Athens, New York

For the village located within this town, see Athens (village), New York. For other uses, see Athens (disambiguation).
Athens
Town
Country United States
State New York
County Greene
Coordinates 42°16′07″N 73°48′20″W / 42.26861°N 73.80556°WCoordinates: 42°16′07″N 73°48′20″W / 42.26861°N 73.80556°W
Area 28.8 sq mi (74.6 km2)
Population 4,089 (2010)
Density 142 / sq mi (55 / km2)
Town Supervisor Joseph Iraci
Timezone EST (UTC-5)
 - summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 12015
Area code 518
Location of Athens in New York

Athens is a town in Greene County, New York, USA. The population was 4,089 at the 2010 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 census[1] 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 75.3 per square mile (29.1/km²). 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

In popular culture

A major plot point in War of the Worlds (2005) 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

  1. "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.

External links