October 2013
| Business World Magazine | 49
Disraeli once referred to Athens, Greece, as “a great city, whose image dwells in the memory of
man.” He described it as the embodiment of qualities associated with art. Georgia may seem far
removed, geographically and culturally, yet it is home to a Clark County community also named
Athens. It is here, in 1801, that Former Governor John Milledge, donated 633 acres to create the
University of Georgia (the first state supported university). Surrounding lands were named in
honor of the ancient city whose academy taught Plato and Aristotle. In the modern era, Athens-
Clark County, Georgia, has evolved to garner its own honors as one of America’s greatest cities, and
in terms of its embodiment of quality, the philosophy on planning and sustainability, has indeed,
been elevated to an art.
Located in Northeastern Georgia, the
consolidated city-county of Athens-Clark
County is among the smaller of the 159
counties comprising Georgia (only 122
square miles), yet it is comprised by one
of the state’s more dense, if not diverse,
of population composites, encompassing
a Metropolitan Statistical Area of almost
200,000people–and it isgrowing.Athens-
Clark enjoys unique esteem in its enticing
allure to people of all ages. A testament to
that is Athens-Clark achieving of acclaim,
not only as one of America’s “Top 10 Col-
lege Towns” or Top 5 for where “Milleni-
