King Salmon, Alaska

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King Salmon, Alaska
Location of King Salmon, Alaska
Location of King Salmon, Alaska
Coordinates: 58°41′24″N 156°39′38″W / 58.69000°N 156.66056°W / 58.69000; -156.66056
CountryUnited States
StateAlaska
BoroughBristol Bay
Government
 • Borough mayorKarl Anderson[1]
 • State senatorLyman Hoffman (D)
 • State rep.Bryce Edgmon (D)
Area
 • Total171.0 sq mi (442.8 km2)
 • Land169.6 sq mi (439.1 km2)
 • Water1.4 sq mi (3.6 km2)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total374
 • Density2.2/sq mi (0.84/km2)
Time zoneUTC-9 (Alaska (AKST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-8 (AKDT)
ZIP code
99613
Area code(s)907
FIPS code02-39630

King Salmon is a census-designated place (CDP) in Bristol Bay Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is 284 miles (457 km) southwest of Anchorage. As of the 2010 census the population was 374, down from 442 in 2000. It is home to Katmai National Park and Preserve.[2] King Salmon is the borough seat of neighboring Lake and Peninsula Borough, but does not serve that purpose in its own borough, whose borough seat is in Naknek.

Geography[edit]

King Salmon is on the north bank of the Naknek River on the Alaska Peninsula, about 16 mi (26 km) upriver from Naknek, near Naknek Lake. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has an area of 171.0 square miles (443 km2), of which, 169.6 square miles (439 km2) is land and 1.4 square miles (3.6 km2) (0.82%) is water.

Climate[edit]

King Salmon has a subarctic climate (Köppen Dfc) even though it is at 58° North. Temperatures, especially extreme ones, are much less moderate than in the subpolar oceanic climate of the Pacific Ocean side of the Alaska Peninsula; however, average temperatures in winter are still milder than some locations in the coterminous United States, such as Fargo, ND. The town lies just below the southern limit of sporadic permafrost in Alaska, and is strongly sheltered from the extremely wet Aleutian Low which drops most of its moisture on the opposite (eastern) side of the mountains.

Climate data for King Salmon, Alaska (1981–2010 normals,[3] extremes 1917–present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 53
(12)
57
(14)
59
(15)
69
(21)
85
(29)
88
(31)
89
(32)
84
(29)
75
(24)
67
(19)
56
(13)
54
(12)
89
(32)
Mean maximum °F (°C) 43.2
(6.2)
44.7
(7.1)
46.3
(7.9)
56.2
(13.4)
68.0
(20.0)
74.6
(23.7)
76.7
(24.8)
74.3
(23.5)
64.6
(18.1)
54.7
(12.6)
46.9
(8.3)
43.6
(6.4)
78.4
(25.8)
Average high °F (°C) 23.6
(−4.7)
26.8
(−2.9)
32.7
(0.4)
42.4
(5.8)
53.8
(12.1)
61.0
(16.1)
63.8
(17.7)
62.6
(17.0)
55.5
(13.1)
41.3
(5.2)
30.5
(−0.8)
26.4
(−3.1)
43.4
(6.3)
Average low °F (°C) 8.8
(−12.9)
10.9
(−11.7)
15.6
(−9.1)
25.0
(−3.9)
34.5
(1.4)
41.9
(5.5)
47.3
(8.5)
46.6
(8.1)
39.7
(4.3)
25.7
(−3.5)
15.3
(−9.3)
10.8
(−11.8)
26.9
(−2.8)
Mean minimum °F (°C) −24.8
(−31.6)
−20
(−29)
−10.2
(−23.4)
6.2
(−14.3)
24.5
(−4.2)
32.2
(0.1)
38.7
(3.7)
34.4
(1.3)
24.7
(−4.1)
6.0
(−14.4)
−10.8
(−23.8)
−19.1
(−28.4)
−31
(−35)
Record low °F (°C) −48
(−44)
−43
(−42)
−42
(−41)
−19
(−28)
4
(−16)
27
(−3)
31
(−1)
25
(−4)
15
(−9)
−12
(−24)
−28
(−33)
−38
(−39)
−48
(−44)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 1.02
(26)
0.76
(19)
0.70
(18)
0.97
(25)
1.25
(32)
1.65
(42)
2.30
(58)
2.95
(75)
3.19
(81)
2.08
(53)
1.39
(35)
1.23
(31)
19.49
(495)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 10.2
(26)
6.0
(15)
6.4
(16)
3.9
(9.9)
0.8
(2.0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0.1
(0.25)
2.8
(7.1)
6.9
(18)
9.5
(24)
46.6
(118)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 inch) 10.9 9.3 9.1 11.2 12.3 14.0 15.8 16.7 18.0 13.8 12.6 12.3 156.0
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 inch) 8.6 7.4 7.8 5.6 1.0 0 0 0 0.2 2.8 7.8 8.8 50.0
Source: NOAA[4][5]

Demographics[edit]

Historical population
Census Pop.
1960227
1970202−11.0%
1980545169.8%
199069627.7%
2000442−36.5%
2010374−15.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[6]

King Salmon first appeared on the 1960 U.S. Census as an unincorporated village. It was made a census-designated place (CDP) as of the 1980 census.

As of the census[7] of 2000, there were 442 people, 196 households, and 105 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 2.6 people per square mile (1.0/km²). There were 343 housing units at an average density of 2.0 per square mile (0.8/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 66.29% White, 1.13% Black or African American, 28.96% Native American, 0.23% Asian (i.e. 1 person), 0.23% from other races, and 3.17% from two or more races. 0.45% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 196 households out of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.4% were married couples living together, 4.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.4% were non-families. 41.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 1.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 3.17.

In the CDP, the population was spread out with 26.2% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 35.7% from 25 to 44, 28.1% from 45 to 64, and 2.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 122.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 131.2 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $54,375, and the median income for a family was $64,375. Males had a median income of $45,000 versus $35,500 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $26,755. About 8.8% of families and 12.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.5% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Parks[edit]

History[edit]

In the 1930s, the U.S. government built an air navigation silo at the site of present-day King Salmon. At the beginning of World War II, the U.S. Army Air Forces built an air base around the silo. It was maintained by the Civil Aeronautics Administration throughout the war.

In the 1940s and 1950s, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers constructed a 25 km (16 mi) long road from King Salmon to Naknek. Other government agencies, such as the National Park Service, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and the United States Weather Bureau, built facilities at King Salmon. The King Salmon Inn opened in 1956.

King Salmon is now a government, transportation, and service and shipment center for the commercial red salmon and sport fishing industries.

The Air Force base closed in 1993, and is kept in caretaker status (mothballed) by Anchorage-based Chugach Federal Solutions, Inc. King Salmon Airport is now a public access airport.

King Salmon is one of the sites of Super Dual Auroral Radar Network.

In 2010, a local National Weather Service employee and his wife were involved in an Islamic domestic terrorism plot that had proceeded to the operational phase. A hit list of 20 people that included media and military personnel was found.[8][9]

References[edit]

  1. ^ 2015 Alaska Municipal Officials Directory. Juneau: Alaska Municipal League. 2015. p. 4.
  2. ^ http://www.nps.gov/katm/index.htm
  3. ^ Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. the highest and lowest temperature readings during an entire month or year) calculated based on data at said location from 1981 to 2010.
  4. ^ "NOWData – NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 2018-03-15.
  5. ^ "Station Name: AK KING SALMON". National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 2018-03-15.
  6. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". Census.gov. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  7. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  8. ^ "Terrorism case baffles remote Alaska town. The FBI says the weatherman in tiny King Salmon, aided by his wife, had an assassination list and was an adherent of Islamic extremism". Los Angeles Times July 23, 2010
  9. ^ Feds: Alaska couple had 20 names on hit list AP August 16, 2010

External links[edit]

Media related to King Salmon, Alaska at Wikimedia Commons

Coordinates: 58°41′10″N 156°39′18″W / 58.686039°N 156.655083°W / 58.686039; -156.655083