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Angoon, Alaska

Aangóon
St. John the Baptist Russian Orthodox Church, Angoon
St. John the Baptist Russian Orthodox Church, Angoon
Angoon, Alaska is located in Alaska
Angoon, Alaska
Angoon, Alaska
Location in Alaska
Country United States
State Alaska
Census Area Hoonah-Angoon
Incorporated May 7, 1963
Area
 • Total 38.97 sq mi (100.93 km2)
 • Land 24.53 sq mi (63.54 km2)
 • Water 14.44 sq mi (37.39 km2)
Elevation
23 ft (7 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 357
 • Density 14.55/sq mi (5.62/km2)
Time zone UTC-9 (Alaska)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-8 (Alaska)
ZIP code
99820
Area code 907
FIPS code 02-03440
GNIS feature ID 1420113

Angoon (sometimes formerly spelled Angun, Tlingit: [Aangóon] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)) is a city on Admiralty Island in Hoonah-Angoon Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 572; by the 2010 census the population had declined to 459. The name in Tlingit, Aangóon, means roughly "isthmus town."

History

Admiralty Island has long been the home of the Kootznoowoo Tlingit group, or Xootsnoowú Ḵwáan in Tlingit. Kootznoowoo means "fortress of brown bears", literally xoots-noow-ú "brown.bear-fortress-possessive". Angoon has a less-rainy climate than most of southeastern Alaska and was valued by the Tlingit for that reason.

During the Russian period in Alaska, from the 18th century to the mid-19th century, fur trading was a major economic activity in the area.

In 1878, after the 1867 Alaska Purchase, the Northwest Trading Company established a trading post and whaling station on nearby Killisnoo Island and employed Angoon villagers to hunt whales. Whaling, a school and a Russian Orthodox Church attracted many Tlingits to neighboring Killisnoo.

In 1882, a whaling vessel's harpoon charge accidentally misfired and exploded, killing a crewmember who was a Tlingit shaman, or medicine man. Villagers demanded payment of 200 blankets to the man's family, as was customary. The Northwest Trading Company sought help from the United States Navy at Sitka. Angoon and a nearby summer camp were shelled and destroyed by the revenue cutter Thomas Corwin.

After a short time, the Northwest Trading Company switched to herring processing. During this time, many Tlingits moved to Killisnoo for employment at the fish plant. In 1928, Killisnoo was destroyed by fire and many Tlingits returned to Angoon.

In 1973, Angoon won a U.S. $90,000 settlement from the United States government for the 1882 bombardment.

Geography

Angoon is located at 57°29′49″N 134°34′25″W / 57.49694°N 134.57361°W / 57.49694; -134.57361 (57.496891, -134.573579).

Angoon is the largest permanent settlement on Admiralty Island. It is located on an isthmus at the mouth of Kootznahoo Inlet on the west side of the island. It is 97 km (60 mi) southwest of Juneau. The only other community on the island is Cube Cove, to the north.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 38.6 square miles (100 km2), of which, 22.5 square miles (58 km2) of it is land and 16.1 square miles (42 km2) of it (41.69%) is water.

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Angoon has an Oceanic climate (Cfb).

Climate data for Angoon
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 57
(14)
57
(14)
58
(14)
64
(18)
71
(22)
80
(27)
82
(28)
77
(25)
75
(24)
62
(17)
57
(14)
50
(10)
82
(28)
Average high °F (°C) 31.9
(−0.1)
36.8
(2.7)
40.9
(4.9)
47.1
(8.4)
53.4
(11.9)
58.8
(14.9)
62
(17)
61.5
(16.4)
56.6
(13.7)
48.4
(9.1)
39.9
(4.4)
34.3
(1.3)
47.6
(8.7)
Average low °F (°C) 23.5
(−4.7)
27.1
(−2.7)
29.7
(−1.3)
33.9
(1.1)
39.8
(4.3)
45.6
(7.6)
49.8
(9.9)
49.8
(9.9)
45.2
(7.3)
39.1
(3.9)
32.3
(0.2)
27.3
(−2.6)
36.9
(2.7)
Record low °F (°C) −3
(−19)
−7
(−22)
0
(−18)
20
(−7)
29
(−2)
36
(2)
40
(4)
40
(4)
30
(−1)
16
(−9)
−2
(−19)
−6
(−21)
−7
(−22)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 3.39
(86)
2.7
(69)
2.42
(61)
2.21
(56)
1.92
(49)
1.9
(48)
2.26
(57)
3.76
(96)
4.89
(124)
7.71
(196)
4.79
(122)
4.04
(103)
42
(1,100)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 16.6
(42)
12.7
(32)
8.1
(21)
2
(5.1)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0.3
(0.76)
6
(15)
15.4
(39)
61.2
(155)
Average precipitation days 17 16 16 15 16 15 13 15 18 23 20 21 205

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1880 420
1890 381 −9.3%
1920 114
1930 319 179.8%
1940 342 7.2%
1950 429 25.4%
1960 395 −7.9%
1970 400 1.3%
1980 465 16.3%
1990 638 37.2%
2000 572 −10.3%
2010 459 −19.8%
2020 357 −22.2%
U.S. Decennial Census

Angoon first appeared on the 1880 U.S. Census as the native village of "Augoon" with 420 residents, all members of the Tlingit tribe. The area returned as "Hoochinoo" (AKA Kootznahoo) in 1890. Angoon did not appear again on the census until 1920. It has appeared on every successive census to date as of 2010, and incorporated as a city in 1963.

As of the census of 2000, there were 572 people, 184 households, and 138 families residing in the city. The population density was 25.4 people per square mile (9.8/km2). There were 221 housing units at an average density of 9.8 per square mile (3.8/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 81.99% Native American, 11.36% White, 5.42% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race, 0.52% Black or African American, 0.17% Asian, 1.40% from other races, and 4.55% from two or more races.

Of the 184 households, 42.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were married couples living together, 17.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.0% were non-families. 22.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 2.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.11 and the average family size was 3.64.

In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 34.8% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 6.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 110.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 115.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,861, and the median income for a family was $31,429. Males had a median income of $21,250 versus $30,625 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,357. About 27.0% of families and 27.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 39.1% of those under age 18 and 20.0% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Fishing and fish processing are the mainstays of the economy at Angoon now.

Angoon is looking into non-diesel electric power generation to reduce local electric bills.

Angoon was listed by Sunset magazine as one of the "Top 100 Best Honeymoon Spots" in July 2009.

Education

Chatham School District operates two schools:

  • Angoon Elementary School
  • Angoon High School

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Angoon (Alaska) para niños

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