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Cancer (constellation)

Cancer is one of the twelve constellations of the zodiac and is located in the Northern celestial hemisphere. Its old astronomical symbol is (♋). Its name is Latin for crab and it is commonly represented as one. Cancer is a medium-size constellation with an area of 506 square degrees and its stars are rather faint, its brightest star Beta Cancri having an apparent magnitude of 3.5. It contains ten stars with known planets, including 55 Cancri, which has five: one super-earth and four gas giants, one of which is in the habitable zone and as such has expected temperatures similar to Earth. At the (angular) heart of this sector of our celestial sphere is Praesepe (Messier 44), one of the closest open clusters to Earth and a popular target for amateur astronomers.

Characteristics
Cancer is a medium-sized constellation that is bordered by Gemini to the west, Lynx to the north, Leo Minor to the northeast, Leo to the east, Hydra to the south, and Canis Minor to the southwest. The three-letter abbreviation for the constellation, as adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1922, is "Cnc".

The official constellation boundaries, as set by Belgian astronomer Eugène Delporte in 1930, are defined by a polygon of 3 main and 7 western edgework forming sides (illustrated in infobox). In the equatorial coordinate system, the right ascension coordinates of these borders lie between 07:55:19.7973 and 09:22:35.0364, while the declination coordinates are between 33.1415138° and 6.4700689°. Covering 506 square degrees or 0.921% of the sky, it ranks 31st of the 88 constellations in size. It can be seen at latitudes between +90° and -60° and is best visible at 9 p.m. during the month of March. Cancer borders the bright constellations of Leo, Gemini and Canis Minor. Under city skies, Cancer is invisible to the naked eye.

Stars
Cancer is the dimmest of the zodiacal constellations, having only two stars above the fourth magnitude. The German cartographer Johann Bayer used the Greek letters Alpha through Omega to label the most prominent stars in the constellation, followed by the letter A, then lowercase b, c and d. Within the constellation's borders, there are 104 stars brighter than or equal to apparent magnitude 6.5.

Also known as Altarf or Tarf, Beta Cancri is the brightest star in Cancer at apparent magnitude 3.5. Located 290 ± 30 light-years from Earth, it is a binary star system, its main component an orange giant of spectral type K4III that is varies slightly from a baseline magnitude of 3.53—dipping by 0.005 magnitude over a period of 6 days. An aging star, it has expanded to around 50 times the Sun's diameter and shines with 660 times its luminosity. It has a faint magnitude 14 red dwarf companion located 29 arcseconds away that takes 76,000 years to complete an orbit. Altarf represents a part of Cancer's body.

At magnitude 3.9 is Delta Cancri, also known as Asellus Australis. Located 131±1 light-years from Earth, it is an orange-hued giant star that has swollen and cooled off the main sequence to become an orange giant with a radius 11 times and luminosity 53 times that of the Sun. Its common name means "southern donkey". The star also holds a record for the longest name, "Arkushanangarushashutu," derived from ancient Babylonian language, which translates to "the southeast star in the Crab." Delta Cancri also makes it easy to find X Cancri, the reddest star in the sky. Known as Asellus Borealis "northern donkey", Gamma Cancri is a white-hued A-type subgiant of spectral type A1IV and magnitude 4.67, that is 35 times as luminous as of the Sun. It is located 181 ± 2 light-years from Earth.

Iota Cancri is a wide double star. The primary is a yellow-hued G-type bright giant star of magnitude 4.0, located 330 ± 20 light-years from Earth. It spent much of its stellar life as a B-type main sequence star before expanding and cooling to its current state as it spent its core hydrogen. The secondary is a white main sequence star of spectral type A3V and magnitude 6.57. Despite having different distances when measured by the HIPPARCOS satellite, the two stars share a common proper motion and appear to be a natural binary system.

Located 181 ± 2 light-years from Earth, Alpha Cancri (Acubens) is a multiple star with a primary component an apparent white main sequence star of spectral type A5 and magnitude 4.26. The secondary is of magnitude 12.0 and is visible in small amateur telescopes. Its common name means "the claw". The primary is actually two very similar white main sequence stars that are 5.3 AU distant from each other and the secondary is two small main sequence stars, most likely red dwarfs, that are 600 AU from the main pair. Hence the system is a quadruple one.

Zeta Cancri or Tegmine ("the shell") is a multiple star system that contains at least four stars located 82 light-years from Earth. The two brightest components are a binary star with an orbital period of 1100 years; the brighter component is a yellow-hued binary pair and the dimmer component is a yellow-hued star of magnitude 6.2. The brighter component is itself a binary star with a period of 59.6 years; its primary is of magnitude 5.6 and its secondary is of magnitude 6.0. This pair is at its greatest separation around 2019.

Ten star systems have been found to have planets. Rho1 Cancri or 55 Cancri (or Copernicus ) is a binary star approximately 40.9 light-years distant from Earth. 55 Cancri consists of a yellow dwarf and a smaller red dwarf, with five planets orbiting the primary star; one low-mass planet that may be either a hot, water-rich world or a carbon planet and four gas giants. 55 Cancri A, classified as a rare "super metal-rich" star, is one of the top 100 target stars for NASA's Terrestrial Planet Finder mission, ranked 63rd on the list. The red dwarf 55 Cancri B, a suspected binary, appears to be gravitationally bound to the primary star, as the two share common proper motion.

YBP 1194 is a sunlike star in the open cluster M67 that has been found to have three planets.

Deep-sky objects
Cancer is best known among stargazers as the home of Praesepe (Messier 44), an open cluster also called the Beehive Cluster, located right in the centre of the constellation. Located about 590 light-years from Earth, it is one of the nearest open clusters to our Solar System. M 44 contains about 50 stars, the brightest of which are of the sixth magnitude. Epsilon Cancri is the brightest member at magnitude 6.3. Praesepe is also one of the larger open clusters visible; it has an area of 1.5 square degrees, or three times the size of the full Moon. It is most easily observed when Cancer is high in the sky. North of the Equator, this period stretches from February to May.

Ptolemy described the Beehive Cluster as "the nebulous mass in the breast of Cancer." It was one of the first objects Galileo observed with his telescope in 1609, spotting 40 stars in the cluster. Today, there are about 1010 high-probability members, most of them (68 percent) red dwarfs. The Greeks and Romans identified the nebulous object as a manger from which two donkeys, represented by the neighbouring stars [1213] Asellus Borealis and [1210] Asellus Australis, were eating. The stars represent the donkeys that the god Dionysus and his tutor Silenus rode in the war against the Titans. The ancient Chinese interpreted the object as a ghost or demon riding in a carriage, calling it a "cloud of pollen blown from under willow catkins."

The smaller, denser open cluster Messier 67 can also be found in Cancer, 2600 light-years from Earth. It has an area of approximately 0.5 square degrees, the size of the full Moon. It contains approximately 200 stars, the brightest of which are of the tenth magnitude.

QSO J0842+1835 is a quasar used to measure the speed of gravity in VLBI experiment conducted by Edward Fomalont and Sergei Kopeikin in September 2002.

OJ 287 is a BL Lacertae object located 3.5 billion light years away that has produced quasi-periodic optical outbursts going back approximately 120 years, as first apparent on photographic plates from 1891. It was first detected at radio wavelengths during the course of the Ohio Sky Survey. Its central supermassive black hole is among the largest known, with a mass of 18 billion solar masses, more than six times the value calculated for the previous largest object.

History and mythology
Cancer was first recorded by Claudius Ptolemy in the 2nd century CE in The Mathematical Syntaxis (a.k.a. Almagest), under the Greek name $Καρκίνος$ (Karkinos).

In the late 1890s, R.H. Allen asserted the following, with no supporting citation:
 * "Cancer is said to have been the place for the Akkadian Sun of the South, perhaps from its position at the winter solstice in very remote antiquity; but afterwards it was associated with the fourth month Duzu, our June–July, and was known as the Northern Gate of Sun ..."

Very few of Cancer's stars are visible to the naked eye, and its brightest stars are only 4th magnitude. Cancer was often considered the "Dark Sign", quaintly described as "black and without eyes". Dante, alluded to its faintness in Paradiso, and mentioned it being visible for the whole night when it culminated at midnight in a Northern Hemisphere winter month:

 * Then a light among them brightened,
 * so that, if Cancer one such crystal had,
 * winter would have a month of only a day.

Cancer was the backdrop to the Sun's most northerly position in the sky (the summer solstice) in ancient times, when the Earth's Sun-facing side was maximally tilted towards the south, in the Gregorian calendar kept within a few days of June 21. Equivalently, this is the date when the Sun is directly overhead as far north as 23.437° N. The northern-most parallel where the sun is directly overhead is still called the Tropic of Cancer, even though the corresponding position on the sky now occurs in Taurus, due to the precession of the equinoxes.

The close conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in 1563 – which was observed by Tycho Brahe and led him to note the inaccuracy of existing ephemerides and to begin his own program of astronomical measurements – occurred in Cancer not far from Praesepe.

In Greek mythology, Cancer is identified with the crab that appeared while Heracles fought the many-headed Lernaean Hydra. Hercules slew the crab after it bit him in the foot. Afterwards, the goddess Hera, an enemy of Heracles, placed the crab among the stars.

Illustrations

The modern symbol for Cancer represents the pincers of a crab, but Cancer has been represented as many types of creatures, usually those living in the water, and always those with an exoskeleton.

In the Egyptian records of about 2000 BC it was described as Scarabaeus (Scarab), the sacred emblem of immortality. In Babylonia the constellation was known as MUL.AL.LUL, a name which can refer to both a crab and a snapping turtle. On boundary stones, the image of a turtle or tortoise appears quite regularly and it is believed that this represents Cancer since a conventional crab has not so far been discovered on any of these monuments.

There also appears to be a strong connection between the Babylonian constellation and ideas of death and a passage to the underworld, which may be the origin of these ideas in later Greek myths associated with Hercules and the Hydra.

In the 12th century, an illustrated astronomical manuscript shows it as a water beetle. Albumasar writes of this sign in Flowers of Abu Ma'shar. A 1488 Latin translation depicts cancer as a large crayfish, which also is the constellation's name in most Germanic languages. Jakob Bartsch and Stanislaus Lubienitzki, in the 17th century, described it as a lobster.

Names
R.H. Allen, in Star Names: Their lore and meanings, lists names for the constellation as follows:
 * In Ancient Greece, Aratus called the crab $Καρκινος$ (Karkinos), which was followed by Hipparchus and Ptolemy. The Alfonsine tables called it Carcinus, a Latinized form of the Greek word. Eratosthenes extended this as $Καρκινος$, $Ονοι$, $και Φατνη$ (Karkinos, Onoi, kai Fatne): the Crab, Asses, and  Crib. In Ancient Rome, Manilius and Ovid called the constellation Litoreus (shore-inhabiting). Astacus and Cammarus appear in various classic writers, while it is called Nepa in Cicero's De Finibus and the works of Columella, Plautus, and Varro; all of these words signify a crab,  lobster, or  scorpion.

 * Athanasius Kircher said that in Coptic Egypt it was $Κλαρια$ (Klaria), the Bestia seu Statio Typhonis (the Power of Darkness). Jérôme Lalande identified this with Anubis, one of the Egyptian divinities commonly associated with Sirius.

 * The Indian language Sanskrit shares a common ancestor with Greek, and the Sanskrit name of Cancer is Karka and Karkata. In Telugu it is "Karkatakam", in Kannada "Karkataka" or "Kataka", in Tamil Kadagam, and in Sinhala . The later Hindus knew it as Kulira, from the Greek $Κολουρος$ (Kolouros), the term originated by Proclus.

Astrology
, the Sun appears in the constellation Cancer from July 20 – August 9. In tropical astrology, the Sun is considered to be in the sign of Cancer from June 22 – July 22, and in sidereal astrology, from July 16 – August 16.

Equivalents
In Chinese astronomy, the stars of Cancer lie within the Vermilion Bird of the South (南方朱雀, Nán Fāng Zhū Què).

title: Cancer (constellation)


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Akutan, Alaska

Akutan (, Achan-ingiiga ) is a city on Akutan Island in the Aleutians East Borough of the Aleutian Islands in Alaska, United States. The population was 1,589 at the 2020 census, up from 1,027 in 2010, making it the 4th fastest-growing city of the decade in Alaska. Akutan Harbor is adjacent.

Geography
Akutan is located at 54.1325°N, -165.775°W. Akutan is located in the Aleutian Islands Recording District.

Akutan is located on Akutan Island in the eastern Aleutians, one of the Krenitzin Islands in the Fox Islands group. It is 35 mi east of Unalaska, and 766 mi southwest of Anchorage. Akutan lies in the maritime climate zone, resulting in mild winters and cool summers. Mean temperatures range from 22 to 55 F, and precipitation averages 28 inch per year. High winds and storms are frequent in the winter, and fog is common in the summer.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 18.9 sqmi, of which, 14.0 sqmi of it is land and 4.9 sqmi of it (25.69%) is water.

History and culture
Akutan began in 1878 as a fur storage and trading port for the Western Fur & Trading Company. The company's agent established a commercial cod fishing and processing business that quickly attracted nearby Unangan to the community. A Russian Orthodox church and a school were built in 1878, but was replaced by the St. Alexander Nevsky Chapel, built in 1918.

The Pacific Whaling Company built a whale processing station across the bay from Akutan in 1912. It was the only whaling station in the Aleutians, and operated until 1939.

After the Japanese attacked Unalaska in June 1942, the U.S. government evacuated Akutan residents to the Ketchikan area. In June 1942, a Japanese A6M Zero fighter piloted by Tadayoshi Koga crashed on Akutan Island. It was recovered in July by the United States Army Air Force. This plane, dubbed the Akutan Zero, significantly aided American tacticians in devising dog fighting techniques to defeat the Zero, and helped change the course of the war.

The village was re-established in 1944, although many villagers chose not to return. This exposure to the outside world brought many changes to the traditional lifestyle and attitudes of the community. The city was incorporated in 1979.

A federally recognized tribe is located in the community—the Native Village of Akutan. The population of the community consists of 16.4% Alaska Native or part Native. Akutan is a fishing community, and is the site of a traditional Unangan village. Approximately 75 persons are year-round residents; the majority of the population are transient fish processing workers that live in group quarters.

Demographics
Akutan first appeared on the 1880 U.S. Census as an unincorporated Aleut village. It reported 65 residents, of whom 63 were Aleut and 2 were White. In 1890, it reported 80 residents, of whom 71 were Native, 6 were Creole (Mixed Russian & Native) and 3 were White. It did not appear again until the 1920 census. It formally incorporated in 1979. Beginning in 1990, it reported an Asian plurality of residents. It is one of only three communities in Alaska as of 2010 to have either an Asian plurality (Kodiak) or majority (Adak).

As of the census of 2000, there were 713 people, 34 households, and 17 families residing in the city. The population density was 50.8 PD/sqmi. There were 38 housing units at an average density of 2.7 per square mile (1.0/km$2$). The racial makeup of the city was 23.56% White, 2.10% Black or African American, 15.71% Native American, 38.57% Asian, 0.28% Pacific Islander, 18.23% from other races, and 1.54% from two or more races. 20.76% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 34 households, out of which 20.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.4% were married couples living together, 14.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.1% were non-families. 38.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 2.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 3.1% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 48.2% from 25 to 44, 36.2% from 45 to 64, and 1.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 334.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 342.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $33,750, and the median income for a family was $43,125. Males had a median income of $13,988 versus $23,750 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,258. None of the families and 45.5% of the population were living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 40.0% of those over 64.

During the 2000 U.S. Census, total housing units numbered 38, and vacant housing units numbered 4. It showed 97 residents as employed. The unemployment rate at that time was 83.89 percent, although 84.84 percent of all adults were not in the work force.

Public services
Water is supplied by a local stream and dam, originally constructed in 1927. Water is treated and piped into all homes. Funds have been requested to develop two new water catchment dams, and construct a new 125,000-gal. water storage tank and treatment plant. Sewage is piped to a community septic tank, with effluent discharge through an ocean outfall. Refuse is collected three times a week; a new landfill site and incinerator were recently completed. The City recycles aluminum. Trident Seafoods operates its own water, sewer and electric facilities. Electricity is provided by Akutan Electric Utility.

There is one school located in the community, Akutan School of the Aleutians East Borough School District (AEBSD), attended by 18 students. Circa October 1978 the school, then a part of the Aleutian Region School District, had a single teacher, and 12 students.

Local hospitals or health clinics include Anesia Kudrin Memorial Clinic (907-698-2208). Anesia Kudrin Memorial Clinic is a Primary Health Care facility. Eastern Aleutian Tribes Inc. operates the Anesia Kudrin clinic as part of its health care system. The clinic is a qualified Emergency Care Center. Akutan is classified as an isolated town/Sub-Regional Center, it is found in EMS Region 2H in the Aleutian/Pribilof Region. Emergency Services have coastal and helicopter access. Emergency service is provided by volunteers and a health aide. There is a physician assistant certified at the Anesia Kudrin clinic, and for much of the year there a physician assistant or nurse practitioner at the processing plant's occupational medicine/urgent care clinic. Auxiliary health care is provided by Akutan First Responders (907-698-2208/2315); or by flight to Unalaska or Anchorage.

Transportation is provided by seaplane, by private or fleet fishing vessels, and the State Ferry makes monthly visits in summer weather.

Economy
Commercial fish processing dominates Akutan's cash-based economy, and not many locals are seasonally employed. Trident Seafoods operates a large processing plant west of the city for cod, crab, pollock and fish meal. The population of Akutan can quadruple or quintuple during processing months. Seven residents hold commercial fishing permits, primarily for halibut and other groundfish. Subsistence foods include seal, salmon, herring, halibut, clams, wild cattle, and game birds.

Taxes
Sales: None, Property: None, Special: 1% Raw Fish Tax (City); 2% Raw Fish Tax (Borough)

Transportation
Boats and amphibious aircraft, hovercraft, or helicopter are the only means of transportation into and out of Akutan. A 200 ft dock and a small boat mooring basin are available. Plans are underway to develop a practical way to get to a large boat harbor that has been built at the head of the bay. The State Ferry operates from Kodiak bi-monthly between May and October. Cargo is delivered weekly by freighter from Seattle; the City owns and operates a landing craft, the M/V Akutan. Akutan has no airstrip due to the steep terrain, however, a seaplane base is available and open to the public. Helicopter service between Akutan and Akun Island, the location of Akutan Airport, began in February 2014. The only airline company serving the airport is Grant Aviation, flying to nearby Dutch Harbor. The airport was expected to cost $77 million of which nearly $60 million came from the U.S. federal government. Trident paid $1 million towards the cost of the airport.

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title: Akutan, Alaska


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Cold Bay, Alaska

Cold Bay (Udaamagax,; Sugpiaq: Pualu ) is a city in Aleutians East Borough, Alaska, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 108, but at the 2020 census this had reduced to 50.

Cold Bay is one of the main commercial centers of the Alaska Peninsula, which extends west towards the Aleutian Islands, and is home to Cold Bay Airport.

History
There is evidence of prehistoric occupation by Aleuts and later Russian encampments. Cold Bay's significance to American history began with the Japanese invasion of the Aleutians in World War II. General Simon Bolivar Buckner, Jr. ordered the creation of Fort Randall, an airbase on the shores of Cold Bay, in 1942 as a part of a general expansion of American assets in the Aleutians. It (along with Otter Point) served as a base for the 11th Air Force to provide protection to the only deep water port in the Aleutians at the time, Dutch Harbor.

This protection was necessary when during Yamamoto's Midway Campaign, a diversionary attack was launched against Dutch Harbor. The initial attack was repulsed by the surprise presence of P-40s stationed here. A second larger attack with its own fighter escort the next day caused minor damage. Later, with the victory in the Pacific, the forces grew to 20,000 troops. The quonset huts used to house this massive encampment still stand around the community. It also was a base of operations for the US Navy with the seaplane tender USS Casco (AVP-12) among the ships based in Cold Bay.

In the spring and summer of 1945, Cold Bay was the site of the largest and most ambitious transfer program of World War II, Project Hula, in which the United States transferred dozens of ships and craft to the Soviet Union and trained Soviet personnel in their operation in anticipation of the Soviet Union entering the war against Japan.

In later decades, control of the airfield passed to civil authorities, who maintained it as a useful refueling and emergency landing location for great circle flights from the west coast of the United States to East Asia. A Distant Early Warning Line station established nearby was eventually decommissioned.

During the 1980s, deregulation of the airline industry under President Ronald Reagan caused many of the compelling interests supporting the need for the community to evaporate. Today, Cold Bay is still occasionally used for emergency or precautionary landings of commercial flights, and is also a hub for traffic from Anchorage and Seattle to the small communities around it.

Geography
Cold Bay is located at 55.20917°N, -162.71417°W (55.209038, -162.714298). It is west of Hawaii.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 70.9 sqmi, of which, 54.4 sqmi of it is land and 16.6 sqmi of it (23.34%) is water.

Cold Bay holds the record for most overcast community in America.

Climate
Cold Bay has an either an ocean-moderated subarctic climate (Köppen climate classification: Dfc) if the 0 °C isotherm is used, or a subpolar oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification: Cfc) if the −3 °C isotherm is used, both of those climate being typical of southwest Alaska, though the summers are almost cool enough to qualify as a tundra (Köppen climate classification: ET). Cold Bay is considered the cloudiest place in the United States, with an average of 304 days of heavy overcast (covering over 3/4 of the sky).

Cold Bay's recorded temperature range is between 78 F and -13 F. The coldest daytime maximum on record is 0 F, while the annual coldest maximum between 1991 and 2020 was at 16 F. With warm summer days being rare, nights remain chilly also during the warmer season. The warmest recorded overnight low is at a very modest 57 F and the annual average warmest night tends to fall to 53 F. Many years fail to break 68 F during the warmest afternoon.

 * Notes:

Demographics
Cold Bay first appeared on the 1890 U.S. Census as the unincorporated area of "Thin Point", which included Thin Point & Cold Bay (including two canneries and Cold Bay Salting Station). It reported 231 residents, of which 110 were White, 106 were Asian, ten were Creole (Mixed Russian & Native), three were Native and two were Other. It would not appear again until 1960, when it reported as the unincorporated village of Cold Bay. It was made a census-designated place (CDP) in 1980 and incorporated in 1982.

Cold Bay is a highly transient community, lacking the generational attachment characteristic of the surrounding native villages. Residents, drawn to the area largely by the Wildlife Refuge, Weather Service, or air traffic jobs, rarely stay more than a year in Cold Bay.

2000 census
At the 2000 census, there were 88 people, 36 households and 18 families residing in the city. The population density was 1.6 per square mile (0.6/km$2$). There were 98 housing units at an average density of 1.8 per square mile (0.7/km$2$). The racial makeup of the city was 72% White, 3% Black or African American, 17% Native American, 5% Asian, 2% Pacific Islander, and 1% from two or more races. 2% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 36 households, of which 33% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44% were married couples living together, 3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 50% were non-families. 36% of all households were made up of individuals, and none had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was two and the average family size was three.

Age distribution was 24% under the age of 18, 9% from 18 to 24, 40% from 25 to 44, 27% from 45 to 64. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 184 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 205 males.

The median household income was $55,750, and the median family income was $64,375. Males had a median income of $36,250 versus $38,333 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,037. There were no families and 27% of the population living below the poverty line, including no one under eighteen or over 64.

Religion
Cold Bay has a significant Baptist population. The city's only church is Cold Bay Community Chapel, a member of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Economy
Cold Bay has one store, the Bearfoot Inn Alaska, formerly known as the World-famous Weathered Inn. It supplies groceries, clothing and small trinkets to the residents of Cold Bay and other communities within the Aleutians East Borough, although many residents order groceries and supplies from suppliers in Anchorage and Seattle. The Bearfoot Inn also offers lodging with its 8-room hotel and 6-room bunk house. Within the main building there is the Bearfoot Inn Bar which is open 3 to 6 days a week depending on the season. Bearfoot Inn is within walking distance of the airport.

The Cold Bay Lodge is the only restaurant in town. The lodge can accommodate up to about 40 people (38 beds), offers wireless Internet access, holds a liquor license, is less than a mile from the airport and offers trinkets and snacks.

Traditions
A major community event is the Silver Salmon Derby, a fishing contest that takes place every fall. Participants vie in both adult and child categories for cash prizes for the largest fish. A raft race and "Polar Bear Jump" are also held. The Derby concludes with a banquet and door prize giveaway at the town community hall.

Izembek National Wildlife Refuge
The 498000 acre Izembek refuge was established in 1960. It encompasses several large lagoons, including the 30 mi long Izembek Lagoon, which serve as a food source and shelter for a large migratory bird population.

Approximately 150,000 Pacific black brant, 62,000 emperor geese, 50,000 Taverner's Canada geese, 300,000 ducks, and 80,000 shore birds stop over in the Izembek area during migration and as many as 50,000 Steller's eiders find winter grounds there.

Government
Cold Bay was incorporated as a city in January 1982. Cold Bay is classified by the state government as a second-class city. As such, it is governed by a seven-member city council, which elects the city's mayor from among its membership. The current mayor is Harold Kremer. The city clerk is currently a vacant position.

Mayors
The following individuals have served as the mayor of Cold Bay since its incorporation:

Cold Bay School
The Cold Bay School was the community's public grade school, operated by the Aleutians East Borough School District (AEBSD), until its closure in May 2015. AEBSD's school board voted to close Cold Bay School following the conclusion of the 2014–2015 school year due to a decline in enrollment, which led to the loss of state funding. The school employed one teacher and served between four and nine students in its last years. The loss of the school caused an exodus of the remaining school-aged children until, by 2015, only one was left.

Circa 1978 the school, then a part of the Aleutian Region School District, had two teachers, and 37 students. In the 1980s, the school typically enrolled around 30 students. In 1985 it reached peak enrollment, with 50 students and four teachers. Despite its remote location, the school was involved in state and national activities, such as hosting the military's "Operation Arctic Care" outreach health program in 2002, and by briefly becoming involved with reporting for CNN Student Bureau that same year.

The school building was used to house passengers of flights which made emergency landings in Cold Bay.

Road
Cold Bay has approximately 40 mi of gravel roads, and a state-owned paved highway.

Water
The Alaska Marine Highway travels between Cold Bay and Kodiak twice a month between May and October, and cargo ships visit the city monthly from Seattle, Washington. Currently, the city only has a dock and a seaplane base, but the city hopes to develop a breakwater, boat harbor and boat launch.

Air
Cold Bay is serviced by Cold Bay Airport, holding the fifth-largest runway in Alaska, and a second, smaller one. Regional flights occur six times a week.

title: Cold Bay, Alaska


text:
False Pass, Alaska

False Pass (Isanax̂ ) is a city on Unimak Island, in the Aleutians East Borough of southwestern Alaska, United States. Although the population was marked 397 including seasonal fish processing plant workers at the 2020 census, approximately 35 residents call it home year-round.

History
False Pass is an early English name for Isanotski Strait on which the city of False Pass is located. The strait was called "False Pass" by early American sailing ship captains because it was thought to be impassable for their deep draft vessels at the northern end. A salmon cannery was built on the Unimak Island side of the strait in 1919 which provided the nucleus for the modern settlement. A U.S. post office with the name of False Pass was established in 1921 which gave official status to the community.

Commercial fishing for salmon, cod, halibut and crab continues to be the core of the community's lifestyle and economy.

Geography
False Pass is at 54.82778°N, -163.39917°W (54.827886, -163.399090). It is near the eastern end of Unimak Island, in the Aleutian Islands chain. Part of the city (26.093 km2, or 10.075 sq mi) is on the mainland's westernmost tip Alaska Peninsula, across the Isanotski Strait (about 600 meters at the closest point), although that section is nearly unpopulated. The city boundaries include the abandoned villages of Morzhovoi and Ikatan.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 68.3 sqmi, of which 26.9 sqmi is land and 41.4 sqmi (60.63%) is water.

Transportation
Boats and aircraft are the only transportation to and from False Pass. Aircraft use False Pass Airport.

Demographics
False Pass first appeared on the 1930 U.S. Census as the unincorporated area of "Unimak." This included the populations of both False Pass and Ikatan. It reported again in 1940, but in 1950, was returned separately as False Pass (as an unincorporated village). It was made a census-designated place in 1980.

2000 Census
As of the census of 2000, there were 64 people, 22 households, and 13 families residing in the city. The population density was 2.4 PD/sqmi. There were 40 housing units at an average density of 1.5 /mi2. The racial makeup of the city was 62.50% Native American, 26.56% White, 1.56% from other races, and 9.38% from two or more races. 1.56% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 22 households, out of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 22.7% were married couples living together, 18.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.4% were non-families. 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.91 and the average family size was 3.79.

In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 35.9% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 18.8% from 25 to 44, 31.3% from 45 to 64, and 4.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 115.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $49,375, and the median income for a family was $70,625. Males had a median income of $23,750 versus $37,083 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,465. There were 11.1% of families and 8.0% of the population living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 50.0% of those over 64.

Occupation categories for the 2000 census are shown in the accompanying pie chart. The community has traditionally depended upon commercial fishing, but it now employs only 24% of the workforce or 10 individuals. These individuals are boat captains and crewmen. As in many modern American communities, white collar sales/office and management positions now employ 51% of the employment positions or 21 people.

Education
Aleutians East Borough School District (AEBSD) operates the False Pass School.

c. 1978 the school, then a part of the Aleutian Region School District, had a single teacher, and 8 students.

title: False Pass, Alaska


text:
King Cove, Alaska

King Cove (Agdaaĝux̂) is a city in Aleutians East Borough, Alaska, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 938, up from 792 in 2000, but at the 2020 census this had reduced to 757.

Geography
King Cove is located at 55.07213°N, -162.31804°W. King Cove is on the Pacific side of the Alaska Peninsula. It is 18 mi southeast of Cold Bay and 620 mi southwest of Anchorage. It lies at approximately 55° 03′ N Latitude and 162° 19′ W Longitude. The area encompasses 2.9 sqmi of land and 2.0 sqmi of water. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 29.8 sqmi, of which, 25.3 sqmi is land and 4.5 sqmi (15.23%) is water.

Demographics
King Cove first appeared on the 1940 U.S. Census as an unincorporated village. It formally incorporated in 1949.

As of the census of 2000, there were 792 people, 170 households, and 116 families residing in the city. The population density was 31.3 PD/sqmi. There were 207 housing units at an average density of 8.2 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 15.03% White, 1.64% Black or African American, 46.72% Native American, 26.77% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 5.93% from other races, and 3.79% from two or more races. 7.45% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 170 households, out of which 45.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.5% were married couples living together, 15.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.2% were non-families. 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 2.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.90 and the average family size was 3.53.

In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 21.3% under the age of 18, 11.9% from 18 to 24, 41.0% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 3.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 147.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 166.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $45,893, and the median income for a family was $47,188. Males had a median income of $30,714 versus $19,125 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,791. About 3.3% of families and 11.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.7% of those under age 18 and 27.3% of those age 65 or over.

Economy
King Cove, 600 nmi SW of Anchorage at the end of the Alaska Peninsula, is home to PeterPan Seafoods' largest processing facility. King Crab, bairdi and opilio tanner crab, pollock, cod, salmon, halibut and black cod harvested in the Bering Sea and the Gulf of Alaska are processed throughout the year. The plant, with origins back to the early 1900s, has the largest salmon canning capacity of any plant in Alaska. All five species of salmon are abundant in the waters near King Cove.

Salmon remains a major part of the annual operation, but in recent years the plant has expanded and streamlined whitefish operations. The plant produces several product forms including pollock fillet block, shatterpack fillets, mince and surimi. Cod shatterpack fillets and salt cod are mainstays. At peak seasons, both winter and summer, nearly 500 employees staff the operation. King Cove's economy depends almost completely on the year-round commercial fishing and seafood processing industries. The PeterPan Seafoods' facility is one of the largest cannery operations under one roof in Alaska. 76 residents hold commercial fishing permits. Income is supplemented by subsistence activities.

The community is served by King Cove Airport, a state-owned public use airport with a gravel runway. A locally based FAA certificated Part 135 company called Eider Air provides on demand air-taxi service and charter operations to villagers and visitors. Grant Aviation also flies to King Cove, and has the contract for mail services.

It is also served by the Alaska Marine Highway, the state-run ferry service which connects it with Cold Bay in the west and Sand Point in the east.

Proposed road to Cold Bay
A partially completed road between King Cove and Cold Bay is awaiting approval through the United States Department of the Interior. According to a report generated by The Wilderness Society, the road would cause irreparable damage to the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge. The previous negative decision by former Interior Secretary Sally Jewell is being reconsidered to include a land swap. Proponents of the road state it would help local citizens in need of medical evacuation when airplanes can not land or take off from the local airport due to darkness or weather conditions. Opponents contend the road's main purpose is, as it always has been, to provide a link between King Cove and a nearby airport for commercial reasons. No evidence has been put forward to support a road would be safer in difficult weather condition than air transport. On January 22, 2018, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke signed a land swap agreement to allow construction of the road, but U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason blocked it in a ruling in March 2019, on the grounds that Secretary Zinke had failed to respond to the environmental concerns which Secretary Jewell had cited in justifying blocking the proposed land swap. In 2020, Zinke's successor as Interior Secretary, David Bernhardt, approved a revised land swap agreement, and specifically responded to those environmental concerns; U.S District Court Judge John W. Sedwick blocked the revised land swap agreement as well, on the grounds that Secretary Bernhardt's response to the environmental issues was inadequate. In August 2020, the Trump administration appealed Judge Sedwick's ruling to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. In March 2021, the Biden administration announced that it would continue the appeal started by the Trump administration, contrary to the expectations of many observers, who assumed the Biden administration would take the opposite decision.

Healthcare
The King Cove Community Health Clinic is run by the Eastern Aleutian Tribes and provides routine medical care, behavioral health, and emergency care services. The clinic is open Monday through Friday during normal business hours, closed for all Alaskan and Federal holidays. After hours emergencies are handled by on-call practitioners. There is an active local emergency medical services group who provide ambulance service. Care is also provided through Community Health Aide Practitioners, which are unique to Alaska.

Education
Aleutians East Borough School District (AEBSD) operates the King Cove School.

As of 2019 the King Cove School had 13 teachers and approximately 85 students.

title: King Cove, Alaska


text:
Nelson Lagoon, Alaska

Nelson Lagoon (Unangax̂: Niilsanam Alĝuudaa) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Aleutians East Borough, Alaska, United States. At the 2020 census the population was 41, down from 52 in 2010 and 83 in 2000.

Nelson Lagoon was established around 1960 and is the youngest of the Borough communities. It is the only Aleut settlement on the Bering Sea shore. The community is on the northern coast of the Alaska Peninsula and sits on a narrow sand spit that separates the lagoon from the Bering Sea. Nelson Lagoon is in the middle of a rich and productive salmon fisheries area. The community's dock, boat ramp, harbormaster's office and warehouse were completed in the late 1990s. Nelson Lagoon has excellent docking facilities as well as boat and gear storage. A state-owned 4,000-foot-long lighted gravel runway allows regularly scheduled flights.

In March 2016, Nelson Lagoon was coated with tephra, during a strong eruption of nearby Mount Pavlof.

History
The location where Nelson Lagoon sits was used as an Aleut summer campsite during the fishing season. In 1882, the lagoon was named for Edward William Nelson, a naturalist and explorer who travelled the region between 1877 and 1920. From 1906 until 1917, a salmon salting facility operated at the location, which was staffed mainly by Scandinavian fishermen. These men married local women, and today most native people in Nelson Bay have partial Scandinavian ancestry.

A permanent settlement was established in 1960. A school was built five years later, and the settlement grew into a larger permanent community.

In 1985, an environmental impact statement by the Minerals Management Service of the United States Department of the Interior was released, producing an in-depth analysis of the Nelson Bay community and its cultural, demographic, religious, political and educational atmosphere as well as predictions. The statement wrote about a well-organized, tight-knit community. The study reported the five-member Nelson Bay village council was formed in 1971, still consisted of all its original members, met often, and was competent and unified in its representation of the community. Unlike other villages, in Nelson Bay, politics were a familial affair; village councils represented the three main families in the village.

The environmental impact statement wrote that culturally and economically, the village was much as it was at the time of its founding: small, relatively undeveloped and very isolated. The village's younger generations were reported to have developed the unique tendency of brothers of one family marrying sisters of another family, thus requiring future generations to find spouses in other communities.

The Russian Orthodox Church was the village's dominant religion at the time, but secularization was taking place. Education was highly valued in the Nelson Bay, and the 1985 environmental impact statement wrote this could have been a legacy of the village's Scandinavian ancestors.

Geography
Nelson Lagoon is located at 56.00056°N, -161.20361°W (56.000522, -161.203561), located on a narrow sand spit separating the lagoon from the Bering Sea on the northern coast of the Alaska Peninsula.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 196.6 sqmi, of which, 135.3 sqmi of it is land and 61.4 sqmi of it (31.22%) is water.

Climate
Nelson Lagoon has a maritime climate. Weather is dramatic and irregular, with constant 20 - 25 mph wind. The temperature averages from 25 to 50 F, and ranges from -15 to 75 C. Average annual snowfall amounts to 56 inches.

Demographics
Nelson Lagoon first reported on the 1970 U.S. Census as an unincorporated village. It was made a census-designated place (CDP) in 1980.

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 52 people, 22 households, and 14 families residing in the CDP. The population density was .26 /mi2. There were 32 housing units at an average density of 0.2 /mi2. The racial makeup of the CDP was 21.2% White, 75% Native American, 1.9% Asian, and 1.9% from two or more races.

There were 22 households, out of which 22.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.5% were married couples living together, 4.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.4% were non-families. 22.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.71.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 13.5% under the age of 18, 0% from 18 to 24, 46.1% from 25 to 44, 28.8% from 45 to 64, and 7.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 108 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 114 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $43,750, and the median income for a family was $53,750. Males had a median income of $31,250 versus $59,583 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $27,596. There were no families and 6.4% of the population living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and none of those over 64.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 83 people, 31 households, and 19 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 0.6 PD/sqmi. There were 33 housing units at an average density of 0.2 /mi2. The racial makeup of the CDP was 13.25% White, 78.31% Native American, 2.41% Asian, and 6.02% from two or more races.

There were 31 households, out of which 41.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.5% were non-families. 19.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.15.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 30.1% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 33.7% from 25 to 44, 26.5% from 45 to 64, and 3.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 107.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.1 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $43,750, and the median income for a family was $53,750. Males had a median income of $31,250 versus $59,583 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $27,596. There were no families and 6.4% of the population living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and none of those over 64.

Religion
A 1985 environmental impact statement by the Minerals Management Service of the United States Department of the Interior reported that while Russian Orthodoxy was the dominant religion in Nelson Lagoon, a trend towards secularization was taking place, especially among the younger generations. The report noted that religion "is an important secondary activity [that] neither factionalized nor integrated residents at the community level."

Economy
Nelson Lagoon depends on salmon fishing, and the nearby fishery area is especially productive. Due to the seasonal nature of the fishing industry, subsistence activities are necessary during parts of the year, including animal trapping.

Tides Inn Motel and Cafe is the only hotel and restaurant in Nelson Lagoon. There is also a United States Post Office.

Culture
The culture revolved around the community's Native American heritage as well as traditional activities such as fishing and subsistence activities.

Government
Nelson Lagoon has a five-member village council.

Nelson Lagoon School
The Nelson Lagoon School was a public school operating under the administration of the Aleutians East Borough School District (AEBSD). It closed in 2012. there are no school-age children remaining in the village.

Circa 1978 the school, then a part of the Aleutian Region School District, had two teachers, and 18 students.

Transportation
Nelson Lagoon is only accessible by boat or plane. The Nelson Lagoon Airport has a 4,000-foot long gravel runway serving regular flights.

There is also a dock, boat ramp and harbormaster's office.

title: Nelson Lagoon, Alaska


text:
Sand Point, Alaska

Sand Point, also known as Popof Island, is a city in Aleutians East Borough, Alaska, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 976, up from 952 in 2000, but by the 2020 Census this had reduced to 578. It is on northwestern Popof Island, one of the Shumagin Islands, off the Alaska Peninsula. It is the borough seat of Aleutians East Borough, and is near the entrance to the Bering Sea.

The Aleutians East Borough School District is in Southwestern Alaska along the Alaska Peninsula and Aleutian Chain The District was formed in 1988 from smaller districts that consolidated and formed a Borough with taxing authority. The Borough and District boundaries are the same, and stretch over approximately 15000 sqmi of roadless, mostly treeless tundra, from the middle of the Alaska Peninsula to the north and east, going southwest out to Akutan just east of Dutch Harbor.

History
Sand Point was founded by a San Francisco fishing company in 1898 as a cod fishing station and trading post. Aleuts and Scandinavians were among the early residents. Gold mining was briefly a part of the economy during the early 1900s. Fishing remains an important industry, as Sand Point is home to one of the largest fishing fleets in the Aleutian Chain.

Description
Almost half the inhabitants are of Aleut descent - mainly from the Qagan Tayagungin tribe, and support themselves by fishing and fish processing. There is a cold storage and fish-processing plant owned and operated by Trident Seafoods and Peter Pan has a support facility. There is an airport with a 5200 ft paved runway and daily flights (weather permitting) to Anchorage, 575 nmi to the northeast.

The town is above the treeline, and there is a small herd of 120 bison (first introduced in the 1930s) which provides some meat for the island's inhabitants. It is notorious for the high winds caused by the meeting of cold air flows from the Bering Sea with the warm air over the Japan Current. It has a maritime climate, with temperature averages ranging from −9 to 76 °F, an average snowfall of 52 in and an average rainfall of 33 in.

The Russian Orthodox St. Nicholas Chapel was built in Sand Point in 1933.

Demographics
Sand Point first appeared on the 1890 U.S. Census as the Sand Point Station under Popof Island, but did not report a separate figure (the total population for the island and docked ships was 146). It first reported a separate figure in 1900 as Sand Point. It did not appear on the 1910 census, but returned in 1920 and in every successive census. It formally incorporated in 1966 and with the formation of the Aleutians East Borough in 1987, became the seat of government.

As of the census of 2000, there were 952 people, 229 households, and 155 families residing in the city. The population density was 122.1 PD/sqmi. There were 282 housing units at an average density of 36.2 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 27.73% White, 1.47% Black or African American, 42.33% Native American, 23.21% Asian, 0.32% Pacific Islander, 2.21% from other races, and 2.73% from two or more races. 13.55% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 229 households, out of which 39.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.4% were married couples living together, 15.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.9% were non-families. 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.17.

In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 20.4% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 41.5% from 25 to 44, 26.3% from 45 to 64, and 3.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 165.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 181.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $55,417, and the median income for a family was $58,000. Males had a median income of $20,000 versus $22,500 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,954. About 10.3% of families and 16.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.4% of those under age 18 and 32.1% of those age 65 or over.

Climate
Like all of Southwest Alaska, Sand Point has a subpolar oceanic climate (Köppen Cfc), though compared to most parts of the region it is a little less rainy and has fewer wet days - 145 as compared to over 220 throughout the Aleutian Islands and in most of Southeast Alaska.

Culture
Sand Point is a mixed Native and non-Native community. More than 50% of the permanent residents in Sand Point are known as Aleuts or Unangan. Every July the town hosts a Culture Camp in which Aleut traditions such as dance, sewing Aleut dresses, playing drums, building kayaks, knot tying, and weaving are taught. Culture Camp has an Aleut language component built into the program.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 28.9 sqmi, of which, 7.8 sqmi of it is land and 21.1 sqmi of it (73.05%) is water.

Education
There is one school, the Sand Point School, operated by the Aleutians East Borough School District (AEBSD).

There are approximately one hundred students in the Sand Point School. In addition to classroom space, the school houses a library media center, gymnasium, weight room, indoor pool and shop. The Sand Point School is part of the Aleutians East Borough School District. The superintendent of the AEBSD is Dr. Doug Conboy and the principal of the Sand Point School is Joseph VonDoloski Sr. Circa 1978 the school, then a part of the Aleutian Region School District, had a 13 teachers, and 136 students.

Transportation
Ravn Alaska offers flights from Anchorage to Sand Point four days a week. The two-hour flight costs more than $500 for a round-trip ticket.

Cargo service to Sand Point is available on Alaska Central Express (ACE) Air Cargo. ACE Air Cargo flies to Sand Point several days a week. Coastal Transportation is a Seattle-based marine carrier that provides weekly year-around service to communities throughout the Aleutians, including Sand Point.

During the summer and into the fall, the Alaska Marine Highway operates the Tustumena. The Tustumena stops in Sand Point four times per month. From Sand Point the ferry goes to King Cove, Cold Bay, False Pass and Dutch Harbor. The ship has staterooms and dining room service. The ferry takes cars and trucks. As of 2017 ferry delays have been common.

In Sand Point, rental cars are available from the Harbor Cafe and the Marine View Bed & Breakfast.

Wind Power
In 2012, two .5MW wind turbines were installed with blade diameters of 19.5 meters and a height of 59.5 meters.

Activities
Many people enjoy hunting for ptarmigan and bison. Commercial and pole fishing are enjoyable pastimes for the residents of Sand Point. Boating and riding all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) are popular pastimes as well. There is an annual Silver Salmon Derby in which contestants try to catch the largest fish to earn a cash prize. Adults can play Bingo and pull tabs on Sunday. The Boys and Girls Club offers after-school activities. Many adults spend their time at the local tavern and lounge both owned and operated by the Shumagin Corporation. Due to the small community and the lack of entertainment, many newcomers find themselves leaving. This includes many of the teachers.

Fishing industry
Like most Aleutian communities, commercial fishing drives the local economy. The Aleutians' largest fishing fleet is based in Sand Point. Trident Seafoods has a major Pacific cod, pollock, salmon and halibut processing plant, and provides fuel and other services. Peter Pan Seafoods owns a storage and transfer facility. In 1991, New West Fisheries had a floating processor near the city dock for Pacific cod processing. Residents in Sand Point have to acquire commercial fishing permits to participate in the fisheries.

The city completed a major rehabilitation of the Robert E. Galovin Small Boat Harbor in the summer of 2014. The harbor can hold more than 150 boats in permanent slips, as well as transient vessels. There is also a new boat harbor on the waterfront next to the small boat harbor and City dock. This harbor was built by the Borough and Army Corps of Engineers, but does not have any floats.

Business and shopping
The AC Store (Alaska Commercial Company) provides groceries, apparel, motorized vehicles such as ATVs, and toiletries. Small local stores provide goods like hardware, toys, groceries, and electronics. There is a small selection of restaurants and a coffee shop in the town. Alcohol can be purchased at two locations. A bed and breakfast is near the Trident bunkhouses.

Radio

 * KSDP 830 AM (Local NPR and APRN affiliate) (non-commercial community service)

title: Sand Point, Alaska


text:
Adak, Alaska

Adak (, Adaax), formerly Adak Station, is a city located on Adak Island, in the Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 171, down from 326 in 2010. It is the westernmost municipality in the United States and the southernmost city in Alaska. (See Extreme points of the United States.) The city is the former location of the Naval Air Facility Adak, NAVFAC Adak.

Geography
Adak is located on Kuluk Bay, on Adak Island, in the Andreanof Islands group of the Aleutian Islands Recording District, and in the 3rd Judicial District. It lies 1200 mi southwest of Anchorage and 450 mi west of Dutch Harbor at 51.872° North, 176.636° West (Sec. 10, T096S, R195W, Seward Meridian), near the Russian end of the arc that makes up this volcanic island chain. Flight time to Anchorage is 3 hours or longer, depending on weather. Adak is the southernmost community in Alaska and on the same latitude as Haida Gwaii in Canada, and London, England. It is less than three degrees of latitude north of the 49th parallel, which forms the western part of the land border between the Contiguous United States and Canada.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 127.3 sqmi, of which 122.4 sqmi is land and 4.9 sqmi (3.87%) is water.

Climate
Adak has a subpolar oceanic climate (Cfc), characterized by persistently overcast skies, moderate temperatures, high winds, significant precipitation and frequent cyclonic storms. Winter squalls produce wind gusts in excess of 100 kn. During the summer, extensive fog forms over the Bering Sea and North Pacific. Average temperatures range from 20 to 60 °F, but wind chill factors can be severe. Average annual precipitation is 65.6 in annually, concentrated markedly in fall and winter. December is the wettest single month on average, while June and July are markedly the driest months, with thunderstorms virtually unknown here. Snowfall averages nearly 100 in per winter season, which however tends to melt soon after falling. With 263 rainy days per year, Adak has the second highest number of any inhabited locality in the United States after Hilo, Hawaii.

19th century
The Aleutian Islands were historically occupied by the Unanga, more commonly known now as the Aleuts. The once heavily populated island was eventually abandoned in the early 19th century as the Aleutian Island hunters followed the Russian fur trade eastward, and famine set in on the Andreanof Island group. However, they continued to hunt and fish actively around the island over the years, until World War II broke out.

Military involvement and the naval station
Adak Army installations allowed U.S. and Canadian forces to mount a successful offensive against the Japanese-held islands of Kiska and Attu. After the war, Adak was developed as a naval air station, playing an important role during the Cold War as a submarine surveillance center. Large earthquakes rocked the island in 1957, 1964 and 1977.

At its peak, the station housed over 6,000 naval and Coast Guard personnel and their families. In 1994, the base was downsized, the local McDonald's and both the family housing and schools were closed. The station officially closed on March 31, 1997, as a result of 1995 Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC). The Aleut Corporation purchased Adak's facilities under a land transfer agreement with the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Navy/Department of Defense. This agreement was finalized in March 2004. About 30 families with children relocated to Adak in September 1998, most of them Aleut Corp. shareholders, and the former high school was reopened at that time as a K–12 institution. The community incorporated as a second-class city in April 2001. Substantially all of the infrastructure and facilities on Adak are owned by Aleut Corporation, which is currently developing Adak as a commercial center via their subsidiary companies. For example, properties in active use are leased by Adak Commercial Properties, LLC.

Since World War II, the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard developed facilities and recreation opportunities at Adak. At its peak, Adak had a college, a McDonald's restaurant, a Baskin-Robbins ice cream stand, movie theater, roller skating rink, swimming pool, ski lodge, bowling alleys, skeet range, auto hobby shop, photo lab, and racquetball & tennis courts. A new $18-million hospital was built in 1990, just seven years prior to the closure of the station. By March 2003, six years after the closure of the station, most of these facilities had closed.

As of March 2021, the U.S. Navy is considering reopening the air base at Adak.

Demographics
Adak first appeared on the 2000 U.S. Census as a census-designated place (CDP), although it previously was the Adak Naval Station from 1970 to 1990. In 2001, it formally incorporated as a city. As of the 2010 census, Adak was the only city in Alaska to have a majority Asian population (171 of 326 residents). Akutan and Kodiak have Asian pluralities.

As of the census of 2000, there were 316 people, 159 households, and 61 families residing in the city. The population density was 2.6 /mi2. There were 884 housing units at an average density of 7.2 /mi2. The racial makeup of the city was 49.68% White, 1.27% Black or African American, 35.13% Native American, 9.81% Asian, 1.90% Pacific Islander, and 2.22% from two or more races. Of the population, 5.06% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 159 households, 18.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 28.9% were married couples living together, 2.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 61.6% were non-families. Of all households, 46.5% were made up of individuals, and none had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.99 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 18.7% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 44.3% from 25 to 44, 26.3% from 45 to 64, and 1.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 184.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 188.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $52,727, and the median income for a family was $53,889. Males had a median income of $46,429 versus $35,000 for females. The per capita income for the city was $31,747. About 3.3% of families and 4.7% of the population were below the poverty line, none of whom were under the age of eighteen or over the age of sixty-five.

Water
Water is derived from Lake Bonnie Rose, Lake De Marie, and Nurses Creek, stored in seven water tanks throughout the community, and piped to facilities and housing units. The wastewater treatment system discharges through a marine outfall line to Kuluk Bay. Adak's water system is reported to have lead in it.

Waste
Waste was previously removed of by a permitted landfill site; This site was operated on Adak Island under Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (Alaska DEC) solid waste regulations. The landfill operated from the early 1950s until 1972 and from 1975 until 2002. The site was used to dispose of sanitary trash, metal debris, batteries, solvents, waste paints, and construction rubble. From 1975 on, the landfill only accepted sanitary trash.

The landfill was closed in 1997 by placing a low permeability soil cover over the landfill, implementing access restrictions, installing surface erosion controls, and placing a vegetative cover. In March 2002, the State of Alaska approved resumption of operations at Roberts Landfill through 2002 to dispose of inert demolition waste monofill and one cell for disposal of approximately 10 cubic yards of asbestos-containing material. Alaska DEC approved closure of the landfill in 2002.

Identified contaminants
Metals and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in groundwater and surface water.

Current actions
The Navy inspects institutional controls (ICs) annually. The Navy conducts groundwater monitoring at four wells and surface water monitoring at five locations annually.

Electricity
Electricity is provided by TDX which has invested over one million dollars in improving generating and distribution systems. The price of electricity has been reported to have been reduced due to a greater reliance on wind power.

Schools
There is one school located in the community: Adak School, operated by the Aleutian Region School District. In 2014 the Adak School had 25 students. It was previously served by the Adak Region School District, which closed in June 1996.

Internet access
Internet, though available, is typically expensive, with caps on data. Average use can be extremely expensive, and a monopoly existed as personal satellite internet has not been available due to the satellite locations. Solar activity blocks communications during equinox seasons for several days of both spring and fall seasons.

Due to its remoteness the internet connection has historically been very poor, and applications that require high bandwidth could not work as intended. However, since late 2022 and 2023, Starlink has provided further internet access to many residents across rural Alaska, including to those in Adak.

Health care
There is no hospital; however there is Adak Community Health Center, managed by Eastern Aleutian Tribes, Inc. (EAT).

The health center provides Family Medicine, Chronic Care and urgent care services, and is staffed by a physician-assistant or, at times, by a community health practitioner. There is no doctor, no blood supply, and limited medications to stabilize a patient awaiting a medical evacuation, weather permitting. Behavioral Health is also provided via tele-video and quarterly site visits. EAT sends a dentist to Adak one week per year to provide limited dental services; otherwise, dental services must be referred outside of Adak. Tele-Radiology (X-ray) and Tele-Medicine are also present. Limited lab, pharmacy, and public health services are also available. The pharmacy medications are limited to acute medications. Filling of prescriptions from outside facilities usually cannot be accommodated. All visitors should bring plenty of their own medications as the health center stocks a very limited supply of chronic medications. Auxiliary emergency health care is provided by Adak Volunteer Fire Department.

Economy

A land exchange between Aleut Corp., the U.S. Navy, and the Department of the Interior transferred most of the former naval facilities to the Aleut Corp. in March 2004. A portion of the island remains within the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The U.S. Navy retains part of the north end of Adak Island (Parcel 4) and does annual sweeps of the Andrew Lake Seawall for unexploded ordnance. Their website lists the Institutional Controls in place for all of Adak as part of the land exchange or Interim Conveyance. The Navy provides the trail maps as part of the ordnance awareness information required to be shown to all Adak residents and visitors. Adak currently provides a fueling port and crew transfer facility for a combination of Seattle and Alaskan based fishing fleet — an airport, docks, housing facilities, restaurant, grocery, and ship supply store are available.

Golden Harvest Alaska Seafood processes Pacific cod, pollock, mackerel, halibut, snow and king crabs at a 144,000-square-foot seafood processing facility on the island. Four local residents hold commercial fishing permits, primarily for groundfish; however, commercial fishing vessels based out of Seattle and other parts of Alaska provide most of the work for the seafood plant by regularly offloading their catch at the facility's large dock. The local airport allows the company to send orders via air cargo from Adak to markets around the world, including entire planes full of live king crab to China.

Facilities
Other facilities in Adak include three deep water docks and fueling facilities. The city has requested funds to greatly expand the Sweeper Cove small boat harbor, including new breakwaters, a 315 ft dock and new moorage floats. There are approximately 16 mi of paved and primitive roads on Adak, all privately owned by the Aleut Corporation.

The Aleut are also seeking to develop their water system, which has been well-maintained and -designed for a larger Naval population, as an export industry.

Airport
Because of its naval aviation past, Adak has an unusually large and sophisticated airport for the Aleutian Islands. The airport is currently operated by the State of Alaska Department of Transportation. Complete with an Instrument Landing System, Adak Airport has no control tower and two 200 ft wide asphalt paved runways at 19 ft elevation. One runway measures 7790 ft long while the other runway measures 7605 ft. Alaska Airlines operates twice-weekly Boeing 737 passenger jet service from Anchorage. At present, flights operate each Wednesday and Saturday, weather permitting. Occasionally, extra seasonal flights are operated to meet the demand of the fishing season.

Tourism
Land use permits are required for all non-residents visiting Aleut Corporation land.

There are multiple different locations to stay in the city; the former naval base housing can be rented by various companies for long and short stays. Unfortunately cabins that were once maintained by Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge have fallen into disrepair and are unsafe to occupy. Camping is legal without a permit on the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge land but due to the harsh climate it is not recommended to do so. The wind on Adak is highly variable and often unpredictable (the record speed is unknown because the wind ripped the anemometer off of the tower).

Birdwatchers often travel to Adak and nearby Attu Island, as many vagrant birds from Asia and elsewhere can be spotted there. Bald Eagles exist there in high numbers.

Developed trails are limited and most are not maintained. It is possible to hike on the tundra, but visitors are advised both to prepare for frequent weather changes and to never hike alone.

Nightlife and dining opportunities are few on Adak. The Adak General Store is open sporadically during the week. There are currently no restaurants in Adak.

Hunting and fishing continue in Adak, especially caribou. There is no bag limit for cows, but in 2007, the Board of Game passed new regulations for bulls. Hunting access to the south end of the island involves two licensed local boat charter services: either Aleutian Adventure Tours or Homeward Bound Charters. Anglers can access halibut in the Kagalaska Straits.

Hunters must possess an Alaska state hunting license and a harvest ticket for each animal taken; non-residents of Alaska must also possess the appropriate big game tag. Anglers require a sport fishing license. All areas of the island with roads are owned by the Aleut Corporation, and a special permit is required for all non-residents accessing this private property. No ATVs are permitted within the wildlife refuge and the Aleut Corporation only allows ATVs on the roads and trails, not on the tundra. Under Alaska state law, wastage is illegal.

Notable people

 * David Brown (1956-2003), astronaut died in Space Shuttle Columbia STS-107 during orbital reentry, US Navy Captain worked as Director of Medical Services at the Navy Branch Hospital in Adak from 1984.
 * David Vann (born 1966), author

title: Adak, Alaska


text:
Atka, Alaska

Atka (Atx̂ax̂, Атка) is a small city located on the east side of Atka Island, in Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska, United States. The population was 53 at the 2020 census, down from 61 in 2010.

The population of Atka is nearly entirely Aleut (Unangan). The major industry is fishing.

Geography
Atka is located at 52.19917°N, -174.21333°W (52.199271, -174.213398).

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the hamlet has a total area of 36.2 sqmi, of which, 8.7 sqmi of it is land and 27.4 sqmi of it (75.81%) is water.

Atka is formed by a shield volcano, with a number of outlets. The highest point on Atka is Korovin Volcano, which last erupted in 2006.

Demographics
Atka first appeared on the 1880 U.S. Census as the unincorporated Aleut village of "Nazan". It had 236 residents, of which 220 were Aleut, 14 were Creole (Mixed Russian & Native) and 2 were White. In 1890, it returned as Atka, with 132 residents, of which 116 were native, 15 were Creole and 1 White. It did not appear again under the name "Atka" on the census until 1920, and in every successive census. It was made a census-designated place (CDP) in 1980 and formally incorporated in 1988.

As of the census of 2000, there were 92 people, 32 households, and 20 families residing in the hamlet. The population density was 10.5 PD/sqmi. There were 41 housing units at an average density of 4.7 /mi2. The racial makeup of the city was 80.43% Native American, 6.52% White, 1.09% Asian, 1.09% Pacific Islander, and 10.87% from two or more races. 1.09% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 32 households, 40.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.5% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.4% were non-families. 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.33.

In the city the population was spread out, with 30.4% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 8.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.5 males.

The median income for a household in the hamlet was $30,938, and the median income for a family was $34,375. Males had a median income of $28,750 versus $33,438 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,080. There were no families and 7.5% of the population living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 26.7% of those over 64.

Atka Airport is the island's only airstrip.

Education
Atka is served by the Aleutian Region Schools. The Yakov E. Netsvetov School serves grades K-12. The school has two teachers, one for the elementary grades and one for the secondary grades. In the 2019–20 school year, it had 10 enrolled students.

title: Atka, Alaska


text:
Attu Station, Alaska

Attu Station is a census-designated place (CDP) located on Attu Island in the Aleutians West Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska. The population was 21 at the 2010 census, consisting entirely of coast guard personnel who resided and worked at Casco Cove Coast Guard Station, but left the island when the station was closed in August 2010, leaving it uninhabited. LORAN Station Attu had provided a navigational signal for mariners of the North Pacific since the 1970s.

Although it is relatively the westernmost point in the United States, Attu Station is technically one of the easternmost points, located at 52.84639°N, 173.18611°W, opposite the 180th meridian from the rest of the United States.

History
After the Japanese invasion of Attu Island and the battle to retake it, the United States government constructed a LORAN station on the southern tip of the island, at Theodore Point. The equipment to build the station came from Holtz Bay and was ferried on barges and landing craft to Baxter Cove, about 1 mile east of the station. Bulldozers were used to cut a road from Baxter Cove to Theodore Point.

In 1960, the station was moved to Casco Cove, near the former United States Navy base at Massacre Bay. Later, it was moved to Massacre Bay. LORAN Station Attu ceased transmission of the LORAN signal on February 8, 2010, and the Russian-American signal ceased on August 1, 2010.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 143.6 sqmi, for which 142.6 sqmi of it is land and 1.1 sqmi of it (0.75%) is water.

Demographics
Attu (Naval) Station first appeared on the 1980 U.S. Census as "Attu", a census-designated place (CDP). It did not return on the 1990 census. The name was changed to Attu Naval Station and redesignated a CDP in 2000. It appeared lastly on the 2010 census, just before the closure of the station in August that year and the departure of its remaining residents.

At the 2000 census there were 20 people, 0 households, and 0 families in the CDP. The population density was 0.1 PD/sqmi. There were 0 housing units at an average density of 0.0 /mi2. The racial makeup of the CDP was 18 White, 1 from other races, and 1 from two or more races. Five of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. The age distribution was 7 from 18 to 24, 12 from 25 to 44, and 1 from 45 to 64. The median age was 30 years. There were 19 men and one woman.

Males had a median income of $26,250, which is the same as for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $26,964. None of the population was below the poverty line.

As noted above, however, due to the closure of the station the community is presently uninhabited.

title: Attu Station, Alaska


text:
Nikolski, Alaska

Nikolski (Chalukax̂ in Aleut; Никольский) is a census-designated place (CDP) on Umnak Island in Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska, United States. The population was 39 at the 2020 census, up from 18 in 2010. Nikolski is on Nikolski Bay, off the southwest end of the island. It is 116 air miles west of Unalaska, and 900 air miles from Anchorage. Residents are known as Unangan, and Aleut is spoken in most of the remaining homes.

History
The Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association reports that Nikolski is thought to be one of the oldest continuously occupied communities in the world. Archaeological evidence from Ananiuliak Island, 5 km offshore in Nikolski Bay, dates human habitation to 8,500 years ago. A site known as Chaluka in Nikolski shows 4,000 years of virtually continuous occupation. Subsistence activities, sheep and cattle raising, and fishing are the main livelihoods and the latter has been traced back thousands of years by archaeologists, through analysis of midden sites and fish hook designs in the 1960s. Previous activities from the 1800s included sea otter hunting and fox farming. A sheep ranch was established in 1926 as part of the Aleutian Livestock Company and there are thousands on the island today. In the early 1900s the residents purchased a large fishing boat with money made from those activities, the “Umnak Native”, but it was wrecked in 1933.

In June 1942 during World War II, the Japanese attacked Unalaska to the East and had also seized Attu and Kiska islands, to the west. Residents of Umnak Island were evacuated to the Ketchikan area in far southeastern Alaska, although an American airstrip and military base on the north of the island, Fort Glenn Army Air Base (abandoned by 1950) repelled Japanese forces. The Battle of Attu and associated campaigns in 1943 recaptured the lost islands to the west. Nikolski locals returned in 1944, but some had experienced the outside world for the first time and since then, many natives have remained offshore, working in canneries or on fishing vessels. The US Air Force built a White Alice radar communication site on the edge of town in the 1950s, but it was abandoned by 1977. A 3,500-foot gravel runway, the unattended Nikolski Air Station remains, and there are passenger, mail and cargo services depending on the harsh weather conditions. Nikolski has no harbour.

Geography

Nikolski is located at 52.94149°N, -168.86076°W.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 132.8 sqmi, of which, 132.1 sqmi of it is land and 0.7 sqmi of it (0.55%) is water. The island is in the maritime climate zone. Temperatures range from 11 degrees F (-11 C) to 65 degrees (18 C). Snowfall is considerable and covers Mount Vsevidof and other peaks, with rain and strong winds much of the year, and summer fog.

On a clear day the view from Nikolski is dominated by Mount Vsevidof to the northeast, the highest point on Umnak Island (7,051 ft). Vsevidof is tectonically active, and an eruption last occurred on March 11, 1957, following an earthquake. A cataclysmic eruption of Mount Okmok in the northernmost part of the island severely affected Nikolski residents in July 2008.

The boundary between the Alaska Time Zone (UTC-9) and Hawaii-Aleutian Time Zone (UTC-10) passes just west of Nikolski, along the line of 169°30'W through Samalga Pass. This places Nikolski in the Alaska Time Zone. However, as Nikolski is part of the Aleutian Region School District the settlement effectively observes Hawaii-Aleutian time.

Demographics
Nikolski first appeared on the 1880 U.S. Census as the unincorporated Aleut village of "Nikolsky." It had 127 residents, of whom 117 were Aleut, 8 were Creole (Mixed Russian & Native) and 2 were White. In 1890, it returned as "Umnak", with 94 residents, of whom 80 were native and 14 were Creole. It did not appear again until 1920, when it again reported as "Umnak." Beginning with the 1930 census and to date, it has reported as Nikolski. It was made a census-designated place (CDP) in 1980.

As of the census of 2000, there were 39 people, 15 households, and 12 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 0.3 PD/sqmi. There were 28 housing units at an average density of 0.2 /mi2. The racial makeup of the CDP was 30.77% White and 69.23% Native American.

Of the 15 households, 40.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.3% were married couples living together, 20.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.0% were non-families. 20.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and none had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 35.9% under the age of 18, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.3 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $38,750, and the median income for a family was $40,250. Males had a median income of $26,250 versus $11,875 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $14,083. There were 23.5% of families and 20.7% of the population living below the poverty line, including 13.6% of under eighteens and 55.6% of those over 64.

Education
Nikolski is served by the Aleutian Region Schools.

The Nikolski School served grades K-12. The school had one live-in teacher that occupied a small home owned by the school district adjacent to the school building and purpose-built for teachers and their family. The school was constructed in 1939 by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Circa 1978, the school had a single teacher, and 15 students. In 2008, the number of students fell below 9. Beginning in 1998, schools in rural Alaska had to have at least 10 students, in order to retain funding from the state, and campuses not meeting the number had to close. The school district used its budget to keep the school open. An American Samoan family arrived, but as the school lost more students, that family did not have enough children to enroll to make up the required 10 students and, subsequently, the family moved away. A student living elsewhere was offered to relocate to Nikolski, where he would be the 10th student, but he chose not to, partly because the Nikolski School could not offer welding classes, and thus the school could not reach the 10 student threshold. The school closed down after the conclusion of the 2009–2010 school year. The permanent teacher left during the fall semester, so a volunteer had to fill in for the rest of the school year. After it closed down, some of the students left the village, while others were home schooled.

Media
An episode of angler and TV presenter Jeremy Wade's Dark Waters (2019) was partially filmed in Nikolski. He failed to catch elusive large halibut offshore, and was stranded due to bad weather for several days.

title: Nikolski, Alaska


text:
St. George, Alaska

St. George (Anĝaaxchalux̂ or Sangiurgiix̂, Сент-Джордж) is a city in Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska, United States. It is the main settlement of St. George Island in the Pribilofs, a small island group in the Bering Sea. At the 2010 census the population was 102, down from 152 in 2000.

History
The wreck of the crab-fishing vessel All American shipwreck on St. George Island in 1996. She ran aground there without loss of life on February 29, 1996.

The island was discovered by Gavriil Pribylov on June 25, 1786, during a search for the breeding grounds of northern fur seals. The island is named after Pribylov's ship, the St. George. St. George Island was the first of the Pribilofs to be discovered.

Built in 1935, the sole church on the island is St. George Church, an Eastern Orthodox Church in the Diocese of Alaska of the Orthodox Church in America.

Geography
St. George is located at 56.60556°N, -169.55972°W (56.605546, −169.559584).

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 182.4 sqmi, of which, 34.8 sqmi of it is land and 147.6 sqmi of it (80.94%) is water.

The city is served by an airport with scheduled service to St. Paul Island Airport and Unalaska Airport provided by Grant Aviation. Alaska Central Express also offers flights to Anchorage.

Demographics
St. George first appeared on the 1880 U.S. Census as an unincorporated Aleut village. Of its 92 residents, 88 were Aleut and 4 were White. It returned again in 1890 with 93 residents, reporting 49 Natives (presumably Aleut), 36 Creoles (Mixed Russian & Native), and 8 Whites. It did not report on the 1900 census. From 1910 to 1940, it reported as "St. George Island." In 1950, it reported as St. George. In 1960, it reported again as "St. George Island." From 1970-onwards, it has reported as St. George. It formally incorporated in 1983.

As of the census of 2000, there were 152 people, 51 households, and 42 families residing in the city. The population density was 4.4 PD/sqmi. There were 67 housing units at an average density of 1.9 /mi2. The racial makeup of the city was 92.11% Alaska Native and 7.89% White.

There were 51 households, out of which 47.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.9% were married couples living together, 15.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.6% were non-families. 15.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and none had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.98 and the average family size was 3.29.

In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 36.8% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 31.6% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 6.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.4 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 113.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $57,083, and the median income for a family was $60,625. Males had a median income of $50,625 versus $31,250 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,131. About 4.9% of families and 7.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.0% of those under the age of eighteen and none of those 65 or over.

Education
St. George is served by the Pribilof Island School District. In 2004, the district began offering 9–12th grade to St. George students via video conference. Students have a choice: they can live at home and attend distance education classes or they can leave home and attend a boarding school like Mt. Edgecumbe High School.

In 2017, St. George School was closed entirely due to low enrollment. The district now offers a correspondence program for grades K-10.

Geography and wildlife
The island is notable as being the breeding site of over 75% of the known population of red-legged kittiwakes.

In 2016, a new species of beaked whale, Berardius beringiae, was discovered near the island.

St. George Island is considered part of the Bering Sea Volcanic Province.

title: St. George, Alaska