Thinking of Moving to Athens, GA?

Downtown Athens

The following is from Yancey Gulley, one of Athens’ best known LGBT citizens and advocates. Gulley lives, works, and plays in Athens with his husband, Corey, and their two dogs.

The Question: Very nice site! So stylish and nice to view. We’re hoping that you can help us out … we have a few questions. What is the LGBT community like in Athens? We live in San Francisco (IT and Creative Director for a retail chain), are in our 40’s, raised our gay son who’s now in college and are currently looking to relocate to a smaller town life and open a small shop and/or B&B. Though we LOVE the openness and inclusiveness of San Fransisco, it’s time for a change of pace (and actually get to know our neighbors). Ed grew up in Connecticut and lived in Minneapolis and I grew up in Los Angeles and Honolulu and have lived in San Diego before San Fransisco. We want to live in a community that is arts focused, not too homophobic (coming from San Fransisco we realize that we have been spoiled), community focused (I do a lot of non-profit work and stage events at local clubs and theatres-recently staged a gig with Margaret Cho and the Bay Area’s beloved sexologist, Dr. Carol Queen) and somewhere with hiking, rafting, camping and outdoor activities. I’ve always loved the artists who came out of Athens and the small college town charm of your town. What are your thoughts?  FYI … You might want to add another section to your site about relocation and neighborhoods for folks like us. A big thank you and hugs from the Bay Area! Steve and Ed

It is with great pleasure that I share some of my thoughts on relocating here, as it has been a wonderful move for my husband and I. We moved here 3 years ago for my husband, Corey, to take a teaching position at the University of Georgia. Having come from Long Beach, Calif., I am familiar with some of your concerns/questions. However, I must tell you that I grew up in North Carolina so the small-town South was not a totally new endeavor. Regardless, Athens has welcomed us with open arms and we have made many wonderful friends, found tremendous outlets for community involvement, enjoyed the perks that a lower cost of living brings, and enjoyed the natural surroundings.

UGA's beautiful North Campus in spring.

Athens is one of those places that has a distinct feel of a traditional college town. The “town and gown” connection is strong. For us (I also work in the realm of higher education) this is a great benefit. It is delightful during the school year to have the energy of the students all around and we find that we make many interesting friends with graduate students, as well as more long-term Athens residents. The energy that the University brings to the town is exciting and helps to propel many of the activities in town, such as local theatre groups, music groups, and art shows. For example the state art museum and botanical gardens are in Athens and are both lovely. There are always showings and events at both of these locations throughout the year. It is also fun to go to the end-of-term student exhibitions of the student work in the school of art and design or the school of music concert series. Having said all that, summers are also lovely in town, as most of the students are gone and a slower pace reaches Athens. Restaurants are a little less full, and parking is freed up. It makes for a nice balance.

The town portion of town and gown is also vibrant on its own. Athens boasts a really well done parks and recreation department that manages lots of green space in town, as well as many community activities. The Classic Center offers a wide array of cultural activities throughout the year, not to mention our local theatre company – actually called Town & Gown Players.

The music scene here continues to be a thriving one. Any night of the week you can find live music to suite your desires. Everything from light jazz to punk to country to soul to rock happens here. Athens even hosts a large music festival each year that is always a blast – AthFest. I work with some local non-profits and we were having a benefi karaoke night in April and Rick Astley showed up to sing, univited – that kind of random occurrance is what makes Athens the enjoyable place it is.

Ashford Manor, a gay owned bed and breakfast in Watkinsville.

There is also a large artist community in the area. There are frequently art festivals in the streets of Athens, Watkinsville, and other local towns. Local resaurants and bars are frequently playing host to the works of local artists. Among Athens’ art galleries is ATHICA, the Athens Institute for Contemporary Arts, that supports the gay community. Another point of interest is the annual movie festival hosted by Robert Osborne – the Class Film Festival. It is also fun to go out to Ashford Manor, a gay owned bed and breakfast in downtown Watkinsville, and catch a concert on the lawn during the summer.

Another thing to keep in mind is that while we are a vibrant place, we are a smaller town, so if these activities are not exactly what you may want at any given time, Atlanta is just an hour’s drive away. My partner and I have had season tickets to a theatre company in Atlanta (Theatrical Outfit) for several years and travel into town for those productions, usually staying

Atlanta, Georgia, is just an hour's drive from Athens.

the night for a little mini-vacation. Of course, we also just take day trips in to the city to go to a museum or do some shopping. It makes for a nice balance. For us, we were tired of living in such a populated area but do enjoy having the option of enjoying some of those perks. Having said that, we probably only go to Atlanta every other month because we find there is plenty to do in Athens to keep us busy and happy.

If you are interested in having outdoor activities close, Athens will not disappoint. This was a big factor of us, as Corey is a professor of Recreation and Leisure Studies and we enjoy being outdoors. Athens has some substantial hiking trails in and around town, including ones connecting downtown and Sandy Creek. We like to take the our two dogs on day hikes there. Or we ride out to one of the parks in the surrounding area, such as Watson’s Mill. Of course we are only a few hours from the mountains or the beaches and there are many opportunities for rafting, camping, and hiking in those areas. We like to get away to Unicoi State Park or Tallulah Gorge when we can. A full list of state parks is available on their Web site. The University’s Queer and Ally Athletics group takes part in a number of sporting activities and is a great way to see some of Georgia’s outdoor areas.

[singlepic id=251 w=320 h=240 float=right]Community involvement in the Classic City is easily navigated and generally rewarding. This is a community that knows how to be thankful for what they have as well as how to give back and support others. Since moving here, I have been involved in several groups (some with the University and some in the community). The organization with which I am currently most closely affiliated is the Boybutante AIDS Foundation. I am on the board of directors and we just celebrated our 20th year. We are a fundraising organization that hosts events throughout the year culminating in a week of festivities, including a world famous drag ball at the 40 Watt Club. All of our efforts go to raising money for AIDS Athens, another community organization with which there are volunteer oppportunities. Of course, there are more traditional organizations such as Relay for Life and others. The Town & Gown Players are always looking for volunteers as are the folks at Athens Creative Theatre. Here is information about other organizations in and around Athens.

Now for the information on all things gay in Athens (not really all things, just some tidbits). The bottom line is that I find Athens to be a very comfortable place to be gay. Now, I must say that I was just playing bagboards (cornhole) with a friend who happens to be a single gay man and we were discussing this very thing. He indicated that for single gay men, Athens can be difficult and I imagine that could be true for those who are interested in settling down (small pond). For those folks I know who are in relationships or aren’t really looking for one, this seems to be a lovely place. Corey and I really enjoyed the transition from Long Beach where the gay folks seemed segregated to certain bars and restaurants. Here we find that our friends are much more diverse and we are not relegated to certain spaces. We generally feel comfortable being affectionate in public here, as well. This is not to say that we make out in the streets, but when we meet for a drink after work at one of the local pubs, I can walk in and give him a kiss without a second thought – that’s normal and comfortable here.

There are many LGBTQ folks in the Athens area, though there is not always the level of activism to reflect that. It seems to me that for many of the LGBTQ folks I know here, that being queer is a part of who they are and not always the primary identity. I have not found this to be true in other places. So, there is really only one gay bar, Blur, and it usually is frequented by University students and not locals. However, there are many LGBTQ community groups. There are two gay supper clubs that I am aware of, there is a lesbian social group, there are numerous organizations at the University (in the law school, vet school, undergrad, graduate student, faculty/staff, etc.). The faculty/staff organization at the University is called GLOBES. Each year GLOBES publishes an LGBTQ guide to the Classic City called Friends & Family. It lists many of the community resources and organizations as well as supportive businesses.

One more tidbit about Athens – it was just listed on Kiplinger’s “Best Cities in the US” list, coming in at No. 5.