Every year in early fall, members of the incoming freshman class unpack and decorate their new dorm rooms, and most are ready to stay at the university for the long haul; but students are also hitching themselves to the city of Athens.
The university and the city are in many ways inseparable, and in Athens:
A lot of people vote. About 60 percent of registered voters in Athens County cast a ballot. In early 2012, about 68 percent of ballots were cast by registered Democrats.
There aren’t many Republicans in office. Sheriff Pat Kelly is a Democrat, Mayor Paul Wiehl is a Democrat, and so is every sitting Athens City Council member (there are eight, including the president). Nationally and statewide, Athens is a stronghold for the Democratic Party. The people here have twice voted for President Barack Obama by wide margins. When the president came to Athens last October, more than 14,000 people crowded College Green to hear him speak.
It’s not hard to find a fast food joint. Sixty-eight percent of restaurants in Athens County are considered fast food establishments, according to a previous Post article. The national benchmark is 27 percent.
There are a lot of white people. About 86 percent of the city’s citizens are white, according to the 2010 U.S. Census.
State and local law enforcement recognize the area to be home to drug trafficking. In January, the Ohio State Highway Patrol seized 455 grams of heroin along state Route 33 in Athens and nine surrounding counties. Compare that to seven grams seized in January 2012, and this is an increase of 6,400 percent.
There are about 24,000 residents living within its 10 square mile city limits.
jj360410@ohiou.edu
