Skwentna, Alaska facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Skwentna, Alaska
|
|
|---|---|
Location in Matanuska-Susitna Borough and the state of Alaska
|
|
 Skwentna, Alaska
Location in Alaska
|
|
| Country | United States |
| State | Alaska |
| Borough | Matanuska-Susitna |
| Area | |
| • Total | 445.86 sq mi (1,154.77 km2) |
| • Land | 438.61 sq mi (1,136.00 km2) |
| • Water | 7.25 sq mi (18.77 km2) |
| Elevation | 144 ft (44 m) |
| Population
(2020)
|
|
| • Total | 62 |
| • Density | 0.14/sq mi (0.05/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-9 (Alaska (AKST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-8 (AKDT) |
| ZIP code |
99667
|
| Area code(s) | 907 |
| FIPS code | 02-70870 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1866975 |
Skwentna is a small community in Alaska, United States. It is called a census-designated place (CDP) because it's a special area used for counting people by the government. Skwentna is located on the famous Iditarod Trail, which is known for its dog sled race.
This community is about 61 miles northwest of Wasilla, right next to the Skwentna River. It's also part of the larger Anchorage, Alaska area. In 2020, only 62 people lived in Skwentna. This was more than the 37 people who lived there in 2010. Skwentna has its own airport, called Skwentna Airport, which helps people get in and out of the area.
Contents
Where is Skwentna Located?
Skwentna is found at these coordinates: 61°52′46″N 151°15′59″W / 61.87944°N 151.26639°W. This means it's in a specific spot on the map.
The total area of Skwentna is about 449.7 square miles (1,165 km2). Most of this area, about 442.8 square miles (1,147 km2), is land. The rest, about 6.9 square miles (18 km2), is water. This means there are many rivers and lakes around.
What is Skwentna's Climate Like?
Skwentna has a subarctic climate, which means it has very long, cold, and snowy winters. The summers are short and warm. Even in summer, August is usually cooler than June.
The coldest temperatures in Skwentna can drop to between -40 and -30 degrees Fahrenheit (-40 to -34 degrees Celsius). In summer, temperatures can reach 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees Celsius) on many days. They can even reach 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27 degrees Celsius) a few times.
The wettest time of year is from August to October. Snow usually falls from October to April, and sometimes even in May or September. Skwentna gets a lot of snow, about 119 inches (3.02 m) each year.
| Climate data for Skwentna, Alaska, 1991-2020 normals, 1939-2020 extremes: 150ft (46m) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 44 (7) |
50 (10) |
55 (13) |
68 (20) |
85 (29) |
95 (35) |
90 (32) |
88 (31) |
78 (26) |
69 (21) |
47 (8) |
42 (6) |
95 (35) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 34.8 (1.6) |
37.6 (3.1) |
46.3 (7.9) |
55.6 (13.1) |
71.9 (22.2) |
79.6 (26.4) |
80.7 (27.1) |
77.5 (25.3) |
66.4 (19.1) |
52.6 (11.4) |
37.1 (2.8) |
34.9 (1.6) |
81.5 (27.5) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 16.8 (−8.4) |
25.2 (−3.8) |
34.2 (1.2) |
46.3 (7.9) |
59.6 (15.3) |
68.6 (20.3) |
70.1 (21.2) |
65.9 (18.8) |
55.7 (13.2) |
41.2 (5.1) |
24.4 (−4.2) |
19.0 (−7.2) |
43.9 (6.6) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 9.0 (−12.8) |
16.1 (−8.8) |
22.6 (−5.2) |
35.8 (2.1) |
47.8 (8.8) |
56.7 (13.7) |
59.8 (15.4) |
56.1 (13.4) |
46.7 (8.2) |
33.7 (0.9) |
17.9 (−7.8) |
11.9 (−11.2) |
34.5 (1.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 1.3 (−17.1) |
7.0 (−13.9) |
10.9 (−11.7) |
25.3 (−3.7) |
36.0 (2.2) |
44.8 (7.1) |
49.5 (9.7) |
46.3 (7.9) |
37.7 (3.2) |
26.2 (−3.2) |
11.4 (−11.4) |
4.8 (−15.1) |
25.1 (−3.8) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −29.0 (−33.9) |
−26.0 (−32.2) |
−15.2 (−26.2) |
3.9 (−15.6) |
24.0 (−4.4) |
33.3 (0.7) |
38.9 (3.8) |
33.8 (1.0) |
21.5 (−5.8) |
3.7 (−15.7) |
−15.9 (−26.6) |
−27.3 (−32.9) |
−36.5 (−38.1) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −52 (−47) |
−53 (−47) |
−43 (−42) |
−40 (−40) |
4 (−16) |
28 (−2) |
30 (−1) |
25 (−4) |
−6 (−21) |
−19 (−28) |
−32 (−36) |
−50 (−46) |
−53 (−47) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 2.31 (59) |
2.22 (56) |
1.02 (26) |
1.06 (27) |
1.12 (28) |
1.26 (32) |
2.24 (57) |
3.46 (88) |
4.25 (108) |
3.21 (82) |
2.21 (56) |
3.50 (89) |
27.86 (708) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 18.1 (46) |
17.9 (45) |
9.6 (24) |
6.0 (15) |
0.1 (0.25) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.3 (0.76) |
11.2 (28) |
22.3 (57) |
33.8 (86) |
119.3 (302.01) |
| Average extreme snow depth inches (cm) | 38.6 (98) |
44.7 (114) |
42.1 (107) |
36.5 (93) |
9.1 (23) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.2 (0.51) |
8.1 (21) |
18.3 (46) |
32.1 (82) |
48.5 (123) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 8.8 | 6.8 | 6.2 | 5.9 | 6.9 | 8.3 | 10.3 | 12.2 | 12.6 | 10.7 | 8.9 | 10.8 | 108.4 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 8.0 | 5.8 | 4.6 | 2.9 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 3.6 | 7.0 | 9.5 | 41.7 |
| Source 1: NOAA(1981-2010 precip/snowfall) | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: XMACIS2 (records, 1981-2010 monthly max/mins & snow depth) | |||||||||||||
A nearby weather station, Hayes River, is at a higher elevation. It also has a subarctic climate. However, its temperatures change less throughout the year. It also gets much more snow than Skwentna.
| Climate data for Hayes River, Alaska, 1991-2020 normals, 1980-2020 extremes: 1000ft (305m) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 49 (9) |
55 (13) |
53 (12) |
70 (21) |
81 (27) |
89 (32) |
87 (31) |
85 (29) |
79 (26) |
58 (14) |
44 (7) |
40 (4) |
89 (32) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 34.2 (1.2) |
38.9 (3.8) |
42.1 (5.6) |
48.8 (9.3) |
64.8 (18.2) |
77.3 (25.2) |
79.0 (26.1) |
75.7 (24.3) |
64.9 (18.3) |
48.4 (9.1) |
36.6 (2.6) |
33.7 (0.9) |
80.2 (26.8) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 22.0 (−5.6) |
28.2 (−2.1) |
34.2 (1.2) |
44.9 (7.2) |
55.7 (13.2) |
67.2 (19.6) |
68.9 (20.5) |
66.0 (18.9) |
56.0 (13.3) |
41.0 (5.0) |
28.0 (−2.2) |
23.2 (−4.9) |
44.6 (7.0) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 13.6 (−10.2) |
18.4 (−7.6) |
22.2 (−5.4) |
34.0 (1.1) |
43.8 (6.6) |
54.5 (12.5) |
58.1 (14.5) |
55.4 (13.0) |
46.2 (7.9) |
32.0 (0.0) |
19.8 (−6.8) |
14.9 (−9.5) |
34.4 (1.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 5.2 (−14.9) |
8.6 (−13.0) |
10.2 (−12.1) |
23.1 (−4.9) |
31.8 (−0.1) |
41.8 (5.4) |
47.3 (8.5) |
44.7 (7.1) |
36.4 (2.4) |
23.0 (−5.0) |
11.6 (−11.3) |
6.7 (−14.1) |
24.2 (−4.3) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −18.2 (−27.9) |
−14.2 (−25.7) |
−9.2 (−22.9) |
1.5 (−16.9) |
23.2 (−4.9) |
32.2 (0.1) |
39.6 (4.2) |
33.9 (1.1) |
23.2 (−4.9) |
5.2 (−14.9) |
−8.5 (−22.5) |
−14.3 (−25.7) |
−21.3 (−29.6) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −34 (−37) |
−32 (−36) |
−26 (−32) |
−21 (−29) |
−5 (−21) |
28 (−2) |
35 (2) |
26 (−3) |
7 (−14) |
−12 (−24) |
−25 (−32) |
−29 (−34) |
−34 (−37) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 4.86 (123) |
3.12 (79) |
1.92 (49) |
1.37 (35) |
1.23 (31) |
1.55 (39) |
2.46 (62) |
3.57 (91) |
4.42 (112) |
3.27 (83) |
2.92 (74) |
4.43 (113) |
35.12 (891) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 48.1 (122) |
33.3 (85) |
24.3 (62) |
12.4 (31) |
1.7 (4.3) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.6 (1.5) |
10.4 (26) |
34.1 (87) |
57.3 (146) |
222.2 (564.8) |
| Average extreme snow depth inches (cm) | 59.4 (151) |
63.9 (162) |
64.1 (163) |
57.4 (146) |
32.3 (82) |
0.9 (2.3) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.9 (2.3) |
7.5 (19) |
25.8 (66) |
46.7 (119) |
71.2 (181) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 11.1 | 9.7 | 7.2 | 6.6 | 7.3 | 8.9 | 13.5 | 14.6 | 14.6 | 11.4 | 11.0 | 13.5 | 129.4 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 9.7 | 8.5 | 5.8 | 3.0 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 3.8 | 9.3 | 12.2 | 53.3 |
| Source 1: NOAA(1981-2010 precip/snowfall) | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: XMACIS2 (records, 1981-2010 monthly max/mins & snow depth) | |||||||||||||
Who Lives in Skwentna?
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1950 | 58 | — | |
| 1990 | 85 | — | |
| 2000 | 111 | 30.6% | |
| 2010 | 37 | −66.7% | |
| 2020 | 62 | 67.6% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
Skwentna was first counted in the U.S. Census in 1950. Back then, it was just a village. It wasn't counted again until 1990, when it became a census-designated place (CDP).
In the year 2000, there were 111 people living in Skwentna. These people lived in 50 different homes, and 29 of those were families. Most of the people (about 93%) were White. A smaller group (about 6%) were Native American.
About 22% of the homes had children under 18 living there. Almost half of the homes (48%) were married couples. Some homes (6%) had a single mom, and 42% were not families.
The average age of people in Skwentna in 2000 was 45 years old. About 22.5% of the people were under 18. About 44% were between 45 and 64 years old.
The average income for a family in Skwentna in 2000 was $52,917. The average income for each person was $23,994. No families and only a small part of the population lived below the poverty line.
See also
In Spanish: Skwentna (Alaska) para niños
