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Founded in 1850, the City of Athens, is known as both the "Home of the Hamburger" and the "Black-Eyed Pea Capitol of the World."

Established in 1850, Athens was named after the Grecian city. During the 1880s, the owner of a cafe in downtown, Flecher Davis, created a food item that would become a monumental staple in American cuisine: the hamburger. In 1904, the business community raised funds to send Davis with his hometown food invention to the St. Louis World Fair, "where the hamburger was introduced to the world."

The city's other slogan, "The Black-Eyed Capitol of the World," is rooted in its pea-processing history. After years of raising, processing, and canning Black-eyed peas, the city started to host a yearly jamboree that takes place each July. 

http://www.texasescapes.com/TRIPS/East_Texas_Sunday_Drives/Athens_Texas_travel.htm