Unalakleet, Alaska
|
|
Unalakleet is a city located in Nome Census Area, Alaska. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city is 747.
| Contents |
Geography
Unalakleet is located at 63°52'44" North, 160°47'23" West (63.878907, -160.789680)Template:GR.
Unalakleet is located on the Norton Sound of the Bering Sea at the mouth of the Unalakleet River, 238 km (148 miles) southeast of Nome.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 13.3 km² (5.1 mi²). 7.4 km² (2.9 mi²) of it is land and 5.9 km² (2.3 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 44.25% water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 747 people, 224 households, and 174 families residing in the city. The population density is 100.5/km² (260.5/mi²). There are 242 housing units at an average density of 32.6/km² (84.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 11.91% White, 0.27% Black or African American, 85.27% Native American, 0.00% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.00% from other races, and 2.54% from two or more races. 0.27% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 224 households out of which 46.9% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.3% are married couples living together, 21.4% have a female householder with no husband present, and 21.9% are non-families. 18.8% of all households are made up of individuals and 5.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 3.33 and the average family size is 3.82.
In the city 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 31 years. For every 100 females there are 114.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 124.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $42,083, and the median income for a family is $45,625. Males have a median income of $41,964 versus $32,500 for females. The per capita income for the city is $15,845. 11.0% of the population and 12.5% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 11.3% of those under the age of 18 and 10.0% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
History
Unalakleet means "place where the east wind blows" in Inupiaq.
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 975 km (605 mile) telegraph line from St. Michael to Unalakleet.