Avoca, Indiana Explained

Official Name:Avoca, Indiana
Settlement Type:Census-designated place
Pushpin Map:Indiana#USA
Pushpin Label:Avoca
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Indiana
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Lawrence
Subdivision Type3:Township
Subdivision Name3:Marshall
Area Total Km2:5.43
Area Land Km2:5.43
Area Water Km2:0.00
Population As Of:2020
Population Total:545
Population Density Km2:100.43
Coordinates:38.9172°N -86.5556°W
Elevation Ft:571
Postal Code Type:ZIP code
Postal Code:47420
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank Info:18-02890[1]
Blank1 Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank1 Info:2629855
Unit Pref:Imperial
Area Footnotes:[2]
Area Total Sq Mi:2.10
Area Land Sq Mi:2.10
Area Water Sq Mi:0.00
Population Density Sq Mi:260.14

Avoca is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Marshall Township, Lawrence County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2010 census the population was 583.[3]

History

Avoca was platted in 1819.[4] The community likely took its name after the River Avoca, which was mentioned in a poem by Thomas Moore.[5] The Avoca post office was established in 1856.[6]

Geography

Avoca is located in northwestern Lawrence County in the southwest corner of Marshall Township. Indiana State Road 37 runs along the eastern edge of the community, leading north to Bloomington and south 6miles to Bedford, the Lawrence county seat. State Road 58 passes through the center of Avoca, joining SR 37 southbound but leading west to Owensburg. State Road 54 has its eastern terminus at SR 37 and leads northwest to Bloomfield.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Avoca census-designated place has an area of 5.4sqkm, all of it recorded as land.[7] The community is in the valley of Goose Creek, which flows southeast to Salt Creek, part of the White River watershed.

Avoca Park

See main article: Avoca Park. The Avoca State Fish Hatchery was built in 1819 and first served as a grist mill until 1919, when it was purchased by the DNR, who began building ponds in 1923. The Hatchery stocked Indiana's waters with fish for years until it was decommissioned by the DNR in 2013 and fell into disrepair. Bedford Mayor Shawna Girgis asked Bedford Park Director, Barry Jeskewich, to restore this historical location for Lawrence County. Barry Jeskewich partnered with James Farmer, Indiana University Sustaining Hoosier Communities to obtained a grant to preserve this beloved green space for the surrounding community.Avoca State Fish Hatchery was renamed Avoca Park and Recreation and is now in the hands of the local community.

Demographics

References

Footnotes

  1. Web site: U.S. Census website . . 2008-01-31 .
  2. Web site: 2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files. United States Census Bureau. March 16, 2022.
  3. Web site: Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (DP-1), Avoca CDP, Indiana. U.S. Census Bureau. American FactFinder. January 23, 2020. https://archive.today/20200213134729/https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/SF1DP1/1600000US1802890. February 13, 2020. dead.
  4. Book: History of Lawrence and Monroe Counties, Indiana: Their People, Industries, and Institutions . B.F. Bowen . 1914 . 205.
  5. Book: Baker, Ronald L.. From Needmore to Prosperity: Hoosier Place Names in Folklore and History. registration. October 1995. Indiana University Press. 978-0-253-32866-3. 57. ...the fourth stanza of Thomas Moore's poem "The Meeting of the Waters.".
  6. Web site: Lawrence County . Jim Forte Postal History . 31 December 2014.
  7. Web site: U.S. Gazetteer Files: 2019: Places: Indiana. U.S. Census Bureau Geography Division. January 23, 2020.

Sources