New Athens, Illinois facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
New Athens
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Location of New Athens in St. Clair County, Illinois.
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Location of Illinois in the United States
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 New Athens
Location in Illinois
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| Country | United States |
| State | Illinois |
| County | St. Clair |
| Named for | Athens, Greece |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2.30 sq mi (5.95 km2) |
| • Land | 2.11 sq mi (5.47 km2) |
| • Water | 0.18 sq mi (0.48 km2) |
| Elevation | 430 ft (130 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 1,955 |
| • Density | 925.66/sq mi (357.35/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP Code(s) |
62264
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| Area code(s) | 618 |
| FIPS code | 17-52116 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2399452 |
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- See also Athens, Illinois and Athens (disambiguation) for more places called "Athens".
New Athens is a village located in St. Clair County, Illinois, United States. It's called "New Athens" because there was already another town named Athens in Illinois. The people who live here say "Athens" with a long "A" sound, like "AY-thens."
This village was first started in 1836 and became an official village in 1866. It got its new name in 1868. New Athens is right by the Kaskaskia River. In 2020, about 1,955 people lived here.
The area is great for water sports, like fishing. There's even an annual fishing derby! You can also find the Peabody River King Conservation Area nearby, which is a protected natural space.
New Athens is part of the Metro East area, which is close to St. Louis. This means it has a connection to the history of making beer. There used to be a place called Mound City Brewery in New Athens until the 1950s. Baseball is also very popular here. Many athletes from New Athens have played professional baseball, including famous manager Whitey Herzog. Other players from the area include Larry Stahl, Mickey Haefner, Warren Hacker, and Rich Hacker.
You'll find several churches in New Athens, such as St. Agatha Catholic Church, St. John United Church of Christ, St. Paul Lutheran Church, The United Methodist Church of New Athens, and First Baptist Church.
Contents
History of New Athens
The very first settlement in this area was called Manville Ferry. It was named after Ira Manville, who ran a ferry boat on the Kaskaskia River. He operated the ferry until he passed away in 1821.
Where is New Athens Located?
New Athens is found at coordinates 38.322660 degrees North and -89.874811 degrees West.
The village covers a total area of about 2.13 square miles (5.5 square kilometers). Most of this area, about 1.92 square miles (4.97 square kilometers), is land. The rest, about 0.209 square miles (0.54 square kilometers), is water.
Population Over the Years
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 603 | — | |
| 1890 | 624 | 3.5% | |
| 1900 | 856 | 37.2% | |
| 1910 | 1,131 | 32.1% | |
| 1920 | 1,406 | 24.3% | |
| 1930 | 1,269 | −9.7% | |
| 1940 | 1,355 | 6.8% | |
| 1950 | 1,518 | 12.0% | |
| 1960 | 1,923 | 26.7% | |
| 1970 | 2,000 | 4.0% | |
| 1980 | 1,937 | −3.1% | |
| 1990 | 2,010 | 3.8% | |
| 2000 | 1,981 | −1.4% | |
| 2010 | 2,054 | 3.7% | |
| 2020 | 1,955 | −4.8% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
In the year 2000, there were 1,981 people living in New Athens. The village had 774 households. About 33.6% of these households had kids under 18 living there. The average household had about 2.49 people.
The population was spread out by age. About 23.9% of the people were under 18 years old. About 17.2% were 65 years old or older. The average age in the village was 38 years.
Education in New Athens
New Athens is home to the New Athens Community Unit School District #60, also known as NACUSD 60. The high school sports teams are called the Yellow Jackets. You can find more information on their website: The school website.
Famous People From New Athens
New Athens has been home to some notable people, especially in the world of baseball:
- Rich Hacker, who coached for the St. Louis Cardinals and Toronto Blue Jays.
- Whitey Herzog, a very famous manager for the St. Louis Cardinals and Kansas City Royals. He is even in the MLB Hall of Fame.
See also
In Spanish: New Athens (Illinois) para niños
