Athens is a city located in Athens County, Ohio, within the United States. Situated along the Hocking River in the Appalachian region of Ohio, it sits approximately 65 miles (105 km) southeast of Columbus. The city serves as the county seat and functions as the principal city of the Athens micropolitan area.
The city is primarily recognized as the home of Ohio University, a large public research university. The institution maintains an undergraduate and graduate enrollment exceeding 21,000 students. According to the 2020 United States census, the population of the city was 23,849.