About the Athens, Watkinsville and Colbert, Georgia Area 

Athens is a prospering community, one that reflects the charm of the Old South while developing in cultural and industrial areas. It is located approximately 70 miles east-northeast of Atlanta, Georgia. Athens is at the heart of a three-county metropolitan area of 126,000 people. Athens and Clarke County share a common local government. The Clarke County population, according to a 1990 census estimate, is 86,000. A college town in every sense of the word, Athens appreciates its University population while recognizing its obligation to all residents to grow independently of the University.
The University of Georgia and Athens have grown up side by side. When its founders were looking for a site for the new university, they sought a remote location where students would be isolated from the temptations of urban life. The town was named for its Greek counterpart, a great center of learning. Athens' elevation is 600 to 800 feet above mean sea level, and because of its geographic location, the city is sheltered from much of the extreme weather of the winter season. Mean temperature for January, the coldest month, is 43 degrees F., and for July, the warmest month, 79 degrees F. Average minimum and maximum temperatures for January are 33 and 53 degrees F., and for July, 68 and 89 degrees F. Average rainfall is 50.42 inches.  

Athens is served by two daily newspapers. Athens also has a weekly newspaper and the Atlanta newspapers, as well as six local radio stations and the University's radio stations, WUOG-FM and WUGA- FM. Network television is available through direct reception or cable within a 100-mile radius of Athens. Two hospitals offering comprehensive health care serve Athens, and there are more than 80 churches in the area. 

Athens has more than 150 restaurants, from the elegant to the casual. There are 18 movie screens, and several local theater production companies, in addition to an extensive program of cultural activities at both the University of Georgia and the new Athens Community Civic Center. 

Athens residents enjoy a varied program of sports activites. Athens was the site of some of the 1996 Olympic games (Soccer, Volley Ball, and some gymnastics) and The University of Georgia football games are usually sell-outs. Georgia has also fielded excellent teams in Gymnastics, Basketball, Baseball, and Tennis. Athens has frequently been the site for the NCAA tennis championships. There are five golf courses in the area. 

The topography is "hilly", with many tall hills to challenge walkers and bikers. A river runs through it: the Oconee River winds gently through Athens on its way through the Oconee National Forest to the large Lake Oconee, a popular boat and vacation home location for residents of Athens and Atlanta. 

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