Petersburg, Alaska

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Coordinates: 56°48′16″N 132°56′31″W / 56.80444, -132.94194
Petersburg, Alaska
A picture of a local shipwright.
Location of Petersburg, Alaska.
Country	United States
State	Alaska
Census Area	Wrangell-Petersburg
Area
- Total	46.0 sq mi (119.2 km²)
- Land	43.9 sq mi (113.6 km²)
- Water	2.2 sq mi (5.6 km²)
Elevation	36 ft (11 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	3,224
- Density	73.5/sq mi (28.4/km²)
Time zone	Alaska (AKST) (UTC-9)
- Summer (DST)	AKDT (UTC-8)
Area code(s)	907
FIPS code	02-60310
GNIS feature ID	1424228

Petersburg is a city in Wrangell-Petersburg Census Area, Alaska, in the United States. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 3,010.^[1]

1 History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 Transportation
- 4.1 Marine transportation
- 4.2 Air transportation
5 Trivia
6 See also
7 References
8 External links

[edit] History

The north end of Mitkof Island was a summer fish camp utilized by Kake Tlingits from Kupreanof Island. Remnants of fish traps and some petroglyphs have been carbon-dated back some 2,000 years. Alaskan Natives began living year-round at the site, including Chief John Lot. Petersburg was named after Peter Buschmann, a Norwegian immigrant who arrived in the late 1890s and homesteaded on the north end of the island. He built a cannery (thanks to the plentiful number of icebergs from the nearby LeConte Glacier which would provide a source for cooling fish), a sawmill, and a dock between 1890 and 1900. His family's homesteads grew into Petersburg which, by 1910 was incorporated and was populated largely by people of Scandinavian origin thus giving Petersburg the nickname "Little Norway". May 17 (Norwegian Constitution Day) is celebrated annually in Petersburg on the third weekend in May. The cannery, along with three others have operated continuously since their completion. Petersburg is one of Alaska's major fishing communities.

[edit] Geography

Petersburg is located at 56°48′16″N, 132°56′31″W (56.804414, -132.942013).^[2] It is on the north end of Mitkof Island, where the Wrangell Narrows meets Frederick Sound. Petersburg is halfway between Juneau, 190 km (120 miles) to the north, and Ketchikan, 180 km (110 miles) to the south.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 46.0 square miles (119.2 km²), of which, 43.9 square miles (113.6 km²) of it is land and 2.2 square miles (5.6 km²) of it (4.74%) is water.

The island is largely covered by low mountains, while the lowlands are mainly comprised of muskeg, a type of soil made up of plants in various states of decomposition.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 3,224 people, 1,240 households, and 849 families residing in the city. The population density was 73.5 people per square mile (28.4/km²). There were 1,367 housing units at an average density of 31.2/sq mi (12.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 81.64% White, 0.31% Black or African American, 7.20% Native American, 2.76% Asian, 0.19% Pacific Islander, 1.86% from other races, and 6.05% from two or more races. 2.85% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 1,240 households out of which 38.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.5% were non-families. 25.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.11.

In the city the population was spread out with 29.8% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 8.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 108.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $49,028, and the median income for a family was $54,934. Males had a median income of $42,135 versus $28,792 for females. The per capita income for the city was $25,827. About 3.3% of families and 5.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.5% of those under age 18 and 4.2% of those age 65 or over.

A view of the Petersburg waterfront.

[edit] Transportation

Since it is located on an island, Petersburg can only be accessed by air or sea.

[edit] Marine transportation

Petersburg receives service from two separate ferry services: the Inter-Island Ferry Authority and the Alaska Marine Highway.

The Inter-Island Ferry Authority has dedicated Friday, Saturday, & Sunday service (May-October) with the M/V Stikine on its Northern Coffman Cove-Wrangell-Petersburg-Wrangell-Coffman Cove route. ^[4]

For the Alaska Marine Highway, Petersburg is a stop on its Inside Passage route that sees near-daily service both southbound and northbound to other Southeast Alaskan communities, Bellingham, Washington and Prince Rupert, British Columbia Canada. ^[5]

Small cruise-ships (up to 250 passengers) and private yachts visit from May thru September.

[edit] Air transportation

The jet carrier Alaska Airlines serves Petersburg with both cargo and passenger service from the Petersburg James A. Johnson Airport from Wrangell and Juneau daily, with service ultimately reaching Anchorage and Seattle. Bush carrier L.A.B. Flying Service also offers service to Petersburg from Kake and ultimately Juneau (via Kake). Three charter air companies are available for regional flights.

[edit] Trivia

Petersburg is 12th most lucrative fisheries port in the United States by volume according to the National Marine Fisheries Service. In 2004, 103 million pounds of fish and shellfish passed through Petersburg.
Petersburg is served by a weekly newspaper, the Petersburg Pilot.
Petersburg usually serves as the jumping off point for the attempted ascents of Devils Thumb, a very advanced peak located in the Stikine Icecap.
Petersburg celebrates Norwegian Constitution Day in a celebration called "Mayfest" locally on the third weekend in May.
It's home to the Petersburg Marine Mammal Center[1]. "Much is known about whales and other marine mammals; yet there is more to be learned. It exists to teach others that which is known, and to learn from and support the research into new discoveries."