Golovin, Alaska
Encyclopedia
Golovin is a city in Nome Census Area, Alaska
, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 144.
Golovin is on a point of land between Golovnin Bay and Golovnin Lagoon on the Seward Peninsula
in western Alaska
. It is about 105 km (65.2 mi) east of Nome
. The area receives its name from Russian Vice-Admiral Vasily Mikhailovich Golovnin
, (1776–1831). The town name is misspelled while the bay and lagoon retain the correct spelling.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 3.7 square miles (9.6 km²), all of it land.
, 84.03% Native American
, and 8.33% from two or more races. 2.78% of the population were Hispanic
or Latino
of any race.
There were 45 households out of which 44.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.0% were married couples living together, 20.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.3% were non-families. 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.20 and the average family size was 4.17.
In the city the age distribution of the population shows 42.4% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 16.7% from 45 to 64, and 6.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females there were 118.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 118.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,875, and the median income for a family was $41,250. Males had a median income of $25,625 versus $31,250 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $13,281. There were none of the families and 4.3% of the population living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and none of those over 64.
Golovin was named for Captain Vasily Golovnin
of the Russian Navy, who visited Alaska to inspect the workings of the Russian-American Company
in 1807-1809, in the Diana, and in 1817-1819, in the Kamchatka, while circumnavigating the world. Lt. Lavrenty Zagoskin
, from the Imperial Russian Navy sent to Alaska to scout locations for trading posts, reported the village as "Ikalikguigmyut" in 1842. In 1867, the Mission Covenant of Sweden established a church and school south of the current site of Golovin. Around 1890, John Dexter established a trading post that became the center for swapping prospecting information for the entire Seward Peninsula. Gold was discovered in 1898 at Council
and Golovin became a supply point for the gold fields. Supplies were unloaded from ships at Golovin and shipped across Golovnin Lagoon and up the Fish
and Niukluk Rivers to Council.
When gold was discovered in what is now Nome
, much of the mining and shipping activity moved there and Golovin declined in population.
Reindeer
herding was introduced in the area about 1900.
Golovin is used as a checkpoint on the Iditarod in Nome, Alaska
.
Nome Census Area, Alaska
Nome Census Area is a census area located in the state of Alaska, United States. As of the 2000 census, the population was 9,196. It is part of the unorganized borough and therefore has no borough seat. Its largest community by far is the city of Nome....
, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 144.
Geography
Golovin is located at 64°32′41"N 163°1′39"W (64.544612, -163.027459).Golovin is on a point of land between Golovnin Bay and Golovnin Lagoon on the Seward Peninsula
Seward Peninsula
The Seward Peninsula is a large peninsula on the western coast of the U.S. state of Alaska. It projects about into the Bering Sea between Norton Sound, the Bering Strait, the Chukchi Sea, and Kotzebue Sound, just below the Arctic Circle...
in western 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...
. It is about 105 km (65.2 mi) east of Nome
Nome, Alaska
Nome is a city in the Nome Census Area in the Unorganized Borough of the U.S. state of Alaska, located on the southern Seward Peninsula coast on Norton Sound of the Bering Sea. According to the 2010 Census, the city population was 3,598. Nome was incorporated on April 9, 1901, and was once the...
. The area receives its name from Russian Vice-Admiral Vasily Mikhailovich Golovnin
Vasily Golovnin
Vasily Mikhailovich Golovnin .-Early life and career:Vasily Mikhailovich Golovnin was born in April 1776, in the village of Gulyniki in Ryazan Oblast, on his father's country estate. Both his father and grandfather had served in the Russian military as officers in the elite Preobrazhensky...
, (1776–1831). The town name is misspelled while the bay and lagoon retain the correct spelling.
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 city has a total area of 3.7 square miles (9.6 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 144 people, 45 households, and 30 families residing in the city. The population density was 38.5 people per square mile (14.9/km²). There were 54 housing units at an average density of 14.5 per square mile (5.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 7.64% WhiteRace (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...
, 84.03% Native American
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...
, and 8.33% from two or more races. 2.78% of the population were Hispanic
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...
or Latino
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...
of any race.
There were 45 households out of which 44.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.0% were married couples living together, 20.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.3% were non-families. 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.20 and the average family size was 4.17.
In the city the age distribution of the population shows 42.4% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 16.7% from 45 to 64, and 6.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females there were 118.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 118.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,875, and the median income for a family was $41,250. Males had a median income of $25,625 versus $31,250 for females. 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 city was $13,281. There were none of the families and 4.3% of the population living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and none of those over 64.
History
Golovin was originally an Inupiat village called Chinik.Golovin was named for Captain Vasily Golovnin
Vasily Golovnin
Vasily Mikhailovich Golovnin .-Early life and career:Vasily Mikhailovich Golovnin was born in April 1776, in the village of Gulyniki in Ryazan Oblast, on his father's country estate. Both his father and grandfather had served in the Russian military as officers in the elite Preobrazhensky...
of the Russian Navy, who visited Alaska to inspect the workings of the Russian-American Company
Russian-American Company
The Russian-American Company was a state-sponsored chartered company formed largely on the basis of the so-called Shelekhov-Golikov Company of Grigory Shelekhov and Ivan Larionovich Golikov The Russian-American Company (officially: Under His Imperial Majesty's Highest Protection (patronage)...
in 1807-1809, in the Diana, and in 1817-1819, in the Kamchatka, while circumnavigating the world. Lt. Lavrenty Zagoskin
Lavrenty Zagoskin
Lavrenty Alekseyevich Zagoskin was a Russian naval officer and explorer of Alaska.Zagoskin was born in 1808 in the Russian district of Penza in a village named Nikolayevka. Even though Nikolayevka was not near the ocean, Zagoskin would eventually train for the Russian Navy and served as a naval...
, from the Imperial Russian Navy sent to Alaska to scout locations for trading posts, reported the village as "Ikalikguigmyut" in 1842. In 1867, the Mission Covenant of Sweden established a church and school south of the current site of Golovin. Around 1890, John Dexter established a trading post that became the center for swapping prospecting information for the entire Seward Peninsula. Gold was discovered in 1898 at Council
Council, Alaska
Council is an abandoned townsite in the Nome Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska.- Geography :Council is located at about , about 57 miles east by northeast of Nome. It is located on the banks of the Niukluk River on the central Seward Peninsula....
and Golovin became a supply point for the gold fields. Supplies were unloaded from ships at Golovin and shipped across Golovnin Lagoon and up the Fish
Fish River (Alaska)
The Fish River is a 47 mi. long river arising in the Bendeleben Mountains of the U.S. state of Alaska and flowing south to Golovnin Lagoon, then emptying into Golovnin Bay, Norton Sound, and the Bering Sea....
and Niukluk Rivers to Council.
When gold was discovered in what is now Nome
Nome, Alaska
Nome is a city in the Nome Census Area in the Unorganized Borough of the U.S. state of Alaska, located on the southern Seward Peninsula coast on Norton Sound of the Bering Sea. According to the 2010 Census, the city population was 3,598. Nome was incorporated on April 9, 1901, and was once the...
, much of the mining and shipping activity moved there and Golovin declined in population.
Reindeer
Reindeer
The reindeer , also known as the caribou in North America, is a deer from the Arctic and Subarctic, including both resident and migratory populations. While overall widespread and numerous, some of its subspecies are rare and one has already gone extinct.Reindeer vary considerably in color and size...
herding was introduced in the area about 1900.
Golovin is used as a checkpoint on the Iditarod in Nome, Alaska
Nome, Alaska
Nome is a city in the Nome Census Area in the Unorganized Borough of the U.S. state of Alaska, located on the southern Seward Peninsula coast on Norton Sound of the Bering Sea. According to the 2010 Census, the city population was 3,598. Nome was incorporated on April 9, 1901, and was once the...
.