Albany, OH

Albany occupies just over 1.25 square miles in southwest Athens County, where U.S. 50 and Ohio 32 pass through the village. It was laid out around 1832, and its roads made it a major Underground Railroad stop: people escaping slavery could reach the area by following the Hocking River upriver from the Ohio River. The village also carries an educational history through Manual Labor University and the liberal admissions tradition associated with its early school life. The 2020 census counted 917 residents, giving Albany a history larger than its present population.

Current village business is visible in the municipal map. Albany operates its own water and sanitary-sewer systems, street department, police department, parks and recreation department, and volunteer fire service. The village council meets at Village Hall on Alton Street, and the Alexander Local Schools campus sits on Ayers Road, serving elementary, middle, and high-school students. Downtown development, park improvements, the Albany Business Park, and the U.S. 50/Ohio 32 corridor are part of the village's present planning conversation.