Athens Heritage

In 1785, the University of Georgia was chartered as America's first state college, making it the birthplace of public higher education in the US. The city of Athens, named after the ancient Greek center of higher learning, was chartered in 1806. Athens and the University developed a uniquely urbane culture that visitors can experience through historic districts, house museums, and historic landmarks. Athens boasts 15 neighborhoods on the National Register of Historic Places. House museums open to the public, daily guided tours, an audio tour, and several self-guided walking tours give today's visitors a glimpse of Athens' past-- all provided through the Historic Athens Welcome Center.

Athens - Layers of Time is a story map compiled by University of Georgia researchers as a portal to highlight and provide scholarly resources to support studies involving the Old Athens Cemetery, the Oconee Hill Cemetery, and the use of geographic space through time in Athens, Georgia. The multiple maps, images and documents compiled by this project help visualize and understand the growth of the City of Athens, the UGA campus and surrounding living and working environment of the people.