Updated on Apr 13, 2021
Unalakleet is a city in Nome Census Area, Alaska, United States, in the western part of the state. At the 2010 census the population was 688, down from 747 in 2000. Unalakleet is known in the region and around Alaska for its salmon and king crab harvests the residents rely for much of their diet on caribou, ptarmigan, oogruk (bearded seal), and various salmon species.
Unalakleet is also known for its aesthetic value. It is located next to the Bering Sea and the large, clean Unalakleet River. The landscape also has trees, tundra, and hills behind it.
Unalakleet is an adaptation of the Iñupiaq word "Una-la-thliq" , which means "from the southern side".
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 Athabascan people, who lived in the interior of Alaska, and the Inupiat, who lived on the coast.
In the 1830s Russian explorers and traders came: The Russian-American Company built a trading post here at Unalakleet. In 1898 the United States arranged for Sami reindeer herders from Lapland to be brought to Unalakleet, to work with the people about herding practices. In 1901, the United States Army Signal Corps built a telegraph line from St. Michael that passed through Unalakleet.
Unalakleet is located at (63.878907, -160.789680).
Unalakleet is located on the Norton Sound of the Bering Sea at the mouth of the Unalakleet River, southeast of Nome and northwest of Anchorage. Unalakleet has a subarctic climate (Koppen: Dfc) with considerable maritime influences. Winters are cold and dry. Average summer temperatures range winter temperatures range from . Precipitation averages annually, with of snow. Despite its coastal location it has minimal seasonal lag, and December is the coldest month.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it (44.25%) is water.
Unalakleet first appeared on the 1880 U.S. Census as the unincorporated Inuit village of "Oonalakleet." All 100 of its residents were listed as Inuit. It was listed in the 1890 census as "Unalaklik." Of its 175 residents, 170 were Native, 3 were Creole (mixed Russian & Native), and 2 were White. It was listed again as Unalaklik in 1900 and in 1910 under that name, although the latter census also listed it as spelled Unalakleet . Since 1920, it has been recorded in the censuses as Unalakleet. It was formally incorporated in 1974.
As of the census of 2010, there were 688 people, 225 households, and 172 families residing in the city. The population density was 237.2 people per square mile (91.6/km2 ). There were 268 housing units at an average density of 92.4 per square mile (36.2/km2 ). The racial makeup of the city was 15.0% White, 0.6% Black or African American, 77.3% Native American, 0.1% from other races, and 6.4% from two or more races. 1.0% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. In 2013 there were 882 people.
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 was 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.
More about UNALAKLEET under "Town Info"
This page uses material from the Wikipedia article Unalakleet, Alaska , which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.