Anchorage Daily News

POPULATION: 3,135 (2007)

LOCATION: On a 3-mile-long narrow spit on the Baldwin Peninsula in Kotzebue Sound, near the discharges of the Kobuk and Noatak rivers, 549 air miles northwest of Anchorage and 26 miles above the Arctic Circle.

DESCRIPTION: The service and transportation hub for all villages in the northwest region, with a healthy cash economy, a growing private sector and a stable public sector. Located at the confluence of three river drainages, Kotzebue is the transfer point between ocean and inland shipping. It is also the air transport center for the region. The majority of income is directly or indirectly related to government employment, such as the school district, Maniilaq Association, the city and Northwest Arctic Borough. Oil and mineral exploration and development have contributed to the economy; the Cominco Alaska Red Dog Mine is a significant regional employer. Commercial fishing for chum salmon and processing at Kotzebue Sound Area Fisheries provide some seasonal employment. Most residents rely on subsistence activities to supplement income. Alaska Natives are nearly 77 percent of the population, primarily Inupiat Eskimos. Each summer, the North Tent City fish camp is set up to dry and smoke the season's catch.

HISTORY: This site has been occupied by Inupiat Eskimos for at least 600 years. Due to its coastal location near a number of rivers, "Kikiktagruk" was the hub of ancient arctic trading routes long before European contact. The German Lt. Otto Von Kotzebue "discovered" Kotzebue Sound in 1818 for Russia. The community was named after Kotzebue Sound in 1899 when a post office was established. Since the turn of the century, expansion of economic activities and services in the area have enabled Kotzebue to develop relatively rapidly. The city was formed in 1958. An Air Force base and White Alice Communications System were later constructed.

ADVERTISEMENT