Petersburg, Alaska
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Petersburg is a city located in Wrangell-Petersburg Census Area, Alaska. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city is 3,224.
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Geography
Petersburg is located at 56°48'16" North, 132°56'31" West (56.804414, -132.942013)Template:GR. It is on the north end of Mitkof Island, where the Wrangell Narrows meets Frederick Sound. Petersburg is halfway between Juneau, 190 km (120 miles) to the north, and Ketchikan, 180 km (110 miles) to the south.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 119.2 km² (46.0 mi²). 113.6 km² (43.9 mi²) of it is land and 5.6 km² (2.2 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 4.74% water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 3,224 people, 1,240 households, and 849 families residing in the city. The population density is 28.4/km² (73.5/mi²). There are 1,367 housing units at an average density of 12.0/km² (31.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 81.64% White, 0.31% Black or African American, 7.20% Native American, 2.76% Asian, 0.19% Pacific Islander, 1.86% from other races, and 6.05% from two or more races. 2.85% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 1,240 households out of which 38.4% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% are married couples living together, 9.3% have a female householder with no husband present, and 31.5% are non-families. 25.5% of all households are made up of individuals and 6.6% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.56 and the average family size is 3.11.
In the city the population is spread out with 29.8% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 8.8% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there are 108.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 108.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $49,028, and the median income for a family is $54,934. Males have a median income of $42,135 versus $28,792 for females. The per capita income for the city is $25,827. 5.0% of the population and 3.3% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 3.5% of those under the age of 18 and 4.2% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
History
The north end of Mitkof Island was a summer fish camp utilized by Kake Tlingit from Kupreanof Island. Some began living year-round at the site, including Chief John Lot. Petersburg was named after Peter Buschmann, a Norwegian immigrant who arrived in the late 1890s. and homesteaded on the north end of the island. He built a cannery, a sawmill and a dock between 1890 and 1900. His family's homesteads grew into Petersburg, which was populated largely by people of Scandinavian origin thus giving Petersburg the nickname "Little Norway". As of today, May 17th (Norwegian Independence Day) is celebrated annually in Petersburg. The cannery has operated continuously since its completion. Petersburg is now one of Alaska's major fishing communities.
| Regions of Alaska | Missing image Alaska_state_flag.png Flag of Alaska |
|---|---|
| Alaskan Bush | Interior | North Slope | Panhandle | South Central | Tanana Valley | |
| Largest cities | |
| Anchorage | Barrow | Bethel | Fairbanks | Homer | Juneau | Kenai | Ketchikan | Kodiak | Kotzebue | Nome | Palmer | Petersburg | Seward | Sitka | Unalaska | Valdez | Wasilla | |
| Boroughs and census areas | |
| Aleutians East | Aleutians West | Anchorage | Bethel | Bristol Bay | Denali | Dillingham | Fairbanks North Star | Haines | Juneau | Kenai Peninsula | Ketchikan Gateway | Kodiak Island | Lake and Peninsula | Matanuska-Susitna | Nome | North Slope | Northwest Arctic | Prince of Wales - Outer Ketchikan | Sitka | Skagway-Hoonah-Angoon | Southeast Fairbanks | Valdez-Cordova | Wade Hampton | Wrangell-Petersburg | Yakutat | Yukon-Koyukuk |