Loachapoka, Alabama

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Loachapoka, Alabama
settlement_type = Town
nickname =
website = http://www.soppin.org


imagesize =
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mapsize = 250px
map_caption = Location in Lee County, Alabama


mapsize1 =
map_caption1 =
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_name1 = Alabama
subdivision_name2 = Lee
population_as_of =
population_total = 165
timezone = CST
utc_offset = -6
timezone_DST = CDT
utc_offset_DST = -5
elevation_ft = 679
latd = 32 |latm = 36 |lats = 17 |latNS = N
longd = 85 |longm = 35 |longs = 49 |longEW = W
government_type =
leader_title =
leader_name =
established_date =
area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 3
area_land_km2 = 3
area_water_km2 = 0
area_total_sq_mi = 1.2
area_land_sq_mi = 1.2
area_water_sq_mi = 0
elevation_m = 207
postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 36865
area_code = 334
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 01-43744
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 0121934
footnotes =

Loachapoka is a town in Lee County, Alabama, United States. It is located seven miles west of Auburn in west-central Lee County. The population was 165 at the 2000 census. 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".

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 settlement, Loachapoka--temporarily renamed Ball's Fork--became the regional trade center, a position that was reinforced in 1845 when it became the eastern-most 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.

Culture

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

The Lee County Historical Society Museum is located in an 1845 general store in the Loachapoka historic district. Nearby, [http://www.rattlinggourdgallery.com The Rattling Gourd Gallery] exhibits regional art and craft workmanship.

Photo Gallery

Geography

Loachapoka is located at coor dms|32|36|17|N|85|35|49|W|city (32.604844, -85.596890)GR|1.

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

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 165 people, 69 households, and 46 families residing in the town. The population density was 140.2 people per square mile (54.0/km²). There were 77 housing units at an average density of 65.4/sq mi (25.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 61.21% Black or African American, 38.18% White 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.

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. " [http://www.soppin.org/syrup/poka.html 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

External links

* [http://www.soppin.org Loachapoka Syrup Soppin Festival]
* [http://www.rattlinggourdgallery.com The Rattling Gourd Gallery]
* [http://www.w4hod.com Heart of Dixie Amateur Radio Society]