Athens, county seat of Henderson County is often referred to as the "Gateway to East Texas", just one of its many titles which include "The Black-Eyed Pea Capital" and "Home of the Hamburger".

Centrally located…easy to reach!
Athens lies within an easy drive from three interstate highways; 20, 35 and 45, and is ideally located 75 miles southeast of Dallas, 35 miles from Tyler, Corsicana and Palestine and 26 miles from Canton. The city of Athens covers 13 square miles and has a population of 12,190. Henderson County covers 943 square miles and has a population of approx. 65,000. Area lakes include Lake Athens (1,520 surface acres), home of the Texas Fresh Water Fisheries Center, Cedar Creek Lake (38,000 surface acres), Lake Palestine (25,500 surface acres) and Richland-Chambers Lake (45,000 surface acres).

Strong Industry and Economy Athens is fast becoming a center of industry as well, with new businesses moving to our area annually. This provides a broad based employment foundation for many families who formerly had to depend on more rural enterprises for their livelihood.


A Great Retirement Setting
Athens climate would be called temperate. Altitude ranges from 300 to 600 feet; annual rainfall averages 40.4 inches; January temperature averages 37 degrees and July temperature averages 97 degrees. Because of the temperate climate, location and natural beauty, Athens has become a prime location for retirement and has been noted as such by Rand McNalley.