Avoca is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

in Steuben County, New York, United States. The population was 1,996 at the 2020 census. The Town of Avoca has a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...

named Avoca. The town is in the northern part of the county, northwest of Bath, New York.

History

The first settler arrived around 1794. At that time, the area was home to the

Seneca Indians The Seneca () ( see, Onödowáʼga:, "Great Hill People") are a group of Indigenous Iroquoian-speaking people who historically lived south of Lake Ontario, one of the five Great Lakes in North America. Their nation was the farthest to the west ...

. The town was formed from parts of four other towns in 1843. Those towns contributing to the new town were: Bath, Cohocton, Howard, and Wheeler.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

, the town has a total area of 36.3 square miles (94.0 km²), of which 36.3 square miles (94.0 km²) is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1 km²) (0.06%) is water. Interstate 86,

Interstate 390 Interstate 390 (I-390) is a north–south auxiliary Interstate Highway located entirely within New York in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at the Southern Tier Expressway ( I-86 and New York State Route 17 Y ...

and New York State Route 415 pass through the town. The Gang Mills (Painted Post) to Wayland Line of the B&H Rail Corp. passes through the Village of Avoca and hamlet of Wallace in Town of Avoca. From c. 1853 to 1963, the Corning-Rochester line of the Erie Railroad passed through Avoca and Wallace. This line was removed c. 1963 by order of the ICC to increase highway use. From 1882 to 1963, Avoca and Wallace were also served by the New York (Hoboken) to Buffalo Main Line of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad (and its Erie Lackawanna successor). This through route was severed in 1963 by order of the ICC, also to increase highway usage. The former DL&W route in the Town of Avoca is now operated by the B&H Rail Corp. The Conhocton River flows through the town past Wallace, Bloomerville, and Avoca village.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2000, there were 2,314 people, 873 households, and 607 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was 63.8 people per square mile (24.6/km²). There were 1,001 housing units at an average density of 27.6 per square mile (10.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.45%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 1.04%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.39% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.30% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 0.52% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

or Latino of any race were 0.82% of the population. There were 873 households, out of which 36.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.4% were married couples living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.4% were non-families. 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.10. In the town, the population was spread out, with 29.8% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.1 males. The median income for a household in the town was $31,333, and the median income for a family was $33,566. Males had a median income of $27,194 versus $25,500 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $14,343. About 9.2% of families and 13.6% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 20.2% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in the Town of Avoca

* Avoca – The Village of Avoca is in the southeast part of the town on NY Route 415. *Bloomerville – A

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

northwest of Avoca village on NY Route 415. *Castle Creek – A stream flowing past Bloomerville to the Cohocton River. *Greenville – A hamlet in the west part of the town on County Road 6. *Twelve Mile Creek – A stream flowing into the Cohocton River at Wallace. *Wallace – A hamlet northwest of Avoca village on NY Route 415.

References

External links

Brief Avoca information

{{authority control Towns in Steuben County, New York Populated places established in 1843 1843 establishments in New York (state)