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Athens, Texas

16 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1949 and the latest in 1991. It stands in the Athens census division. It lies in ZIP code area 75751. The Survey maps it on the Athens quadrangle. 12,857 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 489 feet above sea level.

Research this city

Athens within Henderson County

On record in Athens

Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.

On the National Register 1 record

Population over time

2 figures

Athens grew from 12,710 to 12,857 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

YearPeople Change
201012,710
202012,857+147 (+1%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

7 surveys from 16 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

Fires near this place

272 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 272 fires within 5 miles of Athens between 1992 and 2019, burning about 1,765 acres in total. 2 started naturally. 3 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Debris and open burning154
Missing data/not specified/undetermined68
Equipment and vehicle use20
Smoking8
Misuse of fire by a minor6
Power generation/transmission/distribution6
Arson/incendiarism3
Railroad operations and maintenance3
Natural2
Recreation and ceremony2

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
9 September 2014Equipment and vehicle use5.0 acresTexas A & M Forest Service0909141 GRASS & HAY BALES FIRE
8 September 2017Debris and open burning3.0 acresTexas A & M Forest Service0908172 PASTURE FIRE
7 September 2018Missing data/not specified/undetermined4.0 acresTexas A & M Forest Service0907181 BRUSH FIRE REKINDLE
5 September 2009Debris and open burningunder an acreTexas A & M Forest Service905093
5 September 2008Debris and open burning10 acresTexas A & M Forest Servicenot named
29 September 2008Debris and open burningunder an acreTexas A & M Forest Servicenot named
27 September 2014Debris and open burning60 acresTexas A & M Forest Service0927141 TREE FARM & GRASS FIRE
27 September 1997Debris and open burning12 acresTexas A & M Forest Servicenot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Henderson County

Mines and quarries near this place

10 of 12 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 12 workings within 5 miles of Athens: 7 past producers, 5 producers. 5 still produce. What was taken out: Clay, Fire Clay (Refractory). Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Athens No. 2 PitFire Clay (Refractory)ProducerSedimentary
Texas Clay No. 2 PitFire Clay (Refractory)ProducerSedimentary
Athens Brick PlantClayProducer
Athens PitClayProducerSedimentary
Athens Pit 1ClayProducer
Athens Pit 2ClayPast Producer
Texas Clay Pit 2ClayPast Producer
UnknownClayPast Producer
UnknownClayPast Producer
UnknownClayPast Producer

Every working recorded in Henderson County

Storms near this place

60 of 68 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Athens in 68 storm reports between 1993 and 2026: 28 thunderstorm wind, 26 hail, 12 flash flood, 2 tornado. The reports record 4 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
June 1998Thunderstorm WindAthens3 hurt, $50,000Thunderstorm winds unroofed a house. Three people were injured by debris when they abandoned the house. Thunderstorm winds also downed numerous trees and powerlines.
November 1994Tornado (F1)Athens1 hurt, $50,000An apparent anti-cyclonic tornado with a very narrow path destroyed a mobile home, did roof damage to houses, blew down power lines, and damaged cars from flying debris in Cross Roads. A church was moved off its foundation. Damage was estimated at over $25,000.
March 2013Thunderstorm WindAthens$60,000Thunderstorm winds caused wind damage in Athens, reported by broadcast media. A large tree was blown down near a home in Athens. The tree damaged the roof of the house and also caused major damage to two cars in the driveway.
April 2026HailAthens$50,000Social media photos and videos showed hail up to tennis ball size in parts of Athens.
April 1993HailAthens$50,000A severe thunderstorm from southern Kaufman County near Kemp to Seven Points in northern Henderson County, moved eastward to just north of Athens producing widespread hail damage across the northern part of Henderson County. Several hundred homes received hail damage, with numerous cars, trucks and signs also damaged.
April 1993Thunderstorm WindAthens$50,000Thunderstorm winds blew down trees and caused roof damage to houses and businesses.
April 1993Thunderstorm WindAthens$50,000Thunderstorm winds damaged a nursing home, apartment complex and highway department building.
August 1995Thunderstorm WindAthens$25,000Trees and power lines were blown down by high winds. A home and a church sustained roof damage due to fallen trees.
December 2015Thunderstorm WindAthens$20,000The roof of a metal building used as a storage shed for vehicles and possibly a workshop was partially torn off along W Tyler Street in Athens. The exact location of the building could not be determined. Another metal roof of a building was also partially torn off in the western portions of Athens.
July 2005Thunderstorm WindAthens$20,000Several roofs blown off buildings and numerous trees and power lines blown down.
May 2008Thunderstorm WindAthens$10,000Tree limbs were snapped and fell across power lines, causing power outages.
July 2005Thunderstorm WindAthens$10,000Power lines and trees knocked down.
May 2013Thunderstorm WindAthens$6,000Several trees and power lines were blown down by thunderstorm winds. The Henderson County Sheriff's Office report showed 16 calls of trees down across the city of Athens and across the county.
April 2022Thunderstorm WindAthens$5,000Winds were estimated near 65 mph in Athens.
February 2008Thunderstorm WindAthens$5,000One large tree was partially uprooted and numerous shingles were blown off the west side of a house.
June 2008Thunderstorm WindAthens$2,000A tree limb fell on a power line on Hawn Street.
September 2002Thunderstorm WindAthens$2,000Trees and power lines were blown down west of Athens.
July 1998Thunderstorm WindAthens$2,000Powerlines were blown down from thunderstorm winds.
April 1997Thunderstorm WindAthens$2,000A roof was peeled off a barn.
February 2024HailAthens$1,000Local media received a picture of 1.5 inch hail from Athens.
December 2012Thunderstorm WindAthens$1,000TXDOT reported trees were knocked down, blocking Highway 19 north of Athens.
April 1999Thunderstorm WindAthens$500A tree was blown through the window of a house.
May 1999Thunderstorm WindAthens$500Trees and power lines were blown down by thunderstorm winds.
April 2026HailAthens-A Facebook report relayed penny to quarter size hail in Athens along with torrential rain.
May 2025Flash FloodAthens-Social media video showed significant flash flooding around the Piggly Wiggly in Athens.
March 2014HailAthens-Quarter sized hail was reported 3 miles north of Athens.
May 2008Flash FloodAthens-A few roads were flooded.
January 2007Flash FloodAthens-Water over numerous roads across the county.
April 2005HailAthens-Golf ball size hail reported.
April 2005HailAthens-Hail the size of tennis balls reported from a Tyler, TX television station; report relayed through NWS Shreveport.
May 2004Flash FloodAthens-At least one home was flooded in town due to high water.
September 2004Thunderstorm WindAthens-A large tree at the courthouse was blown down.
September 2000Thunderstorm WindAthens-Large trees were blown down near Lake Athens.
January 1998Flash FloodAthens-Many roads were reported flooded across the county.
January 1998Flash FloodAthens-Many roads across the county were reported flooded.
April 1998Thunderstorm WindAthens-Powerlines and large tree limbs were blown down.
January 1998Flash FloodAthens-Numerous roads were reported flooded and closed across the county.
January 1998Flash FloodAthens-Many roads across the county were reported flooded.
November 1998Thunderstorm WindAthens-Thunderstorm winds blew down over 100 trees in a path 200 feet wide and 1 mile line.
April 1997Thunderstorm WindAthens-Trees were blown down by high winds.
October 1997Flash FloodAthens-Several streets were flooded in town.
May 1995HailAthens-Large tree limbs were blown down by high winds.
August 1995Thunderstorm WindAthens-Large tree branches were blown down by high winds.
October 1994Thunderstorm WindAthens-Several streets in town were closed by high water.
April 2021HailAthens-no account filed
August 2021HailAthens-no account filed
May 2005HailAthens-no account filed
November 2005HailAthens-no account filed
December 2004Thunderstorm WindAthens-no account filed
April 2004HailAthens-no account filed
May 2004HailAthens-no account filed
May 2004HailAthens-no account filed
May 2003HailAthens-no account filed
February 2000HailAthens-no account filed
March 2000HailAthens-no account filed
March 2000HailAthens-no account filed
April 2000HailAthens-no account filed
February 1998HailAthens-no account filed
May 1998HailAthens-no account filed
February 1997Flash FloodAthens-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Henderson County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Dauphin3.5 miles15
Crescent Heights4.8 miles15
Pickens4.9 miles13
Bethel5.6 miles13
Virginia Hill5.7 miles16
Pine Grove5.7 miles16
Baxter6.2 miles15
Shady Oaks6.6 miles15

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on AthensAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q755425The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1329816. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.