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Kobuk

Laugviik
Location in Northwest Arctic Borough and the state of Alaska.
Location in Northwest Arctic Borough and the state of Alaska.
Country United States
State Alaska
Borough Northwest Arctic
Incorporated September 25, 1973
Area
 • Total 16.02 sq mi (41.49 km2)
 • Land 15.51 sq mi (40.16 km2)
 • Water 0.51 sq mi (1.33 km2)
Elevation
148 ft (45 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 191
 • Density 12.32/sq mi (4.76/km2)
Time zone UTC-9 (Alaska (AKST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-8 (AKDT)
ZIP code
99751
Area code 907
FIPS code 02-40840
GNIS feature ID 1413362

Kobuk (Inupiaq: [Laugviik] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)) is a city in Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 151, up from 109 in 2000.

History

Kobuk was founded in 1899 as a supply point for miners north of Kobuk. A trading post, school, and mission were built and residents came to the settlement. In May 1973, a flood covered the entire village.

The economy of Kobuk is based on subsistence hunting for caribou and moose.

Geography and climate

Kobuk is located at 66°55′3″N 156°54′25″W / 66.91750°N 156.90694°W / 66.91750; -156.90694 (66.917579, -156.906829).

Kobuk is located on the bank of the Kobuk River, 10 km (6.2 mi) northeast of Shungnak. It is near Kobuk Valley National Park.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 16.8 square miles (44 km2), of which, 16.1 square miles (42 km2) of it is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km2) of it (4.34%) is water.

Climate data for Kobuk
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °F (°C) −3.3
(−19.6)
1.8
(−16.8)
13.3
(−10.4)
28.0
(−2.2)
50.6
(10.3)
66.0
(18.9)
69.4
(20.8)
64.4
(18.0)
52.0
(11.1)
28.3
(−2.1)
12.7
(−10.7)
0.9
(−17.3)
32.0
(0.0)
Average low °F (°C) −26.7
(−32.6)
−22.1
(−30.1)
−12.6
(−24.8)
4.1
(−15.5)
27.9
(−2.3)
42.1
(5.6)
45.7
(7.6)
42.9
(6.1)
32.4
(0.2)
11.4
(−11.4)
−4.7
(−20.4)
−19.1
(−28.4)
10.1
(−12.2)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 0.61
(15)
0.35
(8.9)
0.66
(17)
0.61
(15)
0.79
(20)
1.75
(44)
3.20
(81)
3.41
(87)
2.87
(73)
0.81
(21)
0.96
(24)
0.65
(17)
16.67
(422.9)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 7.3
(19)
4.9
(12)
8.0
(20)
4.7
(12)
0.7
(1.8)
0.1
(0.25)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
1.9
(4.8)
6.9
(18)
11.4
(29)
8.0
(20)
53.9
(136.85)
Source: http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?ak4964

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1910 210
1920 95 −54.8%
1940 31
1950 38 22.6%
1960 54 42.1%
1970 56 3.7%
1980 62 10.7%
1990 69 11.3%
2000 109 58.0%
2010 151 38.5%
2020 191 26.5%
U.S. Decennial Census

Kobuk first appeared on the 1910 U.S. Census under its previous name of Shungnak, an unincorporated village. It appeared again on the 1920 U.S. Census. With the departure of many residents in 1927 to the "New" Shungnak site, the old site was renamed Kobuk in 1928. It did not appear on the 1930 census, but did beginning again in 1940. In 1970, Kobuk was erroneously reported as the unincorporated "Shungnak Village" (not to be confused with its neighbor city). In 1973, Kobuk was formally incorporated and has reported as Kobuk in every successive census since 1980.

As of the census of 2000, there were 109 people, 26 households, and 23 families residing in the city. The population density was 6.8 people per square mile (2.6/km2). There were 45 housing units at an average density of 2.8 per square mile (1.1/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 4.59% White, 93.58% Native American, 0.92% Asian, 0.92% from other races. 4.59% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 26 households, out of which 61.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.2% were married couples living together, 30.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 11.5% were non-families. 11.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and none had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.19 and the average family size was 4.26.

In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 52.3% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 18.3% from 25 to 44, 17.4% from 45 to 64, and 2.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 17 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,750, and the median income for a family was $20,313. Males had a median income of $71,250 versus $21,875 for females. The per capita income for the city was $9,844. There were 32.0% of families and 28.6% of the population living below the poverty line, including 28.2% of under eighteens and 57.1% of those over 64.

Education

The Kobuk School, operated by the Northwest Arctic Borough School District, serves the community. As of 2017 it had 44 students, with Alaska Natives making up 100% of the student body.

See also

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

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