re: Athens - The Classic City in Photos

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I assume now that Athens being fairly close to Augusta, which basically became the state capital during the Civil war, is how that site was selected.

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I think it actually had more to do with it being freshly seized Indian land on an unpolluted river basin. Plenty of lumber, fortified on a hill, and ready access to clean water. It was 100 miles north of the then-capital of Louisville (which is roughly equidistant to Augusta). There was just plenty of room and resources up there for a new town/University to grow and expand.