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Quick answers
How Avoca began, and where its name came from
When was Avoca founded?
1871
Avoca dates its founding to 1871 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1880.
First census: 1,913 in 18802020 census: 2,507155 years
How did Avoca get its name?
Avoca was named after Avoca, County Wicklow, Ireland.
How historic is Avoca?
B
More historic than 56% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1884. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Avoca’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Avoca is more historic than 56% of U.S. towns, #659 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Avoca’s overall grade.
Pennsylvania towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Pennsylvania town has 2.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Avoca’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (25% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±8.0 points). Two sources give 1871.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Avoca’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The community was incorporated as a borough in 1871. Its original name was "Pleasant Valley", and in 1887, it changed to "Avoca", because the name "Pleasant Valley" was already used elsewhere in Pennsylvania. It was named after Avoca, County Wicklow, Ireland.
In 1888, the majority of the 64 people killed in the Mud Run Disaster, a train wreck, were from Avoca.
From 1945 to 1947, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport was constructed in and around Avoca. A small portion of the airport was built in Avoca, while most of it was constructed in the neighboring Pittston Township. Coal mining was the chief industry in the borough for many decades. After the 1959 Knox Mine Disaster, the mining industry in the region collapsed.
Passages that mention Avoca, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, with biographical selections1893 · page 625Read the page →
Read the text
Avoca is a prosperous little borough and is rapidly improving. It is in the north part of Pittston township, nearly adjoining the Lackawanna county line, three miles from the center of Pittston borough and seven miles from Scranton. It commenced its settlement in 1871, consequent upon the development of its great coal industry, and by this its present prosperity is maintained chiefly. The council changed the name from Pleasant Vallej' to Avoca in 1889, to accord with the postoffice name of the place. As a town it is virtually linked to Pittston by Hughestown, which lies between the two places and gives the three places the appearance of one continuous
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, with biographical selections1893 · page 533Read the page →
Read the text
Formerly Pleasant Valley, is in the northern part of Pittston township, and is a flourishing borough. Settlement commenced here in 1871 and grew with the development of the collieries, and at this time has a population estimated at over 3.000. The name Avoca was adopted in 1889 — changed from the old name of Pleasant Valley, under which it was incorporated to agree with the postofifice name. It has in the way of facilities for transportation four lines of railroads. There are four churches in the place, a board of trade and an excellent fire department. The town is well supplied with excellent water by the Spring Brook Water company; has telegrajjh and
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Avoca, 1871 to 1984
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
In 1871, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Avoca’s post office opened in 1884, and the census of 1880 counted 1,913 people here.
How does Avoca rank for history?
Avoca is more historic than 56% of U.S. towns, #659 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Avoca?
54% of Avoca’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.0 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1938.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (7), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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