Crooked 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 Bethel 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 The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. As of the 2010 census, the population of the CDP was 105, down from 137 in 2000.

Geography

The Crooked Creek CDP is located at (61.859821, -158.128884) on the north bank of the

Kuskokwim River The Kuskokwim River or Kusko River ( Yupʼik: ''Kusquqvak''; Deg Xinag: ''Digenegh''; Upper Kuskokwim: ''Dichinanekʼ''; (''Kuskokvim'')) is a river, long, in Southwest Alaska in the United States. It is the ninth largest river in the Unit ...

, at the mouth of Crooked Creek in the Kuskokwim Mountains. It is approximately northeast (upriver) of

Bethel Bethel (, "House of El" or "House of God",Bleeker and Widegren, 1988, p. 257. also transliterated ''Beth El'', ''Beth-El'', ''Beit El''; ; ) was an ancient Israelite city and sacred space that is frequently mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. Bet ...

. 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 is land and , or 7.05%, is water.

Demographics

Crooked Creek first appeared on the 1940 U.S. Census as an unincorporated village. 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 137 people, 38 households, and 31 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 46 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 6.57%

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 ...

, 90.51% Native American, and 2.92% from two or more races. There were 38 households, out of which 57.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.5% 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, 31.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.4% were non-families. 18.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.3% 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 4.00. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 41.6% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 32.1% from 25 to 44, 13.1% from 45 to 64, and 4.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25 years. For every 100 females, there were 114.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 116.2 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $17,500, and the median income for a family was $23,125. Males had a median income of $13,750 versus $21,250 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 $6,495. There were 25.0% of families and 28.1% 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 ...

, including 23.0% of under eighteens and 20.0% of those over 64.

Services and utilities

As of July 2009, running water and plumbing in Crooked Creek are available at the school, teacher housing, "washeteria", lodge, and store. The

honey bucket Honey bucket may refer to: Sanitation systems Different sorts of toilets, for example: * Bucket toilet * Chemical toilet, a toilet which collects human excreta in a container and uses chemicals to minimize odors * Portable toilet, a movable toilet ...

system is used in most of the community. Water is generally brought to homes from either the Kuskokwim River or purchased at the Washeteria. At the Washeteria, laundry services (washer and dryer) and showers are available for purchase. The community has a store, a "lodge" (similar to a

bed and breakfast A bed and breakfast (typically shortened to B&B or BnB) is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast. In addition, a B&B sometimes has the hosts living in the house. ''Bed and breakfast'' is also used to ...

with shared bathrooms), a school, and a Washeteria. Cell phone services have been operating in the area since January 2017, and land line service is available. Internet is available at the school and now available for private homes.

Education

The

Kuspuk School District Kuspuk School District is a school district headquartered in Aniak, Alaska. In 2024 the enrollment count was 318. The district's area is similar in size to that of Maryland. See also at KTOO History On July 1, 2020, James Anderson began his ter ...

operates a K-12 rural school, Johnnie John Sr. School. It had approximately 22 students (December 2017).

References

{{authority control Census-designated places in Bethel Census Area, Alaska Census-designated places in Alaska Census-designated places in Unorganized Borough, Alaska