Best Web Design in Athens-Clarke County, GA (2026)

Web Design for Athens-Clarke County, Georgia

Athens is a lively college town in northeast Georgia built around the University of Georgia, the nation's first chartered state university. Nicknamed The Classic City after its namesake in ancient Greece, it launched world-famous bands like R.E.M. and the B-52's and blends deep Southern tradition with an indie-arts edge.

AppWT works with Athens-Clarke County, GA businesses from Livonia, Michigan, mostly online and travelling as needed.

About Athens-Clarke County

Also known as. The Classic City. Manchester of the South.

History. The University of Georgia was chartered on January 27, 1785, making it America's first chartered state (land-grant) university. Clarke County was created in 1801, named for Revolutionary War hero Elijah Clarke; the town of Athens was established in 1805. John Milledge, later a Georgia governor, named the town after Athens, Greece, the classical center of learning and home of Plato and Aristotle. In the 1800s the economy grew on cotton textile mills, brickworks, and the railroad. In 1990 voters merged the City of Athens and Clarke County into Georgia's second consolidated government (28th in the nation).

Local economy. The University of Georgia is the largest single employer and the dominant economic driver, with roughly 40,000 students and top-tier research status. Education, health care, and social services now anchor a diversified economy. Regional industries include poultry processing and timber. A growing arts, music, food, and tourism sector is tied to downtown and the university.

Culture and community. Birthplace of influential bands including R.E.M., the B-52's, Widespread Panic, Pylon, of Montreal, Neutral Milk Hotel, and the Drive-By Truckers. The 40 Watt Club, a legendary indie venue, and the restored Georgia Theatre anchor downtown nightlife. AthFest is a free three-day music and arts festival founded in 1997. The Athens Twilight Criterium is a nighttime downtown bicycle race that draws pro cyclists each spring. The Morton Theatre (opened 1910), one of the oldest African American-owned vaudeville theaters, hosted Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington. R.E.M.'s album Automatic for the People took its title from the motto of local soul-food diner Weaver D's.

What makes Athens-Clarke County distinct. The Tree That Owns Itself legally owns itself and all land within eight feet of its trunk, per a legend printed in 1890; the current tree is a 1946 offspring grown from the original's acorn. The 1863 double-barreled cannon was designed to fire two chained balls at once but never worked as intended and now stands as a civic curiosity pointing north. R.E.M.'s 1992 album Automatic for the People is named after the motto of Weaver D's diner. Ben Epps became Georgia's first aviator flying near Athens in 1907; the city's airport bears his name. Athens was dubbed Manchester of the South in the 1800s for its pioneering cotton-mill technology.

Athens-Clarke County Landmarks and Local Life

• University of Georgia's historic North Campus - including the Arch and Old College
• The Tree That Owns Itself (Jackson Oak) at South Finley and Dearing Streets.
• Georgia Museum of Art - the official state art museum, and the State Botanical Garden of Georgia
• The 1863 double-barreled cannon displayed on the City Hall lawn.
• Sanford Stadium - where UGA plays football Between the Hedges
• The downtown Athens Music Walk of Fame - launched in 2020