Hoonah is a city on Chichagof Island in Skagway-Hoonah-Angoon Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 860.
History
Legend tells of an original home of the Huna in Glacier Bay that was destroyed by a glacial advance, at which time many Huna moved to the location of present-day Hoonah.
A partial timeline of modern Hoonah history is below:
1880 - The Northwest Trading Company built the first store in Hoonah.
1881 - The Presbyterian Home Mission and school was built.
1887 - 450 to 500 people were wintering in the village.
1901 - Hoonah post office was opened.
1912 - The Hoonah Packing Co. built a large cannery north of town. The Thompson Fish Company still operates the cannery today as Hoonah Cold Storage.
1944 - A fire destroyed much of the Hoonah and many priceless Tlingit cultural objects. The United States federal government assisted in rebuilding Hoonah.
Around 2005-Mayor Wendy Skaflestad Goes into office
Geography
Hoonah is located at 58°6′34″N, 135°26′11″W (58.109435, -135.436349)[1]. The communities of Whitestone Logging Camp and Game Creek are also in its urban area.
Hoonah is a Tlingit community on the north shore of Chichagof Island, on the Icy Strait. The port at Hoonah is called Port Frederick.
Hoonah means "village by the cliff."
Hoonah is the principal village for the Huna, a Tlingit group which has lived in the Glacier Bay and Icy Strait area since prehistoric times.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.7 square miles (22.5 km²), of which, 6.6 square miles (17.1 km²) of it is land and 2.1 square miles (5.4 km²) of it (24.05%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 860 people, 300 households, and 215 families residing in the city. The population density was 130.2 people per square mile (50.2/km²). There were 348 housing units at an average density of 52.7/sq mi (20.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 28.72% White, 0.23% Black or African American, 60.58% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 0.81% from other races, and 9.53% from two or more races. 3.60% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 300 households out of which 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.3% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.3% were non-families. 22.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83 and the average family size was 3.34.
In the city the population was spread out with 29.2% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 27.3% from 45 to 64, and 7.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 112.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 115.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $39,028, and the median income for a family was $45,125. Males had a median income of $37,083 versus $23,958 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,097. About 14.3% of families and 16.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.1% of those under age 18 and 10.4% of those age 65 or over.
Transportation
Hoonah, being an island community, is only accessible by boat or plane. The Alaska Marine Highway serves Hoonah with the day boat the M/V LeConte which offers residents a slower but more dependable and cheaper option to travel to and from Hoonah to Juneau. The Hoonah Airport also offers service via bush carriers Wings of Alaska and L.A.B. Flying Service which both offer five flights a day between Hoonah and Juneau. Connections can often be made in Juneau with either Alaska Airlines for regional or interstate travel or other bush carriers to go to other villages or communities.
Religion
Hoonah is a religiously diverse town with 7 churches:
Bibliography
- Dombrowski, Kirk (2001) Against Culture: Development, Politics, and Religion in Indian Alaska. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.
References
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
External links
|
