Poca, West Virginia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Poca, West Virginia
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Poca High School
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Location of Poca in Putnam County, West Virginia.
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| Country | United States |
| State | West Virginia |
| County | Putnam |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.75 sq mi (1.95 km2) |
| • Land | 0.59 sq mi (1.52 km2) |
| • Water | 0.17 sq mi (0.43 km2) |
| Elevation | 587 ft (179 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 875 |
| • Estimate
(2021)
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873 |
| • Density | 1,659.28/sq mi (640.75/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code |
25159
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| Area code(s) | 304 |
| FIPS code | 54-64516 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1555379 |
Poca is a small town located in Putnam County, West Virginia, in the United States. In 2020, about 875 people lived there. It is part of the larger Huntington–Ashland metropolitan area. The town gets its name from the nearby Pocatalico River.
Geography
Poca is found at a special spot where the Kanawha River and the Pocatalico River meet. This is called a confluence. The town's exact location is 38.461343 degrees north and -81.815592 degrees west.
The United States Census Bureau says that Poca covers a total area of about 0.76 square miles (1.97 square kilometers). Most of this area, about 0.59 square miles (1.53 square kilometers), is land. The rest, about 0.17 square miles (0.44 square kilometers), is water.
People of Poca
How Many People Live Here?
The number of people living in Poca has changed over the years. Here's a quick look at the population from different census reports:
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 145 | — | |
| 1890 | 284 | 95.9% | |
| 1960 | 607 | — | |
| 1970 | 772 | 27.2% | |
| 1980 | 1,142 | 47.9% | |
| 1990 | 1,124 | −1.6% | |
| 2000 | 1,013 | −9.9% | |
| 2010 | 974 | −3.8% | |
| 2020 | 875 | −10.2% | |
| 2021 (est.) | 873 | −10.4% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
In 2010, there were 974 people living in Poca, making up 395 households. Most of the people living in Poca were White (98.7%). A small number were African American (0.5%) or Asian (0.2%). About 0.6% of the population were Hispanic or Latino.
The average age of people in Poca in 2010 was 42.9 years old.
- About 21.6% of residents were under 18 years old.
- About 18.9% were 65 years old or older.
- The town had slightly more females (51.5%) than males (48.5%).
Fun Facts and Culture
Poca is known for its high school, Poca High School, which has a very unique mascot: the "Dots." The school's sports teams are called the Poca Dots! ESPN even chose "Poca Dots" as the number one sports nickname in the country.
Poca High School also has a successful show choir called "Visual Volume." This group has won the WVMEA state show choir championship 14 times! The director of "Visual Volume" is Michael Rose, who took over in Fall 2020.
Poca has also inspired an artist named Ben Mahmoud. He created a series of art stamps and stories that are based on real history but add a funny, fictional twist. You can see some of these stamps and stories online.
See also
In Spanish: Poca (Virginia Occidental) para niños
