Copper Center, Alaska facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Copper Center
Tl’aticae’e
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Historic Copper Center Roadhouse on the loop through Copper Center.
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Location of Copper Center, Alaska
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| Country | United States |
| State | Alaska |
| Census Area | Copper River |
| Area | |
| • Total | 12.51 sq mi (32.39 km2) |
| • Land | 12.50 sq mi (32.36 km2) |
| • Water | 0.01 sq mi (0.03 km2) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 338 |
| • Density | 27.05/sq mi (10.44/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-9 (Alaska (AKST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-8 (AKDT) |
| ZIP code |
99573
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| Area code(s) | 907 |
| FIPS code | 02-17300 |
Copper Center (called Tl’aticae’e in the Ahtna language) is a small community in Alaska, United States. It's known as a census-designated place (CDP), which is a special area set up by the government for counting people. Copper Center is located right on the Copper River in the Copper River Census Area.
If you travel by road, it's about 196 miles (315 km) northeast of Anchorage. In 2020, about 338 people lived there. This was a small increase from 328 people in 2000.
Contents
History of Copper Center
Early Days and the Gold Rush
Copper Center began where a trail from the Valdez Glacier met the Copper River. In July 1898, a man named Andrew Holman became the first person to live there. He set up a temporary "roadhouse" to help gold seekers. These gold seekers, called "prospectors," were on their way to the Klondike to find gold.
Holman first used two tents. One was his "Hotel Holman," and the other was a simple post office. By the winter of 1899, he had built a strong cabin. Later, Holman created the first mail route from Valdez to Eagle.
During the gold rush, many prospectors set up tent camps along the Copper and Klutina rivers. The first cabins were built a little west of the Copper River. Another camp appeared at a place called Copper Ferry, where people could cross the river. In June 1898, Copper Center became an important service center for gold miners.
Growing as a Supply Center
Copper Center quickly became the main place for supplies for travelers in the Copper River area. In 1901, a telegraph station opened. This allowed people to send messages over long distances. The first official post office also opened that year.
The next year, a man named John McCrary started a farm about a mile north of the Klutina River. Soon, McCrary opened a hotel, which was the first wooden roadhouse between Valdez and Fairbanks. Much of McCrary's land is still owned by his family today.
By 1910, more than 50 American families had settled in the area. The community received mail three times a week in winter and once a week in summer. It also had the only telegraph station between Valdez and Fairbanks where people could send or receive money.
The Copper Center Roadhouse Story
In 1922, Florence "Ma" Barnes bought Hotel Holman. She changed its name to the Copper Center Roadhouse and Trading Post. The original building burned down in 1932. A new building was built to replace it.
When Ma Barnes passed away in 1948, she left everything she owned to an orphanage in Valdez. Later that year, the orphanage sold the property to George Ashby. His family continued to run the roadhouse even after he died in 1979. Sadly, the replacement roadhouse also burned down on May 20, 2012. The Ashby family plans to rebuild it.
Where is Copper Center?
Copper Center is located at 61°57′55″N 145°19′6″W. It sits on the Richardson Highway (Alaska Route 4). It's on the west side of the Copper River, where it meets the Klutina River.
The community is about 16 miles (26 km) southeast of Glennallen. Glennallen is on the Glenn Highway (Alaska Route 1). Copper Center is also about 100 miles (160 km) north of Valdez.
The United States Census Bureau says that Copper Center covers about 13.7 square miles (35.5 km2). All of this area is land.
Weather in Copper Center
Copper Center has a type of weather called a dry-summer subarctic climate. This means it has very cold, dry winters and cool summers. Because it's not too far from the ocean, the temperatures are not as extremely cold as some other places in Alaska. However, December, January, and February are still very cold months.
| Climate data for Copper Center | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 45 (7) |
48 (9) |
58 (14) |
70 (21) |
78 (26) |
92 (33) |
89 (32) |
94 (34) |
84 (29) |
60 (16) |
49 (9) |
44 (7) |
94 (34) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | −4.7 (−20.4) |
13.4 (−10.3) |
32.5 (0.3) |
45.6 (7.6) |
60.8 (16.0) |
70.3 (21.3) |
77.4 (25.2) |
65 (18) |
59.2 (15.1) |
30.4 (−0.9) |
12.7 (−10.7) |
−10.3 (−23.5) |
37.7 (3.1) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | −15.7 (−26.5) |
−3.3 (−19.6) |
17.7 (−7.9) |
33.9 (1.1) |
45.5 (7.5) |
56.9 (13.8) |
61.1 (16.2) |
51.3 (10.7) |
43.9 (6.6) |
22.2 (−5.4) |
5.1 (−14.9) |
−17.9 (−27.7) |
25.1 (−3.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | −26.7 (−32.6) |
−20 (−29) |
2.8 (−16.2) |
22.2 (−5.4) |
30.1 (−1.1) |
43.5 (6.4) |
44.7 (7.1) |
37.5 (3.1) |
28.5 (−1.9) |
14 (−10) |
−2.6 (−19.2) |
−25.4 (−31.9) |
12.4 (−10.9) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −60 (−51) |
−57 (−49) |
−43 (−42) |
−30 (−34) |
12 (−11) |
24 (−4) |
32 (0) |
21 (−6) |
6 (−14) |
−23 (−31) |
−32 (−36) |
−57 (−49) |
−60 (−51) |
| Average rainfall inches (mm) | 0.69 (18) |
0.57 (14) |
0.46 (12) |
0.19 (4.8) |
0.63 (16) |
1.68 (43) |
2 (51) |
1.45 (37) |
0.89 (23) |
0.89 (23) |
1.34 (34) |
1.61 (41) |
12.4 (316.8) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 9.9 (25) |
3.8 (9.7) |
4.2 (11) |
1 (2.5) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
2.6 (6.6) |
10 (25) |
8 (20) |
39.5 (99.8) |
| Average precipitation days | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 55 |
| Source: WRCC | |||||||||||||
Who Lives in Copper Center?
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1910 | 91 | — | |
| 1920 | 71 | −22.0% | |
| 1930 | 80 | 12.7% | |
| 1940 | 138 | 72.5% | |
| 1950 | 90 | −34.8% | |
| 1960 | 151 | 67.8% | |
| 1970 | 206 | 36.4% | |
| 1980 | 213 | 3.4% | |
| 1990 | 449 | 110.8% | |
| 2000 | 362 | −19.4% | |
| 2010 | 328 | −9.4% | |
| 2020 | 338 | 3.0% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
Copper Center first appeared in the U.S. Census in 1910. Back then, it was just a small village. In 1980, it was officially named a "census-designated place" (CDP).
In 2000, there were 362 people living in Copper Center. These people lived in 132 homes, and 88 of those were families. About 48% of the people were White, and about 47% were Native American. A small number of people were from two or more races.
In 2000, about 40% of the homes had children under 18 living there. About 37% were married couples. The average home had about 2.74 people. The average family had about 3.39 people.
The population was spread out by age. About 38.7% were under 18 years old. The average age was 31 years old. For every 100 females, there were about 107 males.
The average income for a household in 2000 was $32,188. For families, the average income was $42,500. About 18.8% of all people, including 23.1% of those under 18, lived below the poverty line.
Learning in Copper Center
The public schools in the Copper Center area are part of the Copper River School District. Students attend the Kenny Lake School.
See also
In Spanish: Copper Center (Alaska) para niños
