| Avoca, Pennsylvania | |
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| — Borough — | |
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Avoca, Pennsylvania
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Luzerne |
| Incorporated | 1871 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Borough Council |
| • Bob Mullen | |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.9 sq mi (2.3 km2) |
| Elevation | 735 ft (224 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 2,851 |
| • Density | 3,186.0/sq mi (1,230.1/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| Zip code | 18641 |
| Area code(s) | 570 |
Avoca is a borough within the Greater Pittston area of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, ten miles (16 km) northeast of Wilkes Barre and nine miles (15 km) southwest of Scranton. The population was 2,851 at the 2000 census. The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport (AVP) is located in Pittston Township located near Avoca.
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It was incorporated in 1871 when it was called Pleasant Valley, but changed its name to Avoca in 1887 as there was another 'Pleasant Valley' in Pennsylvania.[1] It suffered tragedy in 1888 when 37 inhabitants were killed in a train wreck known as the Mud Run Disaster. As is true of much of Pennsylvania, the mining of coal was a key industry in the past. 3,847 people lived in Avoca in 1900, and 4,634 in 1910.
Avoca is located at (41.338925, -75.741805)[2].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 0.9 square miles (2.3 km2), all of it land. The borough is served by the Pittston Area School District.
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 2,851 people, 1,177 households, and 787 families residing in the borough. The population density was 3,186.0 people per square mile (1,236.8/km²). There were 1,267 housing units at an average density of 1,415.9 per square mile (549.7/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 99.26% White, 0.14% African American, 0.14% Asian, 0.21% Pacific Islander, 0.11% from other races, and 0.14% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.11% of the population.
There were 1,177 households out of which 27.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.0% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.1% were non-families. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.06.
In the borough the population was spread out with 21.2% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 18.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.1 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $34,973, and the median income for a family was $44,185. Males had a median income of $33,835 versus $27,448 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $17,896. About 5.1% of families and 6.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.6% of those under age 18 and 10.2% of those age 65 or over.