Chuathbaluk ( esu, Curarpalek) is a city in
Bethel Census Area
Bethel Census Area is a census area in the U.S. state of Alaska. As of the 2020 census, the population is 18,666, up from 17,013 in 2010. It is part of the unorganized borough and therefore has no borough seat. Its largest community is the cit ...
,
Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...
, United States.
At the
2010 census the population was 118,
down from 119 in 2000.
Geography
Chuathbaluk is located at (61.575693, -159.247311),
on the
Kuskokwim River
The Kuskokwim River or Kusko River ( Yup'ik: ''Kusquqvak''; Deg Xinag: ''Digenegh''; Upper Kuskokwim: ''Dichinanek' ''; russian: Кускоквим (''Kuskokvim'')) is a river, long, in Southwest Alaska in the United States. It is the ninth l ...
, approximately upstream from
Bethel. The Russian Mountains, a small circular mountain range, stand just to the north of the town.
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...
, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 33.19%, is water.
Demographics
Chuathbaluk first appeared on the 1970 census as an unincorporated village. It formally incorporated in 1975. Prior to that, the community had been known as "Little Russian Mission." This was not to be confused with the present city of Russian Mission (Ikogmute) on the Yukon, so it was often called the Little Russian Mission to avoid confusion. Under the prior name, it never reported a population separately.
As of the census
of 2000, there were 119 people, 33 households, and 23 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 43 housing units at an average density of 12.2 per square mile (4.7/km
2). The racial makeup of the city was 5.04%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...
, 91.60%
Native American, 0.84% from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 2.52% from two or more races.
There were 33 households, out of which 45.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 30.3% were married couples living together, 27.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.3% were non-families. 21.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.61 and the average family size was 4.21.
In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 42.9% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 16.0% from 45 to 64, and 4.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 23 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $34,286, and the median income for a family was $34,167. Males had a median income of $46,250 versus $28,750 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the city was $10,100. There were 16.7% of families and 24.1% 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 t ...
, including 27.5% of under eighteens and none of those over 64.
History
During the 19th century,
Deg Hit'an Athabascan people had summer fish camps in the area.
The
Russian Orthodox Church
, native_name_lang = ru
, image = Moscow July 2011-7a.jpg
, imagewidth =
, alt =
, caption = Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, Russia
, abbreviation = ROC
, type ...
built the St. Sergius Mission by 1894, and residents of Kukuktuk from downriver moved to the mission.
Once established, village has been called Chukbak, St. Sergius Mission, Kuskokwim Russian Mission, and Little Russian Mission. The village was often confused with Russian Mission on the
Yukon
Yukon (; ; formerly called Yukon Territory and also referred to as the Yukon) is the smallest and westernmost of Canada's three territories. It also is the second-least populated province or territory in Canada, with a population of 43,964 as ...
, so in the 1960s the name was changed to Chuathbaluk, which is derived from the
Yup'ik
The Yup'ik or Yupiaq (sg & pl) and Yupiit or Yupiat (pl), also Central Alaskan Yup'ik, Central Yup'ik, Alaskan Yup'ik ( own name ''Yup'ik'' sg ''Yupiik'' dual ''Yupiit'' pl; russian: Юпики центральной Аляски), are an I ...
word ''Curapalek'', meaning "the hills where the big blueberries grow."
Much of the village was lost in an
influenza epidemic in 1900. By 1929, the site was deserted, although Russian Orthodox members continued to hold services at the mission. In 1954, the
Crow Village Sam Phillips family from
Crow Village resettled the mission, and later residents of
Aniak and
Crooked Creek Crooked Creek may refer to:
Streams In Australia
* Crooked Creek (Clyde River), a tributary of the Clyde River in New South Wales
* Crooked Creek (Walsh River), a tributary of the Walsh River in Queensland
In the United States
* Crooked Cree ...
joined their settlement. The church was rebuilt in the late 1950s, and a state school opened in the 1960s. The city was incorporated in 1975.
References
{{authority control
Cities in Alaska
Cities in Bethel Census Area, Alaska