Map of Athena city

Athena is a city in Umatilla County, Oregon, United States. The population was 1,126 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Hermiston-Pendleton Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Athena city overview:
Name:	Athena city
LSAD Code:	25
LSAD Description:	city (suffix)
State:	Oregon
County:	Umatilla County
Incorporated:	1904
Elevation:	1,710 ft (520 m)
Total Area:	0.55 sq mi (1.42 km²)
Land Area:	0.55 sq mi (1.42 km²)
Water Area:	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km²)
Total Population:	1,209
Population Density:	2,202.19/sq mi (850.92/km²)
ZIP code:	97813
Area code:	541
FIPS code:	4103200
GNISfeature ID:	1167693
Website:	cityofathena.com

Online Interactive Map

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Athena online map. Source: Basemap layers from Google Map, Open Street Map (OSM), Arcgisonline, Wmflabs. Boundary Data from Database of Global Administrative Areas.

Athena location map. Where is Athena city?

Athena location on the U.S. Map. Where is Athena city. — Athena location on the U.S. Map.

Athena location on the Oregon map. Where is Athena city. — Location of Athena in Oregon.

History

Athena, about halfway between Pendleton, Oregon, and Walla Walla, Washington, was originally called Centerville. However, confusion about the name sometimes arose because Oregon had another Centerville, in Washington County, and the state of Washington had a Centerville, in Klickitat County. In 1889, local government officials asked the Centerville school principal, D. W. Jarvis, to recommend a different name. He chose Athena after the Greek goddess, and they agreed.

Centerville got its first post office on October 11, 1878. The first postmaster was William T. Cook. The post office name was changed to Athena on May 16, 1889.

Nineteenth-century settlers of Scottish descent brought to Athena an interest in the customs and music of Scotland. Before World War I, Athena had a Caledonian Society that held an annual picnic featuring Scottish dancing and bagpipes. Weston-McEwen High School in Athena revived the tradition in the 1950s when it organized a Scots dance group and a pipe band. The band has since performed at many venues in the United States and has traveled to Scotland and England to play.

Athena was also a filming location in the 1930 F.W. Murnau film “City Girl” starring Charles Farrell and Mary Duncan.

The city of Athena was born on Scottish heritage and wants to keep the history and culture alive in the small rural town. Every July the city hosts the Caledonian games. This event hosts food venues, picnic, and a wide variety of games that are common in Scottish heritage. The event holds “Scottish heritage and athletes competing in events based on historic farm skills.”