Hi - In my opinion, Athens is NOT comparable to Ann Arbor - If we're staying in the Big Ten, Athens is much more similar to Bloomington, IN. Small, college town (Athens/Bloomington) about an hour or so away from the big city (Atlanta/Indianapolis). Thinking like a Michigan town, if you took Ann Arbor and put it say, an hour in the middle of no where (maybe in like Howell or Chelsea), then it's more comparable. Athletics are strong, and it does have very loyal fans. The town is very college/university focused as that is a large part of life there. There is a strong music scene (or so I'm told). Hope that helps - maybe some native Georgians can weigh in. I'm from Michigan, so from that perspective, I think I am fairly accurate...