Noatak () 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 the

Northwest Arctic Borough Northwest Arctic Borough is a List of boroughs and census areas in Alaska, borough located in the U.S. state of Alaska. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 7,793, up from 7,523 in 2010. The borough seat is Kotze ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

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 ...

. The population was 570 at the 2020 census, up from 514 in 2010. It is served by

Noatak Airport Noatak Airport ( Iñupiaq: ''Nuataam Mirvia'') is a state-owned public-use airport located one nautical mile (1.85 km) southwest of the central business district of Noatak, in the Northwest Arctic Borough of the U.S. state in Alaska. Fac ...

History

Noatak was established as a

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...

and

hunting Hunting is the Human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products (fur/hide (sk ...

camp in the 1800s. Two identifiable groups of Inupiat resided on the Noatak River. The (called "Noatagamut" in the 1880 census), Inupiaq for "inland river people", lived upriver, and the , meaning "people of the trees", lived downriver. By the early 20th century, the

missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Miss ...

Robert and Carrie Samms settled in what they called "Noatak". A United States post office was established in 1940.

Geography

Noatak is located at (67.572031, -162.975085). Noatak is located on the west bank of the Noatak River, north of Kotzebue. It is north of the

Arctic Circle The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles, and the northernmost of the five major circle of latitude, circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth at about 66° 34' N. Its southern counterpart is the Antarctic Circle. The Arctic Circl ...

. Noatak village lies near the western boundary of the

Noatak National Preserve Noatak National Preserve is a United States National Preserve in northwestern Alaska that was established to protect the Noatak River Basin. The Noatak River system, located just north of the Arctic Circle, is thought to be the last remaining ...

and is the only settlement on the over long Noatak 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 CDP has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it (5.40%) is water.

Demographics

Noatak first appeared on the 1880 U.S. Census as an unincorporated Inuit village of "Noatagamute." All 400 of its residents were Inuit. It did not return again until 1910, this time as Noatak. It has returned on every successive census to date. 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 428 people, 100 households, and 90 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 106 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 3.74% White, 0.23% Black or

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 93.69% Native American, and 2.34% from two or more races. 0.23% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Inuit man by Curtis - Noatak AK

There were 100 households, out of which 69.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.0% 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, 22.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 10.0% were non-families. 9.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and none had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.28 and the average family size was 4.51. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 42.5% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 12.9% from 45 to 64, and 5.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 23 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.5 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $30,833, and the median income for a family was $31,667. Males had a median income of $25,833 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 $9,659. About 25.0% of families and 22.0% 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 21.9% of those under age 18 and 13.6% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Noatak has a gravel public airstrip and is primarily reached by air. No road goes to Noatak. Snowmobiles, ATV's, and small boats are important means of inter-village travel and for local subsistence activities.

Facilities

The Napaaqtugmiut School, operated by the Northwest Arctic Borough School District, serves the community. Its current building opened in 2008. it had 177 students, with

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 Iñupiat, Yupik, Aleut, Eyak, Tli ...

making up 95% of the student body.Home
Napaaqtugmiut School. Retrieved on March 26, 2017.

History

Geography

Demographics

Transportation

Facilities

See also