Updated on Apr 13, 2021
Alakanuk () is a second class city in the Kusilvak Census Area of the Unorganized Borough in the western part of the U.S. state of Alaska. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city was 677, up from 652 in 2000.
Alakanuk is located at 62.688890° North, 164.61528° West (Sec. 14, T030N, R082W, Seward Meridian). Alakanuk is located in the Bethel Recording District.
Alakanuk is located at the east entrance of Alakanuk Pass, the major southern channel of the Yukon River, from the Bering Sea. It is part of the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge. It lies southwest of Emmonak, approximately northwest of Bethel. It is the longest village on the lower Yukon - the development stretches over a area along the Pass. Approximately 25 homes along the bank are being threatened by erosion.
The climate of Alakanuk is subarctic, averaging of snowfall and of total precipitation per year. Temperatures range from between . Heavy winds are frequent during the fall and winter. The Yukon River is used as an ice road during freeze-up, from November through May.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it (21.14%) is water.
Alakanuk is a Yup'ik word meaning "wrong way" or "mistake village", aptly applied to a village on this maze of watercourses. The village was first reported by G.R. Putnam of the U.S. Coast & Geodetic Survey in 1899. It was originally settled by a Yup'ik shaman named Anguksuar and his family. A Catholic mission school was built near the village. A post office was established in 1946. In 1948, the school was relocated to St. Mary's, and many families moved from the old school site to Alakanuk. It incorporated as a second-class city in 1969.
A federally recognized tribe is located in the community—the Village of Alakanuk.
Alakanuk first appeared on the 1940 U.S. Census as the unincorporated native village of "Alaganuck." It returned as Alakanuk in 1950 and every successive census to date (2010). It formally incorporated in 1969.
As of the census of 2000, there were 652 people, 139 households, and 118 families residing in the city. The population density was 20.2 people per square mile (7.8/km). There were 160 housing units at an average density of 4.9 per square mile (1.9/km). The racial makeup of the city was 1.99% White, 95.40% Native American, 0.15% Asian, and 2.45% from two or more races.
There were 139 households, out of which 59.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.6% were married couples living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 15.1% were non-families. 10.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 2.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.69 and the average family size was 5.19.
In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 44.6% under the age of 18, 12.9% from 18 to 24, 21.9% from 25 to 44, 13.7% from 45 to 64, and 6.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 20 years. For every 100 females, there were 111.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 109.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $26,346, and the median income for a family was $26,500. Males had a median income of $19,792 versus $32,500 for females. The per capita income for the city was $6,884. About 32.5% of families and 33.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.1% of those under age 18 and 25.8% of those age 65 or over.
The City operates the water and piped sewer system and the central watering point. Approximately 90% of homes are connected. There is a sewage lagoon available for individuals to dump their honey buckets. The City Council is the policy-making body for the utility. Water is derived from the Alakanuk Slough it is treated, stored in a tank, and piped to most of the community. In 1998, 83 homes, the school and teachers' housing were connected to a new piped system. New facilities include a water treatment plant, heated 300,000-gal. water storage tank, vacuum sewage plant, sewage lagoon, Arctic piping,
More about ALAKANUK under "Town Info"
This page uses material from the Wikipedia article Alakanuk, Alaska , which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.