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
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
Faulk and Gauntt Buildinglisted 1980
Population over time
2 figuresAthens 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.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 12,710 | |
| 2020 | 12,857 | +147 (+1%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
7 surveys from 16 printed sheetsMatched 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.
- 1949 USGS Athens quadrangle1:62500, 3 printings
- 1950 USGS Athens quadrangle1:62500
- 1956 USGS Tyler quadrangle1:250000, 5 printings
- 1984 USGS Athens quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1984 USGS Tyler quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1985 USGS Tyler quadrangle1:100000
- 1991 USGS Tyler quadrangle1:100000
Fires near this place
272 since 1992Regional 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 burning | 154 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 68 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 20 |
| Smoking | 8 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 6 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 6 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 3 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 3 |
| Natural | 2 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 2 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 September 2014 | Equipment and vehicle use | 5.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | 0909141 GRASS & HAY BALES FIRE |
| 8 September 2017 | Debris and open burning | 3.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | 0908172 PASTURE FIRE |
| 7 September 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | 0907181 BRUSH FIRE REKINDLE |
| 5 September 2009 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Texas A & M Forest Service | 905093 |
| 5 September 2008 | Debris and open burning | 10 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | not named |
| 29 September 2008 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Texas A & M Forest Service | not named |
| 27 September 2014 | Debris and open burning | 60 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | 0927141 TREE FARM & GRASS FIRE |
| 27 September 1997 | Debris and open burning | 12 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
10 of 12 shownRegional 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 | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athens No. 2 Pit | Fire Clay (Refractory) | Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Texas Clay No. 2 Pit | Fire Clay (Refractory) | Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Athens Brick Plant | Clay | Producer | ||
| Athens Pit | Clay | Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Athens Pit 1 | Clay | Producer | ||
| Athens Pit 2 | Clay | Past Producer | ||
| Texas Clay Pit 2 | Clay | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Clay | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Clay | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Clay | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
60 of 68 shownRegional 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.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Athens | 3 hurt, $50,000 | Thunderstorm winds unroofed a house. Three people were injured by debris when they abandoned the house. Thunderstorm winds also downed numerous trees and powerlines. |
| November 1994 | Tornado (F1) | Athens | 1 hurt, $50,000 | An 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 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Athens | $60,000 | Thunderstorm 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 2026 | Hail | Athens | $50,000 | Social media photos and videos showed hail up to tennis ball size in parts of Athens. |
| April 1993 | Hail | Athens | $50,000 | A 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 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | Athens | $50,000 | Thunderstorm winds blew down trees and caused roof damage to houses and businesses. |
| April 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | Athens | $50,000 | Thunderstorm winds damaged a nursing home, apartment complex and highway department building. |
| August 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Athens | $25,000 | Trees and power lines were blown down by high winds. A home and a church sustained roof damage due to fallen trees. |
| December 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Athens | $20,000 | The 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 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Athens | $20,000 | Several roofs blown off buildings and numerous trees and power lines blown down. |
| May 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Athens | $10,000 | Tree limbs were snapped and fell across power lines, causing power outages. |
| July 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Athens | $10,000 | Power lines and trees knocked down. |
| May 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Athens | $6,000 | Several 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 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Athens | $5,000 | Winds were estimated near 65 mph in Athens. |
| February 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Athens | $5,000 | One large tree was partially uprooted and numerous shingles were blown off the west side of a house. |
| June 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Athens | $2,000 | A tree limb fell on a power line on Hawn Street. |
| September 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Athens | $2,000 | Trees and power lines were blown down west of Athens. |
| July 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Athens | $2,000 | Powerlines were blown down from thunderstorm winds. |
| April 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Athens | $2,000 | A roof was peeled off a barn. |
| February 2024 | Hail | Athens | $1,000 | Local media received a picture of 1.5 inch hail from Athens. |
| December 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Athens | $1,000 | TXDOT reported trees were knocked down, blocking Highway 19 north of Athens. |
| April 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Athens | $500 | A tree was blown through the window of a house. |
| May 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Athens | $500 | Trees and power lines were blown down by thunderstorm winds. |
| April 2026 | Hail | Athens | - | A Facebook report relayed penny to quarter size hail in Athens along with torrential rain. |
| May 2025 | Flash Flood | Athens | - | Social media video showed significant flash flooding around the Piggly Wiggly in Athens. |
| March 2014 | Hail | Athens | - | Quarter sized hail was reported 3 miles north of Athens. |
| May 2008 | Flash Flood | Athens | - | A few roads were flooded. |
| January 2007 | Flash Flood | Athens | - | Water over numerous roads across the county. |
| April 2005 | Hail | Athens | - | Golf ball size hail reported. |
| April 2005 | Hail | Athens | - | Hail the size of tennis balls reported from a Tyler, TX television station; report relayed through NWS Shreveport. |
| May 2004 | Flash Flood | Athens | - | At least one home was flooded in town due to high water. |
| September 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Athens | - | A large tree at the courthouse was blown down. |
| September 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Athens | - | Large trees were blown down near Lake Athens. |
| January 1998 | Flash Flood | Athens | - | Many roads were reported flooded across the county. |
| January 1998 | Flash Flood | Athens | - | Many roads across the county were reported flooded. |
| April 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Athens | - | Powerlines and large tree limbs were blown down. |
| January 1998 | Flash Flood | Athens | - | Numerous roads were reported flooded and closed across the county. |
| January 1998 | Flash Flood | Athens | - | Many roads across the county were reported flooded. |
| November 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Athens | - | Thunderstorm winds blew down over 100 trees in a path 200 feet wide and 1 mile line. |
| April 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Athens | - | Trees were blown down by high winds. |
| October 1997 | Flash Flood | Athens | - | Several streets were flooded in town. |
| May 1995 | Hail | Athens | - | Large tree limbs were blown down by high winds. |
| August 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Athens | - | Large tree branches were blown down by high winds. |
| October 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Athens | - | Several streets in town were closed by high water. |
| April 2021 | Hail | Athens | - | no account filed |
| August 2021 | Hail | Athens | - | no account filed |
| May 2005 | Hail | Athens | - | no account filed |
| November 2005 | Hail | Athens | - | no account filed |
| December 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Athens | - | no account filed |
| April 2004 | Hail | Athens | - | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Athens | - | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Athens | - | no account filed |
| May 2003 | Hail | Athens | - | no account filed |
| February 2000 | Hail | Athens | - | no account filed |
| March 2000 | Hail | Athens | - | no account filed |
| March 2000 | Hail | Athens | - | no account filed |
| April 2000 | Hail | Athens | - | no account filed |
| February 1998 | Hail | Athens | - | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Hail | Athens | - | no account filed |
| February 1997 | Flash Flood | Athens | - | no account filed |
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 | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dauphin | 3.5 miles | 15 | |
| Crescent Heights | 4.8 miles | 15 | |
| Pickens | 4.9 miles | 13 | |
| Bethel | 5.6 miles | 13 | |
| Virginia Hill | 5.7 miles | 16 | |
| Pine Grove | 5.7 miles | 16 | |
| Baxter | 6.2 miles | 15 | |
| Shady Oaks | 6.6 miles | 15 |
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 Athens | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q755425 | The 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.






