Koyukuk, Alaska
Encyclopedia
Koyukuk is a city in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska
Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska
Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area is a census area located in the state of Alaska, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 5,588. It is part of the unorganized borough and therefore has no borough seat...

, United States At the 2000 census the population was 101.

, Koyukuk is one of a number of Alaskan communities threated by erosion.

History

The Koyukon Athabascans had seasonal camps and moved when the wild game migrated. There were 12 summer fish camps located on the Yukon River between the Koyukuk River and the Nowitna River
Nowitna River
The Nowitna River is situated in central Alaska west of Tanana. The river runs almost entirely through Nowitna National Wildlife Refuge. Part of the river is a designated National Wild and Scenic River...

. Trading between the Koyukon and Inupiat of the Kobuk River
Kobuk River
The Kobuk River is a river located in the Arctic region of northwestern Alaska in the United States. It is approximately long...

 area has occurred before the arrival of Europeans.

After the Alaska Purchase
Alaska purchase
The Alaska Purchase was the acquisition of the Alaska territory by the United States from Russia in 1867 by a treaty ratified by the Senate. The purchase, made at the initiative of United States Secretary of State William H. Seward, gained of new United States territory...

, a United States military telegraph line was constructed along the north side of the Yukon River and Koyukuk became the site of a telegraph station. A trading post opened around 1880, just before the gold rush of 1884-85. Steamboats on the Yukon, which supplied gold prospectors ran before and after 1900 with 46 boats in operation on the river in the peak year of 1900. A measles epidemic and food shortages during 1900 reduced the population of the area by one-third.

The first school in Koyukuk was constructed in 1939. After the school was built, families began to live at Koyukuk year-round.

Geography

Koyukuk is located at 64.881745°N 157.704393°W.

Koyukuk is located on the Yukon River
Yukon River
The Yukon River is a major watercourse of northwestern North America. The source of the river is located in British Columbia, Canada. The next portion lies in, and gives its name to Yukon Territory. The lower half of the river lies in the U.S. state of Alaska. The river is long and empties into...

 near the mouth of the Koyukuk River
Koyukuk River
The Koyukuk River is a principal tributary of the Yukon River, approximately 500 mi long, in northern Alaska in the United States.It drains an area north of the Yukon on the southern side of the Brooks Range...

. It is 50 km (31.1 mi) west of Galena
Galena, Alaska
Galena is the largest city in the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska. At the 2000 census the population was 675.-History:...

. It is adjacent to the Koyukuk National Wildlife Refuge
Koyukuk National Wildlife Refuge
The Koyukuk National Wildlife Refuge lies within the floodplain of the Koyukuk River, in a basin that extends from the Yukon River to the Purcell Mountains and the foothills of the Brooks Range...

 and the Innoko National Wildlife Refuge
Innoko National Wildlife Refuge
The Innoko National Wildlife Refuge is a wildlife refuge in western Alaska in the United States. It consists of 3,850,481 acres of which 1,240,000 acres is designated a wilderness area. It is the fifth-largest National Wildlife Refuge in the United States. The refuge is administered from offices...

.

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 6.3 square miles (16.3 km²), of which, 6.2 square miles (16.1 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²) of it (0.64%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 101 people, 39 households, and 24 families residing in the city. The population density was 16.2 people per square mile (6.2/km²). There were 55 housing units at an average density of 8.8 per square mile (3.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 8.91% 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...

 and 91.09% 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...

.

There were 39 households out of which 41.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 30.8% were married couples living together, 20.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9% were non-families. 35.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.32.

In the city the age distribution of the population shows 34.7% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 36.6% from 25 to 44, 12.9% from 45 to 64, and 6.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 98.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 144.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $19,375, and the median income for a family was $31,250. Males had a median income of $30,000 versus $0 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 $11,341. There were 20.8% of families and 35.1% of the population living below the poverty line, including 53.8% of under eighteens and 33.3% of those over 64.
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