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Aleutians
West Census Area
Alaska
The
Cities and communities of Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska *
Adak,
Atka
Nikolski
St.
George, St.Paul,
Shemya Station
Unalaska
(Also known as Dutch Harbor)
*This list of cities may
not be complete. The list may contain towns, cities, villages,
boroughs, townships, ghost towns and other populated places.
If you have information
about any of these unlinked communities, please send
it to us and we will add a page for that community. Some of these
places above may only be neighborhoods or local area names and are
not listed with the census at all or just included in a larger
surrounding designated census area..
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- Information
& Facts about Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska
Attractions
& other Information - Climate -
Economy - Genealogy -
Geography -
Government
- History - Libraries
- Location - Organizations
& Groups -
Other Facts &
Figures - Population - Schools
Government
Much of the more densely
populated parts of the state are divided into boroughs, which
function in a manner similar to counties in other states. Boroughs do
not cover the entire land area of the state. The area of Alaska not
part of any borough is referred to as the unorganized borough.
For the 1970 census, the
government of Alaska and the U.S. Census Bureau divided the
unorganized borough into census areas. However, these areas exist
solely for the purposes of statistical analysis and presentation.
They have no government of their own. There are services provided by
borough governments that are provided directly by the Alaska state
government in the unorganized borough
City
of Unalaska
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Population:
2000
- 5,465
2003
- 5,241
Density:
2000 - 1 person per
square mile
Census
Quick facts for the area.
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Location:
The Aleutians West
Borough contains the many islands of the western Aleutian chain.
Dutch Harbor, (also known as Unalaska), is located on Unalaska Island
and is the center of the borough's population and economic activity,
which is based on commercial fishing and seafood processing. St.
George and St. Paul Islands are further north in the Bering Sea. The
Aleutians East Borough is on the eastern Border. The sea is on all
other borders - the Bering Sea, the North Pacific.
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Climate:
Most
of the area has a Maritime climate with milder temperatures than
other areas. Some areas have several winter storms with high winds up
to 100 mph. Most areas have high winds much of the year, but the
temperatures don't go below freezing. The wind chill factor actually
causes the air to feel colder than it really is most of the time.
Summer months tend to have a great deal of dense fog but the winds
die down somewhat.
Bering
Sea Weather and Climate page
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Other
Facts and Figures:
Income:
Per
capita Income -
$24,037
(2000)
Median Household Income - $61,406 (2000)
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History:
The Unalaska area has
the largest fishing port in the United States in terms of volume, and
second largest in terms of value. Salmon, crab, pollock, halibut,
rockfish, and other species are harvested by both local and
non-resident fishermen and processed at shore based plants as well as
aboard floating processors.
Unalaska is the borough's
transportation hub, with regular jet service to Anchorage and
connections to other Aleutian communities.
Prior to 1759, over
3,000 Unangan lived here in 24 settlements. In 1768, Unalaska became
a Russian trading port for the seal industry. By 1787, many of the
workers and their families were forced to relocate and work n the fur
seal harvest. For many years the people were enslaved. Several
churches came into the area and helped the people cope with their
situations and one of the priests, Ivan Veniaminov, helped to
construct a writing system for the Aleut people. The churches
prospered, but many people had fled the area leaving only around 300
when there had been thousands. In the late 1800s, the Methodist
Church arrived and opened a school, church, clinic and a home for
orphans. The city of Unalaska was attacked by the Japanese on 3 June
1942. Most residents were sent to southeast Alaska during the war.
Many did not return and their villages were never re-established.
Adak, which served as a U.S. military base during the Cold
War, has been converted to civilian use and is developing as a fish
processing community.
The Pribilof island
group was discovered in 1786 by Russian fur traders. It was during
their occupation of the islands that Aleuts from various areas were
brought here to work in the processing and to hunt for seals. Many of
their descendents live on the islands today. Sealing hunting
continued for many years resulting in fewer and fewer seals. Finally
the Fur Seal Act of 1910 placed restrictions on the industry. Poverty
reigned here once sealing was basically prohibited. During World War
II, residents were relocated to southeast Alaska and were not treated
with much compassion. Later in 1979, many received compensation for
their treatment. After the Fur Seal Act of 1983, restrictions were
lifted and management of the industry was left to the local
governments. Commercial harvesting of the pelts gradually decreased
and was halted on St. Paul in 1985. Currently fur seal pelt
possession is prohibited except for subsistence activities.
A history
page for the Unalaska/Dutch Harbor area
A history
page for the Aleutians area
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Geography:
Alaska
Volcano Observatory
Total
area: 14,117 square miles
Land area: 4,397 square miles
Water
area: 9,720 square miles
The
area is 68.85% water
Here
is a geographical description of the area:
chain of rugged,
volcanic islands curving c.1,200 mi (1,900 km) west from the tip of
the Alaska Peninsula and approaching Russia's Komandorski Islands. A
partially submerged continuation of the Aleutian Range, they separate
the Bering Sea from the Pacific Ocean. The Aleutians comprise four
main groups: Fox Islands, nearest to the mainland, including Unimak,
Unalaska, Umnak, and Akutan; Andreanof Islands, including Amlia,
Atka, Adak, Kanaga, and Tanaga; Rat Islands, including Amchitka and
Kiska; and Near Islands, the smallest and westernmost group,
including Agattu and Attu. The Semichi Islands, of which Shemya is
the largest, are nearby. (the above excerpt is a portion of the
information provided by The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia
Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press)
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Genealogy:
US
GenWeb page for
the Aleutians West Census Area
Kindred
Trails page for the area
Genealogy
information page with many links for this area.
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Libraries:
Unalaska Public Library
64 Eleanor Drive
Unalaska, AK 99685
This library is operated
by the City of Unalaska and is not part of any library system
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Schools:
Unalaska
City School District
P.O.
Box 570
Unalaska, AK 99685
Phone (907) 581-3151
Fax (907)
581-3152
Pribilof
School District
Pouch
905
St. Paul Island, AK 99660
Phone 907-546-2221
Fax
907-546-2327
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Economy:
The
area's economy is mainly that of fish processing and fisheries. Other
employment year-round is mainly with the schools and the government.
Some remote areas still operate mainly on a subsistence level. Some
areas have a large tourist presence while others are building their
tourist trade.
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Organizations
& Groups
Unalaska/Port
of Dutch Harbor Convention and Visitors Bureau
P.O. Box
545
Unalaska, Alaska 99685
Phone: (907) 581-2612
Toll-free:
(877) 581-2612
Fax: (907) 581-2613
Aleutian
Pribilof Islands Association
201 East 3rd Avenue
Anchorage,
AK 99501
Phone: (907) 276-2700
Fax: (907) 279-4351
Southwest
Alaska Municipal Conference
3300 Arctic Blvd. Suite
203
Anchorage, AK 99503
Phone: 907-562-7380
Fax:
907-562-0438
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Attractions
& Other Information
Museum
of the Aleutians
314
Salmon Way
PO BOX 648
Unalaska, AK 99685
Phone:
907-581-5150
Information
on the Bering Sea -
communities, commerce, weather, cultures, fisheries and more
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This page was last
updated on 28 February 2011 at 11:07 pm
This page was created 28
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