Unalakleet, Alaska

Unalakleet ( ; , or ''Uŋalaqłiit''; Yup'ik: ''Ungalaqliit''; Koyukon: ''Kk'aadoleetno’'') is a city in Nome Census Area, Alaska, United States, in the western part of the state. At the 2010 census the population was 765, up from 688 in 2000. Unalakleet is known in the region and around Alaska for its salmon and king crab harvests; the residents rely for much of their diet on caribou, ptarmigan, ''oogruk'' ( bearded seal), and various salmon species.

Unalakleet is also known for its aesthetic value. It is located next to the Bering Sea and the large, clean Unalakleet River. The landscape also has trees, tundra, and hills behind it.

History

''Unalakleet'' is an adaptation of the Iñupiaq word ''"Una-la-thliq"'',Community Information Summaries: "Unalakleet."
Alaska Community Database Online, Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development. Retrieved on April 13, 2007. which means "from the southern side".

Unalakleet is located at the Norton Sound end of the Unalakleet-Kaltag Portage, an important winter travel route between Norton Sound and the Yukon River. Unalakleet has long been a major trade center between the Athabascan people, who lived in the interior of Alaska, and the Inupiat, who lived on the coast.

In the 1830s Russian explorers and traders came: The Russian-American Company built a trading post here at Unalakleet. In 1898 the United States arranged for Sami reindeer herders from Lapland to be brought to Unalakleet, to work with the people about herding practices. In 1901, the United States Army Signal Corps built a telegraph line from St. Michael that passed through Unalakleet.

Geography and climate

Unalakleet is located at (63.878907, −160.789680).

Unalakleet is located on the Norton Sound of the Bering Sea at the mouth of the Unalakleet River, southeast of Nome and northwest of Anchorage. Unalakleet has a subarctic climate (Koppen: ''Dfc'') with considerable maritime influences. Winters are cold and dry. Average summer temperatures range ; winter temperatures range from . Precipitation averages annually, with of snow.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it (44.25%) is water.

Demographics

Unalakleet first appeared on the 1880 U.S. Census as the unincorporated Inuit village of "Oonalakleet." All 100 of its residents were listed as Inuit. It was listed in the 1890 census as ''"Unalaklik."'' Of its 175 residents, 170 were Native, 3 were Creole (mixed Russian & Native), and 2 were White. It was listed again as ''Unalaklik'' in 1900 and in 1910 under that name, although the latter census also listed it as spelled ''Unalakleet''. Since 1920, it has been recorded in the censuses as Unalakleet. It was formally incorporated in 1974.

2020 census

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 688 people, 225 households, and 172 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 268 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 15.0% White, 0.6% Black or African American, 77.3% Native American, 0.1% from other races, and 6.4% from two or more races. 1.0% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. In 2013 there were 882 people.

There were 224 households, out of which 46.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.3% were married couples living together, 21.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.9% were non-families. 18.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.33 and the average family size was 3.82.

The population was spread out, with 37.5% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 8.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 114.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 124.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $42,083, and the median income for a family was $45,625. Males had a median income of $41,964 versus $32,500 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,845. About 12.5% of families and 11.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.3% of those under age 18 and 10.0% of those age 65 or over.

Role in mushing races

Unalakleet is the first checkpoint on the Norton Sound in the famous Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, some from the start in Anchorage. The first musher to reach this checkpoint each year is awarded the Gold Coast Award, which includes $2,500 in gold nuggets. Unalakleet also plays an important role in the ''Iron Dog'' snowmobile race.

Education

The Mission Covenant Church of Sweden established a mission in Unalakleet in 1887. The Evangelical Covenant Church later started a boarding high school in 1954. It served students from all over western Alaska until it closed in 1985 due to changing educational practices following establishment of home rule in the 1970s. Most villages in Alaska established local schools, including high schools.

The district office for the Bering Strait School District has been located in Unalakleet since 1983. Serving fifteen village schools, the Bering Strait School District covers territory of approximately .

Unalakleet's local schools include Unalakleet School, a K-12 school that is internally divided into Unalakleet Elementary, Unalakleet Middle School, and Unalakleet High School. The combined school population of Unalakleet Schools is 195, 180 of whom are full or part Alaska Native.

Athletics

Unalakleet High School maintains an active and successful athletics program, offering student participation in basketball, mix-six volleyball, wrestling, cross-country running, cross-country skiing/biathlon, track and field, and Native Youth Olympics.

Despite its classification as a 1A-sized institution (fewer than 60 students), Unalakleet has long competed at the 2A level (60–150 students) in basketball. Since 1991, no school has qualified for the Alaska 2A state basketball tournament more frequently than Unalakleet. The boys’ basketball program has secured a total of seven state championships, with three attributed to Covenant High. The most recent title came in 2025, with a 40–36 victory over Cordova in the championship game. That team was led by head coach Thurman Jack, a former state champion as a player for Unalakleet in 1996. His father, Bill Jack, coached multiple championship teams at Nome-Beltz High School, making them one of the few father-son duos in Alaska high school history to each claim state titles. Thurman Jack also joins a select group of individuals who have achieved championships both as a player and a coach.

Unalakleet has had three Alaska 2A Player of the Year in boys’ basketball: Kevin Ivanoff (1992), Aidan Ivanoff (2019), and Paxson Commack (2025).

In volleyball, Unalakleet High School has won two state championships in the mix-six division. The school has also achieved success in individual sports. In track and field, Ourea Busk captured consecutive state titles in the 400-meter dash in 2023 and 2024, and also won back-to-back Division III state championships in cross-country running in those same years. In wrestling, Jack Koutchak III earned a state championship in the 103-pound weight class in 1999.

Transportation and law

Unalakleet Airport is a central hub for outlying villages, providing air cargo and air taxi services. It is served by daily airline service to Anchorage by Ravn Alaska, along with frequent cargo services by Everts Air Cargo and Northern Air Cargo. Daily flights to Nome and outlying villages are made by Bering Air, Ryan Air, and Ravn Connect (under Ravn Alaska).

Unalakleet has an Alaska State Troopers station. Its local police department works with local VPOs and VPSOs. A court system serves Unalakleet and surrounding villages.

Healthcare

Unalakleet health services are provided by the Anikkan Inuit Iluaqutaat Sub-Regional Clinic, a division of Norton Sound Health Corporation, based in Nome, Alaska. The clinic has permanent staff including medical providers, certified health aides, behavioral health specialists, and a pharmacist. It also hosts specialists in other fields regularly throughout the year.

Notable People

* William E. Beltz (1912–1960), carpenter, politician, lived in Unalakleet. ''Fairbanks Daily News Miner,'' November 25, 1960, pg. 1
* Ticasuk Brown (1904–1982), educator, writer; born and raised in Unalakleet. Carson, Johanna and Bill (October 8, 2013). "Ticasuk Brown 1st Fairbanks school named for Alaska Native". ''Daily News-Miner''. Retrieved October 28, 2013.
* Henry Ivanoff Sr. “Chalaavaluq” (1944–2022), Alaska Native broadcaster and leader; founder of KNSA Radio and longest-serving chairman of Bering Straits Native Corporation.
* Timothy Martin Towarak (1944–2019), Native leader, businessman, and public official; mayor of Unalakleet, CEO of BSNC, and chair of the Federal Subsistence Board.
* Frank A. Degnan (1901–1980), legislator, Alaska Native rights advocate, and AFN co-founder; first Alaska Native elected to the Territorial Legislature.
* Eva P. Ryan (1929–2022), aviation pioneer and educator; co-founded Unalakleet Air Taxi (later Ryan Air) and first recipient of AFN’s Hunter/Fisher Award.
* James B. Tweto (1954–2023), pilot and aviation entrepreneur; co-owner of Era Alaska and star of Discovery Channel's ''Flying Wild Alaska''.
* Nick "Eskimo Ninja" Hanson, athlete and public speaker; first Alaska Native on ''American Ninja Warrior'', known for youth suicide prevention advocacy.
* Cindy Aġnaqhiq Towarak Massie, business executive and philanthropist; BSNC President, former media company co-founder, and recipient of AFN Small Business Award.
* Dr. Adrian Ryan, board-certified orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine and joint replacement.
* Ella Anagick, attorney with over 30 years of experience in criminal and civil law; served on the Governor’s Advisory Board on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, Anchorage Bridge Builders, and the National Board for the Indian Child Welfare Act.

References

External links

Subsistence wildlife harvests in five northwest Alaska communities, 2001–2003 : results of a household survey / by Kawerak, Inc., Maniilaq Association, and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game; by Susan Georgette ... [et al.].
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Alaska State Publications Program

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Cities in Alaska
Cities in Nome Census Area, Alaska
Populated coastal places in Alaska on the Pacific Ocean
Sámi-American history