Galena, Alaska

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Galena is the largest city in the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska. At the 2000 census the population was 675.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 History
4 Trivia
5 External links

[edit] Geography

Galena is located at 64°44′26″N, 156°53′8″W (64.740643, -156.885462)^GR1.

Galena is located on the north bank of the Yukon River, 72 km (45 miles) east of Nulato. The Innoko National Wildlife Refuge is southwest of Galena.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 62.1 km² (24.0 mi²). 46.3 km² (17.9 mi²) of it is land and 15.8 km² (6.1 mi²) of it (25.41%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 675 people, 216 households, and 149 families residing in the city. The population density was 14.6/km² (37.8/mi²). There were 259 housing units at an average density of 5.6/km² (14.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 30.22% White, 0.30% Black or African American, 63.41% Native American, 1.04% Asian, 0.30% Pacific Islander, 0.30% from other races, and 4.44% from two or more races. 1.93% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 216 households out of which 49.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.5% were married couples living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.0% were non-families. 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83 and the average family size was 3.44.

In the city the population was spread out with 37.5% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 4.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females there were 121.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 123.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $61,125, and the median income for a family was $70,250. Males had a median income of $46,563 versus $37,000 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,143. About 1.3% of families and 10.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.4% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

[edit] History

The Koyukon Athabascans had seasonal camps in the area and moved as the wild game migrated. In the summer many families floated on rafts to the Yukon River to fish for salmon. There were 12 summer fish camps located on the Yukon River between the Koyukuk River and the Nowitna River. Galena was established in 1918 near an Athabascan fish camp called Henry's Point. It became a supply and point for nearby lead ore mines that opened in 1918 and 1919.

In 1920, Athabascans living upriver at Louden began moving to Galena to sell wood to steamboats and to work hauling freight for the mines. A school was established in Galena in the mid-1920s. In World War II an air field, the Galena Air Force Station, was built. During the 1950s, the construction of military facilities at the Galena and Campion Air Force Stations, airport and road developments, caused economic growth in Galena. Galena Air Force Station closed in 1993.

There were floods in 1945 and 1971. Because of the floods, a new townsite, called New Town, was chosen at Alexander Lake, about 2 1/2 km (1 1/2 miles) east of the original townsite. The city offices, the health clinic, schools, store, and more than 150 homes were constructed at New Town.

Galena has three schools. Galena City School is primarily for local K-12 students, and the vocational Galena Interior Learning Academy is a boarding school which draws students from around the state. The Galena boys' and girls' basketball teams were regional champions from 2004 to 2006. Galena's third school is Interior Distance Education of Alaska, a state-wide homeschool support program that serves 3,500 students across the state. It is the biggest school (of any kind) in Alaska.

[edit] Trivia

On December 14, 2004, Galena's City Council tentatively accepted a proposal from Toshiba Corporation to build a small nuclear reactor in the village as a demonstration, which if built would be the first non-military nuclear power plant in Alaska. (Fort Greely, Alaska, had a small SM-4 "portable" reactor until the early 1970s)
The fictional GI Joe character Frostbite was born in Galena.
In the video game Metal Gear Solid, two F-16 fighters are dispatched from Galena Air Force Base to the fictional Shadow Moses island in Alaska as a diversion.
In the film WarGames, General Beringer, NORAD commander, orders two F-16 fighters from Galena AFB to intercept apparent Soviet bombers.