Anchorage Daily News

NAPASKIAK

POPULATION: 464 (2006)

LOCATION: On the east bank of the Kuskokwim River, along the Napaskiak Slough, seven miles southeast of Bethel.

DESCRIPTION: A traditional Eskimo village, almost wholly Alaska Native and highly dependent upon fishing and subsistence activities. Employment comes from the school (about 130 students), local businesses and some commercial fishing (about 40 residents hold permits for salmon drift netting). During the April 2000 U.S. census, 132 residents were employed, median household income was $31,806, per capita income was $8,162 and 20 percent of residents were living below the official U.S. poverty level. There is one school, attended by about 120 students.

HISTORY: The area has historically been occupied by Yup'ik Eskimos. Napaskiak was first reported by the U.S. Coast & Geodetic Survey in 1867. The 1880 U.S. census reported a population of 196. By 1890, the numbers had dropped to 97 and were as low as 67 in 1939.

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