Athens, Tennessee

First United Presbyterian Church is a historic African-American church at 321 N. Jackson Street in Athens, Tennessee. The church was established in 1889 or 1890 as a mission church, led by minister Jacob L. Cook. Cook, a native of Athens and the son of former slaves, had attended Fisk University as a member of the Fisk Jubilee Singers, then went on to graduate from Knoxville College. In 1888 he traveled north to study for the Presbyterian ministry at the United Presbyterian Church's Allegheny Theological Seminary in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He returned to Athens and started a new congregation in a building that also served as a dance hall. The current church building was built and furnished in 1892 with assistance from sponsors in Pennsylvania. The interior seating, which is still in the church, came from an opera house. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2008. In October 2013 the Tennessee Preservation Trust named it to its annual "Ten in Tennessee" list of endangered historic properties in the state.

Tennessee Wesleyan University (TWU) is a private Methodist university in Athens, Tennessee. It was founded in 1857 and is affiliated with the Holston Conference of the United Methodist Church. It maintains a branch campus in Knoxville, where it offers evening programs in business administration. It also conducts its nursing classes in Knoxville.

Trinity United Methodist Church is a historic Methodist church in Athens, McMinn County, Tennessee. The congregation was founded in 1824-5 as the Methodist Episcopal Church of Athens. Its first meeting house was a structure of hewn logs built by slaves. It stood at the southwest corner of West Washington and Church Streets in Athens. It was eventually replaced by a brick building. When the Civil War resulted in a split within the Methodist Episcopal denomination, the congregation affiliated with the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. After the 1939 merger between that denomination and the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Methodist Protestant Church, the church became known as Trinity Methodist Church. It became a United Methodist church in 1968, when the Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church combined to form that denomination.The present church building was completed in 1910 at a cost of $32,449.28; its education wing was added in 1926. The Gothic Revival architectural design of the 1910 church was provided by Badgley and Nicklas, a Cleveland, Ohio, architecture firm. The building design features two towers, stained glass windows with stone tracery, an octagonal dome ceiling, and eight columns to represent the eight people who survived Noah's flood. It has an Akron floor plan, which allows the sanctuary to be expanded to accommodate large events.In 2009, the church building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

McMinn County School District or McMinn County Schools is a school district headquartered in Athens, Tennessee.Most of McMinn County is zoned to the district for all grade levels. Residents of Athens and Etowah however have separate school districts for PreKindergarten through 8th grade, but attend McMinn County Schools-operated facilities for grades 9–12.In 2020, the district had 5,493 students. It had two high schools, seven middle schools, seven elementary schools, and seven preschools.The demographics of the county are that as of 2019 it was 92% white, 3% Hispanic or Latino, and 2% black. 19.4% of families had an income that was below the poverty level, and 27.7% of families were receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. A total of 52.6% of the population had a high school education or less.As of January 2022 the Director of Schools is Lee Parkison.

WLAR (1450 AM, "Athens Greatest Hits") is a radio station broadcasting the Classic Hits format from Westwood One. Licensed to Athens, Tennessee, United States, the station is owned by Randall W. Sliger, and features programming from ABC News and Motor Racing Network. Beginning February 2012, WLAR began simulcasting on FM translator W235AZ 94.9 MHz, also licensed to Athens, Tennessee, through an agreement with owner The Lynn Family Trust (now W236DC). WLAR first began broadcasting in 1946.

The Battle of Athens (sometimes called the McMinn County War) was a rebellion led by citizens in Athens and Etowah, Tennessee, United States, against the local government in August 1946. The citizens, including some World War II veterans, accused the local officials of predatory policing, police brutality, political corruption, and voter intimidation.

WYXI (1390 AM, "Wixie Radio") is a radio station broadcasting a combination oldies/talk/personality format. Licensed to Athens, Tennessee, United States, the station is currently owned by Mark and Mary Lefler, and features programming from Citadel Media and Premiere Radio Networks.

McMinn County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is located in East Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 53,794. The county has a total area of 432 square miles (1,120 km2). Most of the county is within the Ridge and Valley province of the Appalachian Mountains. Its county seat is Athens. McMinn County comprises the Athens, TN Micropolitan Statistical Area.