Bethel, Alaska
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Bethel is a city located in Bethel Census Area, Alaska 340 miles west of Anchorage. As of 2004, the population of the city is 6,110.
Bethel is one of the largest communities in western Alaska. It lies inside the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge, the largest wildlife refuge in the United States. It is an administrative and transportation hub for the 56 villages in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta.
Bethel is home to the premier mid-distance dogsled race, the Kuskokwim 300. In the spring, traditional dancers from all over Alaska and the world gather for Ca'mai (pronounced Cha-Mai) Dance Festival.
Bethel is sometimes called the “armpit” of the state by other Alaskans due to very high rates of alcoholism, unemployment, and welfare. But locals maintain that this nickname is completely undeserved. Though the region is flat and generally treeless, local residents enjoy snowmachineing, skiing, caribou hunting, salmon fishing, and access to the surrounding 56 villages in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. Local residents also claim that other Alaskans are unaware of the eccentric and tightly-knit community.
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Geography
Image:AKMap-doton-Bethel.PNG Bethel is located at 60°47'23" North, 161°46'46" West (60.789724, -161.779332)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 126 km² (50 mi²). 113 km² (44 mi²) of it is land and 13 km² (5 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 10% water.
Demographics
As of 2000, there were 5,470 people, 1,790 households, and 1,190 families residing in the city. The population density is 49/km² (125.0/mi²). There are 2,310 housing units at an average density of 18/km² (46/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 27% White, 1% Black or African American, 62% Native American, 3% Asian, 0.16% Pacific Islander, 0.51% from other races, and 7% from two or more races. 2% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 1,790 households out of which 46% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.2% are married couples living together, 18% have a female householder with no husband present, and 30% are non-families. 25% of all households are made up of individuals and 3% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 3.0 and the average family size is 3.7.
In the city the population is spread out with 33% under the age of 18, 12% from 18 to 24, 31% from 25 to 44, 20% from 45 to 64, and 6% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 29 years. For every 100 females there are 110 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 110 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $56,900, and the median income for a family is $62,400. Males have a median income of $44,900 versus $39,000 for females. The per capita income for the city is $20,300. 11% of the population and 11% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 10% of those under the age of 18 and 18% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
History
Bethel, at its original location, was a Yupik village called Mamterillermiut, meaning "Smokehouse People," after the nearby fish smokehouse. It was an Alaska Commercial Company trading post during the late 1800s. It had a population of 41 people in the 1880 U.S. Census. The Moravian Church established a mission in the area in 1885, under the leadership of Rev. John Henry Kilbuck, Jr. Kilbuck learned Yupik, which greatly enhanced his effectiveness as a missionary. Missionaries moved Bethel from Mamterillermiut to its present location on the west side of the Kuskokwim River. A United States Post Office was opened in 1905.
Alaska Natives in this area also have a long spiritual history, in part from Russian Orthodox influence. As in many Alaskan villages, Orthodox tradition has become interwoven with its cultural history.
On February 19, 1997, a school massacre attracted widespread media attention to Bethel when then-sixteen-year-old Evan Ramsey, a student at Bethel High School, shot and killed his principal and one student and wounded two others, for which he later received a 198-year prison sentence.
Climate
Precipitation averages 16 inches a year in this area, with snowfall of 50 inches. The average low in July is 49 °F and the average high is 63 °F, although temperatures as low as 32 °F or as high as 87 °F have been recorded in July. In January, the average low is 1 and the average high is 12 °F, while extremes of -49 to 49 °F have been recorded. [1][2]
Transportation & Economy
The state-owned Bethel Airport is the regional transportation center, and is served by two major passenger airlines, two cargo carriers, and numerous air taxi services. The airport ranks third in the state for total number of flights. It offers a 6,400' asphalt runway and 1,850' gravel crosswind runway, and is currently undergoing a $7 million renovation and expansion. Two float plane bases are nearby, Hangar Lake and H Marker Lake.
The Port of Bethel is the northernmost medium-draft port in the United States. River travel is the primary means of local transportation in the summer, and it becomes a 150-mile ice road to surrounding villages in the winter. A Bethel-based barge service provides goods to Kuskokwim villages. There are 16 miles of mostly dirt roads which are not connected to any contiguous highway system. Winter trails are marked to Napaskiak (1.1 miles) and Akiachak (19 miles).
Bethel is also the site of a major (for Alaska) coal powered generating station, and a unique 8.5 mile prototype single wire ground return electrical intertie to Napakiak, Alaska, coinstructed in 1981.
| Image:Flag of Alaska.svg | State of Alaska |
|---|---|
| Capital | Juneau |
| Regions | Bush Alaska - Interior - North Slope - Panhandle - South Central - Tanana Valley |
| Largest cities | Anchorage - Barrow - Bethel - Fairbanks - Homer - Juneau - Kenai - Ketchikan - Kodiak - Kotzebue - Nome - Palmer - Petersburg - Seward - Sitka - Unalaska - Valdez - Wasilla |
| Boroughs | Aleutians East - Anchorage - Bristol Bay - Denali - Fairbanks North Star - Haines - Juneau - Kenai Peninsula - Ketchikan Gateway - Kodiak Island - Lake and Peninsula - Matanuska-Susitna - North Slope - Northwest Arctic - Sitka - Yakutat |
| Census Areas | Aleutians West - Bethel - Dillingham - Nome - Prince of Wales-Outer Ketchikan - Skagway-Hoonah-Angoon - Southeast Fairbanks - Valdez-Cordova - Wade Hampton - Wrangell-Petersburg - Yukon-Koyukuk |
External links
Template:Mapit-US-cityscalede:Bethel (Alaska) io:Bethel, Alaska pt:Bethel sv:Bethel