Nikolaevsk ( rus, Никола́евск, p=nʲɪkɐˈɫa(j)ɪfsk) 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 Kenai Peninsula Borough in the U.S. state of

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 ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population of the CDP is 328, up from 318 in 2010. Nikolaevsk School serves school-age children from the area.

History

The town was settled by a group of Old Believers from

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

around 1968, and remains a largely ethnic Russian town to this day. The travels of the group from Russia, as well as the story of the founding of Nikolaevsk, is told in a 1972 article in '' National Geographic'', a 2013 episode on the NatGeo channel called ''Russian Alaska'', and a 2013 article in ''The Atlantic'' magazine. The first church was built in 1983. The second church was constructed in 2014. In May 2023, it became known that the Old Believers community of Nikolaevsk, Alaska, consisting of fr. Nikola Yakunin, his son Deacon Vasily Yakunin and about 20 families decided to join the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (semi-autonomous part of Moscow Patriarchate) on the rights of the edinoverie. It was reported that the community was largely Americanized and it turned out to be problematic to pray in the already almost forgotten Church Slavonic language. They planned to build a new church for the community in

Homer Homer (; , ; possibly born ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Despite doubts about his autho ...

, near Nikolaevsk, because the old church will remain under the jurisdiction of the Lipovan Orthodox Old-Rite Church according to U.S. law.

Geography

Nikolaevsk is on the west side of the Kenai Peninsula at (59.813043, -151.668387). It is bordered to the south and west by the Anchor Point CDP and to the north by the Happy Valley CDP. Road access is via the North Fork Road, which junctions with the Sterling Highway to the west in Anchor Point. 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 , all of it recorded as land. The North Fork of the Anchor River forms the southern border of the community, and the Chakok River forms the western border. Nikolaevsk is in the boreal wet forest biome, according to the Holdridge life zones system.

Climate

Nikolaevsk features a

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 Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: ''Dfc'') with short, quite mild summers and long, cold winters. Nikolaevsk experiences a significant marine influence. Homer 8 NW is a weather station near Nikolaevsk, at an elevation of 1080 ft (329 m).

Demographics

Nikolaevsk first reported on the 1990 U.S. Census as a census-designated place (CDP). As of the census of 2000, there were 345 people, 96 households, and 72 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 122 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 81.74% Caucasian, 1.74% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 1.16%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 2.03% from other races, and 13.04% from two or more races. 0.29% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. Out of the 96 households, 57.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.6% were married couples living together, 5.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.0% were non-families. 18.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 2.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.59 and the average family size was 4.33. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 45.2% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 17.1% from 45 to 64, and 3.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 21 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 119.8 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $42,625, and the median income for a family was $39,375. Males had a median income of $28,750 versus $10,956 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 $10,390. About 15.8% of families and 19.2% of the population were 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 20.9% of those under age 18 and 16.7% of those age 65 or over.

References

{{authority control Census-designated places in Alaska Census-designated places in Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska Russian communities in the United States Russian-American culture in Alaska Old Believer communities in the United States Populated places established in 1968 1968 establishments in Alaska