Slana, Alaska
Encyclopedia
Slana (Stl’ana’ in Ahtna
) is a census-designated place
(CDP) in the Valdez-Cordova Census Area
in the Unorganized Borough
of the U.S. state of Alaska
. As of the 2000 census
, the population of the CDP was 124.
were offered for settlement by the federal government.
Slana stretches along the Nabesna Road, which runs south of the Tok Cut-Off
at mile 63 (km 101). It lies at the junction of the Slana and Copper
rivers, 85 kilometres (52.8 mi) southwest of Tok
. Slana experiences a continental climate, with long, cold winters, and relatively warm summers. Temperature extremes range from -52.2°C (-62°F) to 32.7°C (91°F). Snowfall averages 1.5 meters (61 in), with total precipitation of 33 centimeters (13 inches) per year.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the CDP has a total area of 253.8 square miles (657.3 km²), of which, 252.9 square miles (655 km²) of it is land and 0.9 square miles (2.3 km²) of it (0.37%) is water.
, 13.71% Native American
, 0.81% Asian
, 2.42% from other races
, and 2.42% from two or more races.
There were 62 households out of which 14.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.5% were married couples living together, 3.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 50.0% were non-families. 43.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.00 and the average family size was 2.74.
In the CDP the age distribution of the population shows 20.2% under the age of 18, 1.6% from 18 to 24, 21.8% from 25 to 44, 41.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females there were 129.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 147.5 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $19,583, and the median income for a family was $57,917. Males had a median income of $46,250 versus $31,250 for females. The per capita income
for the CDP was $20,018. There were 20.0% of families and 23.5% of the population living below the poverty line, including 62.5% of under eighteens and 14.3% of those over 64.
s, honeybuckets and septic systems are used for sewage disposal. Approximately one third of the homes have complete plumbing. A feasibility study has been funded to examine system alternatives. Funds have been requested for a watering point at the new Community Center/Clinic. The landfill was closed in 1990. Electricity was added in the summer of 2006 by Alaska Power and Telephone.
Station and state highway maintenance camp are located nearby. Subsistence activities supplement income.
and Richardson
Highways. Individual adjacent lots have no roads and owners must hike through other's private property. The nearest public airstrip is south, at Chistochina
. A 900' gravel private airstrip has been constructed at Duffy's Tavern.
P.O. Box 861
Slana, AK 99586
Phone 907-822-5757
Fax 907-822-3543
Community Non-Profit - Slana League
S.R. Box 867
Slana, AK 99586
Phone 907-822-3426
Fax 907-822-5009
Ahtna language
Ahtna or Ahtena is the Na-Dené language of the Ahtna ethnic group of the Copper River area of Alaska. The language is also known as Copper River or Mednovskiy...
) is a census-designated place
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
(CDP) in the Valdez-Cordova Census Area
Valdez-Cordova Census Area, Alaska
Valdez-Cordova Census Area is a census area located in the state of Alaska, United States. As of the 2000 census, the population was 10,195. It is part of the unorganized borough and therefore has no borough seat...
in the Unorganized Borough
Unorganized Borough
The Unorganized Borough is the part of the U.S. state of Alaska not contained in any of its 18 organized boroughs. It encompasses more than half of Alaska's area, , an area larger than any other US state...
of the U.S. state of Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
. As of the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
, the population of the CDP was 124.
History
Slana is an Alaska Native village name, derived from the river's name. The Nabesna Mine opened in 1923, which employed 60 people at its height. Over thirty different minerals were extracted from this site, although gold was the primary source of profit. It operated sporadically through the late 1940s. Slana developed rapidly in the 1980s when homesteadsHomestead Act
A homestead act is one of three United States federal laws that gave an applicant freehold title to an area called a "homestead" – typically 160 acres of undeveloped federal land west of the Mississippi River....
were offered for settlement by the federal government.
Geography and climate
Slana is located at 62°42′25"N 143°57′40"W (Sec. 29, T011N, R008E, Copper River Meridian) in the Chitina Recording District.Slana stretches along the Nabesna Road, which runs south of the Tok Cut-Off
Tok Cut-Off
The Tok Cut-Off is a highway in the U.S. state of Alaska, running 125 miles from Gakona Junction on the Richardson Highway, 14 miles north of Glennallen, to Tok on the Alaska Highway....
at mile 63 (km 101). It lies at the junction of the Slana and Copper
Copper River (Alaska)
The Copper River or Ahtna River is a 300-mile river in south-central Alaska in the United States. It drains a large region of the Wrangell Mountains and Chugach Mountains into the Gulf of Alaska...
rivers, 85 kilometres (52.8 mi) southwest of Tok
Tok, Alaska
Tok is a census-designated place in Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska, United States. The population was 1,393 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
. Slana experiences a continental climate, with long, cold winters, and relatively warm summers. Temperature extremes range from -52.2°C (-62°F) to 32.7°C (91°F). Snowfall averages 1.5 meters (61 in), with total precipitation of 33 centimeters (13 inches) per year.
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the CDP has a total area of 253.8 square miles (657.3 km²), of which, 252.9 square miles (655 km²) of it is land and 0.9 square miles (2.3 km²) of it (0.37%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 124 people, 62 households, and 31 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 0.5 people per square mile (0.2/km²). There were 193 housing units at an average density of 0.8/sq mi (0.3/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 80.65% WhiteRace (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 13.71% Native American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.81% Asian
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 2.42% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 2.42% from two or more races.
There were 62 households out of which 14.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.5% were married couples living together, 3.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 50.0% were non-families. 43.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.00 and the average family size was 2.74.
In the CDP the age distribution of the population shows 20.2% under the age of 18, 1.6% from 18 to 24, 21.8% from 25 to 44, 41.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females there were 129.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 147.5 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $19,583, and the median income for a family was $57,917. Males had a median income of $46,250 versus $31,250 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the CDP was $20,018. There were 20.0% of families and 23.5% of the population living below the poverty line, including 62.5% of under eighteens and 14.3% of those over 64.
Facilities and utilities
Individual wells are the primary source of water in Slana; others draw water from Rufus Creek. The schools operate individual wells. OuthouseOuthouse
An outhouse is a small structure separate from a main building which often contained a simple toilet and may possibly also be used for housing animals and storage.- Terminology :...
s, honeybuckets and septic systems are used for sewage disposal. Approximately one third of the homes have complete plumbing. A feasibility study has been funded to examine system alternatives. Funds have been requested for a watering point at the new Community Center/Clinic. The landfill was closed in 1990. Electricity was added in the summer of 2006 by Alaska Power and Telephone.
Health care
Local hospitals or health clinics include Tok Community Clinic (907-883-5855) in Tok or Gulkana Clinic (907-822-3646). A clinic is under construction. Slana is classified as an isolated village, it is found in EMS Region 2E in the Copper River Region. Emergency Services have highway, air and river access. Emergency service is provided by 911 Telephone Service and volunteers Auxiliary health care is provided by Copper River EMS (907-822-3671); Chistochina/Slana First Responders (907-822-3671); Tok Clinic or Gulkana Clinic.Economy
A roadside lodge provides groceries, gas, liquor, an auto mechanic and RV parking. Other local businesses include a general store, art gallery, canoe rental, bed and breakfast, snowmachine sales and solar panel sales. A Park RangerPark ranger
A park ranger or forest ranger is a person entrusted with protecting and preserving parklands – national, state, provincial, or local parks. Different countries use different names for the position. Ranger is the favored term in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Within the United...
Station and state highway maintenance camp are located nearby. Subsistence activities supplement income.
Transportation
Slana has road access to the statewide system by the GlennGlenn Highway
-References:* Pasch, A. D., K. C. May. 2001. Taphonomy and paleoenvironment of hadrosaur from the Matanuska Formation in South-Central Alaska. In: Mesozioc Vertebrate Life. Ed.s Tanke, D. H., Carpenter, K., Skrepnick, M. W. Indiana University Press. Pages 219-236.-External links:**...
and Richardson
Richardson Highway
The Richardson Highway is a highway in the U.S. state of Alaska, running 368 miles from Valdez to Fairbanks. It is marked as Alaska Route 4 from Valdez to Delta Junction and as Alaska Route 2 from there to Fairbanks. It is also connects segments of Alaska Route 1 between the Glenn Highway and the...
Highways. Individual adjacent lots have no roads and owners must hike through other's private property. The nearest public airstrip is south, at Chistochina
Chistochina, Alaska
Chistochina is a census-designated place in Valdez-Cordova Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 93.-Geography:Chistochina is located at ....
. A 900' gravel private airstrip has been constructed at Duffy's Tavern.
Regional organizations
Community Non-Profit - Slana Community CorporationP.O. Box 861
Slana, AK 99586
Phone 907-822-5757
Fax 907-822-3543
Community Non-Profit - Slana League
S.R. Box 867
Slana, AK 99586
Phone 907-822-3426
Fax 907-822-5009