Chalkyitsik ( ) (''Jałgiitsik'' in Gwich'in), meaning "to fish with a hook, at the mouth of the creek", is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP) in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area,

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

, United States. It is located on the left (south) bank of the Black River, 45 miles northeast of

Fort Yukon Fort Yukon (''Gwichyaa Zheh'' in Gwich'in language, Gwich'in) is a city in the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska, straddling the Arctic Circle. The population, predominantly Gwich'in Alaska ...

. At the 2010 census the population was 69, down from 83 in 2000.

Geography

Chalkyitsik is located at (66.651529, -143.727356). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the CDP has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it (3.76%) is water. Chalkystik has a bitter subarctic climate.

Climate

Chalkyitsik has a continental

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a continental climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

''Dwc'') with mild summers and cold winters. Precipitation is very low, but significantly higher in summer than at other times of the year. A weather station was operated from August 1962 to November 1972; the weather record is thus very sparse.

Education

Yukon Flats School District Yukon Flats School District (YFSD) is a school district headquartered in Fort Yukon, Alaska. Schools They are: * Arctic Village School ( Arctic Village) * Cruikshank School (Beaver) * John Fredson School (Venetie) * Fort Yukon School ( Fort Y ...

operates the Tsuk Taih School.

Demographics

Chalkyitsik first appeared as an unincorporated village on the 1930 U.S. Census under the name of Fishhook, which is the literal translation of the native name, not to be confused with the present census-designated place,

Fishhook A fish hook or fishhook, formerly also called an angle (from Old English ''angol'' and Proto-Germanic ''*angulaz''), is a hook used to catch fish either by piercing and embedding onto the inside of the fish mouth (angling) or, more rarely, by i ...

in the

Matanuska-Susitna Borough Matanuska-Susitna Borough (often referred to as the Mat-Su Borough) is a borough located in the U.S. state of Alaska. Its borough seat is Palmer, and the largest community is the census-designated place of Knik-Fairview. As of the 2020 census ...

. It appeared again in 1940, but failed to appear in 1950. It was returned in 1960 formally as Chalkyitsik, and has appeared on every successive census. It was made a census-designated place (CDP) in 1980. As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 83 people, 35 households, and 17 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 62 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 2.41%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

and 97.59% Native American. There were 35 households, out of which 25.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 28.6% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 2.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 51.4% were non-families. 37.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.3% 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 3.29. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 27.7% under the age of 18, 13.3% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 14.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 137.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 185.7 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $16,250, and the median income for a family was $16,875. Males had a median income of $41,250 versus $13,750 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the CDP was $11,509. There were 54.5% of families and 52.6% of the population living below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 100.0% of under eighteen and none of those over 64.

Transportation

The city is served by

Chalkyitsik Airport Chalkyitsik Airport is a state-owned public-use airport serving Chalkyitsik, in the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area of the U.S. state of Alaska. Facilities and aircraft Chalkyitsik Airport has one runway designated 3/21 with a gravel surface mea ...

with one commercial airline. With only 69 residents, Chalkytsik has one of the lowest per-airline averages of residents in the United States.

References

{{authority control Census-designated places in Alaska Census-designated places in Unorganized Borough, Alaska Census-designated places in Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska Gwich'in Populated places of the Arctic United States