Avoca Nebraska - Nebraska Directory

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Village · Cass County · Population 178 (2020 census) · ZIP 68307 · Founded 1882 · Peak population 270 (2000)

About Avoca

Avoca is a village of 178 in south-central Cass County, just south of US 34 near its junction with NE 50 and about 5 miles south-southeast of Weeping Water. On the last Saturday of January it hosts the Avoca Quack Off, when the volunteer fire department's duck races draw thousands of visitors.

History

An Avoca post office opened in 1857 at an earlier site, after Amos Tefft of Elgin, Illinois, settled in the area; the name comes from Thomas Moore's poem "The Meeting of the Waters," about the Vale of Avoca in Ireland. When the Missouri Pacific built its Atchison–Omaha line in 1881–82, Orlando Tefft arranged for a station on the family homestead, and Avoca was laid out there in January 1882. Nearby Factoryville faded once the station opened.

In 1890 Avoca had about 250 people, the Bank of Avoca, an elevator, the Central Hotel and a Congregational church organized in 1865; Amos Tefft was postmaster. The village held its centennial in 1982. The population peaked at 270 in 2000 and was 178 in 2020.

Highways and trails through Avoca

Route	One way	Other way
US 34Just north of town (spur S-13C)	West to NE 1 (for Elmwood) and Eagle	East past NE 67 and Nehawka to Union
NE 50Meets US 34 near Avoca	North to Weeping Water (S-13K), Manley Rd. and Louisville	South into Otoe County

Nearby towns

Weeping Water	about 5 mi north-northwest	NE 50
Nehawka	about 7 mi east-northeast	US 34
Factoryville	about 8 mi east	County roads
Wabash	about 9 mi northwest	County roads
Manley	about 9 mi north-northwest	NE 50
Union	about 10 mi east	US 34
Elmwood	about 10 mi west-northwest	US 34
Syracuse	about 10 mi south-southwest	NE 50
Dunbar	about 11 mi southeast	County roads

Things to see

Avoca Quack Off, the last Saturday of January (January 31 in 2026; registration 10–noon, racing at 1 p.m.) · Avoca Town Hall, 623 House St. · Holy Trinity Catholic Church and First Lutheran Church (organized 1880) · The Avoca Library · Weeping Water and its museums, about 5 mi north-northwest

Events in Avoca

Avoca Quack Off Duck Races
Avoca Quack Off Duck Races is held in Avoca, Nebraska, on the last Saturday of January.

Know of another event here? Tell us about it.

Schools and health care

Schools: No school in Avoca; Weeping Water Public Schools are about 5 mi north and the Syracuse-Dunbar-Avoca schools are in Syracuse (confirm the district for an address with the county)

Health care: No hospital in Avoca

Sources: U.S. Census; Wikipedia; Andreas, History of the State of Nebraska (1882); History Nebraska; National Register of Historic Places; Nebraska Game and Parks; Nebraska Department of Transportation; Cass County and village websites; school district, library and museum websites. Distances marked "about" are straight-line estimates.