Chenega, Alaska
Encyclopedia
Chenega is a census-designated place
(CDP) on Evans Island
in the Valdez-Cordova Census Area
in the U.S. state
of Alaska
. Located in Prince William Sound
, the CDP consists of the Chugach
Alutiiq
village of Chenega Bay, which was established only after the Good Friday Earthquake
destroyed the original community on Chenega Island
to the north. As of the 2000 census
, the population of the CDP was 86, largely Alaska Natives
.
, was destroyed in 1964 by a tsunami
from the Good Friday Earthquake
, which killed a third of the 68 people who then lived there. Some residents moved into a refugee camp; others moved to other towns. In 1982, one family moved to Evans Island
and between 1984-1991 about 26 other families migrated to the new location, now called Chenega Bay.
Former and current Chenega residents gathered each Good Friday to remember the dead of Chenega. On the 25th Good Friday after the earthquake, in 1989, the oil tanker
Exxon Valdez
ran aground in Prince William Sound, causing an oil spill
that again devastated Chenega and other places around the area economically.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the CDP has a total area of 29.1 square miles (75.4 km²), of which, 28.8 square miles (74.6 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square mile (0.776996433 km²) of it (1.17%) is water.
of 2000, there were 86 people, 22 households, and 17 families residing in the CDP. The population density
was 3.0 people per square mile (1.2/km²). There were 27 housing units at an average density of 0.9/sq mi (0.4/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 22.09% White
, 73.26% Native American
, and 4.65% from two or more races.
There were 22 households out of which 40.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.6% were married couples
living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.2% were non-families. 13.6% of all households were made up of individuals and none had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.55 and the average family size was 3.83.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 33.7% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 32.6% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 5.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 132.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 119.2 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $53,750, and the median income for a family was $58,750. Males had a median income of $75,938 versus $32,500 for females. The per capita income
for the CDP was $13,382. There were 16.7% of families and 15.6% of the population living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and none of those over 64.
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
(CDP) on Evans Island
Evans Island
Evans Island is an island in the Prince William Sound of southern Alaska. It lies just east of Bainbridge Island across the Prince of Wales Passage. Elrington Island lies to its south, Latouche Island to its southeast, and Knight Island to its northeast...
in the Valdez-Cordova Census Area
Valdez-Cordova Census Area, Alaska
Valdez-Cordova Census Area is a census area located in the state of Alaska, United States. As of the 2000 census, the population was 10,195. It is part of the unorganized borough and therefore has no borough seat...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
. Located in Prince William Sound
Prince William Sound
Prince William Sound is a sound off the Gulf of Alaska on the south coast of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is located on the east side of the Kenai Peninsula. Its largest port is Valdez, at the southern terminus of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System...
, the CDP consists of the Chugach
Chugach
Chugach is the name of an Alaska Native culture and group of people in the region of the Kenai Peninsula and Prince William Sound. The Chugach people are an Alutiiq people who speak the Chugach dialect of the Alutiiq language....
Alutiiq
Alutiiq
The Alutiiq , also called Pacific Yupik or Sugpiaq, are a southern coastal people of the Native peoples of Alaska. Their language is called Sugstun, and it is one of Eskimo languages, belonging to the Yup’ik branch of these languages. They are not to be confused with the Aleuts, who live further...
village of Chenega Bay, which was established only after the Good Friday Earthquake
Good Friday Earthquake
The 1964 Alaska earthquake, also known as the Great Alaskan Earthquake, the Portage Earthquake and the Good Friday Earthquake, was a megathrust earthquake that began at 5:36 P.M. AST on Good Friday, March 27, 1964...
destroyed the original community on Chenega Island
Chenega Island
Chenega Island is an island in Prince William Sound in the U.S. state of Alaska.It is the traditional home to the community of Chenega, though much of its population eventually migrated to Chenega Bay on nearby Evans Island after the 1964 Good Friday Earthquake and accompanying tsunami...
to the north. As of the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
, the population of the CDP was 86, largely Alaska Natives
Alaska Natives
Alaska Natives are the indigenous peoples of Alaska. They include: Aleut, Inuit, Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, Eyak, and a number of Northern Athabaskan cultures.-History:In 1912 the Alaska Native Brotherhood was founded...
.
History
The original village of Chenega, located on Chenega IslandChenega Island
Chenega Island is an island in Prince William Sound in the U.S. state of Alaska.It is the traditional home to the community of Chenega, though much of its population eventually migrated to Chenega Bay on nearby Evans Island after the 1964 Good Friday Earthquake and accompanying tsunami...
, was destroyed in 1964 by a tsunami
Tsunami
A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, typically an ocean or a large lake...
from the Good Friday Earthquake
Good Friday Earthquake
The 1964 Alaska earthquake, also known as the Great Alaskan Earthquake, the Portage Earthquake and the Good Friday Earthquake, was a megathrust earthquake that began at 5:36 P.M. AST on Good Friday, March 27, 1964...
, which killed a third of the 68 people who then lived there. Some residents moved into a refugee camp; others moved to other towns. In 1982, one family moved to Evans Island
Evans Island
Evans Island is an island in the Prince William Sound of southern Alaska. It lies just east of Bainbridge Island across the Prince of Wales Passage. Elrington Island lies to its south, Latouche Island to its southeast, and Knight Island to its northeast...
and between 1984-1991 about 26 other families migrated to the new location, now called Chenega Bay.
Former and current Chenega residents gathered each Good Friday to remember the dead of Chenega. On the 25th Good Friday after the earthquake, in 1989, the oil tanker
Oil tanker
An oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanker, is a merchant ship designed for the bulk transport of oil. There are two basic types of oil tankers: the crude tanker and the product tanker. Crude tankers move large quantities of unrefined crude oil from its point of extraction to refineries...
Exxon Valdez
Exxon Valdez
Oriental Nicety, formerly Exxon Valdez, Exxon Mediterranean, SeaRiver Mediterranean, S/R Mediterranean, Mediterranean, and Dong Fang Ocean is an oil tanker that gained notoriety after running aground in Prince William Sound spilling hundreds of thousands of barrels of crude oil in Alaska...
ran aground in Prince William Sound, causing an oil spill
Exxon Valdez oil spill
The Exxon Valdez oil spill occurred in Prince William Sound, Alaska, on March 24, 1989, when the Exxon Valdez, an oil tanker bound for Long Beach, California, struck Prince William Sound's Bligh Reef and spilled of crude oil. It is considered to be one of the most devastating human-caused...
that again devastated Chenega and other places around the area economically.
Geography
Chenega is located at 60°3′59"N 148°0′40"W (60.066327, -148.010991).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the CDP has a total area of 29.1 square miles (75.4 km²), of which, 28.8 square miles (74.6 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square mile (0.776996433 km²) of it (1.17%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 86 people, 22 households, and 17 families residing in the CDP. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 3.0 people per square mile (1.2/km²). There were 27 housing units at an average density of 0.9/sq mi (0.4/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 22.09% White
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 73.26% Native American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 4.65% from two or more races.
There were 22 households out of which 40.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.6% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.2% were non-families. 13.6% of all households were made up of individuals and none had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.55 and the average family size was 3.83.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 33.7% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 32.6% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 5.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 132.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 119.2 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $53,750, and the median income for a family was $58,750. Males had a median income of $75,938 versus $32,500 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the CDP was $13,382. There were 16.7% of families and 15.6% of the population living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and none of those over 64.