Voznesenka, Alaska
Encyclopedia
Voznesenka is a small unincorporated community
in Kenai Peninsula Borough
, Alaska
, United States
.
, about 25 miles east of Homer
, Voznesenka is one of several villages founded by Russian Old Believers
in the Fox River
area. The village was founded in 1985 by residents who decided to leave Nikolaevsk
and begin new settlements in the Kachemak Bay
area. The name in Russian
means Ascension (вознестись, voznestis' - to ascend) referring to the holiday of The Ascension
. The village is situated on a bluff over Kachemak Bay, and is the end of the maintained road system on the western Kenai Peninsula. A switchback trail leads about 1000 feet (304.8 m) down to the beach; it can be traveled by foot or 4-wheel drive vehicle except at the highest tides to reach the neighboring village of Kachemak Selo. There are more than 40 families living in Voznesenka. Although unincoprorated, the community has a mayor, a community council, and a water-utility board. There is also a community church and a public school in the village. Emergency services are provided by Kachemak Emergency Services Area Fire and EMS. The community is accessible by gravel road, the paved access road from Homer ending where the village begins. In 2009 the Mile 17 fire
threatened the village.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in Kenai Peninsula Borough
Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska
-National protected areas:* Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge ** Chiswell Islands** Tuxedni Wilderness* Chugach National Forest * Katmai National Park and Preserve ** Katmai Wilderness...
, 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...
.
Brief overlook
Located on the Kenai PeninsulaKenai Peninsula
The Kenai Peninsula is a large peninsula jutting from the southern coast of Alaska in the United States. The name Kenai is probably derived from Kenayskaya, the Russian name for Cook Inlet, which borders the peninsula to the west.-Geography:...
, about 25 miles east of Homer
Homer, Alaska
Homer is a city located in Kenai Peninsula Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population was 5,364. One of Homer's nicknames is "the cosmic hamlet by the sea"; another is "the end of the road"...
, Voznesenka is one of several villages founded by Russian Old Believers
Old Believers
In the context of Russian Orthodox church history, the Old Believers separated after 1666 from the official Russian Orthodox Church as a protest against church reforms introduced by Patriarch Nikon between 1652–66...
in the Fox River
Fox River, Alaska
Fox River is a census-designated place in Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 616. It was first reported by the U.S. Geological Survey in 1895...
area. The village was founded in 1985 by residents who decided to leave Nikolaevsk
Nikolaevsk, Alaska
Nikolaevsk is a census-designated place in Kenai Peninsula Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. As of the 2000 census, the population of the CDP is 345.-History:...
and begin new settlements in the Kachemak Bay
Kachemak Bay
Kachemak Bay is a 64-km-long arm of Cook Inlet in the U.S. state of Alaska, located on the southwest side of the Kenai Peninsula. The communities of Homer, Halibut Cove, Seldovia, Nanwalek, Port Graham, and Kachemak City are on the bay as well as three Old Believer settlements in the Fox River...
area. The name in Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
means Ascension (вознестись, voznestis' - to ascend) referring to the holiday of The Ascension
Ascension
The Ascension of Jesus is the Christian teaching found in the New Testament when the resurrected Jesus was taken up to heaven in his resurrected body, in the presence of eleven of his apostles, occurring 40 days after the resurrection...
. The village is situated on a bluff over Kachemak Bay, and is the end of the maintained road system on the western Kenai Peninsula. A switchback trail leads about 1000 feet (304.8 m) down to the beach; it can be traveled by foot or 4-wheel drive vehicle except at the highest tides to reach the neighboring village of Kachemak Selo. There are more than 40 families living in Voznesenka. Although unincoprorated, the community has a mayor, a community council, and a water-utility board. There is also a community church and a public school in the village. Emergency services are provided by Kachemak Emergency Services Area Fire and EMS. The community is accessible by gravel road, the paved access road from Homer ending where the village begins. In 2009 the Mile 17 fire
Mile 17 fire
The Mile 17 fire was a wildfire that began at about mile 17 of East End Road outside of Homer, Alaska on Tuesday, May 12, 2009 and lasted until Sunday, May 17.-Background:...
threatened the village.