Coldfoot, Alaska

Coldfoot, Alaska
—  CDP  —
Coldfoot, Alaska Location within the state of Alaska
Coordinates: 67°15′5″N 150°10′34″W / 67.25139°N 150.17611°W / 67.25139; -150.17611Coordinates: 67°15′5″N 150°10′34″W / 67.25139°N 150.17611°W / 67.25139; -150.17611
Country	United States
State	Alaska
Census Area	Yukon-Koyukuk
Area
- Total	37 sq mi (95.9 km2)
- Land	37 sq mi (95.9 km2)
- Water	0 sq mi (0 km2)
Elevation	1,014 ft (309 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	13
Time zone	Alaska (AKST) (UTC-9)
- Summer (DST)	AKDT (UTC-8)
Area code(s)	907
FIPS code	02-16630
GNIS feature ID	1412829

Coldfoot is a census-designated place (CDP) in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska. The population was 13 at the 2000 census.

Coldfoot primarily serves as a truck stop on the Dalton Highway from Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay. North of Coldfoot, there are no services for 240 miles (400 km), until Deadhorse. It has a restaurant and a small number of overnight accommodations (converted pipeline construction camp quarters). Bus tours along the highway typically take two days with passengers spending the night in Coldfoot. The BLM, USFWS, and NPS jointly staff a small visitor center during the summer. The Coldfoot truck stop was founded by Iditarod champion Dick Mackey who started his operation by selling hamburgers out of a converted school bus. Truckers helped build the existing truck stop and cafe.

The town was originally a mining camp named Slate Creek, and around 1900 got its present name when prospectors going up the nearby Koyukuk River would get "cold feet" and turn around. In 1902 Coldfoot had two roadhouses, two stores, seven saloons, and a gambling house. A post office operated from 1902 to 1912, then reopened in 1984.

Coldfoot Airport, on the west side of the Dalton Highway, consists of a 4,000-foot (1220 m) gravel strip.

Coldfoot has been featured on the third and fourth seasons of Ice Road Truckers, a Canadian reality television series airing on the History Channel.^[1] The show, which dramatizes trucking on the Dalton Highway, often features truckers transporting equipment to the oil companies located in or around the Prudhoe Bay area.^[1]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 37.0 square miles (96 km²), all land.

Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 13 people, 6 households, and 1 family residing in the CDP. The population density was 0.4 people per square mile (0.1/km²). There were 12 housing units at an average density of 0.3 per square mile (0.1/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 100% White.

There were 6 households out of which 30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 30% were married couples living together, and 70% were non-families. 50% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.2 and the average family size was 4.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 20% under the age of 18, 10% from 18 to 24, 40% from 25 to 44, and 30% from 45 to 64. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 230 males (4 females, 9 males). For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 230 males (3 females, 7 males).

The median income for a household in the CDP was $61,250 and the per capita income was $42,620. None of the population lives below the poverty line.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} http://www.history.com/content/iceroadtruckers-season-three
2. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

External links

• While In Alaska: Living in Coldfoot
• Coldfoot Camp