Chitina, Alaska
Encyclopedia
Chitina is a census-designated place
(CDP) in Valdez-Cordova Census Area
, Alaska
, United States
. At the 2000 census the population was 123.
Chitina is located on the west bank of the Copper River
at its confluence with the Chitina River
on the Edgerton Highway
, and junction with the McCarthy Road. It is 85 km (52.8 mi) southeast of Copper Center
and 106 km (65.9 mi) southeast of Glennallen
. It is outside the western boundary of the Wrangell - St Elias National Park and Preserve.
In 1945, work had begun to convert the CR&NW railroad line, from Cordova to Kennicott, into a highway, but work halted with the 1964 Good Friday Earthquake, leaving a significant gap between Chitina and the Million Dollar Bridge
near Cordova. The rail route from Chitina to Kennicott is a roadway, the McCarthy Road.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the CDP has a total area of 95.8 square miles (248.1 km²), of which, 84.6 square miles (219.1 km²) of it is land and 11.1 square miles (28.7 km²) of it (11.62%) is water.
of 2000, there were 123 people, 52 households, and 30 families residing in the CDP. The population density
was 1.5 people per square mile (0.6/km²). There were 54 housing units at an average density of 0.6/sq mi (0.2/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 51.22% White
, 33.33% Alaskan Native
, and 15.45% from two or more races.
There were 52 households out of which 23.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.3% were married couples
living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.3% were non-families. 36.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 29.3% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 23.6% from 25 to 44, 30.9% from 45 to 64, and 8.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 86.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.3 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $26,000, and the median income for a family was $28,750. Males had a median income of $31,250 versus $17,500 for females. The per capita income
for the CDP was $10,835. There were 3.3% of families and 12.7% of the population living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 15.4% of those over 64.
Copper ore was discovered in about 1900 along the northern edge of the Chitina River valley. This brought a rush of prospectors and homesteaders to the area. The Copper River and Northwestern Railway
enabled Chitina to develop into a thriving community by 1914. It had a general store, a clothing store, a meat market, stables, a tinsmith, five hotels, several rooming houses, a pool hall, bars, restaurants, dance halls and a movie theater. The mines closed in 1938 and the remaining support activities moved to what is now the Glennallen area. Chitina became a virtual ghost town. Otto Adrian Nelson, a surveying engineer for the Kennecott Mines, eventually bought up much of the town. He built a unique hydroelectric system that supplied electric power to all his buildings. He also supplied much of the town center with hot and cold running water.
Current activity in Chitina revolves around the dipnet fishing for salmon that occurs every summer. Alaskans are allowed to dip a large number of salmon during their spawning runs and Chitina is an accessible and popular place for this activity.
In late 1977, jeweler Art Koeninger purchased the "Chitina Tin Shop” with the intention of turning it into a residence. In 1979, the site, formerly known as “Fred’s Place” and “Schaupp’s,” was placed on the National Register of Historic Places and has won two historic preservation grants. It currently houses the Spirit Mountain Artworks.
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) in 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...
, 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...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. At the 2000 census the population was 123.
Geography
Chitina is located at 61°32′21"N 144°25′30"W (61.539033, -144.424881).Chitina is located on the west bank of the Copper River
Copper River (Alaska)
The Copper River or Ahtna River is a 300-mile river in south-central Alaska in the United States. It drains a large region of the Wrangell Mountains and Chugach Mountains into the Gulf of Alaska...
at its confluence with the Chitina River
Chitina River
The Chitina River is a river in southern Alaska, USA, at about 61° North 141°40' West. It begins in the Saint Elias Mountains at the base of Logan Glacier and runs west until it flows into the Copper River at Chitina, Alaska....
on the Edgerton Highway
Edgerton Highway
The Edgerton Highway is a minor highway in the U.S. state of Alaska that extends 33 miles from the Richardson Highway near Copper Center to the town of Chitina. The McCarthy Road, within the Wrangell-Saint Elias National Park and Preserve, is a 58-mile extension from Chitina to McCarthy.The...
, and junction with the McCarthy Road. It is 85 km (52.8 mi) southeast of Copper Center
Copper Center, Alaska
Copper Center is a census-designated place in Valdez-Cordova Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 362.-Geography:Copper Center is located at ....
and 106 km (65.9 mi) southeast of Glennallen
Glennallen, Alaska
Glennallen is a census-designated place in the Valdez-Cordova Census Area in the Unorganized Borough of the U.S. state of Alaska. As of the 2000 census, the population of the CDP was 554.- Location :...
. It is outside the western boundary of the Wrangell - St Elias National Park and Preserve.
In 1945, work had begun to convert the CR&NW railroad line, from Cordova to Kennicott, into a highway, but work halted with the 1964 Good Friday Earthquake, leaving a significant gap between Chitina and the Million Dollar Bridge
Million Dollar Bridge
The Miles Glacier Bridge, also known as the Million Dollar Bridge, was built in the early 1900s, across the Copper River fifty miles from Cordova in what is now the U.S. state of Alaska. It is a multiple-span Pennsylvania truss bridge which completed a railroad line for the Copper River and...
near Cordova. The rail route from Chitina to Kennicott is a roadway, the McCarthy Road.
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 95.8 square miles (248.1 km²), of which, 84.6 square miles (219.1 km²) of it is land and 11.1 square miles (28.7 km²) of it (11.62%) 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 123 people, 52 households, and 30 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 1.5 people per square mile (0.6/km²). There were 54 housing units at an average density of 0.6/sq mi (0.2/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 51.22% 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...
, 33.33% Alaskan Native
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 15.45% from two or more races.
There were 52 households out of which 23.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.3% 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, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.3% were non-families. 36.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 29.3% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 23.6% from 25 to 44, 30.9% from 45 to 64, and 8.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 86.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.3 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $26,000, and the median income for a family was $28,750. Males had a median income of $31,250 versus $17,500 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 $10,835. There were 3.3% of families and 12.7% of the population living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 15.4% of those over 64.
History
Athabascans have lived in the area around Chitina for centuries as evidenced by the archaeological sites south and east of Chitina. Before 1900, Chitina was the site of large village whose population was slowly decimated by the influx of people, disease and conflicts.Copper ore was discovered in about 1900 along the northern edge of the Chitina River valley. This brought a rush of prospectors and homesteaders to the area. The Copper River and Northwestern Railway
Copper River and Northwestern Railway
The Copper River and Northwestern Railway was a railroad built by the Kennecott Corporation between 1907 and 1911 to take copper ore from Kennicott, Alaska to Cordova, Alaska, a distance of . The railroad was built by thousands of workers, who laid tracks around glaciers, across canyons and...
enabled Chitina to develop into a thriving community by 1914. It had a general store, a clothing store, a meat market, stables, a tinsmith, five hotels, several rooming houses, a pool hall, bars, restaurants, dance halls and a movie theater. The mines closed in 1938 and the remaining support activities moved to what is now the Glennallen area. Chitina became a virtual ghost town. Otto Adrian Nelson, a surveying engineer for the Kennecott Mines, eventually bought up much of the town. He built a unique hydroelectric system that supplied electric power to all his buildings. He also supplied much of the town center with hot and cold running water.
Current activity in Chitina revolves around the dipnet fishing for salmon that occurs every summer. Alaskans are allowed to dip a large number of salmon during their spawning runs and Chitina is an accessible and popular place for this activity.
In late 1977, jeweler Art Koeninger purchased the "Chitina Tin Shop” with the intention of turning it into a residence. In 1979, the site, formerly known as “Fred’s Place” and “Schaupp’s,” was placed on the National Register of Historic Places and has won two historic preservation grants. It currently houses the Spirit Mountain Artworks.