Eek (; ) is a city in
Bethel Census Area, Alaska
Bethel Census Area is a List of boroughs and census areas in Alaska, census area in the U.S. state of Alaska. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population is 18,666, up from 17,013 in 2010. It is part of the unorganized boro ...
, United States. As of the
2020 census there were 404 residents,
the majority being
Alaska Natives
Alaska Natives (also known as Native Alaskans, Alaskan Indians, or Indigenous Alaskans) are the Indigenous peoples of Alaska that encompass a diverse arena of cultural and linguistic groups, including the IƱupiat, Yupik, Aleut, Eyak, Tli ...
.
Toponymy
Eek is derived from a Yupik word meaning "two eyes". It has been noted on lists of
unusual place names.
Geography
Eek is located at (60.218662, -162.025928).
It lies along the
Eek River.
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 city has a total area of , of which is land and (12.38%) is water.
Services
Eek is serviced primarily by the
Eek Airport. A second (former) airport east of the village is the current site of a cellular transmission tower, but the runway remains in marginally usable condition and is occasionally used by private aircraft. A town dock provides access to the Eek River, which feeds into the Kuskokwim providing access to most surrounding villages by boat. During winter months many residents utilize travel by snow machine and trails are laid out between the villages in the area. Trails from Eek run to Quinhagak to the south, Tuntutuliak to the west and the Bethel area to the north.
Airfare to the nearest large town,
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 ...
, is expensive, running about $250 in 2020. This severely limits medical care and governmental access.
Houses in Eek are not numbered, which makes gaining identification difficult for residents.
Education
Lower Kuskokwim School District
Lower Kuskokwim School District (LKSD), or Bethel Public Schools, is a school district headquartered in Bethel, Alaska. it is the largest rural school district in the state, with 4,300 students.
Employment and teacher demographics
In 2017 it ...
operates the Eek School, a bilingual PreK-12 school. it has 120 students and six teachers.
The Principal is Troy Poage and the school board President is Clarence Daniel. About $21,000 is spent per pupil.
In 2020 the state awarded $34.4 million to create a new school in Eek to reduce severe classroom overcrowding, a result of a quickly growing population. It is expected to be finished in 2022.
Two teachers at the Eek School, Paul and Eloise Forrer, compiled a large collection of photos of Eek and surrounding villages, as well as a film entitled ''The Children of Eek and their art''. Their work, dating mostly from the 1970s to 1990s, is held at the
Anchorage Museum
The Anchorage Museum is a large art, history, ethnography, ecology and science museum located in a modern building in the heart of Anchorage, Alaska. It is dedicated to studying and exploring the land, peoples, art and history of Alaska.
The mu ...
.
Demographics
Eek Village was originally located on the Apokak River and moved to its present location in the late 1920s, after flooding and erosion caused the people to relocate.
In 1900 Census, the village was known as "Apokagamiut" and had 118 residents. by 1910, the number of residents declined to 68. Eek appeared on the 1920 U.S. Census as an unincorporated village. In the 1930 Census, the village was enumerated in the Alaska Territory Fourth Judicial District, Bethel District, 0015. with 100 residents in 18 households.
It received a post office in 1949.
It was formally incorporated in 1970.
As of the census of 2000, there were 280 people, 76 households, and 57 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 83 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 3.21%
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 ...
, 95.71%
Alaska Native
Alaska Natives (also known as Native Alaskans, Alaskan Indians, or Indigenous Alaskans) are the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples of Alaska that encompass a diverse arena of cultural and linguistic groups, including the I ...
/
Yupik, and 1.07% from two or more races. 0.36% 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.
There were 76 households, out of which 43.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% were married couples living together, 19.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.0% were non-families. 25.0% 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 3.68 and the average family size was 4.54.
In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 41.1% under the age of 18, 10.4% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 14.3% from 45 to 64, and 6.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females, there were 120.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 117.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $17,500, and the median income for a family was $27,500. 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 city was $8,957. About 32.7% of families and 28.8% 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 30.5% of those under the age of 18 and 10.0% of those 65 or over.
In 2020, more than three-quarters of the students at the Eek School were below the poverty line.
In 2019 there were 474 residents.
98% were Yup'ik Natives, 1% were white and 1% were Hispanic.
Economy
Most households rely on traditional native
subsistence
A subsistence economy is an economy directed to basic subsistence (the provision of food, clothing and shelter) rather than to the market.
Definition
"Subsistence" is understood as supporting oneself and family at a minimum level. Basic subsiste ...
.
Infrastructure
Prior to 2019, the city did not have running water. Water was distributed by truck to households, at a cost of 25 cents per five gallons. In light of health concerns over the lack of running water, the
Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium
The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) is a non-profit health organization based in Anchorage, Alaska, which provides health services to 158,000 Alaska Natives and Native Americans in the United States, American Indians in Alaska. Estab ...
helped the city by providing a grant for piped running water, which was completed in 2019.
The city has only one non-satellite internet provider,
General Communication Inc.
References
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Cities in Alaska
Cities in Bethel Census Area, Alaska