Welcome to Avena ...
Avena is located in Fayette County<1>.
The pronunciation of Avena: uh-VEE-nuh<2>
While we don't have a date for the founding of Avena, you might consider that their post office opened in 1874.
The origin (or the toponymy) of Avena: A Spanish word meaning oats.
Avena is 580 feet [177 m] above sea level.<3>.
Time Zone: Avena lies in the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT) and observes daylight saving time
Communities Also Named Avena ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 3 communities that are also named Avena - they are located in California (2) and Kentucky.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Avena.
Communities near Avena ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Avena.
- Vandalia
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vandalia have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vandalia
- Vandalia is located in Fayette County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,662 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vandalia <5>
- Altamont
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Altamont have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altamont
- Altamont is located in Effingham County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,350 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Altamont <5>
- Saint Elmo
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Elmo have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Elmo
- Saint Elmo is located in Fayette County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,367 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saint Elmo <5>
- Ramsey
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ramsey
- Ramsey is located in Fayette County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,003 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ramsey <5>
- Kinmundy
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kinmundy
- Kinmundy is located in Marion County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 752 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kinmundy <5>
- Watson
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Watson have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watson
- Watson is located in Effingham County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 732 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Watson <5>
- Cowden
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cowden have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cowden
- Cowden is located in Shelby County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 573 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cowden <5>
- Mulberry Grove
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mulberry Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mulberry Grove
- Mulberry Grove is located in Bond County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 570 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mulberry Grove <5>
- Patoka
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patoka
- Patoka is located in Marion County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 544 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Patoka <5>
- Farina
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Farina. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<6>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farina
- Farina is located in Fayette County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 495 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Farina <5>
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Avena. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Avena.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Avena. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Avena.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Avena. See our Newspapers Page for Avena.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Avena ...
Looking for more information about Avena? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
While we are unaware of a Tourism page that is specific to Avena, there are neighboring communities that do have Tourism pages. A map of those communities can be found with our TripAdvisor Page for Avena.
Adding Avena to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Avena in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Avena was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<7>
X2X - From that list, the Avena post office opened in 1874.
We also found Avena on a map titled Rand McNally Map (1881).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Avena.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Avena. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for State of Illinois: https://illinois.gov
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of Illinois' counties, including Fayette, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | The pronunciation we've provided is our attempt to give a phonetic pronunciation for Avena. While it might not be exactly right, hopefully it will be close. If we have it wrong or there's a better way to pronounce the name, please contact us through our Feedback Page. |
| <3> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Avena - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <4> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <5> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <6> | An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace. |
| <7> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |