Stats and Facts

Founded
Clarke County was founded in 1801.
The city of Athens was chartered in 1806.

Size and Location
Georgia's smallest county, at 122 square miles, is located 61 miles northeast of Atlanta.

Government
In 1991, the Unified Government of Athens-Clarke County became the 28th consolidated city-county government in the U.S. and the third in Georgia.
Mayor: Heidi Davison, elected 2002; re-elected 2006
http://www.athensclarkecounty.com

Population
116,342
(2009 U.S. Census estimate, includes UGA students residing in Clarke Co.)

Transportation
Ground and air shuttle service is available from Atlanta's airport. Athens Ben Epps Airport, 3 miles from downtown, is served by Georgia Skies. Local transportation includes car rental, public transit (bus), taxi and limousine service.

Climate
Athens benefits from a four-season climate, with warm summers but few extremes.
Warmest month: July, 69°F avg. low; 90°F avg. high
Coolest month: January, 33°F avg. low; 51°F avg. high
Avg. rainfall: 48”
Avg. snowfall: 2.5”.

Elevation
802 feet

Industry According to Employment (2008)

Government 29.9%
Leisure and Hospitality (includes retail, accommodations, food service, arts & entertainment) 22.6%
Manufacturing & Construction 14.0%
Health Care 13.0%
Other Services 13.0%
Finance / Insurance / Real Estate 3.5%
Wholesale Trade 2.9%

(Source: Georgia Department of Labor, Clarke County Labor Profile.)

Tourism Work$ for Athens-Clarke County

Hotel/motel tax: 7%
Sales tax: 7%
Athens has 24 hotels with 2,431 rooms.
Tourism expenditures for 2008 contributed $218.98 million to Athens- Clarke County's economy, generated 2,500 jobs and supported a $46.23 million payroll.
(Source: Georgia Economic Impact of Travel Report for 2008.)
In 2008, overnight tourists and day trip visitors spent over $19 billion in Georgia, supporting 220,800+ jobs and $6.3 billion in resident wages. (Source: Georgia Economic Impact of Travel Report for 2008.)
Tourism saves each Georgia household $518 in taxes on the local and state level.
Each motorcoach of travelers that overnights in Athens spends an estimated $156 per person, per night.

A division of The Classic Center Authority, the Athens Convention and Visitors Bureau is funded primarily by hotel and motel tax and functions as a destination management agency promoting Athens as the destination of choice for travelers and conventions.

More facts and figures are available at:

- The Power of Travel, state tourism economic impact statistics
Athens-Clarke County by the numbers: from the Athens Clarke County Unified Government Public Information Office
Georgia Department of Economic Development
- 2008 Pocket Guide, state tourism economic impact statistics
- 2008 State, Counties, & Regions economic impact report
U.S. Travel Association