Chicken, Alaska
Encyclopedia
Chicken is a census-designated place
(CDP) in Southeast Fairbanks Census Area
, Alaska
, United States
. Chicken is a community founded on gold mining and is one of the few surviving gold rush towns in Alaska. The population was seven at the 2010 Census.
in the late 1800s and in 1902 the local post office was established requiring a community name. Due to the prevalence of ptarmigan in the area that name was suggested as the official name for the new community. However, the spelling could not be agreed on and Chicken was used to avoid embarrassment. A portion of Chicken, with buildings from the early 1900s and the F.E. Company Dredge No. 4 (Pedro Dredge) are listed on the National Register of Historical Places. Chicken is the outpost for the 40 Mile mining district. There are still active gold mines in this area. Enough gold was mined here to make it worthwhile to haul huge gold dredges to this remote location. There are still several inactive gold dredges in the Chicken area.
Chicken has one important former inhabitant: The teacher Anne Hobbs Purdy, co-author of the book "Tisha" (together with Robert Specht, Bantam Books), lived here for 1 year in the late 1920s teaching the local children. Her book tells her story in the Alaskan wilderness and how she faces the difficulties of a close-set community, prejudices against natives, and the hard winter.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the CDP has a total area of 115.4 square miles (298.9 km²), all of it land.
The only transportation to Chicken is a small local airstrip
, as well as Alaska Route 5, the Taylor Highway
. The highway
is not maintained from mid-October through mid-March.
There is a United States Post Office for Chicken.
There is no local telephone
exchange service in Chicken.
The zip code for Chicken is 99732.
of 2000, there were 17 people, 6 households, and 4 families residing in the CDP. The population density
was 0.1 people per square mile (0.1/km²). There were 21 housing units at an average density of 0.2 per square mile (0.1/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 100.00% White
.
There were 6 households out of which 50.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.7% were married couples
living together, 16.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.7% were non-families. 16.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 29.4% under the age of 18, 35.3% from 25 to 44, 29.4% from 45 to 64, and 5.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 88.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 50.0 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $66,250, and the per capita income
for the town was $65,400. None of the population was below the poverty line.
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
(CDP) in Southeast Fairbanks Census Area
Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska
Southeast Fairbanks Census Area is a census area located in the state of Alaska, United States. As of the 2000 census, the population was 6,174. It is part of the unorganized borough and therefore has no borough seat...
, Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Chicken is a community founded on gold mining and is one of the few surviving gold rush towns in Alaska. The population was seven at the 2010 Census.
History
Chicken was settled by gold minersGold mining
Gold mining is the removal of gold from the ground. There are several techniques and processes by which gold may be extracted from the earth.-History:...
in the late 1800s and in 1902 the local post office was established requiring a community name. Due to the prevalence of ptarmigan in the area that name was suggested as the official name for the new community. However, the spelling could not be agreed on and Chicken was used to avoid embarrassment. A portion of Chicken, with buildings from the early 1900s and the F.E. Company Dredge No. 4 (Pedro Dredge) are listed on the National Register of Historical Places. Chicken is the outpost for the 40 Mile mining district. There are still active gold mines in this area. Enough gold was mined here to make it worthwhile to haul huge gold dredges to this remote location. There are still several inactive gold dredges in the Chicken area.
Chicken has one important former inhabitant: The teacher Anne Hobbs Purdy, co-author of the book "Tisha" (together with Robert Specht, Bantam Books), lived here for 1 year in the late 1920s teaching the local children. Her book tells her story in the Alaskan wilderness and how she faces the difficulties of a close-set community, prejudices against natives, and the hard winter.
Geography
Chicken is located at 64°4′15"N 141°52′30"W (64.070738, -141.874894).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the CDP has a total area of 115.4 square miles (298.9 km²), all of it land.
The only transportation to Chicken is a small local airstrip
Chicken Airport
Chicken Airport is a state-owned public-use airport located in Chicken, in the Southeast Fairbanks Census Area of the U.S. state of Alaska.As per Federal Aviation Administration records, this airport had 7 commercial passenger boardings in calendar year 2010, a decrease of 63% from the 19...
, as well as Alaska Route 5, the Taylor Highway
Taylor Highway
The Taylor Highway is a highway in the U.S. state of Alaska that extends 160 miles from Tetlin, about 11 miles south of Tok on the Alaska Highway, to Eagle....
. The highway
Highway
A highway is any public road. In American English, the term is common and almost always designates major roads. In British English, the term designates any road open to the public. Any interconnected set of highways can be variously referred to as a "highway system", a "highway network", or a...
is not maintained from mid-October through mid-March.
There is a United States Post Office for Chicken.
There is no local telephone
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
exchange service in Chicken.
The zip code for Chicken is 99732.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 17 people, 6 households, and 4 families residing in the CDP. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 0.1 people per square mile (0.1/km²). There were 21 housing units at an average density of 0.2 per square mile (0.1/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 100.00% White
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
.
There were 6 households out of which 50.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.7% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 16.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.7% were non-families. 16.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 29.4% under the age of 18, 35.3% from 25 to 44, 29.4% from 45 to 64, and 5.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 88.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 50.0 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $66,250, and the per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $65,400. None of the population was below the poverty line.