Dillingham, Alaska
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Dillingham is a city located in Dillingham Census Area, Alaska. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city is 2,466.
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Geography
Dillingham is located at 59°2'48" North, 158°30'31" West (59.046751, -158.508665)Template:GR.
Dillingham is on Nushagak Bay, an inlet of Bristol Bay, an arm of the Bering Sea, in southwestern Alaska.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 92.6 km² (35.7 mi²). 87.1 km² (33.6 mi²) of it is land and 5.5 km² (2.1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 5.93% water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 2,466 people, 884 households, and 599 families residing in the city. The population density is 28.3/km² (73.4/mi²). There are 1,000 housing units at an average density of 11.5/km² (29.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 35.60% White, 0.65% Black or African American, 52.55% Native American, 1.18% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.61% from other races, and 9.41% from two or more races. 3.49% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 884 households out of which 41.3% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% are married couples living together, 15.3% have a female householder with no husband present, and 32.2% are non-families. 27.6% of all households are made up of individuals and 4.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.75 and the average family size is 3.37.
In the city the population is spread out with 34.6% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 5.0% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 33 years. For every 100 females there are 106.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 102.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $51,458, and the median income for a family is $57,417. Males have a median income of $47,266 versus $34,934 for females. The per capita income for the city is $21,537. 11.7% of the population and 10.1% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 14.4% of those under the age of 18 and 5.9% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
History
The area around Dillingham was inhabited by both Yupik and Athabaskans. It became a trade center when Russians built Alexandrovski Redoubt (Post) there in 1818. The area was called Nushagak, after the Nushagak River. Nushagak became a place where different groups from the Kuskokwim River, the Alaska Peninsula and the Cook Inlet came to trade or live at the post. In 1837 a Russian Orthodox mission was built at Nushagak.
In 1881, after the Alaska Purchase by the United States, the United States Signal Corps built a weather station at Nushagak. In 1884 the first salmon cannery in the Bristol Bay region was constructed east of the site of modern-day Dillingham. Ten more were built by 1900. The post office east of Nushagak at Snag Point and the town were named in 1904 after United States Senator Paul Dillingham, who had toured Alaska extensively with his Senate subcommittee during 1903.
In 1918 and 1919, an influenza epidemic left no more than 500 survivors around Dillingham. A hospital and orphanage were established in Kanakanak after the epidemic, 10 km (6 miles) south of Dillingham.
Present day industries around Dillingham are fishing and canning, sport fishing and tourism.