Naknek, Alaska
Encyclopedia
Naknek is a census-designated place
located in Bristol Bay Borough
in the U.S. state of Alaska
. As of the 2000 census
, the population of the CDP was 678.
Naknek is located on the north bank of the Naknek River
, close to where the river runs into the Kvichak Bay
arm of the northeastern end of Bristol Bay
. South Naknek
is on the other side of the river. The local economy is almost entirely based on salmon
fishing.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the CDP has a total area of 84.8 square miles (219.6 km²), of which, 84.2 square miles (218.1 km²) of it is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²) of it is water. The total area is 0.80% water.
There were 247 households out of which 44.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.0% were married couples living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.4% were non-families. 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.44.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 35.0% under the age of 18, 4.6% from 18 to 24, 34.8% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 3.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 116.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 121.6 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $53,393, and the median income for a family was $65,000. Males had a median income of $44,375 versus $35,341 for females. The per capita income
for the CDP was $21,182. About 3.1% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.9% of those under the age of 18 and none of those 65 and older.
s and Athabaskans.
In 1821, a Yupik village called Naugeik was noted by Capt. Lt. Vasiliev
of the Imperial Russian Navy
. It was later spelled Naknek by the Russians. The Russians built a fort, Fort Suvarov, near the village and Russian fur trappers inhabited the area in the 1800s, before the Alaska Purchase
. A Russian Orthodox
church was also built near the fort.
The first salmon cannery opened on the Naknek River in 1890; by 1900, there were 12 canneries around Bristol Bay.
The land owned by the Russian Orthodox Church on the north bank of the Naknek River was the first land recorded in Naknek. Squatters built shelters on the church property and were eventually sold lots in what became the center of Naknek.
Naknek has developed as a major salmon fishing center for both commercial fishing
and sport fishing. Fish from the canneries is transported over a 25-km-long (15 mi) road to King Salmon
, where it is shipped to markets outside Alaska.
Naknek has also been called Naugvik, Kinghiak, Libbyville, Pawik, and Suvarov (also spelled Suwarof or Suworof) at various times in its history.
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...
located in Bristol Bay Borough
Bristol Bay Borough, Alaska
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,258 people, 490 households, and 300 families residing in the borough. The population density was 2 people per square mile . There were 979 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile...
in the U.S. state of 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...
. As of the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
, the population of the CDP was 678.
Naknek is located on the north bank of the Naknek River
Naknek River
Naknek River is a 56-km-long river in the Bristol Bay Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. It flows westward from Naknek Lake, draining it into the Kvichak Bay arm of Bristol Bay...
, close to where the river runs into the Kvichak Bay
Kvichak Bay
Kvichak Bay is an arm on the northeast side of Bristol Bay in southern Alaska, at . It is long and wide. The Kvichak River flows into the bay at its furthest northeast point, while the Naknek River comes in from the east about to the south of the Kvichak....
arm of the northeastern end of Bristol Bay
Bristol Bay
Bristol Bay is the eastern-most arm of the Bering Sea, at 57° to 59° North 157° to 162° West in Southwest Alaska. Bristol Bay is 400 km long and 290 km, wide at its mouth...
. South Naknek
South Naknek, Alaska
South Naknek is a census-designated place in Bristol Bay Borough, Alaska, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 137.-Geography:South Naknek is located at ....
is on the other side of the river. The local economy is almost entirely based on salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
fishing.
Geography
Naknek is located at (58.739857, -156.971704).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 84.8 square miles (219.6 km²), of which, 84.2 square miles (218.1 km²) of it is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²) of it is water. The total area is 0.80% water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 678 people, 247 households, and 162 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 8.1 people per square mile (3.1/km²). There were 455 housing units at an average density of 5.4 per square mile (2.1/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 49.47% White, 2.00% Black or African American, 45.28% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.74% Pacific Islander, and 2.36% from two or more races. 0.29% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.There were 247 households out of which 44.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.0% were married couples living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.4% were non-families. 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.44.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 35.0% under the age of 18, 4.6% from 18 to 24, 34.8% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 3.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 116.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 121.6 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $53,393, and the median income for a family was $65,000. Males had a median income of $44,375 versus $35,341 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 CDP was $21,182. About 3.1% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.9% of those under the age of 18 and none of those 65 and older.
History
The region around Bristol Bay was first settled at least 6,000 years ago by YupikCentral Alaskan Yup'ik people
The Yup'ik people , are an Eskimo people of western and southwestern Alaska ranging from southern Norton Sound southwards along the coast of the Bering Sea on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta and along the northern coast of Bristol Bay as far east as Nushagak Bay and the northern Alaska...
s and Athabaskans.
In 1821, a Yupik village called Naugeik was noted by Capt. Lt. Vasiliev
Ensign Mikhail Vasiliev
Mikhail Nikolayevich Vasilyev was a Russian explorer and vice admiral of the Imperial Russian Navy. He is reputed for having surveyed the then little-known coast of Alaska as navigator. Vasiliev was sent by the Russian Imperial Hydrographic Service in 1819 to explore the northern parts of the...
of the Imperial Russian Navy
Imperial Russian Navy
The Imperial Russian Navy refers to the Tsarist fleets prior to the February Revolution.-First Romanovs:Under Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich, construction of the first three-masted ship, actually built within Russia, was completed in 1636. It was built in Balakhna by Danish shipbuilders from Holstein...
. It was later spelled Naknek by the Russians. The Russians built a fort, Fort Suvarov, near the village and Russian fur trappers inhabited the area in the 1800s, before 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 Russian Orthodox
Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
church was also built near the fort.
The first salmon cannery opened on the Naknek River in 1890; by 1900, there were 12 canneries around Bristol Bay.
The land owned by the Russian Orthodox Church on the north bank of the Naknek River was the first land recorded in Naknek. Squatters built shelters on the church property and were eventually sold lots in what became the center of Naknek.
Naknek has developed as a major salmon fishing center for both commercial fishing
Fishing industry
The fishing industry includes any industry or activity concerned with taking, culturing, processing, preserving, storing, transporting, marketing or selling fish or fish products....
and sport fishing. Fish from the canneries is transported over a 25-km-long (15 mi) road to King Salmon
King Salmon, Alaska
King Salmon is a census-designated place in Bristol Bay Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. As of the 2000 census the population was 442...
, where it is shipped to markets outside Alaska.
Naknek has also been called Naugvik, Kinghiak, Libbyville, Pawik, and Suvarov (also spelled Suwarof or Suworof) at various times in its history.