon thereafter the Claiborne Parish Police Jury decided to move the parish seat to its present location in Homer.[5]

Athens has been home to a Pilgrim's Pride poultry hatchery for many years. Their location in Athens was designated for closure early in 2009, along with other company businesses in nearby Arcadia in Bienville Parish, Choudrant in Lincoln Parish, and Farmerville in Union Parish, where the company maintained a processing and protein conversion plant.[6] Several weeks later, however, Pilgrim's Pride accepted an $80 million offer from Foster Farms of California to purchase the operations. In addition to the 1,300 direct jobs, mostly in Farmerville, the purchase spares the small farms of some three hundred independent growers. Foster Farms put up 40 million dollars and the State of Louisiana a matching $40 million. Foster Farms will further invest $10 million in capital improvements at the Farmerville plant, to be matched by the state, in an agreement announced by Governor Bobby Jindal.[7]

Geography[]

Athens is located at

 WikiMiniAtlas
32°39′1″N 93°1′28″W / 32.65028°N 93.02444°W / 32.65028; -93.02444 (32.650219, -93.024492).[8]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 5.7 km2 (2.2 sq mi), all land.

Demographics[]

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1910514—
1920493−4.1%
1930461−6.5%
19404916.5%
1950487−0.8%
1960406−16.6%
1970387−4.7%
19804198.3%
1990278−33.7%
2000262−5.8%
2010249−5.0%
2019 (est.)269[2]8.0%
U.S. Decennial Census[9]

As of the census[10] of 2000, there were 262 people, 112 households, and 73 families residing in the village. The population density was 119.2 inhabitants per square mile (46.0/km2). There were 137 housing units at an average density of 62.3 per square mile (24.0/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 72.52% White, 24.05% African American, 2.29% Native American, 0.38% Pacific Islander, and 0.76% from two or more races.

There were 112 households, out of which 34.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.9% were married couples living together, 16.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.8% were non-families. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 28.6% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 18.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.1 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $18,750, and the median income for a family was $26,750. Males had a median income of $23,393 versus $22,250 for females. The per capita income for the village was $13,033. About 7.0% of families and 14.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.6% of those under the age of eighteen and 20.0% of those 65 or over.

Government and infrastructure[]

The United States Postal Service operates the Athens Post Office.[11]

Education[]

The Mt. Olive Christian School, pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade, operates in the former Athens High School building, constructed in 1930, with the last graduating class there in 1969.[12]

Notable people[]

  • Jessie Johnson Couch, wife of utilities, railroad, and radio magnate Harvey Couch, was an Athens native.[13]
  • , former member of the Louisiana House of Representatives, with service from 1988 to 1992,[14] and sheriff of Claiborne Parish from 1996 to 2004

References[]

  1. ^ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  3. ^ "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Athens village, Louisiana". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 3, 2012.
  4. ^ Leeper, Clare D'Artois (19 October 2012). Louisiana Place Names: Popular, Unusual, and Forgotten Stories of Towns, Cities, Plantations, Bayous, and Even Some Cemeteries. LSU Press. p. 23. ISBN 978-0-8071-4740-5.
  5. ^ Harris, D. W.; Hulse, B. M., eds. (1886). The History of Claiborne Parish, Louisiana, From Its Incorporation in 1828 to the Close of the Year 1885. New Orleans: W. B. Stansbury & Co. pp. 19–20, 103.
  6. ^ "Greg Hilburn and Robbie Evans, "Pilgrim's Pride decision a bombshell: Sites closing in Arcadia, Athens, Choudrant, Farmerville". Shreveport Times. Archived from the original on November 13, 2014. Retrieved March 1, 2009.
  7. ^ Greg Hilburn (March 21, 2009). "Saved: 1,300 jobs". Monroe News Star. Archived from the original on November 13, 2014. Retrieved March 21, 2009.
  8. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  9. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  10. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  11. ^ "Post Office Location - ATHENS Archived 2012-06-16 at the Wayback Machine." United States Postal Service. Retrieved on October 2, 2010.
  12. ^ "Mt. Olive Christian School". privateschoolreview.com. Retrieved January 2, 2011.
  13. ^ "Harvey Couch, Utility and Rail Magnate Dies: Was Example of Farm Boy Who Made Good in Big Way", Minden Herald, August 1, 1941, p. 1
  14. ^ "Membership in the Louisiana House of Representatives" (PDF). legis.state.la.us. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 29, 2009. Retrieved January 2, 2011.

External links[]

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