The
Athens-Clarke County Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the
United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of four counties -
Clarke,
Madison,
Oconee, and
Oglethorpe - in northeastern
Georgia, anchored by the city of
Athens. As of the
2000 census, the MSA had a population of 166,079 (though a July 1, 2009 estimate placed the population at 192,222).