By BJ Bennett
SouthernPigskin.com

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Home to a powerful flagship university and a versatile community of dreamers and thinkers deep in the Piedmont hills, Athens has an imitable feeling and flow.

In our “Around the Town” feature, we will spotlight each of the hometowns of the ACC, SEC and SoCon schools.

Athens, in many respects, is considered the cultural hub of the southeast. Nestled roughly 70 miles east of Atlanta just north of the Oconee National Forest, Athens is a community centered around the University of Georgia. With an enrollment of around 35,000 students, UGA sets many of the artistic, musical and social tones for the region. The rise of bands like the B-52’s, the Georgia Satellites, Indigo Girls, R.E.M. and Widespread Panic helped Athens garner the nickname “The Liverpool of the South”.

HIstory can be found all over town. Athens has dated ties to the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement. Due to staggering population growth in the 1990s, Athens now has a city-county population of over 115,000. Home to a powerful flagship university and a versatile community of dreamers and thinkers deep in the Piedmont hills, Athens has an imitable feeling and flow.

SouthernPigskin.com Restaurant Recommendation — The Blind Pig Tavern can serve you anything from Fried Dill Pickles and Gravy Fries to The Rhino: an all-beef patty topped with bacon, fried eggs and, of course, gravy.

SouthernPigskin.com Bar Recommendation — There are few things in the world better than Happy Hour at The Globe in Athens. Once ranked as the No. 3 bar in the country, The Globe offers up a wide variety of exotic concoctions at an affordable price.

Point of Interest – Athens is home to the “Tree That Owns Itself”, a white oak tree considered by most to have, get this…legal ownership of itself. The initial tree fell back in 1942 but a new tree was grown in the same location from a fallen acorn. There is a neat historical story beyond the local tale.

Fun Fact – Athens, Georgia has three sister cities: Athens, Greece, Cortona, Italy and Lasi, Romania.

Celebrity Confirmation – “First of all, Athens lives up to its name as a classic city. It is really a university town, and because of that it is a very cultural town. Between the university and the city, there is a great relationship. There’s a lot happening and it’s also close to Atlanta, so you are close to a major city, but you aren’t in a major city.” — Legendary Georgia head coach Vince Dooley.