I was on campus 99-03...this thread really reminded me how much of a period of change that was for Athens. It is pretty crazy to think about what happened in that 4 year period:
---BW3 came in (I remember it being rumored forever, then taking forever, and us students riding that emotional rollercoaster).
---Damons came in (that was so deeply exciting for me...Ribs are my favorite and it was my favorite place to go growing up in the Worthington/Dublin area).
---Ruby Tuesday and a few other chains came in.
---Walmart came to town (this was a huge deal, much polarized debate).
---The Greenery shut down.
---State street widened.
---Several off campus housing complexes were constructed.
---The Lancaster bypass was started.
---Nelsonville was completely revamped, ending a long period as the pothole capital of the world.
I think I am forgetting some things...I know every period has changes but it feels like this particular period was extra heavy on the change. And this is only speaking about the town, not anything directly university related.