Accolades & Rankings

Welcome to Athens, Georgia, a remarkably well-rounded community with
something for everyone.

• “Best Places to Retire 2018” (fourth consecutive year), Forbes, April 23, 2018
• “Greenest City” Award, Insurify, April 2018
• #7, “Best College Campuses in America,” Business Insider, March 2018
• 2018 Live, Work, Play City Award Winner (Large cities category) – Georgia Municipal Association, in association with Georgia Trend magazine, February 2018
• “50 Best (smaller) College Towns with the Best Music Scenes,” GoodDeedSeats.com, February 2018
• “Athens, Georgia:  A Romantic College Town that Sports a Thriving Arts, Culinary & Music Scene,” DatingAdvice.com, February 2018
• “Best College Football Towns in America” (ranked #2), USA Today Sports, Nov. 17, 2017
• “7 U.S. Cities that are Hipper Than you Think,” Jetsetter, Nov. 1, 2017
• “America’s Coolest Southern Towns,” Jetsetter, Sept. 27, 2017
• “12 Best Music Towns in the Nation,” Expedia, September 25, 2017
• “Underrated food cities in the south,” USA Today, September 18, 2017
• “Best Small Towns in the South for Retirement,” Southern Living, June 2017
• “Prettiest Town in Every State” – The Daily Meal, May 2017
• “2017’s List of Best Places to Retire” – AARP
• #2, “Top 5 Mid-sized South Atlantic Cities,” RewardExpert.com, April 2017
• #1, “The 24 coolest towns in the USA,” Matador Network, March 15, 2017
• #3, “The Most Overlooked Cities in the USA,” DK Travel, March 2017
• “25 Most Giving Cities in the U.S.,” Travelocity.com, November 9, 2016
• “Nicest Place in the South: October 2016,” PorterBriggs.com, October 1, 2016
• #1, “Top 25 College Towns,” Fansided, September 28, 2016
• #13, “The 18 Most Underrated Cities in the U.S..” Conde Nast Traveler, September 2016
• “Best College Towns in America” (#10), CollegeRank, August 2016
• “19 Best College Towns in America,” MSN Lifestyle and  PureWow, August 17, 2016
• “Best College Towns in America for Food,” MSN Lifestyle, July 15, 2016
• “#1 SEC City for Craft Beer,” SEC Country, July 2016
• “Top 17 Most Affordable U.S. Cities of 2016,” Inuit Mint, July 1, 2016
• “Best Town in College Football,” Athlon Sports, June 23, 2016
• “The 9 Best Cities for Singer-Songwriters,” Livability.com, April 24, 2016
• “Final Four – Best Southern College Towns,” GardenandGun.com, March 29, 2016
• “These Are the Best New Cities for Beer Lovers,” Fortune.com, March 2, 2016
• “9 Bike-Friendly Cities in Georgia,” Georgia Trend, February 2016
• The 12 Best U.S. Cities for Music Lovers,” The Culture Trip, January 10, 2016
• “Athens, GA: Creative Culture – Biotech, Bulldawgs, and Intown Business,” Georgia Trend, October 1, 2015
• “5 Reasons to Visit Athens, GA,” LL World Tour, September 23, 2015
• “Best College Football Towns,” Travel + Leisure, September 7, 2015
• “Best College Towns for Food & Drink,” Thrillist, May 6, 2015
• “UGA ranked No. 2 among college towns in SEC,” 247Sports.com, April 21, 2015