Abstract:
This essay explains the economic and social system of Downtown Athens in the past. It compares past findings to the present and finds much contrast, as well as some similarities. Overall, the city has become more modern, attracting more visitors and residents each year. The development of Downtown Athens has been beneficial for the social and economic system as a whole. More revenue is generated from entertainment and the social system is sound. The essay analyzes these changes and comes to the conclusion that the development was very quick and mostly due to the influx of students coming from the University of Georgia and bringing visitors. In the essay the reader will examine the development in depth to understand the similarities
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As students, it is innate to focus solely on what the city has to offer rather than indulge on what it represents. Diving into the history, one can note that each street name possesses an anecdote or encomium, each tribute bench is more than a place to sit, and every monument yields more history than the eye can see. Downtown Athens is a very popular location, especially for the residents who live nearby. As students at the University of Georgia, we were inclined to explore the history of the place residents gladly call home. It was to know what Athens was like before its “college-town” reputation. The research dives 100-200 years in the past to educate oneself on various topics: the social system, economic system, and physical attributes of Downtown Athens. The report is instilled with information comparing Downtown Athens in the past to the present to examine similarities and differences between the two time periods. In summation, it was determined that the development of Downtown Athens has been beneficial as the economy is thriving and the social system is more cordial. Evidence shows that legal segregation was evident in the past, but has decreased throughout time and does not exist today. To add on, the economy was built upon more outdated products and services rather than the upbeat nightlife and entertainment scene existing in the present. Ultimately, …show more content…
We looked at a multitude of archives from the Special Collections Library and took notes relating to the town structure, social scene, nightlife atmosphere, and historical buildings of Downtown Athens. While examining the archives we made sure to keep track of any important information such as prices, educational records, and pictures of the scenery. One thing that sparked our curiosity was the presence of segregation that was evident throughout older records. After gaining enough information from the archival sources, we did research with the Digital Library of Georgia to find more present information about Downtown Athens. Here we took note of the current appearance and styles of Downtown Athens, as well as all of the historical buildings that still exist today. These notes allowed us to compile our discussion and make connections between the records, explaining how Athens has improved throughout time. We used our research to answer our main question and explain how the development of the town throughout time has affected the social and economic systems of Athens. This research, combined with the present knowledge we have from living in Athens, allowed us to elucidate the societal and physical changes of Downtown