About 1 in 4 people in Athens, TX live alone, and over half of Athens residents have ancestry that classifies as "other."  There is much to know about the lovely town of Athens, and some of these fun facts may surprise you. 

I'm always looking for ways to outsmart the kids when they bring home their fancy school facts and quiz me at dinner, and in my most recent internet quest for knowledge, I ran across quite a few interesting tidbits about Athens that I didn't know.

Maybe you've lived in East Texas all of your life and you're well-versed in Athens history, and if that's the case this will be a good refresher so you can be even more confident in your dinnertime answers.

5 Random and Fun Facts About Athens

1. In the town of Athens, 26.8 percent of people live alone, according to Citytowninfo.com.  We don't know the ages or what life group they're in (whether they're in their twenties just starting out, or widowed in their 70s), but they've got full control of the remote and they can eat dinner at 4 pm if they want to and that can be a great way to live.

2.  The ancestry of 54.5 percent of the population in Athens is classified as "Other" and Citytowninfo.com says that often includes Hispanic and African American.  German, Irish, English, and French are popular in family trees there too.

3.  The average temperature range in Athens in October is 55 to 78 degrees.  That makes for some gorgeously crisp fall mornings and afternoon temperatures that aren't scorching.

4.  It's known as It is known as the "Original Home of the Hamburger."  The word is it that the first burger was served up in the 1880s at a small cafe on the Henderson County courthouse square run by a man known as Uncle Fletcher Davis.  Uncle Fletch took his creation to the World's Fair in St. Louis in 1904, and that's where it was dubbed a "hamburger," and now everyone can thank Uncle Fletch that we have a place to put special sauce, lettuce, and cheese.

5.  Some say Athens got its name as a tribute to the city of Athens, Greece.   Others say the city was named after Athens, Georgia.  Or maybe the founders just liked it because Athens, Texas rolls off the tongue easily.  It's also nicknamed the "Black-Eyed Pea Capital of the World" because it hosts the black-eyed pea festival every year.

Take that, kids!  Oh, who am I kidding... They probably know it all already, because they're in school and all.  But it's still fun to revisit the history and appreciate what we have here in East Texas.

We'll highlight a new city tomorrow, so come back and check it out!

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