Renowned for its party scene and the birthplace of some hugely influential bands, this small city is quietly showing its bigger counterparts how a place can grow up while keeping its edge. Some Americans may know the lore of Athens, Georgia , and its claims to fame. Located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains 70 miles north-east of Atlanta, the small city is home to the University of Georgia (UGA), the US's first state-chartered college established in 1785.
UGA's football team, the Georgia Bulldogs, is a perennial, national championship-calibre powerhouse. What's more, Athens's homegrown heroes, the B-52s and REM , were as influential as any rock 'n' roll bands to meld post-punk, new wave and indie sounds during the last quarter of the 20th Century. That notoriety spawned a musical legacy that continues to attract aspiring artists today.
But many visitors are now discovering a new side of Athens, and this music-obsessed college town is quietly showing bigger US cities how a place can grow up while keeping its edge. I'm discovering it too: a year ago, I moved back to The Classic City where I went to college in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Back then the place brimmed with cramped and sweaty music halls, raucous house parties, gritty dive bars and cheap, late-night eats.
Much of that edge remains, but the polished city I've returned to now also shimmers with a nuanced culinary scene, boutique hotels, cocktail lounges and the soon-to-open 8,500-person Akins Ford Aren.