Choccolocco, Alabama

Choccolocco is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Calhoun County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 2,804.[5] It was founded in 1832.

Choccolocco, Alabama
Census-designated place & Unincorporated community
Location of Choccolocco in Calhoun County, Alabama.
Choccolocco Location of Choccolocco in Calhoun County, Alabama. Choccolocco Choccolocco (the United States)
Coordinates: 33°39′33″N 85°42′13″W
Country	United States
State	Alabama
County	Calhoun
Area [1]
• Total	11.74 sq mi (30.40 km^2)
• Land	11.64 sq mi (30.16 km^2)
• Water	0.09 sq mi (0.24 km^2)
Elevation	679 ft (207 m)
Population  (2010)[2]
• Total	2,804
• Estimate  (2016)[3]	N/A
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code(s)	256 & 938
GNIS feature ID	159400[4]

The name Choccolocco is an anglicization of the Creek words "chahko lago" ("big shoals") or "choko rakko" ("big house"); sources vary.[6][7]

The community gained brief notoriety in 2001 when The Daily Show aired a piece on the "Choccolocco Monster",[8] a part of local folklore concerning sightings of a mysterious creature in the area in the late 1960s. An October 2001 article in the Anniston Star newspaper revealed that the creature was, in fact, local resident Neal Williamson. As a teenager, Williamson would don his costume (consisting of a cow skull and a sheet) and gain the attention of passing cars by jumping out of the woods onto the roadside, often startling motorists.[9]

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1890	601		—
2010	2,804		—
U.S. Decennial Census[10]

Choccolocco first appeared on the 1890 U.S. Census as a town, but did not appear again until 2010 when it was made a census-designated place (CDP).

References

1. "2016 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved Jul 17, 2017.
2. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
3. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved June 9, 2017.
4. "Choccolocco". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
5. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Choccolocco CDP, Alabama". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
6. "Choccolocco State Forest". Alabama Forestry Commission. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
7. "Choccolocco Alabama". Retrieved February 18, 2020.
8. Ghosts Near Mississippi | The Daily Show | Comedy Central
9. The Anniston Star - The Choccolocco Monster: Jokester reveals 32-year-old prank Archived 2005-11-04 at the Wayback Machine
10. "U.S. Decennial Census". Census.gov. Retrieved June 6, 2013.