Tok, Alaska

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Tok is a census-designated place (CDP) in Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska, United States. As of 2004, the population of the CDP is 1,673.

[edit] Geography

Tok is located at 63°19′27″N, 143°1′5″W (63.324161, -143.018028)^GR1. It lies at an important junction along the Alaska Highway between the Tanana River and the Alaska Range.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 342.6 km² (132.3 mi²), all land.

[edit] Demographics

As of 2004, there were 1,673 people, 596 households, and 402 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 6.1/km² (10.5/mi²). There were 964 housing units at an average density of 2.2/km² (5.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 70.00% White, 9.27% Black or African American, 13.95% Native American, 0.43% Asian, 0.93% from other races, and 7.61% from two or more races. 2.08% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 596 households out of which 43.75% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.7% were married couples living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.3% were non-families. 24.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 4.16.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 32.5% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 27.1% from 45 to 64, and 5.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 102.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.6 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $37,941, and the median income for a family was $49,219. Males had a median income of $45,375 versus $30,268 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $18,521. About 9.5% of families and 10.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.4% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those age 65 or over.

ɵ== History == There have been Athabascan settlements in the region of what is now Tok (which is pronounced with a long o, like "toke") for many centuries.

The town at the present location of Tok, Alaska began in 1942 as an Alaska Road Commission camp used for construction and maintenance of the Alaska Highway. So much money was spent in the camp's construction and maintenance that it earned the name "Million Dollar Camp" by those working on the highway. In 1947 the first school was opened, and in 1958 a larger school was built to accommodate the many newcomers. The U. S. Customs Office was located in Tok between 1947 and 1971, when it was moved to the border with Canada.

In one version, the name Tok is derived from the Athabascan word for "peaceful crossing." The U.S.G.S. notes that the name "Tok River" was in use for the nearby river around 1901, and the Athabascan name of "Tokai" was reported for the same river by Lt. Allen in 1887. In another version, the name is derived from the English words "Tokyo camp," although the major war benefit was supporting the transfer of airplanes to the Soviet Union. Another version claims the name was derived from the mascot for one of the Engineer units that built the highways.

In the 1940s and 1950s, another highway, the Tok Cut-Off was constructed connecting Tok with the Richardson Highway at Glennallen. It was a "cut-off" because it allowed motor travelers from the lower United States to travel to Valdez and Anchorage in southern Alaska without going further north to Delta Junction and then traveling south on the Richardson Highway.

Between 1954 and 1979, an 8-inch U. S. Army fuel pipeline operated from the port of Haines, Alaska to Fairbanks, with a pump station in Tok.

In July 1990, Tok faced extinction when a lightning-caused forest fire jumped two rivers and the Alaska Highway, putting both residents and buildings in peril. The town was evacuated and even the efforts of over a thousand firefighters could not stop the fire. At the last minute a "miracle wind" (so labeled by Tok's residents) came up, diverting the fire just short of the first building. The fire continued to burn the remainder of the summer, eventually burning more than 100,000 acres (400 km²).