New Athens, Illinois

New Athens
Location of New Athens in St. Clair County, Illinois.
Coordinates: 38°19′05″N 89°52′42″W / 38.31806°N 89.87833°W / 38.31806; -89.87833
CountryUnited States
StateIllinois
CountySt. Clair
Named afterAthens, Greece
Area
 • Total
2.30 sq mi (5.95 km2)
 • Land2.11 sq mi (5.47 km2)
 • Water0.19 sq mi (0.48 km2)
Elevation
427 ft (130 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
1,955
 • Density925.5/sq mi (357.35/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
62264
Area code618
FIPS code17-52116
GNIS feature ID2399452
Websitewww.newathens.us

New Athens (/ˈθənz/) is a village in St. Clair County, Illinois, United States. Based upon common usage, the 'A' is always sounded with a long vowel, rather than a short vowel, by its residents, unlike the most commonly used English pronunciation of the city in Greece.

As of the 2020 census, New Athens had a population of 1,955. New Athens sits on the Kaskaskia River and was originally called Athens. The village was laid out in 1836 and incorporated in 1866. The name change to New Athens came in 1868 after it was discovered there was already an Athens in another part of the state.

New Athens is home to several churches, including St. Agatha Catholic Church, St. John United Church of Christ, St. Paul Lutheran Church, The United Methodist Church of New Athens, and First Baptist Church.