Avoca is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

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 human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

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

Howard Howard is a masculine given name derived from the English surname Howard. ''The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names'' notes that "the use of this surname as a christian name is quite recent and there seems to be no particular reason for ...

, and Wheeler.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, 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 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 1956, the Corning-Rochester line of the Erie Railroad passed through Avoca and Wallace. This line, as far as Livonia, NY, was removed in 1956 by order of the ICC, at Erie's request. 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 also severed in 1963 by order of the ICC, at EL's request. 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.

Climate

Avoca has a hot-summer humid continental climate ('' Dfa''), as mean July temperatures are just above the threshold needed for a hot-summer climate.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 2,314 people, 873 households, and 607 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,001 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.45%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 1.04%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.39% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.30% from other races, and 0.52% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

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 Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

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 average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

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 ...

, 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 Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

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 Towns in New York (state) Populated places established in 1843 1843 establishments in New York (state)