White Mountain, Alaska
Encyclopedia
White Mountain is a city in Nome Census Area, Alaska
, United States. At the 2000 census the population is between 220 and 250. The city is an Iġaluiђmuit (Fish River tribe) Iñupiat
village, with historical influences from and relationships with Kawerak and Yupiaq Eskimos. 86.2% of the population is Alaska Native or part Native. Subsistence activities are prevalent. White Mountain is the only village on the Seward Peninsula
located inland, not on the ocean.
. The first non-Native structure was a warehouse built by the miner Charles Lane to store supplies for his claim in the Council District. It was the site of a government-subsidized orphanage, which became an industrial school in 1926. The Covenant Church was built in 1937. A Russian Orthodox Church
was built about 1920 (although no longer utilized, the church log cabin building is still standing). A post office was opened in 1932. The tribal government re-organized under the Indian Reorganization Act
(IRA) in 1939. The city was incorporated in 1969.
Today, White Mountain is most notable as the last of three mandatory rest stops for teams competing in the annual Iditarod. All mushers are required to take an 8-hour rest stop at White Mountain before making the final push to the end of the race, 99 miles (159.3 km) away in Nome
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 2.0 square miles (5.3 km²), of which 1.8 square miles (4.6 km²) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.6 km²) (11.82%) is water.
, 83.74% Native American
, 0.49% from other races, and 2.46% from two or more races. 0.49% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos
of any race.
There were 69 households out of which 43.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 24.6% were married couples living together, 26.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.9% were non-families. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.94 and the average family size was 3.55.
The age distribution was 40.4% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 24.6% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 7.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 109.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 132.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $25,833, and the median income for a family was $29,688. Males had a median income of $41,250 versus $31,250 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $10,034. About 16.3% of families and 22.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.1% of those under the age of eighteen and 12.5% of those sixty five or over.
. White Mountain School serves grades Pre-K through 12. Prior to the 2009 school year, students were housed in two different buildings, the high school building and the elementary building. In February 2006, the high school building burned down as a result from a fire in the furnace room. High school and Jr. High students moved to three separate buildings and schooled there until the end of the 2008 school year. The elementary school was the oldest operating school building in Alaska up until 2009 when the new school building was completed. The old elementary building was burned down in the summer 2010 because there was no long use for it. The new White Mountain School is one building that has three elementary rooms for K-6 students, a Jr, High room, two Sr. High rooms, a gymnasium, a cafeteria, library, a staff room and storage rooms.
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 is between 220 and 250. The city is an Iġaluiђmuit (Fish River tribe) Iñupiat
Inupiat
The Iñupiat or Iñupiaq and Iñupiak or formerly Inupik are the people of Alaska's Northwest Arctic and North Slope boroughs and the Bering Straits region. Barrow, the northernmost city in the United States, is in the Inupiat region. Their language is known as Iñupiaq...
village, with historical influences from and relationships with Kawerak and Yupiaq Eskimos. 86.2% of the population is Alaska Native or part Native. Subsistence activities are prevalent. White Mountain is the only village 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...
located inland, not on the ocean.
History
The area that is present day White Mountain began as the Eskimo fish camp Nachirvik which means "mountain look-up point." The bountiful resources of both the Niukluk and the Fish Rivers supported the Native populations there. The community grew with the influx of white prospectors during the Klondike Gold RushKlondike Gold Rush
The Klondike Gold Rush, also called the Yukon Gold Rush, the Alaska Gold Rush and the Last Great Gold Rush, was an attempt by an estimated 100,000 people to travel to the Klondike region the Yukon in north-western Canada between 1897 and 1899 in the hope of successfully prospecting for gold...
. The first non-Native structure was a warehouse built by the miner Charles Lane to store supplies for his claim in the Council District. It was the site of a government-subsidized orphanage, which became an industrial school in 1926. The Covenant Church was built in 1937. A Russian Orthodox Church
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...
was built about 1920 (although no longer utilized, the church log cabin building is still standing). A post office was opened in 1932. The tribal government re-organized under the Indian Reorganization Act
Indian Reorganization Act
The Indian Reorganization Act of June 18, 1934 the Indian New Deal, was U.S. federal legislation that secured certain rights to Native Americans, including Alaska Natives...
(IRA) in 1939. The city was incorporated in 1969.
Today, White Mountain is most notable as the last of three mandatory rest stops for teams competing in the annual Iditarod. All mushers are required to take an 8-hour rest stop at White Mountain before making the final push to the end of the race, 99 miles (159.3 km) away in 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...
.
Geography
White Mountain is located at 64°40′51"N 163°24′24"W (64.680856, -163.406538). The city is located on the eastern bank of the Fish River.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 2.0 square miles (5.3 km²), of which 1.8 square miles (4.6 km²) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.6 km²) (11.82%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 203 people, 69 households, and 46 families residing in the city. The population density was 113.7 people per square mile (44.0/km²). There were 75 housing units at an average density of 42.0 per square mile (16.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 13.30% WhiteWhite American
White Americans are people of the United States who are considered or consider themselves White. The United States Census Bureau defines White people as those "having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa...
, 83.74% Native American
Alaska Natives
Alaska Natives are the indigenous peoples of Alaska. They include: Aleut, Inuit, Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, Eyak, and a number of Northern Athabaskan cultures.-History:In 1912 the Alaska Native Brotherhood was founded...
, 0.49% from other races, and 2.46% from two or more races. 0.49% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos
Hispanic and Latino Americans
Hispanic or Latino Americans are Americans with origins in the Hispanic countries of Latin America or in Spain, and in general all persons in the United States who self-identify as Hispanic or Latino.1990 Census of Population and Housing: A self-designated classification for people whose origins...
of any race.
There were 69 households out of which 43.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 24.6% were married couples living together, 26.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.9% were non-families. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.94 and the average family size was 3.55.
The age distribution was 40.4% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 24.6% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 7.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 109.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 132.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $25,833, and the median income for a family was $29,688. Males had a median income of $41,250 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 $10,034. About 16.3% of families and 22.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.1% of those under the age of eighteen and 12.5% of those sixty five or over.
Education
White Mountain is served by the Bering Strait School DistrictBering Strait School District
Bering Strait School District is a school district in northwestern Alaska, United States, serving approximately 1,700 students in grades K-12 in fifteen isolated villages...
. White Mountain School serves grades Pre-K through 12. Prior to the 2009 school year, students were housed in two different buildings, the high school building and the elementary building. In February 2006, the high school building burned down as a result from a fire in the furnace room. High school and Jr. High students moved to three separate buildings and schooled there until the end of the 2008 school year. The elementary school was the oldest operating school building in Alaska up until 2009 when the new school building was completed. The old elementary building was burned down in the summer 2010 because there was no long use for it. The new White Mountain School is one building that has three elementary rooms for K-6 students, a Jr, High room, two Sr. High rooms, a gymnasium, a cafeteria, library, a staff room and storage rooms.
External links
- http://www.mehs.educ.state.ak.us/culture_home/white_mountain/white_mountain.html