Kaktovik, Alaska

Updated on Dec 26, 2023

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Country United States Incorporated March 26, 1971 Time zone Alaska (AKST) (UTC-9) Population 247 (2013) Local time Friday 2:10 PM		State Alaska Elevation 36 ft (11 m) Area code 907 Zip code 99747

Weather -23°C, Wind W at 0 km/h, 67% Humidity Borough North Slope Borough, Alaska

Polar bears in kaktovik alaska

Kaktovik (kack-TOH-vick) (Qaaktuġvik in Iñupiaq) is a city in North Slope Borough, Alaska, United States. The population was 293 at the 2000 census and 239 as of the 2010 census.

Map of Kaktovik, AK, USA

Dji phantom flying at kalugivik river kaktovik alaska

History

Until the late nineteenth century Barter Island was a major trade center for the Inupiat and was especially important as a bartering place for Inupiat from Alaska and Inuit from Canada.

Kaktovik was traditional fishing place—Kaktovik means "Seining Place"—that has a large pond of good fresh water on high ground. It had no permanent settlers until people from other parts of Barter Island and northern Alaska moved to the area around the construction of a runway and Distant Early Warning Line station in the 1950s. The area was incorporated as the City of Kaktovik in 1971.

Due to Kaktovik's isolation, the village has maintained its Inupiat Eskimo traditions. Subsistence is highly dependent upon the hunting of caribou and whale.

Geography

Kaktovik is located at 70°7′58″N 143°36′58″W (70.132832, -143.616230).

Kaktovik is on the north shore of Barter Island, between the Okpilak and Jago River on the Beaufort Sea coast. It lies in the 19.6 million acre (79,000 km²) Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.0 square mile (2.6 km²), of which, 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km²) of it (21.00%) is water.

Climate

Being located at 70°N, Kaktovik experiences a Tundra climate (Köppen ET). Winters are long, very cold and owing to its high latitude the sun does not rise above the horizon leaving only twilight as the source of light during mid-winter. Summers, on the other hand, bring along temperatures slightly above freezing with the midnight sun appearing for a few weeks.

Demographics

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 239 people residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 88.7% Native American, 10.0% White and 1.3% from two or more races.

As of the census of 2000, there were 293 people, 89 households, and 70 families residing in the city. The population density was 371.0 people per square mile (143.2/km²). There were 95 housing units at an average density of 120.3 per square mile (46.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 14.68% White, 75.43% Native American, 0.34% Asian, 0.68% from other races, and 8.87% from two or more races.

There were 89 households out of which 47.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.3% were married couples living together, 14.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.3% were non-families. 21.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.29 and the average family size was 3.76.

In the city the population was spread out with 35.8% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 7.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 110.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 116.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $55,624, and the median income for a family was $60,417. Males had a median income of $50,000 versus $38,750 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,031. About 9.9% of families and 6.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.3% of those under the age of eighteen and none of those sixty five or over.