Selawik, Alaska
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Selawik is a city located in Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city is 772.
Selawik comes from "siilvik" which means "place of sheefish" in Inupiaq.
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Geography
AKMap-doton-Selawik.PNG
Location of Selawik, Alaska
Selawik is located at 66°35'49" North, 160°0'49" West (66.597043, -160.013674)Template:GR.
Selawik is located at the mouth of the Selawik River where it empties into Selawik Lake, about 112 km (70 miles) southeast of Kotzebue.
Selawik is near the Selawik National Wildlife Refuge, a breeding and resting area for migratory waterfowl.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.9 km² (3.4 mi²). 6.5 km² (2.5 mi²) of it is land and 2.3 km² (0.9 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 26.24% water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 772 people, 172 households, and 147 families residing in the city. The population density is 118.3/km² (306.1/mi²). There are 188 housing units at an average density of 28.8/km² (74.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 3.24% White, 0.13% Black or African American, 94.82% Native American, 0.78% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 0.00% from other races, and 0.91% from two or more races. 0.13% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 172 households out of which 68.6% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.9% are married couples living together, 29.1% have a female householder with no husband present, and 14.5% are non-families. 12.8% of all households are made up of individuals and 1.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 4.49 and the average family size is 4.78.
In the city the population is spread out with 48.1% under the age of 18, 12.7% from 18 to 24, 23.1% from 25 to 44, 10.6% from 45 to 64, and 5.6% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 19 years. For every 100 females there are 108.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 116.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $25,625, and the median income for a family is $27,639. Males have a median income of $50,278 versus $40,417 for females. The per capita income for the city is $8,170. 34.4% of the population and 34.6% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 36.2% of those under the age of 18 and 22.7% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
History
A Lt. L. A. Zagoskin of the Imperial Russian Navy first reported the village in the 1840s as "Chilivik." In his census study in 1880, Ivan Petrof counted 100 "Selawigamute" people. census.
Around 1908, the village site had a small wooden schoolhouse and church. The village now has expanded across the Selawik River onto three banks, linked by bridges.