Chances are, if you're from Athens, Georgia, you're well aware of the fake locals who come here to attend UGA and claim Athens as their home. First of all, that's amazing. That's what you're supposed to feel and claim when you come here, but when it comes down to knowing Athens better than actual locals...that's a problem.
TECHNICALLY, I am aware that I'm not really from Athens because TECHNICALLY, I was born in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India and lived there for a year before I moved to the United States. But when my father first moved from his job in Chicago, it was to bring his family to Athens. Here, my parents both pursued higher education at the University of Georgia: my dad completed his post-doctorate work for his Ph.D. in chemistry and my mom completed her SECOND master's degree in chemistry. Couple goals? I think so.
Anyways, we've lived in this town since 2001/2002. We haven't moved away as a whole family, other than a three-month stint in Decatur, Georgia. So I feel that I am completely justified in claiming to be an Athenian. I'm not just saying that lightly either. I really take my "roots" here, as well as my ethnicity and culture very seriously, and my identity, as is everyone else's, is constructed around the experiences I have in both areas of my life.
Typically, your fake locals include people who are really from around Athens but spend a lot of time hanging around in Athens, so they're "from there." Here's a tweet that I feel really summarized those people well.
Yup...https://twitter.com/ekb33_/status/1122196570760470528
Most of these counties are within 30 minutes to an hour of Clarke County. But, they're clearly not Clarke County. A few additions to that list would also be Barrow County, Greene County, and Gwinnett County.
Anyways, residents of those counties are justified in claiming Athens because they literally spend either every weekend here, or they at one point might have lived in Athens, either for college or family.
On the other hand, I've lived in Athens for more than half of my life. When my parents were pursuing their degrees/post-degree work, we lived in Family Housing, which is dedicated to UGA students who have families and need housing. Typically, this is for international students or non-traditional students. So I guess in a way, we've been tied to UGA for a long time. We lived in Family Housing, Carousel Village, and Brandon Oaks. That was from my toddler years to when I was about 8 or so. Those were the years that I spent attending Athens Montessori School. Then, we moved out to South Milledge Ave and spent a good 3 years living it up in apartment B12 and A8. During that time, I was a proud Barrow Buddy at David C. Barrow Elementary School. It was only when I was 12 that we moved out to Oconee County. And the only reason for that was so I could be a part of that school system. But even then, we still literally live on the cusp between pure Oconee County and Athens.
But that hasn't stopped us from living in Athens otherwise. One of the other main reasons we moved out to Oconee County was because we had been jumping from apartment to apartment in Athens. Being a grad student only pays so much, so we definitely had a lot of money trouble. At that point, it felt wrong to have lived here for so long and still not have a physical place to call home and settle down.
I understand that living in different places in Athens doesn't really constitute being Athenian. My best friend who was literally born in St. Mary's had her family childhood home on Prince Avenue. And living on Prince Avenue in a home is different from jumping between apartments meant for college students. But we didn't have much choice as immigrants.
It's also not the same as living through the struggle of being caught between the bubble of wealth and poverty. It's very different for people who live in public housing projects or who attend Clarke Middle School and Clarke Central High School. I understand that. So when a true, true local calls me out on claiming Athens, I let it go (but only a little bit).
And I'll admit, I don't know Athens through and through. Of course, there are several places where I have spent my childhood and know them well: Lyndon House Arts Center, the Botanical Garden, Bishop Park, the ACC Library, Alps Road, the East Side, etc... But there are also several places I've never been to. I haven't eaten at every single local restaurant. I'm not up to date with every new pop up stall or shopping complex. But I know it well enough to know that it's not a city you should only take at face value.
My point is, it's different coming here for your college years versus growing up here and seeing the changes that the city makes to cater outsiders, rather than putting 100% of their efforts in uplifting the people in need here. I know that in any municipality, that's a hard line to draw, but there's so much more that we need to work on.
Saying "Hey Athens, Georgia, this is ya girl ________ on 100.1" and just hitting downtown every night of the week doesn't make you Athenian. It means you're investing in the city's attractions- which is crucial. You should support local restaurants, farmers markets, entertainment, and so on. It means you're here to experience life and learn. But in my opinion, you are a true Athenian if you're here with the intent to empower your neighbors and to put your energy into uplifting the community and giving back, whether that's through direct service or just being there for one another. Take what you learn and experience and apply it to reciprocating the love that the city has shown you. So if you're a newcomer, or if you've been here for a while, just remember that being Athenian means being family. And you thought I was going to be an elitist in this article. I hate elitists.