Unalakleet, Alaska
Encyclopedia
Unalakleet is a city in Nome Census Area, Alaska
, United States, in the western part of the state. At the 2000 census the population was 747. Unalakleet is known in the region and around Alaska for its salmon
and king crab
harvests; the residents rely heavily on caribou, ptarmigan, oogruk (Bearded Seal
), and various salmon species. Unalakleet is also known for its aesthetic value, as it resides right next to the Bering Sea, immediately next to a large, clean river (Unalakleet River
) and has trees, tundra, and hills behind it.
Unalakleet is located at the Norton Sound end of the Unalakleet-Kaltag Portage, an important winter travel route between Norton Sound and the Yukon River
. Unalakleet has long been a major trade center between the Athabascans who lived in the interior of Alaska and the Inupiat who lived on the coast. The Russian-American Company
built a trading post here at Unalakleet in the 1830s. Reindeer
herders from Lapland
were brought to Unalakleet to teach sound herding practices in 1898. In 1901, the United States Army Signal Corps built a 605 miles (973.7 km) telegraph line from St. Michael
that passed through Unalakleet.
Unalakleet is located on the Norton Sound
of the Bering Sea
at the mouth of the Unalakleet River
, 148 miles (238.2 km) southeast of Nome
and 395 miles (635.7 km) northwest of Anchorage. Unalakleet has a subarctic climate with considerable maritime influences. Winters are cold and dry. Average summer temperatures range 47 to 62 °F (8.3 to 16.7 C); winter temperatures range from -4 F. Precipitation averages 14 inches (355.6 mm) annually, with 41 inches (104.1 cm) of snow.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 5.1 square miles (13.2 km²), of which, 2.9 square miles (7.5 km²) of it is land and 2.3 square miles (6 km²) of it (44.25%) is water.
, 0.27% Black
or African American
, 85.27% Native American
, and 2.54% from two or more races. 0.27% of the population were Hispanic
or Latino
of any race.
There were 224 households out of which 46.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.3% were married couples living together, 21.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.9% were non-families. 18.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.33 and the average family size was 3.82.
The population is spread out with 37.5% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 8.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 114.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 124.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $42,083, and the median income for a family was $45,625. Males had a median income of $41,964 versus $32,500 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $15,845. About 12.5% of families and 11.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.3% of those under age 18 and 10.0% of those age 65 or over.
to reach this checkpoint each year is awarded the Gold Coast Award, which includes $2,500 in gold nuggets. Unalakleet also plays an important role in the Iron Dog snowmobile race.
later started a boarding high school in 1954. It served students from all over western Alaska until it closed in 1985 due to the changing face of education in the villages of Alaska with the addition of local high schools in all villages.
The district office for Bering Strait School District
has been located in Unalakleet since 1983. Serving fifteen village schools, the Bering Strait School District covers approximately 75000 square miles (194,249.1 km²).
Unalakleet's local schools include Unalakleet School, a K-12 school that is internally divided into Unalakleet Elementary, Unalakleet Middle School, and Frank A. Degnan High School. The combined school population of Unalakleet Schools is 195, 180 of whom are full or part Alaska Native.
Unalakleet basketball teams have won 6 State titles (3 by Covenant High and 3 by Frank A. Degnan High). Athletics played at the school include cross country running, wrestling, mixed-6 volleyball, cross country ski/biathlon, basketball and Native Youth Olympics.
Unalakleet schools has a Gifted & Talented program. The school's students also participate in Academic Decathlon, Battle of the Books, as well as other academic programs.
is a central hub for outlying villages, providing air cargo and air taxi services and a link to Anchorage
. It is served by daily twin turbo-prop airline service to Anchorage by PenAir
, Hageland Aviation, and Everts Air Cargo (EvertsAir.com), and Boeing 737 all-cargo service on Northern Air Cargo
, as well as daily flights to Nome and outlying villages by Bering Air
, Alaska Transportation Service (freight only), and Era Aviation
, now known as Era Alaska and parent company of Era Aviation, Hageland Aviation Services, Frontier Flying Service, and Arctic Circle Air, with the Unalakleet-based Era operations being the subject of The Discovery Channel
's 2011 series "Flying Wild Alaska."
Unalakleet also has a seafood processing plant for Norton Sound
-area fishermen.
Unalakleet has an Alaska State Troopers
station.
Nome Census Area, Alaska
Nome Census Area is a census area located in the state of Alaska, United States. As of the 2000 census, the population was 9,196. It is part of the unorganized borough and therefore has no borough seat. Its largest community by far is the city of Nome....
, United States, in the western part of the state. At the 2000 census the population was 747. Unalakleet is known in the region and around Alaska for its salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
and king crab
King crab
King crabs, also called stone crabs, are a superfamily of crab-like decapod crustaceans chiefly found in cold seas. Because of their large size and the taste of their meat, many species are widely caught and sold as food, the most common being the red king crab, Paralithodes camtschaticus.King...
harvests; the residents rely heavily on caribou, ptarmigan, oogruk (Bearded Seal
Bearded Seal
The bearded seal , also called the square flipper seal, is a medium-sized pinniped that is found in and near to the Arctic Ocean. It gets its generic name from two Greek words that refer to its heavy jaw...
), and various salmon species. Unalakleet is also known for its aesthetic value, as it resides right next to the Bering Sea, immediately next to a large, clean river (Unalakleet River
Unalakleet River
The Unalakleet River in the U.S. state of Alaska flows from the Kaltag Mountains into Norton Sound, adjacent to the town of Unalakleet....
) and has trees, tundra, and hills behind it.
History
Unalakleet, an adaptation of the Iñupiaq word "Una-la-thliq"in Inupiaq, which means "from the southern side". Some Unalakleet residents were mistakenly told it meant "where the east wind blows".Unalakleet is located at the Norton Sound end of the Unalakleet-Kaltag Portage, an important winter travel route between Norton Sound and the Yukon River
Yukon River
The Yukon River is a major watercourse of northwestern North America. The source of the river is located in British Columbia, Canada. The next portion lies in, and gives its name to Yukon Territory. The lower half of the river lies in the U.S. state of Alaska. The river is long and empties into...
. Unalakleet has long been a major trade center between the Athabascans who lived in the interior of Alaska and the Inupiat who lived on the coast. The Russian-American Company
Russian-American Company
The Russian-American Company was a state-sponsored chartered company formed largely on the basis of the so-called Shelekhov-Golikov Company of Grigory Shelekhov and Ivan Larionovich Golikov The Russian-American Company (officially: Under His Imperial Majesty's Highest Protection (patronage)...
built a trading post here at Unalakleet in the 1830s. Reindeer
Reindeer
The reindeer , also known as the caribou in North America, is a deer from the Arctic and Subarctic, including both resident and migratory populations. While overall widespread and numerous, some of its subspecies are rare and one has already gone extinct.Reindeer vary considerably in color and size...
herders from Lapland
Lapland (region)
Lapland is a region in northern Fennoscandia, largely within the Arctic Circle. It streches across Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Kola Peninsula . On the North it is bounded by the Barents Sea, on the West by the Norwegian Sea and on the East by the White Sea...
were brought to Unalakleet to teach sound herding practices in 1898. In 1901, the United States Army Signal Corps built a 605 miles (973.7 km) telegraph line from St. Michael
St. Michael, Alaska
St. Michael is a city in Nome Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 368.-Geography:St. Michael is located at on the east side of St...
that passed through Unalakleet.
Geography
Unalakleet is located at 63°52′44"N 160°47′23"W (63.878907, -160.789680).Unalakleet is located on the Norton Sound
Norton Sound
Norton Sound is an inlet of the Bering Sea on the western coast of the U.S. state of Alaska, south of the Seward Peninsula. It is about 240 km long and 200 km wide. The Yukon River delta forms a portion of the south shore and water from the Yukon influences this body of water...
of the Bering Sea
Bering Sea
The Bering Sea is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It comprises a deep water basin, which then rises through a narrow slope into the shallower water above the continental shelves....
at the mouth of the Unalakleet River
Unalakleet River
The Unalakleet River in the U.S. state of Alaska flows from the Kaltag Mountains into Norton Sound, adjacent to the town of Unalakleet....
, 148 miles (238.2 km) southeast of Nome
Nome, Alaska
Nome is a city in the Nome Census Area in the Unorganized Borough of the U.S. state of Alaska, located on the southern Seward Peninsula coast on Norton Sound of the Bering Sea. According to the 2010 Census, the city population was 3,598. Nome was incorporated on April 9, 1901, and was once the...
and 395 miles (635.7 km) northwest of Anchorage. Unalakleet has a subarctic climate with considerable maritime influences. Winters are cold and dry. Average summer temperatures range 47 to 62 °F (8.3 to 16.7 C); winter temperatures range from -4 F. Precipitation averages 14 inches (355.6 mm) annually, with 41 inches (104.1 cm) of snow.
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 city has a total area of 5.1 square miles (13.2 km²), of which, 2.9 square miles (7.5 km²) of it is land and 2.3 square miles (6 km²) of it (44.25%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 747 people, 224 households, and 174 families residing in the city. The population density was 260.5 people per square mile (100.5/km²). There were 242 housing units at an average density of 84.4 per square mile (32.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 11.91% 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...
, 0.27% Black
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...
or African 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...
, 85.27% 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...
, and 2.54% from two or more races. 0.27% of the population were Hispanic
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...
or Latino
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...
of any race.
There were 224 households out of which 46.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.3% were married couples living together, 21.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.9% were non-families. 18.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.33 and the average family size was 3.82.
The population is spread out with 37.5% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 8.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 114.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 124.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $42,083, and the median income for a family was $45,625. Males had a median income of $41,964 versus $32,500 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 city was $15,845. About 12.5% of families and 11.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.3% of those under age 18 and 10.0% of those age 65 or over.
Mushing influence
Unalakleet is the first checkpoint on the Norton Sound in the famous Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race 851 miles (1,369.5 km) from the start in Anchorage. The first musherMushing
Mushing is a general term for a sport or transport method powered by dogs, and includes carting, pulka, scootering, sled dog racing, skijoring, freighting, and weight pulling. More specifically, it implies the use of one or more dogs to pull a sled on snow or a rig on dry land...
to reach this checkpoint each year is awarded the Gold Coast Award, which includes $2,500 in gold nuggets. Unalakleet also plays an important role in the Iron Dog snowmobile race.
Education
The Swedish Covenant Church established a mission in Unalakleet in 1887. The Evangelical Covenant ChurchEvangelical Covenant Church
The Evangelical Covenant Church is an evangelical Christian denomination of more than 800 congregations and an average worship attendance of 179,000 people in the United States and Canada with ministries on five continents. Founded in 1885 by Swedish immigrants, the church is now one of the most...
later started a boarding high school in 1954. It served students from all over western Alaska until it closed in 1985 due to the changing face of education in the villages of Alaska with the addition of local high schools in all villages.
The district office for Bering Strait School District
Bering Strait School District
Bering Strait School District is a school district in northwestern Alaska, United States, serving approximately 1,700 students in grades K-12 in fifteen isolated villages...
has been located in Unalakleet since 1983. Serving fifteen village schools, the Bering Strait School District covers approximately 75000 square miles (194,249.1 km²).
Unalakleet's local schools include Unalakleet School, a K-12 school that is internally divided into Unalakleet Elementary, Unalakleet Middle School, and Frank A. Degnan High School. The combined school population of Unalakleet Schools is 195, 180 of whom are full or part Alaska Native.
Unalakleet basketball teams have won 6 State titles (3 by Covenant High and 3 by Frank A. Degnan High). Athletics played at the school include cross country running, wrestling, mixed-6 volleyball, cross country ski/biathlon, basketball and Native Youth Olympics.
Unalakleet schools has a Gifted & Talented program. The school's students also participate in Academic Decathlon, Battle of the Books, as well as other academic programs.
Transportation
Unalakleet AirportUnalakleet Airport
Unalakleet Airport is a state-owned public-use airport located one nautical mile north of the central business district of Unalakleet, a city in the Nome Census Area of the U.S. state of Alaska.- Facilities and aircraft :...
is a central hub for outlying villages, providing air cargo and air taxi services and a link to Anchorage
Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage is a unified home rule municipality in the southcentral part of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost major city in the United States...
. It is served by daily twin turbo-prop airline service to Anchorage by PenAir
PenAir
Peninsula Airways, doing business as PenAir, is an American airline headquartered in Anchorage, Alaska. It is Alaska's second largest commuter airline operating an extensive scheduled passenger and cargo service, as well as charter and medevac services...
, Hageland Aviation, and Everts Air Cargo (EvertsAir.com), and Boeing 737 all-cargo service on Northern Air Cargo
Northern Air Cargo
Northern Air Cargo is an American cargo airline based in Anchorage, Alaska, USA. It operates services within Alaska and to Canada and mainland USA. Its main base is Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, with a hub at Fairbanks International Airport....
, as well as daily flights to Nome and outlying villages by Bering Air
Bering Air
Bering Air is an American regional airline headquartered in Nome, Alaska, USA. It operates domestic scheduled passenger and charter services, as well as air ambulance and helicopter services...
, Alaska Transportation Service (freight only), and Era Aviation
Era Aviation
Era Alaska is an airline headquartered in Anchorage, Alaska, United States. It operates a network of services from Anchorage as part of an Alaska Airlines Partnership. Its primary hub is Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport.- History :...
, now known as Era Alaska and parent company of Era Aviation, Hageland Aviation Services, Frontier Flying Service, and Arctic Circle Air, with the Unalakleet-based Era operations being the subject of The Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
's 2011 series "Flying Wild Alaska."
Unalakleet also has a seafood processing plant for Norton Sound
Norton Sound
Norton Sound is an inlet of the Bering Sea on the western coast of the U.S. state of Alaska, south of the Seward Peninsula. It is about 240 km long and 200 km wide. The Yukon River delta forms a portion of the south shore and water from the Yukon influences this body of water...
-area fishermen.
Unalakleet has an Alaska State Troopers
Alaska State Troopers
The Division of Alaska State Troopers is the state police agency of Alaska. It is a division of the Alaska Department of Public Safety . The Alaska State Troopers are a full service law enforcement agency and handle both traffic and criminal law enforcement...
station.