Sand Point, Alaska

Sand Point
City
Sand Point from the air
Sand Point Location in Alaska
Coordinates: 55°20′12″N 160°29′36″W / 55.33667°N 160.49333°W / 55.33667; -160.49333
Country	United States
State	Alaska
Borough	Aleutians East
Incorporated	September 1, 1966[1]
Government
• Type	Mayor/Council
• Mayor	Martin Gundersen[2]
Area
• Total	28.9 sq mi (75.0 km2)
• Land	7.8 sq mi (20.2 km2)
• Water	21.1 sq mi (54.8 km2)
Elevation	39 ft (12 m)
Population (2010)[3]
• Total	976
• Density	122.1/sq mi (47.1/km2)
Time zone	Alaska (AKST) (UTC-9)
• Summer (DST)	AKDT (UTC-8)
ZIP code	99661
Area code	907
FIPS code	02-67020
Website	City Website

Sand Point, also known as Qagun Tayagungin, is a city in Aleutians East Borough, Alaska, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 976. It is located on northwestern Popof Island, one of the Shumagin Islands, off the Alaska Peninsula. It is the borough seat of Aleutians East Borough, and is located near the entrance to the Bering Sea.

The Aleutians East Borough School District is located in Southwestern Alaska along the Alaska Peninsula and Aleutian Chain The District was formed in 1988 from smaller districts who consolidated and formed a Borough with taxing authority. The Borough and District boundaries are the same, and stretch over approximately 15,000 square miles (39,000 km²) of road-less, mostly treeless tundra, from the middle of the Alaska Peninsula to the north and east, going southwest out to Akutan just east of Dutch Harbor.

History

Sand Point was founded by a San Francisco fishing company in 1898 as a cod fishing station and trading post. Aleuts and Scandinavians were among the early residents. Gold mining was briefly a part of the economy during the early 1900s. Fishing remains an important industry, as Sand Point is home to one of the largest fishing fleets in the Aleutian Chain.

Description

Almost half the inhabitants are of Aleut descent - mainly from the Qagan Tayagungin tribe, and support themselves by fishing and fish processing. There is a cold storage and fish-processing plant owned and operated by Trident Seafoods and Peter Pan has a support facility. There is an airport with a 4,000 feet (1,200 m) paved runway and daily flights (weather permitting) to Anchorage, 575 nautical miles (1,100 km) to the northeast.

The town is above the treeline, and there is a small herd of 120 bison (first introduced in the 1930s) which provides some meat for the island's inhabitants. It is notorious for the high winds caused by the meeting of cold air flows from the Bering Sea with the warm air over the Japan Current. It has a maritime climate, with temperature averages ranging from −9 to 76 °F (−23 to 24 °C), an average snowfall of 52 inches (130 cm) and an average rainfall of 33 inches (84 cm).

The Russian Orthodox St. Nicholas Chapel was built in Sand Point in 1933.^[4]

Demographics

As of the census^[5] of 2000, there were 952 people, 229 households, and 155 families residing in the city. The population density was 122.1 people per square mile (47.1/km²). There were 282 housing units at an average density of 36.2 per square mile (14.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 27.73% White, 1.47% Black or African American, 42.33% Native American, 23.21% Asian, 0.32% Pacific Islander, 2.21% from other races, and 2.73% from two or more races. 13.55% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 229 households out of which 39.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.4% were married couples living together, 15.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.9% were non-families. 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.17.

In the city the age distribution of the population shows 20.4% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 41.5% from 25 to 44, 26.3% from 45 to 64, and 3.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 165.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 181.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $55,417, and the median income for a family was $58,000. Males had a median income of $20,000 versus $22,500 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,954. About 10.3% of families and 16.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.4% of those under age 18 and 32.1% of those age 65 or over.

Climate

Like all of Southwest Alaska, Sand Point has a subpolar oceanic climate (Köppen Cfc), though compared to most parts of the region it is a little less rainy and has fewer wet days - 145 as against over 220 throughout the Aleutian Islands and in most of Southeast Alaska.

Culture

Sand Point is a mixed Native and non-Native community. More than 50% of the permanent residents in Sand Point are known as Aleuts or Unangan. Every July the town hosts a Culture Camp in which Aleut traditions such as dance, sewing Aleut dresses, playing drums, building kayaks, knot tying, and weaving are taught. Culture Camp has an Aleut language component built into the program.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 28.9 square miles (75 km²), of which, 7.8 square miles (20 km²) of it is land and 21.1 square miles (55 km²) of it (73.05%) is water.

Education

There are six schools located in the borough,^[7] and there are approximately one hundred students in the Sand Point School. In addition to classroom space, the school houses a library media center, gymnasium, weight room, indoor pool and shop. The Sand Point School is part of the Aleutians East Borough School District. The superintendent of the Aleutians East Borough School District is Dr. Phil Knight and the principal of the Sand Point School is Joseph Haslem.^[8]

Transportation

Peninsula Airways (PenAir) offers daily flights from Anchorage to Sand Point and flies to Sand Point from Dutch Harbor and Cold Bay several days a week. From Cold Bay, PenAir flies to King Cove and several smaller, fishing villages. There is also a hovercraft that operates ferry service between Cold Bay and King Cove.

Cargo service to Sand Point is available on PenAir and Alaska Central Express (ACE) Air Cargo. PenAir has cargo flights to Sand Point six mornings a week. ACE Air Cargo flies to Sand Point several days a week. Coastal Transportation is a marine carrier based out of Seattle that provides weekly year-around service to many communities throughout the Aleutians, including Sand Point.

During the summer months and into the fall, the Alaska Marine Highway operates the Tustumena. The Tustumena stops in Sand Point four times per month. From Sand Point the ferry goes to King Cove, Cold Bay, False Pass and Dutch Harbor. The ship has staterooms and dining room service. The ferry takes cars and trucks.

In Sand Point, rental cars are available from the Harbor Cafe and the Marine View Bed & Breakfast.

Sand Point is off the road system.

Activities

Many people enjoy hunting for ptarmigan and buffalo. Commercial and pole fishing is an enjoyable pastime for the residents of Sand Point. Boating and riding ATVs are popular pastimes. There is an annual Silver Salmon Derby in which contestants try to catch the largest fish to earn a cash prize. Adults can play Bingo and pull tabs on Sunday. The Boys and Girls Club offers after-school activities.

Fishing industry

The largest fishing fleet in the Aleutians is based in Sand Point.^[4] Trident Seafoods has a major Pacific cod, pollock, salmon and halibut processing plant, and provides fuel and other services. Peter Pan Seafoods owns a storage and transfer facility. In 1991, New West Fisheries had a floating processor near the city dock for Pacific cod processing. Residents in Sand Point have to acquire commercial fishing permits to be able to participate in the fisheries.

Business and shopping

The AC Store (Alaska Commercial Company) provides groceries, apparel, motorized vehicles such as ATVs, and toiletries. Small local stores provide goods like hardware, toys, groceries, and electronics. There is a small selection of restaurants in the town. Alcohol can be purchased at two locations. A bed and breakfast is located near the Trident bunkhouses. Cut R' Loose Coffee provides espresso and other specialty drinks to the local community.

Media

Radio

• KSDP 830 AM (Local NPR and APRN affiliate) (non-commercial community service)

References

External links

• Media related to Sand Point, Alaska at Wikimedia Commons

Coordinates: 55°20′12″N 160°29′36″W / 55.336593°N 160.493234°W / 55.336593; -160.493234

v t e Municipalities and communities of Aleutians East Borough, Alaska, United States Borough seat: Sand Point Cities Akutan Cold Bay False Pass King Cove Sand Point CDP Nelson Lagoon Unincorporated communities Ikatan Morzhovoi Ghost towns Adamagan Belkofski Pauloff Harbor Unga