Kodiak, Alaska

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Kodiak, Alaska
settlement_type = City
nickname =
motto =

image_caption = View of Kodiak from Pillar Mountain
imagesize = 250px


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mapsize =
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mapsize1 =
map_caption1 =
pushpin_

pushpin_label_position = right
pushpin_mapsize = 300
pushpin_map_caption =

subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = Alaska
subdivision_type2 = Borough
subdivision_name2 = Kodiak Island
government_footnotes =
government_type =
leader_title =
leader_name =
leader_title1 =
leader_name1 =
established_title =
established_date =

area_footnotes =
area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 12.6
area_land_km2 = 9.0
area_water_km2 = 3.6
area_total_sq_mi = 4.8
area_land_sq_mi = 3.5
area_water_sq_mi = 1.4

population_as_of = 2007
population_footnotes =cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/popest/cities/tables/SUB-EST2007-04-02.csv|title=Annual Estimates of the Population for Incorporated Places in Alaska|publisher=United States Census Bureau|date=2008-07-10|accessdate=2008-07-14]
population_total = 6182
population_density_km2 = 707.6
population_density_sq_mi = 1832.7

timezone = Alaska (AKST)
utc_offset = -9
timezone_DST = AKDT
utc_offset_DST = -8
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 15
elevation_ft = 49
latd = 57 |latm = 47 |lats = 35 |latNS = N
longd = 152 |longm = 23 |longs = 39 |longEW = W

postal_code_type =
postal_code =
area_code = 907
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 02-40950
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = [Gnis3|1404875 1404875]
website =
footnotes =

Kodiak ( _ru. Кадьяк) is one of 6 communities and the main city on Kodiak Island in Kodiak Island Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. All commercial transportation between the entire island and the outside world goes through this city either via ferryboat or airline. The population was estimated at 6,273 in 2006.cite web | date = June 21 2006 | url = http://www.census.gov/popest/cities/files/SUB-EST2005-04-02.csv | title = Annual Estimates of the Population for All Incorporated Places in Alaska | format = CSV | work = 2005 Population Estimates | publisher = U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division | accessmonthday = November 9 | accessyear = 2006]

Originally inhabited by Alutiq natives for over 7000 years, the city was settled in the 1700s by Russian immigrants and became the capital of Russian Alaska. Harvesting of the area's sea otter pelts led to the near extinction of the animal in the following century and led to wars with and enslavement of the natives for over 150 years. As part of the Alaskan purchase by the United States in 1887, Kodiak became a commercial fishing center which continues to this day. A Lesser economic influence includes tourism mainly by those seeking outdoor adventure trips. Salmon, Halibut, the unique Kodiak Bear, elk, Sitka deer, mountain goats invite hunting tourists as well as fishermen. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game maintains an office in the city and a web site to help hunters and fishermen obtain the proper permits and learn about the laws specific to the Kodiak area. The city has three public elementary schools, a middle and high school as well as a branch of the University of Alaska. An antenna farm at the summit of Pillar Mountain above the city provides communication with the outside world, a ferry service provided by the Alaska Marine Highway and local commercial airlines provide transportation to and from the island.

History

The Kodiak Archipelago has been home to native cultures for over 7000 years. In their language, "Kadiak" means island. The descendents of these peoples still occupy the island and are considered Alutiq, a term used to describe both their language and culture. In 1763, the Russian explorer Stephan Glotov discovered the island followed by the English Captain Cook fifteen years later who first penned "Kodiak" in his journals in 1778. The Russian fur trapper Alexander Baranov established a settlement and built a warehouse on what is now the city of Kodiak in order to harvest the area's vast population of sea otter's for their prized pelts. The warehouse still stands as the Baranov Museum. Because the First Native cultures revered this animal and would never harm it, wars with and enslavement of the Aleuts occurred during this era. Eastern Orthodox missionaries settled on the island by the end of the 1700s continuing European settlement of the island which eventually became the capital of Russian Alaska. The Russian-American Company was established as a partnership between the two countries in the following century to continue the sea otter harvest. By the mid 1800's, the sea otter was almost extinct and 85% of the First Native population had disappeared from violence and exposure to European diseases. When Russia sold Alaska to the United States in 1887, Kodiak became a center for commercial fishing and canneries dotted the island in the early 1900s until global farm-raised salmon eliminated these businesses. New processing centers emerged and the industry continues to evolve even today. During the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt, animals such as the mountain goat, Sitka deer, rabbits, muskrats, beavers, squirrels and others were introduced to the island and the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge was created. As Kodiak was incorporated in 1941, the US feared attack from Japanese during WWII and turned the town into a fortress. Roads, the airport, Fort Abercrombie (now a park), and gun fortifications improved the island's infrastructure. When Alaska became a state in 1959, government assistance in housing, transportation, and education added additional benefits. [cite book | last = Rosenberg| first =Bernard | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Kodiak Fishing at any Angle| publisher =Bernard Rosenberg | year =2006 | location = | pages = 32-40| url = | doi = | isbn = 978-0-9777414-0-3] A tectonic tsunami struck the city in March 1964 with 30 foot waves that killed 15 people and caused $11 million in damages. It also wiped out the neighboring Eskimo villages of Old Harbor and Kaguyak. The Standard Oil Company, the Alaskan King Crab Company and much of the fishing fleet were also destroyed. [http://www.usc.edu/dept/tsunamis/alaska/1964/webpages/1964kodiak.html]

Geography

Kodiak is located at coor dms|57|47|35|N|152|23|39|W|city (57.793109, -152.394188).GR|1

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.8 square miles (12.6 km²), of which, 3.5 square miles (9.0 km²) of it is land and 1.4 square miles (3.6 km²) of it (28.66%) is water.

Climate, culture and economy

Kodiak is sometimes referred to as "Alaska's Emerald Isle" because it's appearance from a distance and climate are similar to Ireland. The land was formed by extremes of nature - volcanoes created the tips of the islands, glaciers formed the mountains and valleys, earthquakes and sea storms contributed to the formation of cliffs. With a maritime climate, Kodiak is known for its rain. This creates lush green during the summer months. Winter temperatures are moderate compared to mainland Alaska. While snow storms and freezing temperatures are not uncommon, neither are warm, above-freezing temperatures with rain.

In addition to tourists, commercial fishermen and local residents, Kodiak has a rich Alutiiq culture. Kodiak's cultural traditions and history can be found at the Alutiiq Museum & Archaeological Repository, the Baranov Museum, and the Kodiak Military History Museum. The city boasts a two square block shopping district, a one movie theater house and several quaint bars that are open all night as well as several restaurants. Numerous businesses exist to cater to the outside adventure seeking tourist. Fly-fishing, ocean fishing, bear viewing, hiking, camping, extreme outdoor adventures, kayaking, ATV and mountain bike trails, and hunting are common activities for both tourists and locals.The lifestyles of many Kodiak residents still include subsistence food gathering. Fishing (particularly for salmon and halibut), hunting (for black-tailed deer, elk, and goats), and berry-picking (salmonberry, blueberry, and high- and low-bush cranberry) are common summer and fall activities. The community has a small number of large chain stores, including Wal-Mart and Safeway.

Kodiak's primary economic driver is the commercial fishing industry. The United States Coast Guard station (Integrated Support Command Kodiak) also drives important economic activity. Additional activity in commercial fisheries support services (such as welding and hydraulics shops and marine supply stores), government, social services, and retail establishments round out the employment picture in Kodiak.

Tourism to the island consists of adventurers, hikers, fly-fishing and ocean fishing guests. Sporting goods shops, charter boats, guides and remote full service wilderness lodges cater to this group. Because of its island location, prices on the island for all goods including food are much higher than on the mainland. Kodiak also serves as a supply and transportation base for tourists and operators of the wilderness lodges on remote Raspberry Island and Afognak Island.

Alaska Department of Fish and Game

Because Kodiak is an important environmental asset which affects the fishing industry, particularly salmon fishing, and because the island is coveted by hunters worldwide for its unique Kodiak bear and other game animals, there are strict laws governing fishing and hunting activities as well as hiking near spawning streams. Both the Department and the city maintain websites and publish helpful brochures to help communicate these strictly enforced laws. All of the city's hotels and businesses have these materials in prominent areas for guests and licenses can be purchases in the city's main sporting goods store as well as online.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 6,324 people, 1,996 households, and 1,361 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,832.7 people per square mile (706.8/km²). There were 2,255 housing units at an average density of 652.5/sq mi (251.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 46.40% White, 0.69% Black or African Americans, 29.1% Native American, 31.73% Asian, 0.93% Pacific Islander, 4.36% from other races, and 5.42% from two or more races. 8.54% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 1,996 households out of which 40.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.1% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.8% were non-families. 24.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.10 and the average family size was 3.64.

In the city the population was spread out with 29.1% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 32.2% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 6.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 114.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 120.6 males. A local tee shirt shop pokes fun at the greater male to female ratio with a shirt for women that states "The odds are good but the goods are odd".

The median income for a household in the city was $55,142, and the median income for a family was $60,484. Males had a median income of $37,074 versus $30,049 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,522. About 3.7% of families and 7.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.4% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Kodia's airport attracts both local and regional airlines, air taxis, and charter floatplanes and helicopters which provide transportation to residents and tourists on and off the island. The Alaskan Marine Highway provides further transportation via a ferry called the M/V Tustumena. The ship can carry a capacity of 210 people and services between Kodiak, Homer and Seward Alaska. Floatplane and bushplane companies regularly take tourists to remote areas and wilderness lodges both on the various islands of the Kodiak Archipelago and the Katmai coast for bear viewing, hunting and hikes. The city business community also has a fleet of privately owned taxis as well as kayaks, mountain bikes and ATV's for rent.

Community Events

The City of Kodiak is home to a number of annual events that draw locals and people from off-island. The most well-known of these is Kodiak Crab Festival. Organized by the Kodiak Chamber of Commerce the event takes place over Memorial Day weekend. It includes a county fair-style main event, with carnival rides, food and game booths, and group activities. In addition, a number of events are organized over the three-day weekend that include a kayak race, a marathon, an ultra-marathon, a 9.2-mile mountain run called the Pillar Mountain Run and others.

Education

The city has one each of a public elementary, middle and high school as well as a branch of the University of Alaska. Kodiak Bear sports have a long tradition dating back back into the 60's when Joe Floyd was successful in coordinating high school athletics as well as intramural sports. He was a coach for several sports as well as an athletic director for several years. There have been an total of eight ASAA affiliated State Championships in the variety of 2 Boys Track, 1 Girls X-Country, 1 Girls Basketball, 1 Boys Basketball, 1 Boys Baseball, and most recently Back to Back X-Country Boys titles in the Boys Cross Country (2006-07). Kristy Klinnert was the Alaska State Cross-Country Running Champion from 1983-1987. She set and still holds the State record in the two-mile. For two years in a row, she won the State Championship in the mile and 3200. In 1986, Kristi was named the Alaska Sports Person of the Year. The Alaska state flag was designed in 1927 by Benny Benson who was a 13 year old seventh grade student on Kodiak at the time.

Kodiak is also home to Saint Herman's Orthodox Theological Seminary, a theological school founded in 1972 under the auspices of the Orthodox Church in America. Students from villages all over southern and southwestern Alaska study at St. Herman's in order to become readers or clergy in the Orthodox Church.

References

External links

* [http://www.kodiak.org/ Official Kodiak website]
* [http://google.state.ak.us/search?sort=date%3AD%3AL%3Ad1&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=Kodiak&site=DFG&client=DFG&proxystylesheet=DFG&output=xml_no_dtd&submit.x=26&submit.y=10 Kodiak specific sites] from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game
* [http://www.kodiak.org/explore.htm Kodiak Official Guidebook] from the Kodiak Chamber of Commerce
*dmoz|Regional/North_America/United_States/Alaska/Localities/K/Kodiak