Loachapoka, Alabama

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Location of Loachapoka in Lee County.
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Location of Loachapoka in Lee County.

Loachapoka is a town in Lee County, Alabama, United States. It is located seven miles west of Auburn in west-central Lee County. As of 2004, the population of the town was 162. It is part of the Auburn Metropolitan Area.

The name "Loachapoka" means "turtle killing place" in Muskogee. In literature, Lochapoka was the destination of the colonists in James H. Street's 1940 novel Oh, Promised Land.

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[edit] History

Loachapoka was a Creek Indian town for some decades prior to white settlement. In the last census prior to the Native removal to Oklahoma, Loachapoka was found to have a population of 564. Upon settlment, Loachapoka--temporarily renamed Ball's Fork--became the regional trade center, a position that was reinforced in 1845 when it became the easternmost point on the railroad to Montgomery. Loachapoka's influence peaked in the early 1870s, when her population reached nearly 1,300. Within a few years, a collapse of trade due to the Panic of 1873 and additional rail lines in the area sent Loachapoka into economic decline. Loachapoka roughly stabilized as a small farming community by the mid-1900s, and by the early 2000s had become a small-town suburb of Auburn.

[edit] Culture

Loachapoka is home to the annual Syrup Sopping Day. An historical fair and celebration of making syrup in traditional methods from sorghum and ribbon cane, Syrup Soppin Day attracts more than 20,000 people to Loachapoka.

The Lee County Historical Society Museum is located in an 1845 general store in the Loachapoka historic district. Nearby, the Rattling Gourd Gallery exhibits regional art and craftworks.

[edit] Geography

Loachapoka is located at 32°36′17″N, 85°35′49″W (32.604844, -85.596890)GR1.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 3.1 km² (1.2 mi²), all land.

[edit] Demographics

As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 165 people, 69 households, and 46 families residing in the town. The population density was 54.0/km² (140.2/mi²). There were 77 housing units at an average density of 25.2/km² (65.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 38.18% White, 61.21% Black or African American and 0.61% Asian. 0.61% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 69 households out of which 20.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.7% were married couples living together, 18.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.9% were non-families. 24.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.81.

In the town the population was spread out with 18.8% under the age of 18, 14.5% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 91.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $30,938, and the median income for a family was $33,571. Males had a median income of $28,750 versus $28,500 for females. The per capita income for the town was $14,477. About 9.5% of families and 16.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.5% of those under the age of eighteen and 20.0% of those sixty five or over.

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  • Historic Chattahoochee Commission (1978). Boom and Change. Historic Marker, Loachapoka, Ala.
  • Nunn, Alexander (Ed.) (1983). Lee County and Her Forebears. Montgomery, Ala., Herff Jones. LCCCN 83-081693
  • Schafer, Elizabeth. Loachapoka, Alabama. Retrieved September 25, 2005.
  • Wright, John Peavy (1969). Glimpses into the past from my Grandfather's Trunk. Alexander City, Ala., Outlook Publishing Company, Inc. LCCCN 74-101331
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