I grew up in Athens, and there are indeed a bunch of religious nutcases there. When they held the first vote, I was in college at the time in Birmingham. Since I was still registered to vote in Limestone County, I made the drive up to vote and immediately drove right back to Bham. I'm glad I did since the vote passed by something on the order of ~100 votes. Athens has a beautiful old-time downtown that while in better shape than a lot of small Alabama downtown areas, is severely lacking in entertainment(ie no bars, a handful of restaurants).
After the vote, a new bar/restaurant did open in Athens. It was called Lake Ida. It was not downtown, but was located on a little manmade lake off of Lindsey Lane. I lived in Athens for a couple years with my folks after I got a job in Huntsville while I saved up money(bought a car, new computer, 20% downpayment for a house, etc) and I went to Lake Ida a lot being how it was half a mile from the folks' house. Unfortunately, Lake Ida fell victim to the religious nutjobs too(I've heard rumors of the owner having a drug problem too but that is unconfirmed). My parents showed me an email that the 'good church going folks' of Athens had been circulating speaking of the evils of the establishment. I wish I had kept that email because it was laughably ignorant. The place closed, and I know under new ownership it could have done well, since it was always busy. But no. The moral squad of Athens got their hands on it with plans of turning it into some kind of health food store, which let me tell you, would have lasted maybe 6 months before they would have been forced to close due to a complete lack of business. And get this... The idiot fundy who bought it has done nothing except let it sit for over a year. I mean this is prime real estate... Right on the lake, with a deck wrapping around it. Just perfect for a bar/restaurant. Now the only use it gets is my grandmother goes fishing off of that very same deck every couple of days.
The ignorant fundies have held back Athens for years, but luckily critical mass is approaching and I believe the restaurants and bars will start flowing regardless. This is already happening... A new Mexican and a new Italian place have both recently opened, which I've heard are both excellent. Also, a new steak and seafood place is slated to open. All of these downtown and I'm sure more to come.
One more thing... I bought a house in the Blossomwood area of Huntsville like 3 months ago, which is awesome btw. I love being within a mile of downtown, 5 points, and the medical district. I'm still registered to vote in Limestone county. I was planning on it anyways, but my folks called a week ago bribing me with a good home cooked meal to come home to vote and keep Athens wet. And you can bet my parents, grandparents and brother who reside there will be voting the same way. The fundies may be louder, but most Athens residents realize how stupid it would be to take such a step backwards.
