Athens, New York

Athens is a town in Greene County, New York, United States. The population was 3,916 at the 2020 census. The town of Athens has a village also called Athens. The town is near the eastern edge of the county.

The town of Athens was formed on February 25, 1815 from parts of the towns of Catskill and Coxsackie.

In 1890, the total population was 2,361.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 28.8 square miles (74.7 km²), of which 26.2 square miles (67.8 km²) is land and 2.7 square miles (6.9 km², or 9.22%) is water.

The eastern town line is defined by the Hudson River and is the border of Columbia County.

U.S. Route 9W and the New York State Thruway (Interstate 87) pass through the town.

As of the census of 2000, there were 3,991 people, 1,600 households, and 1,110 families residing in the town. The population density was 152.5 inhabitants per square mile (58.9/km²). There were 1,972 housing units, with an average density of 75.3 per square mile (29.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.87% White, 0.98% Black or African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.85% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.65% from other races, and 1.33% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.70% of the population.

There were 1,600 households, out of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.8% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.6% were non-families. 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.96.