Tonsina, Alaska facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tonsina, Alaska
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Location of Tonsina, Alaska
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| Country | United States |
| State | Alaska |
| Census Area | Valdez-Cordova |
| Area | |
| • Total | 159.25 sq mi (412.45 km2) |
| • Land | 158.99 sq mi (411.79 km2) |
| • Water | 0.26 sq mi (0.66 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,565 ft (477 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 55 |
| • Density | 0.35/sq mi (0.13/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-9 (Alaska (AKST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-8 (AKDT) |
| Area code(s) | 907 |
| FIPS code | 02-78350 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1411105 |
Tonsina is a small community in Copper River Census Area, Alaska, United States. It is called a census-designated place (CDP) because it's a special area defined by the government for counting people. In 2020, only 55 people lived there. This was fewer than the 78 people who lived there in 2010.
Tonsina is located in the beautiful Copper River Valley. A very important place in Tonsina is the Tonsina River Lodge. This lodge is a "roadhouse," which means it's a place for travelers to stop. It's right next to the Richardson Highway.
The Tonsina River Lodge has many useful things for visitors. It has a bar and a restaurant where people can eat. There's also a gas station, a convenience store, and a liquor store. If you need to do laundry, there's a laundromat, and you can even take a shower. The lodge also offers places to stay, like a camping area, an RV park, and a motel. One of the most interesting parts of the lodge is its old, historic hotel.
The Tonsina River Lodge looks like a collection of buildings spread out on a gravel area. The buildings are old and look like they've seen a lot of weather. The historic hotel is a three-story building that used to be an Army barracks. It's orange with a bright red tin roof. The lodge is even located at the end of an airplane runway! It sits near tall, snow-covered mountains and a stream. In 2006, the stream flooded and washed away a two-lane concrete bridge. This bridge was important because it connected Valdez to Anchorage on the Richardson Highway. Luckily, the bridge was fixed in just two weeks.
Where is Tonsina?
Tonsina is located at 61°39′43″N 145°10′39″W / 61.66194°N 145.17750°W. This means it's in a specific spot on the map.
The area of Tonsina is quite large. It covers about 148 square miles (383 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, about 147.8 square miles (382.8 square kilometers). A very small part, about 0.2 square miles (0.5 square kilometers), is water.
What is Tonsina's Weather Like?
Tonsina has a continental subarctic climate. This type of climate means it has very cold, long winters and short, cool summers. It's known for big changes in temperature between seasons.
| Climate data for Tonsina | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 46 (8) |
48 (9) |
54 (12) |
65 (18) |
79 (26) |
90 (32) |
88 (31) |
88 (31) |
79 (26) |
62 (17) |
51 (11) |
50 (10) |
90 (32) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 3.3 (−15.9) |
16 (−9) |
29.5 (−1.4) |
43.6 (6.4) |
56 (13) |
66 (19) |
69.1 (20.6) |
65.2 (18.4) |
54.6 (12.6) |
36.1 (2.3) |
15.4 (−9.2) |
6.2 (−14.3) |
38.4 (3.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | −14.1 (−25.6) |
−7.3 (−21.8) |
−0.4 (−18.0) |
17.7 (−7.9) |
30 (−1) |
38.7 (3.7) |
43.2 (6.2) |
38.8 (3.8) |
30 (−1) |
17.4 (−8.1) |
−2 (−19) |
−10.6 (−23.7) |
15.1 (−9.4) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −60 (−51) |
−53 (−47) |
−46 (−43) |
−24 (−31) |
6 (−14) |
20 (−7) |
26 (−3) |
17 (−8) |
−1 (−18) |
−23 (−31) |
−42 (−41) |
−61 (−52) |
−61 (−52) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.84 (21) |
0.99 (25) |
0.48 (12) |
0.26 (6.6) |
0.51 (13) |
1.27 (32) |
1.8 (46) |
1.38 (35) |
1.31 (33) |
1.3 (33) |
1.25 (32) |
1.25 (32) |
12.65 (321) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 9.5 (24) |
10.2 (26) |
5.7 (14) |
2.6 (6.6) |
0.5 (1.3) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0.9 (2.3) |
9.5 (24) |
12.7 (32) |
12.5 (32) |
64.2 (163) |
| Average precipitation days | 6 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 82 |
Who Lives in Tonsina?
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1980 | 135 | — | |
| 1990 | 38 | −71.9% | |
| 2000 | 92 | 142.1% | |
| 2010 | 78 | −15.2% | |
| 2020 | 55 | −29.5% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
Tonsina was first counted as a CDP in the 1980 U.S. Census.
In the year 2000, there were 92 people living in Tonsina. These people lived in 34 different homes, and 21 of these were families. The population density was very low, meaning there were not many people living in each square mile.
About 35% of the homes had children under 18 years old. More than half of the homes (55.9%) were married couples living together. The average household had about 2.7 people.
Looking at ages, about 32.6% of the people were under 18. About 17.4% were 65 or older. The average age in Tonsina was 42 years old. For every 100 females, there were about 142 males.
See also
In Spanish: Tonsina (Alaska) para niños
