Avoca, Indiana facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Avoca, Indiana
Census-designated place
Location in Lawrence County, Indiana
Avoca, Indiana Location in Indiana Show map of Indiana Avoca, Indiana Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Indiana
County	Lawrence
Township	Marshall
Area
• Total	2.10 sq mi (5.43 km2)
• Land	2.10 sq mi (5.43 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	571 ft (174 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	545
• Density	260.14/sq mi (100.43/km2)
ZIP code	47420
FIPS code	18-02890
GNIS feature ID	2629855

Avoca is a small community in Lawrence County, Indiana, United States. It is known as a census-designated place, which means it's an area identified by the U.S. Census Bureau for statistics. However, it is not an officially incorporated city or town with its own local government. In 2020, about 545 people lived there.

History of Avoca

Avoca was first planned out in 1819. This process is called "platting," which means creating a map that divides land into lots. The community likely got its name from the River Avoca. This river is mentioned in a famous poem by Thomas Moore. Avoca got its own post office in 1856.

Geography of Avoca

Avoca is located in the northwestern part of Lawrence County. A major road, Indiana State Road 37, runs along its eastern side. This road goes north about 19 miles to Bloomington. It also goes south about 6 miles to Bedford. Bedford is the "county seat," which means it's the main town where the county government offices are located.

Another road, State Road 58, goes through the middle of Avoca. It joins SR 37 going south. It also leads west about 11 miles to Owensburg. State Road 54 starts at SR 37 and goes northwest about 27 miles to Bloomfield.

The U.S. Census Bureau says that the Avoca census-designated place covers an area of about 2.1 square miles (5.4 square kilometers). All of this area is land. The community is in the valley of Goose Creek. This creek flows southeast into Salt Creek. Salt Creek is part of the White River watershed. A watershed is an area of land where all the water drains into a common river or lake.

Avoca Park and Recreation

Avoca Park and Recreation

The Avoca State Fish Hatchery was built in 1819. It first served as a grist mill, which is a place where grain is ground into flour. In 1919, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) bought the property. They started building ponds there in 1923.

For many years, the Hatchery stocked Indiana's waters with fish. However, the DNR stopped using it in 2013, and the place started to fall apart. The mayor of Bedford, Shawna Girgis, asked Bedford Park Director Barry Jeskewich to help restore this important historical spot for Lawrence County.

Barry Jeskewich worked with James Farmer from Indiana University's Sustaining Hoosier Communities program. They got a grant to save this beloved green space for the community. The Avoca State Fish Hatchery was then renamed Avoca Park and Recreation. Now, the local community manages and cares for this special park.

Population Information

This table shows the population of Avoca based on the U.S. Census. In 2020, 545 people lived in Avoca.

See also

In Spanish: Avoca (Indiana) para niños